This morning the preschoolers did full body painting. We first needed to gather all the materials we needed. “We need paint!” Shay said. “We need paper!” Cam said. Emma began to roll the paper onto the ground, and Skylar came over to help. “I can roll it!” Skylar said, as she began rolling the paper across the floor to help Emma. Once we had everything set up, the preschoolers took their shoes off, and we talked about how we can be safe with the paint. The educators explained that the paint is going to be very very slippery, and so we need to be extra cautious as we walk on the paint. The preschoolers chose which colours they wanted to use. “Pink!” Shay said. “Green!” Abby said. “I want orange and blue” Lily said. Once we poured some paint into the paper, the preschoolers headed off to create. The preschoolers started slowly exploring the paint, with their feet, and then their hands. Sebastian sat down right away and began rubbing the paint all over his legs. As the preschoolers explored more and more, they began immersing themselves deeper into the paint. The preschoolers explored the texture of the paint on their skin and on their clothes. They used their sensory skills to feel the paint on different materials. Some of the preschoolers wanted to fully cover themselves in the paint, and others just wanted to dip the tip of their finger in. We discovered that we could use our fingers to draw lines in the paint. Amy started to write our names using her finger. Once she was done writing our names we enjoyed using our hand to erase it. Shay and Ellie drew lines to create a picture and once they were done they used their hands to erase it and start it over again.Having an experience like this encourages children to use their full body, and explore with their senses. The preschoolers used their motor skills and coordination as they moved through the slippery paint, colour recognition and colour theory skills as they identified colours they mixed together, as well as all their sensory skills feeling the paint on their bodies. The preschoolers were so happy to fully emerge themselves in a sensory experience like this! We can’t wait to do it again!
