Our Steller’s Jay classroom (2-3-year-olds) has been investigating ice and snow! Teachers put snow in the Sensory Bin along with four spray bottles of colorful water. You will see the children exploring and having a ton of fun. But what are the underlying learning goals?
Posted at the center is the main objective for this activity: “Control small muscles in hand.” Teachers are setting up this center with the intention of students using their fine motor skills to squeeze spray bottles. This builds hand strength and muscle control, which are necessary for holding writing implements and preparing children for pre-writing skills.
In addition to fine motor development, children are also learning:
In addition to fine motor development, children are also learning:
- Social emotional skills: “Children demonstrate a belief in their abilities.” Students will show the ability to adjust when things do not go their way. If they want to spray the blue color, but another child is using that bottle, the child needs to wait for their turn. Children are practicing delayed gratification and flexibility. Every day is a good day to practice sharing and taking turns. By having only four spray bottles, children will need to request turns, decide when and how to share the bottle, consider each other’s needs and feelings, and use their strong voice to stand up for their needs.
- Science and Problem Solving: “Children explore cause and effect.” There are many ways children can explore cause and effect by spraying water on snow. The action of squeezing the spray bottle and water coming out, mixing colors together, accidentally spraying their friend and the friend becoming upset, thinking about the nature of snow by spraying the warm water and watching the snow melt, and touching the snow and feeling their hand becoming cold.
- Communication: “Children can express themselves using words and expanded sentences.” Children are communicating verbally and non-verbally all the time. At this center they would need to use their words to request a turn, ask a friend to play, stand up for their rights, and engage in an imaginative scenario with a peer.
- Cognitive skills: “Approaches problems flexibly.” In order to continue to hold interest and be exciting, children may find new materials to bring into the snow, and use them in interesting ways. For example, a child might bring the people over from the block center and use their imagination to create a colorful snow world. The possibilities are endless!
- Creativity: "Uses different mediums to create form and meaning." Students may spray the snow to create a work of art, changing the white canvas into a rainbow of color.