Month of February

Month of February 

Exploring Animal Movements 

The children have continued to show a strong interest in animals. We noticed that when the children were playing with the plastic animals they would make them stomp or run.  To extend their interest in animal movements, we projected a video which focused on safari animals. As a class, we researched how elephants, ostriches, cheetahs, zebras and gorillas move. We watched how each individual animal moved and tried to replicate the animals movements with our own body. 

Creating Spaces for Animals 

Throughout the month of February, the children have been working on creating spaces for animals. We focused on creating a variety of different shelters for animals. We used the wooden crescent pieces as an object for the animals to hide underneath. The children explored how the large animals like the fox, moose and bear can fit underneath the crescents;however, they placed the winged animals on top of the crescents. We went on to explore shelters for farm animals. We provided the children a large box with a four doors cut into each side to represent a barn. The children explored placing the animals into the barn. Many of the children were interested in how many animals could fit into the barn. There were several conversations about which animals belonged in the barn and which did not. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infants and Toddlers 

Strand A, Goal 2: Infants and toddlers experience environments where their social and emotional well-being is nurtured.

Strand B, Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where the importance of spontaneous play is recognized and play is valued as meaningful learning.

   Strand C, Goal 2: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they gain confidence in and greater control of their bodies.

Strand D, Goal 3: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive about their feelings and thoughts.

Strand E, Goal 3: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they are encouraged to interact and learn with and alongside others.

Exploring the path objects take on the ramp

The children have been interested in how objects move going up and down the ramp. We have explored how much force is needed for various objects to travel on the ramp. We wanted to extend their thinking about the path an object takes down the ramp. We sparked their interests with a ball, wooden slide, citi blocks and tape. We placed several citi blocks on each side of the ramp to create an obstacle for the ball to weave through when traveling down the ramp. Right away, the children noticed how their ball would stop when it got to the citi block. When this occurred, the would use their hands to manipulate the ball around the obstacle. The second thing they noticed was how the speed of the ball would slow down  after it came it contact with a citi block. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infants and Toddlers 

Strand C, Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where the importance of spontaneous play is recognized and play is valued as meaningful learning.

Strand C, Goal 3: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning.

Strand C, Goal 5: Infants and toddlers experience environments where their interests and initiative provide direction for learning opportunities and for the practice and mastery of developing skills.
Strand D, Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they develop attitudes and skills to communicate successfully with others.

Exploring how to manipulate an object though a tube

We have shown a lot of interest in cause and effect, especially when it comes to exploring the tubes. The children are fascinated in how you can place the pom-pom ball into one end of the tube and it will come out of the other end of the tube. We gave the children a flexible transparent tube and pom-pom balls to encourage them to think about the different ways they could get the pom-pom balls out of the tube. The children used several strategies such as shaking the tube, turning the tube upside down, blowing through the tube, and wiggling the tube with both hands. We wanted to see if the children could use the same strategies with a stationary tube which had parts of the tube blocked off with pipe cleaners. We noticed that the children wanted to place their hands inside of the tube to push the ball through or remove it all together from the tube. Other children were interested in rotating the tube from side to side watching as the ball traveled around the pipe cleaners.

Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infants and Toddlers 

Strand C, Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where the importance of spontaneous play is recognized and play is valued as meaningful learning.

Strand C, Goal 3: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning.

Strand C, Goal 5: Infants and toddlers experience environments where their interests and initiative provide direction for learning opportunities and for the practice and mastery of developing skills.
Strand D, Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they develop attitudes and skills to communicate successfully with others.
Strand E, Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where the opportunities for learning are equitable, irrespective of gender, ability, age, home language, ethnicity, or background.