| Examples of Prompts/Activities for Water, Sand, and Other Materials | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Digging: bury items in sand to be uncovered (perhaps relating to a current theme) such as plastic dinosaurs, insects, worms, coins, plastic “jewels,” small mirrors or laminated photos of the children | |||
| Washing: wash baby dolls, small cars, dishes, toys | |||
| Molding: provide molds of different kinds for damp/wet sand, dirt, or other modeling materials | |||
| Fishing: bamboo poles with magnet attached to end of string, paper clips and small paper or rubber fish with paper clips attached | |||
| Road building: sand or dirt-based materials, small vehicles | |||
| Challenges: use tongs or giant plastic tweezers to pick up different sized colored pom-poms and put them in plastic tubs or jars |
Table 7.1: Sensory Table Materials, Tool/Props and Activities
Sensory Material Recipes
Many materials for sensory play can be made cheaply and easily with readily available ingredients. Following a recipe and making sensory materials with children can also be a valuable and enjoyable activity. The distinct sensory qualities of these materials support the ATL standards because they engage children for long periods of time in experiences that are satisfying to their senses and promote exploration and experimentation.
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The following recipes can be used or adapted to make materials that are well known and often used in early childhood classrooms and care settings.
Cooked play dough (very similar to the commercial product): 2 cups flour, 2 cups water, 1 cup table salt, 4 teaspoons cream of tartar, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or baby oil), and food coloring or scents such as oil of peppermint or vanilla if desired. Mix all ingredients and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly till mixture forms into large ball. Remove from pot, let stand till cool enough to handle, and then knead for several minutes.
Oobleck (also known as goop): 1 part cornstarch, 1 part water (and food coloring if desired). When mixed together, the material confounds children because it exhibits properties of both solids and liquids.
Silly putty (also known as gak): 1 part liquid laundry starch, 1 part white school glue. Food coloring may be used to tint it. Mix together and knead on a flat surface until it has the texture of silly putty.
Colored rice or pasta: 2 cups uncooked white rice or pasta plus 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and food coloring to achieve the desired color intensity. Dissolve food coloring in alcohol and add to pasta, stirring till evenly colored. Let dry. Because the rubbing alcohol takes the place of water, the rice or pasta does not become gummy and the resulting colors are bright and durable.
Moon sand: 4 cups play sand, 2 cups cornstarch, and 1 cup of water or 9 cups sand and 1 cup baby oil (if colored sand is desired, use powdered tempera added to dry sand for best results).
Artificial snow: Ivory Snow powder or flakes and water; mix with rotary or electric beater till light and fluffy. Using brand-name soap achieves the best consistency.
Artificial mud: 1 or 2 toilet paper rolls and 2 bars of Ivory Soap plus hot water. Grate soap with a cheese grater; tear toilet paper roll in pieces and soak everything in a bowl of warm water, mixing with hands till it reaches the consistency of mud.
Slime (also known as flubber): 1 tablespoon borax powder dissolved in 1 cup water, cup school glue (clear or white) and cup water (add food coloring if desired or glow-in-the-dark paint). Pour both mixtures into a sealable plastic bag, seal, and knead. Keep refrigerated when not in use.
Stop and Reflect
- What kind of sensory materials did you enjoy playing with as a child? Why?
- How might engaging children in making and using one of the above recipes promote the five elements of the ATL standards?
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Playing with Light
Over the past several decades many American early childhood educators have embraced light play as a valuable part of the curriculum. As with the sand/water table, light play delights a childs visual and tactile senses but also promotes learning in other areas of the curriculumsuch as art, science, and mathematicsthat are discussed in other sections of this text.
The idea of playing with light came from the Reggio Emilia programs in Italy (Fraser & Gestwicki, 2002). Light is intangible, endlessly fascinating to children, and provides opportunities to engage, manipulate, and develop visual memory and perception differently than with more concrete materials such as water, sand, or modeling dough. A childs visual perception of the world changes or expands when he or she is introduced to the element of transparency that occurs when light shines through an object or when an object is viewed through a colored lens. Conversely, the element of three-dimensionality disappears in the opaque images of shadows, challenging the ways in which children store and remember images of shapes and objects. One only has to observe the facial expressions of a child engaged in activities with light to see their value as an option for play.
A light table is a piece of equipment with a translucent horizontal surface lighted from below. Both stand-alone and tabletop versions are available through education supply companies, along with a rapidly expanding commercial selection of translucent learning materials children can use to observe and examine, manipulate, or construct on the lighted surface. These materials include two-dimensional geometric shapes (pattern blocks), magnetic tiles, letters, numbers, color paddles, Lego-style blocks, and three-dimensional shapes of different kinds.
An inexpensive homemade light table can be assembled easily by putting a string of rope lights inside a translucent plastic storage tub, cutting a hole for the cord and plug, and using the tight-fitting lid as the table top. As with materials for a sensory table, household items or materials found at local stores are suitable or adaptable for a light table. Using a shallow tray with a clear bottom facilitates the use of granular substances like salt or materials that need cleanup like finger paint with no risk of scratching the surface of the table or having the materials leak into the light chamber. Table 7.2 displays some of these materials and different types of exploratory play in which children might engage with them.