This semester the children have been very interested in light and shadows. We often have the light table on and various materials to explore with throughout the day. We have also used the projector to show images while building or for creating different patterns. We first noticed the fascination with light when we used the computer projector to watch videos of dancers (another huge interest of ours). The children would try to figure out where the light was coming from and how the images ended up on the wall. Since then we have attempted to create colored shadows using light bulbs of different colors. We have also used images of buildings around the city of Dearborn (buildings from Greenfield Village, the Ford Building, and the Islamic Center of America to name a few). The children observed this images and tried to create the building using different types of blocks.
We have found that light can serve as a provocation itself, and that it can be used to enhance lessons. We use light to create shadows, we use light to create patterns, we use light for building; there are so many uses for light! We have also found that changing the lighting in the room can have a profound effect on the mood of the children. We never realized how important light is to our day in the classroom environment. As we continue to investigate light with the children, we want to further explore the idea of creating colored shadows.
So far through our investigations the children have encouraged materials which encourage them to problem solve, look at various science concepts, explore their community, and engage with their peers. We cover various subjects like science, social studies, and math. We have collect anecdotes for our TS Gold assessment, and continue to explore the Early Childhood Standards of Quality for the state of Michigan (
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ_IT_approved_422341_7.pdf). Here are some connections to these standards:
- Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where their
physical health is promoted.
- Infants and toddlers experience environments where: their physical health is promoted; their social and emotional well-being is nurtured; and 3. they are kept safe from harm
- b. Increased coordination (e.g., eye-hand movements)
- Goal 2: Infants and toddlers experience environments where their
social and emotional well-being is nurtured.
- b. An increasing capacity to pay attention, focus, concentrate, and be
involved.
- Goal 4: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they and
their families are empowered to make contributions within the
program and as members of their communities.
- d. A positive sense about their participation in the program, their families,
and their community.
- Goal 3: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they learn
strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning.
- a. The confidence to explore and make sense of their world through simple
problem solving, recognizing patterns, learning from trial and error, asking
questions, listening to others, simple planning
- b. An attitude of themselves as “explorers” — competent, confident learners
who ask questions and make discoveries.
- c. The confidence to choose and experiment with materials, to explore
actively with all the senses, and to use what they learn to generalize their
learning to other experiences.
- . The ability to learn new things from the materials and people around
them.
This semester the children have been very interested in light and shadows. We often have the light table on and various materials to explore with throughout the day. We have also used the projector to show images while building or for creating different patterns. We first noticed the fascination with light when we used the computer projector to watch videos of dancers (another huge interest of ours). The children would try to figure out where the light was coming from and how the images ended up on the wall. Since then we have attempted to create colored shadows using light bulbs of different colors. We have also used images of buildings around the city of Dearborn (buildings from Greenfield Village, the Ford Building, and the Islamic Center of America to name a few). The children observed this images and tried to create the building using different types of blocks. 
We have found that light can serve as a provocation itself, and that it can be used to enhance lessons. We use light to create shadows, we use light to create patterns, we use light for building; there are so many uses for light! We have also found that changing the lighting in the room can have a profound effect on the mood of the children. We never realized how important light is to our day in the classroom environment. As we continue to investigate light with the children, we want to further explore the idea of creating colored shadows.
So far through our investigations the children have encouraged materials which encourage them to problem solve, look at various science concepts, explore their community, and engage with their peers. We cover various subjects like science, social studies, and math. We have collect anecdotes for our TS Gold assessment, and continue to explore the Early Childhood Standards of Quality for the state of Michigan (https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ_IT_approved_422341_7.pdf). Here are some connections to these standards: