Recently the Preschool 1 room has been enjoying sensory play within the classroom. It started when some red and green crinkle paper was placed in the sensory bin along with some elves and trees. As the children joined in on the activity, they brought some new items to play with. Promise brought over an elephant and used its trunk to lift up some of the paper and Charlotte found a pair of toy pliers and said, “Look I pinched it” as pieces of paper dangled from the tool.
This activity was extended on another day, as winter like items were placed into the bin. Fluffy cotton, strings of tinsel, styrofoam balls and foam snowflakes and penguins were all materials that the children were able to explore. As Elia began touching the cotton he said, “It’s fluffy snow” and began running his fingers through the ‘snow’ and tinsel. Ezra found the snowflakes and penguins and when asked what they felt like he replied, “they feel squishy.” Charlotte had a handful of penguins and she held them up to show the educator. When asked what she had found she replied, “One baby, two babies and a daddy penguin.” Elijah discovered that when he wrapped the styrofoam balls in the cotton and then squeezed it, the ball would shoot out of the other end. At one point Promise wanted to take some of the materials and use them on the floor, where was able to explore these items in a space of his own. A couple of days later some of the items were switched out and news materials were added. Cotton balls replaced the fluffy cotton and strips of white fur were included. One of the educators wrapped a polar bear in a piece of fur and the children enjoyed picking it up and saying how soft it felt. After seeing the bear wrapped up, Stark took a piece of the fur and wrapped it around himself like a scarf. When asked how it felt he said, “It’s warm and soft.”
During these play experiences the children were able to use their sense of touch to manipulate many different textures. They were able to use their expressive language skills when communicating with their educators and peers, which promoted a sense of belonging as their words were listened to. They were able to freely experiment with the materials and use them in ways that were meaningful to their play. Those who chose to participate in these activities were fully engaged with all of the materials provided.
