Well it has been a while since we have shared what is going on in our classroom. Our last school year ended much differently, as we were doing virtual learning until the end of June. We just started a brand new school year in September, and we have a new group of children in the classroom. As we are getting to know the children, new interests are beginning to emerge.
We have found that this group of children really seem to enjoy music and dancing! Any time the children hear music playing, they want to dance and move their bodies. This is so excited to see, as many of our children are very young and becoming more confident in moving their bodies in new ways! Building off of the interest in music, we have also started exploring different types of instruments and sounds. The children all enjoy working with the drums. We have been using different ways to explore vibrations, the children noticed the movement of the drum when they tapped on it. Next week we'll be introducing tuning forks to continue to explore this concept. For now, we are in the beginning stages of our sound and music explorations, but we look forward to introducing other new materials!
We have also noticed an interest in the way things move. Not only are we looking at how our bodies move, but we are also looking at how objects move through space. The children have been using ramps daily in their explorations. We have introduced cars and balls on the ramps. Our intern has been exploring with the children as well. Some of her lessons have included cars of the ramp, and also using the items to knock over blocks. We're exploring some of those laws of physics in the most basic ways!
We're also exploring with new types of sensory materials and textures. The children have enjoyed the water and sand play so far. We have been looking for new materials to introduce. We have tried playdough, water beads, and oobleck. Each material has a different texture for the children to explore with their hands. We are looking to find ways to use materials which use the other senses as well.
So far we're off to a great start this school year! We are looking forward to finding out more about the children's interest. Keep checking for updates about our project work in the classroom.
