This summer has been a whirlwind of fun in the Toddler 2 classroom. Our older group has shown us so many interests and have come so far in their development that it was a difficult choice to pick just what to share in this story! One thing that was ongoing throughout the entire summer was the children’s interests in cars and trucks. This interest went well beyond picking up a car and driving it or getting excited about the many construction trucks we saw out our window, this interest led the children in a variety of directions week over week and even throughout each day. This interest also allowed us as educators to expand on the children’s learning and development as we brought it into an abundance of experiences.
One of our favourite and most ongoing experiences with the cars and trucks was the creation of ramps. We made ramps everywhere and out of anything and everything! It began with the children driving trains around and around the tables. We introduced the ladder stands and rounded ramps and created an elevated track using four ramps in a flat position and the children grabbed cars, trains and trucks and began driving them around. They needed to problem solve the unlevel corners where the ramps sat on top of the one beneath it.
We left the stands and ramps out, and the children began creating their own ramps that went down to the floor. They noticed some cars drove down fast, some went slow, some tumbled, and some were too big. We worked on taking turns and being patient as we waited.
We continued to expand on this and built a ramp that started on the table and went down to the floor. The children added their own ideas and put a basket at the end to catch the cars. One child stood over top of the ramp making a bridge with their legs!
As the summer went on, we continued with explorations, art, sensory and building experiences all stemming from the interest in driving their vehicles around. The children had cars in their hands constantly and added them to every part of the classroom all on their own. We had a huge sensory table filled with sand, loose parts, ramps and more, and this led to a car wash station full of bubbles and sponges and some clean, shiny cars. We built bridges using tape and popsicle sticks and then expanded on that to make a giant bridge. And so much more!
By August, the children were building their own ramps and adding unique touches. We saw them problem solving when cars got stuck on the rungs of the ladder stand, trying different placements of the ramps to try and avoid big drops from one ramp to another, and trying out other objects on the ramps!
This seemingly small interest allowed us and the children to learn and grow together. We worked on social skills, experimentation, problem solving, being creative and so much more. We even learned about physics!
As most of our group gets ready to move to preschool, we can’t wait to see what they dream up in their new classrooms. The sky is the limit, toddlers!
