At RisingOaks Early Learning I St Nicholas, the toddlers have developed a growing interest in playing with animal toys in the classroom over the last few weeks. They explored different animal toys, calling the name of each animal or making an animal sound, and putting the animals into the animal houses. During the carpet time, the toddlers were fond of guessing the animal sound activity and singing the ‘Old McDonald Had a Farm’ song. These experiences showed their curiosity about the different animals.
Toddler’s interest was further extended by the introduction of a large animal (cow and chicken) cut-out made of a cardboard for decorating. The toddlers actively engaged themselves in the painting activity using paint brushes. Some toddlers painted the animals using the brush while Harlow, Mattea, and Danny also used their hands to spread the paint in the animal cardboard. The painting activity provided them an opportunity to explore and feel the paint.
Toddler’s interest in animals continued even outside through an exciting farming experience. The educators made a pretend farm where the toddlers got a chance to collect toy chicken and eggs and also “milk” a cow which they milked by squeezing some water-filled finger gloves. It was really exciting for the them to collect the toy eggs and put them in the basket one by one. The process of milking made the toddlers laugh and become very excited. They had an opportunity to take turns in squeezing the fingers on the gloves attached to the cow. They observed with excitement how water squirts from there and laughed while trying squeezing and letting go. Liam said, “So squishy,” while squeezing the finger gloves.
Through these various hands-on activities, they got to learn more about animals, farming, eggs and milking cows. These also helped them problem-solve, supported their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and muscle movements.
They appeared to be delighted and confident while being involved in these experiences. Milking the cow was done by turns; thus, they got an opportunity to practice patience and cooperation. Toddler’s laughter contributed to the sense of their belonging and connection with their peers and educators.
It’ s wonderful to see how the toddlers' natural interest in animal toys developed into various rich learning experiences. The educators followed children's interests and extended their play with animals through art, sensory experiences, imaginative play, and outdoor experiences. The smiles, laughter, curiosity, and participation of the toddlers revealed their engagement into the learning process.
