Reflections on a Busy Year

What a difference a year makes! At this time last year, we were taking a deep breath and trying to relax a bit. The previous semester had been rather intense and we had made several changes to our daily schedule and routines as we focused on developing coping skills with some of our more intense personalities. Many of them moved up to the preschool in January and their replacements temperaments were more flexible. The spring had its challenges but by summer, we were able to move past most of those and settled into a calmer routine. Even the introduction of one year olds in the fall and a change of classroom space didn't do much to disturb the harmony we had achieved. Even with all of the challenges, we accomplished a lot last year.  I can't tell you the last time we used time out. Partly because it wasn't needed but also because,even with the challenges we were presented with, we learned that time out really wasn't helping.  Keeping the children engaged goes a lot further in developing social skills, critical thinking, problem solving, language and all those skills and concepts we deem necessary for children to be successful. Here is a look at some of the engaging activities we offered in 2011, most of which have not been featured in my blog to date.

Snow

Exploring tubes

Our favorite book My Truck is Stuck

Snow painting

Vehicle painting

Building from plans

Dance class

Tae Kwan Do

Dress-ups

Painting our construction site (from a plan)

Visit to the lake

Making chapati

Flower shop

Teddy Bear Picnic with the librarians

Preparing the garden

Planting seeds

Trucks and play dough

Summer picnic

We LOVE balls of all kinds

Assembling our new stroller for the little ones

Making applesauce

Apple prints

Cinnamon painting (from Pinterest)

Balls and tubes

Apple size sorting

Baby bath time

Glue pictures

Drums

Sensory steps (from Pinterest)

Straws (from Pinterest)

Ball painting

Homemade stacking rings

Play dough with tools

Musical instruments

Trying to work together to push the wagon

Water play

Doctoring my hurt knee

Raking to stay warm

Toddlers Always Find a Way

It is a happy talent to know how to play.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Earlier this month we placed an order for several tons of sand to be delivered to our center. In preparation for the delivery, the grounds crew installed our sandbox for us. I started collecting materials for the children to use in the sand box. We've had pots and pans on the playground for a while now but I wanted to add some buckets, shovels and animals for use in the sand.  Although it was several days before the actual sand arrived, the children found a way to use the sandbox and to keep themselves busy, as they always do.

The simple act of climbing in and out provided a new gross motor experience for the youngest toddlers.

Of course, we found the one hole that we could try stuffing objects into.

We discovered some of the animals were too big.

Finding the animals and trying to get them out provided a whole new challenge.

A quiet place to think is a welcome respite from the typical action.

We found some treasures in the sandbox and used them to 'make lines' in the mud.

Toddlers don't need lots of bells and whistles to keep them entertained or to help them learn. A few simple toys, plenty of unstructured time and space along with supportive teachers and caregivers who encourage exploration are really all they need.

Following the Children's Lead- Literally

The holidays are just around the corner and this is the one time of year that I do a product-oriented, rather than process-oriented, art activity with the children. I do like to have them make a gift to give their parents so we started working on our hand print mittens today. Granted, we are not getting as fancy as some I have found on-line but, I do feel that is cruel to just paint a toddler's hand white, make the print and then have them go wash their hand without a chance to actually explore the paint. So we are making white paintings this week and at some point in the process, we are helping the children make their hand print.

J was one of the first children to have a turn so he and D got to choose their paint tools. They each chose a texture brush, roller and a regular roller.  I gave them their paint and they set to work. As D finished, I painted his hand and he made his print, then went to wash. J saw and wanted to make his so I painted his hand. He squealed in delight when he saw the print left behind and exclaimed, "Do it again!" 

We made three prints then ran out of room so I offered him another paper. He decided I needed a turn so I let him paint my hand and made my hand print. He did this several times, squealing in delight with each new print. Eventually the hand prints became a basketball, soccer ball, hot dog and a few other things. I have a feeling he will be trying this again!

We love to get outside with the children but since it has rained for two straight days, our play ground looks more like a river. The water is way too deep for us to go out without rain gear, which we don't have at this point. But, the advantage to being on a college campus is that we can always get out and explore campus. We gathered up coats for the two's, took them in the hallway to put them on then headed out to explore.  The one's got to go in the stroller for a walk on their own later so we all got out today for a bit. Once we got out the door of our building, we asked them which direction then followed them. I love that this group is so easy-going that we can let them go for walks without holding hands. They stayed close to us and if we needed to stop, they did and waited for the rest to catch up. We walked up all the steps to main plaza.

We walked, or rather ran, all the way to the other side of campus. 

We stopped along the way to check out a sewer.

We ducked into the library during class change time (the plaza gets super-crowded so we wanted to be out of the fray) to visit the dinosaur car. N says someone needs to drive it (probably him!).

On the way to see the ducks, we stopped in the Fine Arts Center to see if we could hear any music. A student was gracious enough to open up a practice room and let the children bang, boom, boom, boom, on the tympani drums, steel drums and the big bass drum.

This was probably the highlight of the trip. We have a group of music lovers who would start their own band if they could. Drums happen to be their favorite.

Then it was over to the lake, across the bridge to visit the ducks and back up the steps on the other side.

On the way back from visiting the ducks, we stopped to investigate a worm on the sidewalk.

I love watching them on campus. They run around there like they own the place and they love to explore it. I truly believe hope that their comfort on campus instills a love of learning and desire to explore for years to come!