The children in Preschool 1 can often be found cooking up various concoctions in the kitchen area of the classroom. So, to further extend this play, a sensory experience was set up using shaving cream, plastic/foam snowflakes, small Styrofoam balls and glitter, along with bowls, scoops and spoons. As the activity was being set up, a group of children gathered around and watched as the ‘ingredients’ were added to the tuff tray. As everyone began to engage with the materials some children were overheard describing how the shaving cream felt as they moved their hands and fingers through it. One child said that it felt ‘soft’ and another described it as being ‘squishy’. Some children were hesitant to touch it at all, but when they heard it referred to it as bubbles or soap the attempt to further engage with the foam was made. Some of them still did not enjoy the feeling of it and just stuck to scooping it up with a spoon and stirring it into a bowl, but others seemed to enjoyed the new texture and became fully immersed with the activity. One child was observed making a comment on the smell of the shaving cream, saying that ‘it smelled good’, as they held a foam covered hand up to their nose. This led to others imitating their peer’s actions and smelling it for themselves. Even though our initial thought was to create ‘snowflake soup”, some children took creative liberties and created their own foods, such as, ice cream, cereal and pasta. Everyone was able to interact with each other, sharing the materials and asking their peers and educator if they wanted to try what they had made, showing a sense of pride and belonging. This activity had the children engaged for the better part of the morning, using their imagination and creative expression.
