There is a set of "Crystal Climbers" that I got from Lakeshore last year that have been sitting on the shelves for a while now. Today it caught the attention of the boys. It just so happened that as we began playing with them the sun was streaming in the classroom and all along the rug area we were sitting at. These blocks are made of clear colored plastic and the sun shone through them casting colorful shadows along the rug. What an interesting discovery! They designs were so pretty. The boys wondered what caused the blocks to have a colorful shadow. We noticed that the blocks only had a shadow when they were in the direct sunlight. Structures built out of the direct sun rays did not cast a shadow. This was another interesting discovery. And then one of the boys noticed that you could make a shadow stop by blocking the sunlight with your own body. Now there is some great thinking! As we built we realized there was not enough sun streaming in for everyone to build in the light so I took out my homemade light box. It did the trick and the boys were happy to be able to build and see their creations light up. This simple addition of light to our play turned basic block building into a sensory experience as well. Since the boys enjoyed working with the blocks and natural light so much I thought it would be fun to take our science/sensory experiment outdoors today. This was another very simple activity that the boys were thoroughly engaged in. I presented each child with a block of ice and a few different types of salt (granular and rock). I also gave them spoons, spray bottles full of liquid water colors, magnifying glasses and pipettes. I wanted them to explore the materials and see if they could use them to make their ice melt. We were all amazed at the beautiful crystal like creations they made. As you can see, natural light made all the difference!
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Why Blog?Here you will find little snippets of our days together. When my children were in preschool and would come home I would always ask, "So, what did you do today?". All they ever said was, "Played." That didn't tell me much. I hope this blog will be a place to share what we have done and help you ask more directed questions of your child. You will see first hand just what we do after you kiss your little one goodbye in the morning. It will also be a great place to visit and see just how much your child has grown and learned throughout the year. Archives
March 2024
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