Little Monkeys Preschool and Daycare

If it hasn’t been in the hand and body, it can’t be in the brain -Bev Bos This week we have explored lemons! We had used multiple types of juicers, dissected lemons and explored with magnifying glasses, we learned about the different parts of a lemon and how each part has a job, we used lemon playdough to extend our learning of letters, numbers, and shapes, we painted with lemons and made lemonade!

If it hasn’t been in the hand and body, it can’t be in the brain -Bev Bos This week we have explored lemons! We had used multiple types of juicers, dissected lemons and explored with magnifying glasses, we learned about the different parts of a lemon and how each part has a job, we used lemon playdough to extend our learning of letters, numbers, and shapes, we painted with lemons and made lemonade!

All the messy sensory bins!

Water play with ramps. We are learning about volume and measurement by filling and pouring different vessels, working our gross and fine motor skills with pouring and lifting, we are exploring gravity and momentum as the water moves down the gutter. Then as we run low on water in the treehouse we get to troubleshoot and figure out how to get it back to the top! Cooperation, teamwork, communication all being used coupled with language and not more motor skills!

Open ended play, and exploring with different mediums help foster creativity and the natural desire to create.

"If is hasn't been in the hand and body, it can't be in the brain" ~Bev Boss Today we explored a nursery and were able to see, touch, smell, and taste all different things used in the garden. These hands on experiences cannot be replaces with worksheets at a table!

This week we are kicking off spring by starting our garden!

These guys might be in love with our rainbow sensory bin! It helps teach counting, estimation, spacial awareness, weights and measurements.....fosters language and builds attention spans.

Open ended and child led projects allow children to experiment and explore with materials. This gives the children an opportunity to be in control of their experience. They learn to negotiate for different tools, they learn to be patient and Wait for their turn to explore. They watch the older kids use the materials in ways they had not considered, and emulate what they see. They are using their gross motor and fine motor skills, and crossing the midline-which is incredibly important to reading and left right brain connections

I made beautiful bright red glitter slime. Since it is almost Valentine’s Day, I poured bags of hearts into it thinking that it would Make for an amazing sensory experience. Of course, they all decided that the purpose of the tray was to pull all the hearts out lol. So our sensory tray became more then just a fine motor experiment, it turned into counting, estimating, and sorting!

Fizzy heart success!

Busy busy busy prepping for our STEAM focus valentines week! Those are not cookies!

Rainy day means inside play. Today we made sensory trays three different ways. We measured, counted, estimated, made predictions, and reflected on the outcomes. We learned about what happens when you mix ingredients: wet with dry, and wet with wet ingredients. Playing with sensory trays builds brain connections, and helps support the fine motor skills and muscles needed to hold pencils and scissors. We are building our language using words that they will find in their science text books in coming years. This gives a foundation of understanding that you can’t get in any other way except HANDS ON PLAY!!