Sharing Key Experiences – It’s What We Do
Today marks the end of Arkansas Children’s Week, and this year’s theme, “Sharing Key Experiences,” truly embodies the essence of what we do. In this blog post, we will explore the five types of everyday experiences that play a crucial role in supporting children’s learning and development. These experiences, which include imaginative play, engaging constructive experiences, creative expression, active physical play, and exploratory investigative experiences, are the foundation of our daily interactions with the children we serve.
Play is at the heart of children’s development. It is through play that children engage in meaningful experiences, design and arrange objects, and build connections. Whether it’s building a tower with blocks, creating imaginary worlds, or even demolishing structures, play is an integral part of their growth. We witness these playful moments every day in our environment.
Often, when we think of imaginative play experiences, we imagine dress-up clothes and storytelling. However, our experiences extend beyond that. For instance, today observed the boys sorting chess pieces by color and engaging in imaginative play for a remarkable 30 minutes. This simple activity demonstrated their creativity and problem-solving skills. It’s incredible how loose parts can ignite such meaningful experiences.
One of our favorite experiences is creative expression. We recently implemented an activity suggested by Arkansas Children’s Week, where we printed black and white copies of each child’s face for them to decorate.
These personalized art pieces will be showcased in our upcoming art show. Creative expression allows children to explore their imagination, develop fine motor skills, and express themselves in unique ways.
Of course like every day – art is always available and mostly child- led
Children are naturally inclined towards active physical play. From climbing trees
to building barricades, these activities foster physical development, coordination, and a sense of adventure. Our environment encourages this type of play, providing children with opportunities to explore and challenge themselves in a safe and supervised setting.
Today, we had also the privilege of engaging in exploratory investigative experiences. Together with Randy, we planted onions and are now eagerly awaiting their growth.
Additionally, we had the chance to witness Randy’s expertise as he prepared his container garden, filled with tomato plants, flowers, and other vegetables.
And we can’t overlook the exploratory experience of continuing to watch our birds grow every day.
These experiences not only nurture children’s curiosity but also teach them about the wonders of nature and the importance of caring for our environment.
Sharing key experiences is an integral part of our daily routine. We don’t need to plan these experiences; they naturally emerge from our interactions with the children. Through play, engaging constructive experiences, creative expression, active physical play, and exploratory investigative experiences, we create a nurturing environment that supports children’s growth and development. By embracing and fostering these experiences, we aim to provide children with a solid foundation for lifelong learning and success.
Other special touches to our day was a beautiful weather, and being able to eat outside.
Complete with cupcakes
We will end our day with rainbow cookies. Happy Children’s Week
