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CURRICULUM PLANNING IDEAS "NATURAL ELEMENTS" AND SMALL GROUP…

- - - - sparking curiosity and asking a question, "what happens if I put this plastic bag into water? Will it sink or float?
        
        Encourages social development by allowing children to interact side by side at a water or sand table, allowing them to communicate together one on one or in a group.
        
        Develops social skills and group work skills
        
        Activities with play dough/plasticine/clay
        
        Has a calming and therapeutic effect on children
        
        Repetition and scooping, pouring and running fingers and hands through the water allows them to be focused and relaxed
        
        Develop gross motor and muscle strength due to the pouring of large or heavier cups and buckets
        
        mud/wet sand
        
        slime/flubber
        
        pails/moulds
        
        scoops
        
        scented play dough
- - - - Interactive activity: children act out natural elements (tree/rock) and sings songs about nature
      - Garden activity: children can plant small flowers in the ground or in small pots provided by educators
      - Toy washing: children can use a wet sensory bin to wash their "babies" or other toys with water
      - "The weather song" sung to the tune of "Oh my Darling Clementine" explores weather
      - Curriculum idea: with the assistance of educators, children can act out the life of a flower (seed, watering, etc.) as a play. Children can also plant their own flowers
- - - - Crafts with leaves: Children can collect leaves and create activities such as gluing leaves on the sides of small carboard box, or gluing pieces of grass on sheet of paper. Materials: small box, leaves, grass, paper, non-toxic school glue. Developmental benefits: fine motor skills for small details, cognitive for mental representations (use of creativity)
        
        Moulding activities with play dough: Mud, pond and tree moulds. Children will use play dough to mould brown mud; make trees by rolling little brown sticks for the length of the tree and balls of green playdough for the top of the tree and mould these together. They can use a piece of carboard to place them on. Children can use blue play dough to create a pond. Materials: green, blue, brown play dough to create scenery, cardboard. Developmental benefits: fine and gross motor for rolling clay, and moulding, flattening, patting down play dough
        
        Creating Puddles and Bead Rain Drops: Create a rain area. Create puddles out of blue paper, laminate them, and stick them on the floor (taped so they don't slide off), use large tear-shaped beads and hang them from the ceiling (raindrops). Children will jump in the puddles and touch the rain drops. Materials: blue construction paper, laminate, child-friendly scissors, tape, clear-shaped beads, string. Developmental benefits: cognitive, fine and gross motor skills. spatial awareness.