#themateriallife

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Vehicle #Drawing 🚗🚕🚙 We taped #markers to the backs of vehicles to #track their movement across the roads. Such a simple activity that engaged every single one of our students. They worked hard to cover as much of the paper with #cartracks as possible! #vroomvroom #beepbeep #watchmemove #ourmateriallife #themateriallife #regioinspired #toddlers #classroomexploration #drawwithus #thekidsplay #thatminimalistteacher #montessorichallenge

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#decorating #matzoh #covers using #felt #sequins #feathers and #pompoms for the #Passover #Seder (feast). #Pesach #afikoman #happyholidays #lotsamatzoh #Themateriallife #OurMaterialLife (use the # with your creative use of materials to be featured) #craftylivingkids #playadventures #thekidsplay #kidscrafts101 #playdiscovercreate #inspiredchild_materials #sensoryaftermath #teachertypes #steamkidschallenge

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

A few #finishedproducts from our #painting with #BlackandWhite #paint and #paper using #playdoughtools on #display in the #classroom 🖤👻👣🐧🎬🎹💀☃️🎱⚽️🔲🐼🔘👽🎲 don't forget to use #TheMaterialLife on all your black and white #provocations! -- #regioinspired #regio #learning #earlychildhood #education #ece #earlychildhoodexplorations #exploration #explorewithus #learningthroughplay #workofchildren #learnwithus #invitationtoplay #craftylivingkids #happytoddlerplaytime #thepaigediaries #getcreativewith #inspiredchild_materials #inspiredchild_environ

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Sprinkling #salt and using #pipettes to #transfer #liquid #watercolor on #iceblocks ❄️💦🗻 the salt melted #craters into the ice #creating #pathways for the color to spread across. #iceexploration #wintercurriculum #themateriallife #earlylearning101 #STEM

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Painting with #Vehicles 🎨🖌🚚🚤 Nothing toddlers like more than vehicles in paint 👦🏼👧🏽👦🏿👧🏻 Toddlers get messy, teachers get messy, #funallaround. I love how #sensoryexploration brings out #language in #toddlers. Kids who are usually on the quieter side start chatting about how the paint feels, the marks they are making, and how odd it is that we are driving vehicles in paint instead of on the floor! Plus, teachers have the opportunity to talk with the kiddos about what they are experiencing-what they see, feel, etc. It's all very exciting! #ourmateriallife #themateriallife #sensoryart #smockson @smocks.on @friendsartlab

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Invitation to #paint with #materials in #flower-like shapes using #utensils, #corks, #playdoughtools and a #funnel 🌺🌼🌸🍴🥄 🍾 #inspired by @happytoddlerplaytime. The kiddos absolutely loved painting with these familiar materials in new ways. #thanks for the #inspo #ourmateriallife #themateriallife #spring #colorsofspring #oursensorykids #sensoryaftermath #messyplay

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#WaterPlay with #cousins 💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊💦💧🌊 swipe for more pics! This simple #DumpingAndPouring #activity is great for learning #causeandeffect, #properties of #volume, #developing #finemotorskills and more. #toddlers love to dump and pour just about anything especially water because of the #sensory stimulation. Water is often very #calming and #inviting. My little one got to spend some time with her family who love far away this past week. I loved watching her interact with her cousin who is just 3 days younger, and work on sharing, communication and forming a friendship 💙 #earlylearning101 #toddlerplay #TheMaterialLife #STEAM #STEM

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Drawing with #black #charcoal on #newsprint and #white paper 💟🖤🗞📰 Friends had to figure out how much force and pressure to use with charcoal which is much softer than crayons and pastels #problemsolving 🖐🏼👊🏼#blackandwhiteexploration #reusereducerecycle♻️ #TheMaterialLife -- -- #regioinspired #provocation #earlychildhood #education #exploration #explorewithus #learningthroughplay #workofchildren #learnwithus #invitationtoplay #playbasedlearning #playmatters #craftylivingkids #playadventures #thekidsplay #kidscrafts101 #playdiscovercreate #inspiredchild_materials #happytoddlerplaytime

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

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A post shared by Sara S.🤓SensoryPlay (@themateriallife)

#arctic #smallworld #play #inspired by @littlehandslearning ❄️🐧🐺🐋 The #kiddos quickly realized that the #styrofoam could be #crumbled into #snow 🌨☃️ #iceexploration #wintercurriculum #earlylearning101 #pretendplay #themateriallife

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

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A post shared by Sara S.🤓SensoryPlay (@themateriallife)

#mesmerizing 🌧☁️💗☁️💙☁️❤️☁️💚☁️💜☁️💛☁️🌧 #ShavingCreamClouds in action! #themateriallife #ourmateriallife #sensoryplay #floatorfly #smockson @smockson @artcampla #osk_foam @oursensorykids #activelearning #earlylearning101 @earlylearning101 #finemotor #grossmotor

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#ShavingCream #Clouds ☁️❤️💛💚💙💜💗☁️🌧💗💜💙💚💛❤️☁️ I have been wanting to try this #STEAM activity for quite a while, so when my CoTeacher suggested we try it in connection to our airplane/rock #sensorybin ( check out our previous post) I was super excited. It was cool to see how each group of children (we teach 4 separate groups ranging from 15 months-3 years) explored with the materials differently. The first group very carefully used their pipettes to #transfer the colored liquid onto the #shavingfoam. One group asked for paper to make marble prints. Another group (our youngest) enjoyed pouring and transferring the colored water and foam from glass to glass, exploring with their whole bodies (make sure to check out all the photos to see the beauty of #messyplay). Our last group used the pipettes to squirt the water on the paper creating the coolest patterns! We try our best to let the children guide the exploration and it usually turns out to be super exciting and sometimes better than what we originally expected! I sat there and "casually" talked about what I was noticing in hopes of inspiring #inquiry from the children. Some of the #noticingstatements I made were: "Look at how the shaving cream is just floating on top of the water!" "The colors are so bright on top of the white foam!" "Do you see how the colors are slowly moving down the foam and then quickly blending into the water?" "The water is changing colors!" "Before the colors were just sitting on the foam, but now is see them sinking to the bottom!" These statements opened up conversation about how the Foam worked hard to carry all the colored water until so much water was in the foam that it became too heavy to hold it all in. The heavy colors sink down to the bottom just like rain clouds become heavy from water and it begins to rain to lighten its load. Also, super exciting when your plan for the week matches up with a few challenges! #floatorfly #smockson @smockson @artcampla #osk_foam @oursensorykids #activelearning #earlylearning101 @earlylearning101 #finemotor #grossmotor #teachertypes #thatminimalistteacher #themateriallife #ourmateriallife

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Colorful #SensoryBags on the #LightTable - Pop a blue #waterbead #SensoryBottle on top for some #color #morphing #magic ❤️💛💚💙💜💗 Did you know you could tag your #sensoryplay posts with #ourmateriallife for a chance to be #featured! #themateriallife #toddler #learningthroughplay #playmatters #openendedexploration #playwithus #explorewithus #learnwithus

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky" -Jimi Hendrix ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ #Themateriallife #ourmateriallife #getcreativewith @get.creative.with

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#Vertical #TrainTracks 🚂 A #toddler #fanfavorite displayed in a #novel way. Driving on a vertical surface requires focus and coordination. It also strengthens the use of arms as the kids extend outward to drive the #trains on the #tracks. #bilateralcoordination #familiarmaterialsunconventionaluses #montessorichallenge @unozweitutu @mamashappyhive @welcometomommyhood #themateriallife #ourmateriallife #howwedoitinblue #regioinspired #conductor #choochoo

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#duplo on a #vertical surface 💙 This slightly out of the ordinary way of exploring with duplo is extremely inviting for children because it brings #novelty into a #favorite and often explored #material. Building on a vertical surface also requires different use of force and strengthens the use of arms as the kids extend outward to build #themateriallife #ourmateriallife #montessorichallenge @unozweitutu @mamashappyhive @welcometomommyhood

[themateriallife-earlychildhood]

#OceanSide #ConstructionSite 👷🏿‍♀️👷🏾‍♀️👷🏽‍♀️👷🏼‍♀️👷🏻‍♀️🌊🐠🦀🦑🐢🐛🕷🚛🚜👷🏻👷🏼👷🏽👷🏾👷🏿 We had a #messy blast today, exploring with water, fresh soil, and construction vehicles. We quickly swapped out the wooden vehicles for plastic ones as we noticed the dry soil becoming oozy mud within seconds! It was pretty while it lasted, but it turned into something just as wonderful! The children were all so intrigued that even our kiddos that hate getting their hands dirty gave it a tentative try 🙌🏼 The trucks were big enough that they could carefully lift, push and pull without getting too muddy. Some kids dove right in, enjoying the cool gooey mud on their hands! (Helpful tip: If you have a kid who just doesn't want to get dirty, hand them a pair of gloves. Often times, they begin to play more freely and soon enough the gloves are off-maybe not the first or even second time you play, but with time they may get more and more comfortable with the material!) 👷🏿‍♀️👷🏾‍♀️👷🏽‍♀️👷🏼‍♀️👷🏻‍♀️🌊🐠🦀🦑🐢🐛🕷🚛🚜👷🏻👷🏼👷🏽👷🏾👷🏿 #ourmateriallife (did you know you could use the tag with your #sensoryplay #provocations to be featured?!) #themateriallife #earlylearning101 @earlylearning101 #powerofplay52 #getcreativewith