This week we are exploring all of the diverse cultures around the world. We read the book Teatime Around the World written by Denyse Waissbluth & illustrated by Chelsea O’Bryne which is a great introduction of the diversity of teatime around the world with unique facts about different tea cultures. The pictures bring to life joyous celebration of diversity and deliciousness of a beverage that is loved around the world.
After reading the book, we extended the literacy experience by providing an invitation to play filled with exploring different types of tea through smell, touch and sight as they played tea time around the world. To set the invitation we used different teapots and tea cups. Provided different flavors of tea that we steeped beforehand and invited the children to have their own tea time through play.
There are so many wonderful types of play that are integrated throughout this invitation. There is water play where they are exposed to understanding & investigating with ideas such as more/less, same/different, many/few, empty/full, before/after, greater than/less than. This enhances their mathematical and science skills through pouring, mixing, and measuring. Their cognitive skills are built through cause & effect when experimenting with color combinations, ratios, & when they concentrate on mastering their hand eye coordination when pouring the water. There is sensory play where they enhance their sense of smell, touch, & sight through exploring different types of tea. And dramatic play where they are pretending to act out having tea time just like the book all through power of play!
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