The children see construction vehicles everyday due to our playground renovation. They would stand in front of the classroom windows to observe the people who work on the new playground. The children’s interest made Sarah think, why don’t we bring the construction site into the classroom!
Using sensory trays, Sarah brought in mud, rocks, sticks and roots and let the children explore the materials. She also placed miniature but realistic constructions vehicles onto the mud. The children were excited as they watched the mud play being set up. Once everything was ready, the children ran to the mud and started to explore.
During the activity, the children showed interest in using the construction vehicles to play with the mud. They would use the vehicles to scoop the mud instead of just using hands. Some of the children liked to drive the construction vehicles on the mud to see the tracks that they made. Some of the children liked to feel the different texture of the materials, and some of the children enjoyed transporting the mud.
During the activity, the children not only played alone but also played together. Some of the children would use an excavator to scoop the mud and transported to the other children’s dump truck. They also would switch the construction vehicles with each other so that they could explore different types.
This shows that the children were able to play with the vehicles as they watched the real ones work through the windows. They enjoyed mimicking the jobs of each vehicle as they maneuvered the dirt. The excavator was a favourite and the toddlers took turns using it to scoop and dump the dirt into the dump trucks. They also were heard imitating the noises the vehicles make as they drove. “Vroom, beep and crunch,” were just some of the language the toddlers used as they played.
This was definitely a hit sensory experience and we will see what else we can incorporate onto the trays when we try it again (e.g. add leaves, toy people, or bring in some construction vests and helmets for the children to put on to extend their experience, etc).
