As the Autumn season continues to evolve, our toddler friends have played and explored with the colourful leaves on the playground. Hudson asked, "Can I have a rake?" The educators provided them small rakes, and they immediately started raking the leaves into a pile. The children demonstrated turn-taking and sharing skills in cooperation with their peers.
Children’s faces brightened as they watched the leaves float down when the educator picked up some leaves and tossed them into the air. They were laughing while imitating the educator, they took some leaves and threw them into the air.
Mattea, Nivaaz, and Hudson were playing in the tuff tray, which had been set up and filled with autumn items such as pinecones, leaves, and twigs. They explored the texture of the materials with curiosity, lifting them up and down. Sashwath, Mattea, and other friends quickly started imaginative play with their pots and pans from the outdoor kitchen and began "cooking" with the leaves. Sashwath, with a smile, said, "Food," as he extended the leaf-filled pan to the educator after he mixed it using a ladle.
These activities allowed the toddlers to develop their social and emotional skills, through turn-taking, sharing, cooperating, and creating friendships with peers. Physically, this activity enhances their gross and fine motor control through raking and throwing leaves. Cognitively, through problem-solving, this activity helped them used their imaginative skills in creating and initiating their own play scenarios. Their sensory development was supported when they touched, smelled, and investigated the different textures of natural materials. Their language development was also enhanced as they share ideas, use words, and communicate with each other during their play.
To extend their learning, the educators brought this autumn curiosity inside the classroom, providing the children with paint brushes. They began dipping them into the paint tray and brushing on to the pinecones and twigs. They also used their fingers and hands to explore colour mixing as well as the natural materials.
These activities brought out much of the toddlers' natural curiosity, joy, and imagination. When the educators followed the children’s lead, they supported their creativity, cooperation, and sensory exploration. The educators also helped them develop an appreciation for nature and the changing seasons. We wonder what other curiosities will emerge as we continue to observe seasonal changes.
