¡Bienvenida la primavera!
Aprovechemos el tiempo cálido y divirtámonos al aire libre
Incorporar las artes al aire libre es una forma estupenda de fomentar la creatividad, la exploración, la autoexpresión y el desarrollo de habilidades de motricidad, ¡todo ello mientras se disfruta del sol!
Compartiendo una sencilla receta de pintura de tiza para usar afuera
Fácil de imprimir – Pintura de tiza
Playing with Nuts and bolts
Nuts and bolts may seem like a simple activity, but it provides children with many great opportunities to explore and build on their skills.
- Fine motor skills.
* Hand and eye coordination as children grasp and pick their selection of bolts and then attach the nuts and bolts.
* Twisting, pinching, rotating give fingers muscles a workout, skills needed later for writing
- Math skills
* Giving children a variety of bolts and nuts allows them the opportunity to sort, match, categorize as they make a selection and plan how to use them.
* Create patterns, count and describing of different attributes including size
- Language skills
* Back and forth conversation as they work with other children
* Exploration and explanation of their creation and learning to others
- Creativity
* So much creativity as children came up with new ways to create and play, testing their ideas.
- Sensory experience
* Different textures, weights, sizes, and materials can be incorporated, experimenting with touch and sound.
Jugar con tornillos y tuercas
Los tornillos y las tuercas pueden parecer una actividad sencilla, pero proporciona a los niños muchas oportunidades para explorar y desarrollar sus habilidades.
- Habilidades de motor fino
* Coordinación de manos y ojos al tomar y recoger su selección de tornillos y luego colocar las tuercas y tornillos.
* Girar, pellizcar y girar hace que los músculos de los dedos se ejerciten, habilidades necesarias más tarde para la escritura - Habilidades matemáticas
* Ofrecer a los niños una variedad de tornillos y tuercas les da la oportunidad de clasificar, emparejar y categorizar mientras hacen una selección y planean cómo usarlos.
* Crear patrones, contar y describir los diferentes atributos, incluyendo el tamaño - Habilidades lingüísticas
* Conversación de ida y vuelta mientras trabajan con otros niños
* Exploración y explicación de su creación y aprendizaje a los demás - Creatividad
* Mucha creatividad, ya que los niños inventan nuevas formas de crear y jugar, poniendo a prueba sus ideas. - Experiencia sensorial
* Se pueden incorporar diferentes texturas, pesos, tamaños y materiales, experimentando con el táctil y el sonido.
Creating a nature scavenger color-hunt game is a fun nature-themed activity to get your group outdoors. This is an activity that, no matter their age, they will stay busy and observe as they play creatively and explore outside.
You can use a canvas panel or a piece of cardboard, I would say roughly the size of a medium-large pizza box. You then want to take 10 color paint swatches. I like to take a walk in my space and quickly take 10 pictures to match when I get to my hardware store. This is something that will, of course, change with the seasons.
We did 10 colors; my group is 2.5-4 years old. It’s entirely up to you how you choose to do this; you can cut smaller pieces of cardboard and give each child 5 colors; you can do it as a group as we did. You can add shapes by cutting the paint sample into a circle or triangle. You can also use this as a take-home activity for family engagement. Ask families to bring it back and discuss it with the group.
So after you have the canvas panel or cardboard, the color swatches, and 10 clothespins, you want to hot glue the colors swatches down and the clothespins. Then go explore for colors!
You can set rules for the game, like the color green can not be grass. Once the child finds the color, they yell “I found yellow”, clip it, and attach it to the board. We display our board and showcase it for pick up. Children are always so proud to name what they found and the color it matches.
Bring the mirrors outdoors and enjoy this simple and rewarding activity! During the early years, children are enamored with their own reflections. Providing this opportunity to study themselves, and create art, encompasses many different skill sets for young children.
Infants: Infants will enjoy simply looking at themselves in a mirror. Offer a hand mirror on a blanket where they can gaze and practice tummy time!
Toddlers: Help toddlers label their own features in the mirror. Encourage them to explore different art materials without concern about the final product. Focus on correctly holding utensils (pencil between fore finger and thumb).
Older Toddlers: Encourage older toddlers to recognize simple shapes in their features and transcribe those shapes on their drawing. Encourage correct handling of utensils, and help children write their names.
Pre-K: Encourage children to write their names and label their features when finished with their portraits.
Have you tried self portraits in your program? Have a fun activity? Share it with us info@townsquare.org
We are officially in Autumn, and of course, with this season comes pumpkins! Here are few ideas on how to explore pumpkins in your program:
- Explore the outside of the pumpkin!
*Have children touch the shell and stem
How does it feels? Is it smooth, bumpy, hard?
What do you see?
What sound does it make?
What color is it?
Why does it have a stem?
- Explore the inside of the pumpkin!
*After exploring the outside, move to the inside. Carve out the stem and ask children to look inside, describing what they see. If they are comfortable, have them touch the inside, feel the pulp and seeds, describing this texture. Dig into the pulp and seeds by using a spoon to scoop it out. Ask children:
How does it feel?
What does it smell like?
What color is it?
What shape is it?
*For infants or children who are overstimulated with touching the raw pumpkin pulp, scoop the pulp and seeds in a freezer bag, glue the bag shut, and have them squish the bag
*With the pulp and seeds out, have the children separate the seeds from the pulp. As an added activity, have them count how many seeds they found
- Explore what happens after!
*Leave your pumpkin in a safe place inside or outside to observe the daily changes
*Ask children to notice the difference in color, texture, and smell
*Why is the pumpkin changing?
- Exploring taste!
* Rinse the seeds and lay them out to dry. Once dry, place them on a cookie sheet to roast. Have older children taste them (safety precaution choking hazard)
*Explore a pie pumpkin instead of a carving pumpkin, bake the pumpkin and have children try the pulp or use it to make a pie or cookies
Have a fun Autumn activity? Share your ideas with us at info@townsquarecentral.org
Es magia!
Algunas de las experiencias más mágicas provienen de los materiales más simples. Saque algunas linternas y vea qué exploraciones mágicas suceden.
Esta experiencia apoya el desarrollo en varios de los Objetivos de Ciencias del Aprendizaje Temprano.
- Desarrolle habilidades iniciales en el uso de prácticas científicas y de ingeniería, como observar, hacer preguntas, resolver problemas y sacar conclusiones.
- Identificar, describir y comparar las propiedades físicas de los objetos.
- Comience a entender las prácticas básicas de seguridad que uno debe seguir al explorar y participar en investigaciones científicas y de ingeniería.
- Utilice herramientas científicas para la investigación.
Weaving is a fun, inexpensive activity that aids in developing large and fine motor skills. Focusing on strengthening the thumb and forefinger as children hold on to the ribbon or string and push and pull, coordinating their movement.
The benefits of weaving go beyond just motor development; weaving aids in developing
- Hand & Eye Coordination: encourage children to use the visual information received to coordinate the movement of the hands.
- Concentration: it isn’t an uncommon sight to see children taking their time and concentrate when they weave. There is often silence as they carefully move the material between the rods.
- Creativity: children can get very creative when it comes to weaving. There is no right or wrong way of doing it. They might choose to use different objects or create patterns.
- Understanding patterns: as children choose their ribbon and movement, they will explore patterns. Essential in pre-reading skills and numerical development.
There are several ways to include this activity in your program; Stephanie McKinstry owner of My Caterpillar Clubhouse shares how she incorporates weaving in her program.
” Using a Jenny Lind bed I found down an alley for free. I took out all the hardware and zip-tied the bottom, middle and top together, standing the frames in a V shape, allowing the legs to stand on their own”.
You can also try this with a fence, adding a very decorative touch to your outdoor space.
If you have limited space in your program, you can use a laundry basket, a milk crate, or some plastic fencing.
Have you tried weaving in your program? Have a fun activity? Share it with us info@townsquare.org
Welcome Spring!
Let’s take full advantage of the warm weather and have some safe fun outside!
Incorporating arts into the outdoors is a great way to encourage creativity, exploration, self-expression, and mobility skills development, all while enjoying some sun!
Sharing a simple recipe for outdoor chalk paint!
Printer friendly – Chalk Paint