Sensory play assists children to embrace their confidence and interests in learning using all their five senses, expressing what they feel, touch, smell, hear and see. Sensory plays in a group experience also develop their social skills and relationships.
Every week we decided to put some new texture explorations in the class so we could keep up with children’s interests and explore likes/dislikes together.
Forrest, our experiment expert said, ‘I want to make slime, I saw it on YouTube at home “how to make easy slime”, he asked for glue, warm water and some salt. He mixed up his ingredients and result were not that he wanted but it was little but slimy. So, then everyone asked the educator “how can we make slimy slime?” Autumn searched on Google together with friends and found the page that has easy DIY slime tutorial. The ingredients were contact solution, baking soda, colour of choice, clear glue. The experiment bin was missing contact solution, so we decided to take over the experiment to next week, just so the educator could get contact solution.
Coming down the following week, ingredients were ready. Everyone took one bowl each for prepping the slime. Group pay attention to the steps and created a beautiful slime. Educator observed older children giving turns to younger friends and helping them to create slime. Elora very patiently give a hand of help to Finley and Leo for the activity.
Later, Autumn and Forrest both volunteered to show their peers how to make it more puffy. Both had different ideas but same results. Forrest put some shaving foam in the slime and mix it up till it’s puffy and Autumn laid the slime in a thin sheet on the table and blow some air from the tiny hole to make it puffy and big.
In Next week’s plan they choose to make play dough with their own colour palette. To make it more experiencing, a provocation with dentist kit and play dough was offered. Children choose their roles and responsibilities through proper discussion. Mostly all relate the play to the dentist visits, they show relationship between their reel and real life. Leo said he is going to put the hole in the cavity just like his doctor did. Kingston said he will grind with Leo.
While kindergartens were playing on the table, Autumn came by and joined the table. She then excitedly asked others ‘Hey Guys, do you want to what else you can do with the mouth, Let me show you all’. Autumn made a tongue with texture on it by putting play dough in the spot.
Educators see helping personality of Autumn and also her confidence to role play and share her knowledge with others
