This week is master chef week & we are exploring so many different types of food in many ways. Food plays an integral role in our lives. The food we eat is intertwined with culture/traditions & many of our favorite memories are associated with gathering during special celebrations or simply enjoying food as a meal. By exploring, creating, & learning about different foods from around the world children can learn & respect a lot of different cultures + traditions. Here are four invitations to let children create & play while exploring different foods! 1. Invitation to Explore Foods Galore// We set out an invitation to let the children explore & create various types of dishes through letting the children play with food stones (some from @discountschoolsupply/some hand painted) & play-dough. 2.Rice Pouring Station// Rice is the world’s major staple meal. Around 80% of the world’s population, or more than 50%, depends upon rice for food. We set up a rice pouring station with bowls, measuring cups, & scoopers. The children were invited to imagine, create, & make some of their favorite recipes. 3.Invitation to Create Tea Party// We invited the children to explore different types of tea through smell, touch, & sight! To set the invitation we used different pitchers, tea cups, etc. as well as different flavors of tea that we steeped beforehand & invited the children to have their own tea time. 4. Invitation to Create Nature Soup// Inviting a child to create any type of sensory soup encourages so many levels of learning while they create. We invited the children to make their nature soup with foraged leaves, pine cones, water, pots, cooking utensils, & pitchers to create some yummy soup!

The   Excellerations® Outdoor Market Stand could not have been #gifted at a better time. Our peach tree has been flowing with abundance so it was the perfect opportunity to set up a real farmers market stand filled with fruit from our yard.  The Market Stand opens up a world of open-ended imagination where the children are inspired to role play being a farmer, clerk, shopper, and more.  To set this dramatic play space we placed the peaches from our backyard and pretend to play food into baskets. The children were first invited to play an act out what it would be like to sell and shop at the market.  After playing, we invited the children to taste test the fruit for a sweet peach treat together!

We always love a good oil and water exploration moment during mad science week but this year changed up the water color to fluorescent pastels. We provided two different trays with a base of oil 1) In a clear pyrex dish on a light table to let the magic of light enhance the experience 2) In a white serving tray to make the colors really pop. In our paint tray we placed a drop of Colorations® Fluorescent Paint mixed with White Liquid WaterColors & provided pipettes. We invited the children to take the pipettes, fill them up with colored water & drop it into the oil to explore what happens. Through this exploration they were able to explore how oil remains separate from the water because it lacks polarity & floats because it’s less dense. We explained that when you have two objects that are the same size but different weights, the one that weighs more has more matter packed into it. It is denser. A good way to tell if something is more or less dense than water is to put it in water. If it sinks, it’s denser, if it floats, it’s less dense. Through these type of experiments, children can visually see and learn many important science concepts. These hands-on activities can help them develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making too. Children can also practice asking questions, observing, analyzing the results, drawing conclusions, and much more. These skills will help your children in all areas of learning!

Science is everywhere in the early years and it doesn't need to be complicated. Here are three simple science invitations we love to do where children can explore the basic foundations of science in an open ended intentional setting.  1. Invitations to Create Potions// So much of the magic of early childhood is creating wondrous concoctions. We invited the children to create potions with Colorations® Metallic BioColors Paint mixed with Water, Dawn Dish Soap, TTS Potion Bottles, Beakers, Pipettes, Twisty Droppers, & the Excellerations® Pour and Measure Set.  2. Neon Fizzing Explosions// We provided beakers filled with vinegar mixed with Colorations® Fluorescent Tempera Paint + Learning Resources twisty droppers on a bed of baking soda. The children were invited to explore the materials in order to create a chemical reaction. 3. Ooey Gooey Oobleck// We provided cornstarch & water mixture with Colorations® Fluorescent Tempera Paint. The children were invited to explore the oobleck with recycled produce baskets through sensory play. These types of invitations children build a foundation for future scientific learning. Science provides children with the opportunities to explore their environments as they learn about cause & effect, cycles of nature, comparisons, chemical & physical changes, reactions & properties of matter. As curiosity builds, children learn to be patient with projects that take time & how to make decisions based on the data they gathered. A basic skill for "scientific research" is the ability to observe & realize how things are the same & how they are different. Developing this ability to understand likeness & differences builds a science base as well as a skill for future math & reading skills. These science experiment process teaches wonder, process, & patience – while being fun while being a magical open ended experience.

Every Early Childhood Classroom should have comfy corners. Providing flexible seating within those areas are essential to create an inclusive environment. Children's Factory #gifted Mini Round Poufs Sets as well Happy Rockers to elevate and transform our comfy corner spaces into a haven of creativity and comfort that invites children to sit, play, and learn in an environment that values both style, functionality, and the needs of every child  Typically in our comfy corners the goal is to provide a seating nook with soft materials, calming colors, books, plush items, sensory bottles, rugs, & plants to instantly make a child feel at "home" in order to relax. Whether emotions are big and in full effect, a child needs time +  space, or simply needs a break from hard moments, transitions, in order to adjust, feel safe, and self regulate. This kind of safe space empowers the child to be able to process/regulate their emotions, focus, and wind down, while teaching them to deal and work through their feelings, appreciate relaxation, honor the time they need, and give them a skill of a lifetime of self-awareness + regulation.  Being able to have a better understanding of how to create the best environment for the children will be beneficial in a child's earliest and most formative years. Flexible materials within the environments are most conducive to children's engagement, security, ownership, & achievement. By providing flexible-seating in the environment will allow children to wobble, rock, bounce, lean, fidget, or stand, which increases oxygen flow to the brain, blood flow and core strength. This aids in keeping young minds more alert and focused. The benefits of providing flexible seating within the classroom, will promote choice, physical health, comfort, community, collaboration, commitment to learning, communication, sensory input, and fun. In today’s classrooms, continuing to make changes that will create the best learning environment in order for children to feel welcomed, safe, excited, and comfortable will not only meet their needs to create an inclusive classroom it will play into their success in learning or anything they put their mind to. The18×18 Mini Round Pouf Set of 2 offers both style and versatility. Equipped with handles for easy transport, they’re the perfect blend of comfort and convenience. Key Features: CertiPUR-US Certified Foam: Rest easy knowing our poufs are made with foam that meets rigorous standards for content, emissions, and durability, free from harmful chemicals. Vegan Leather Material: Enjoy the luxurious feel and easy maintenance of vegan leather, ensuring these poufs are both stylish and durable. Coordinating Colors: Available in two complementary colors, these poufs can brighten up any room and add a layer of visual interest to your space. Versatile Use: Whether it’s for a reading nook, group activities, or flexible seating arrangements, these poufs adapt to your needs, enhancing any learning environment. Handles for Easy Carrying: Designed with convenience in mind, each pouf comes with a handle, making them effortlessly portable for both teachers and students. Happy Rocker isn’t just a seat; it’s a movement revolution. The dynamic active seating solution allows children to fidget to focus. The Happy Rocker is more than just seating,  it’s a tool to help children learn and grow while they move.  Versatile Rocking and Climbing: Adaptable to various developmental stages, offering endless possibilities for play and learning. Comprehensive Development: Enhances balance, coordination, spatial awareness, and stimulates creativity through active engagement. Community and Collaboration: Promotes sharing, turn-taking, and teamwork in a fun and interactive way. Physical and Sensory Health: Boosts physical activity, provides sensory input, and supports mental focus, especially beneficial for ADHD, ADD, and ASD.

To kick off Animals Galore, we invited the children to get some farm animals dirty and then let them wash them squeaky clean. In two tuff trays we placed inflatable farm animals with brown tempera paint, the children were invited to get the animals muddy by painting them. In another tuff tray we made a muddy looking oobleck, provided recycled berry baskets, and placed figurines for the children to let the animals have some fun.  After the animals got dirty from head to toe the children were provided sponges, towels, scrubbers, toothbrushes, bowls, buckets, soapy water to clean all the mud off the animals.  While there are endless benefits about sensory play (oobleck) & process art painting, washing the animals is a great way to have children be exposed to a practical life skill all through the power of play.  Practical life activities such as washing animals are not only enticing, they are important for young children to continuously be exposed to. Activities for practicing the care of their environment such as washing, are both fun and great for developing order, concentration, coordination, and independence. There are a series of steps that children will go through for a practical life activity that is wonderful for developing concentration, organization, and the ability to follow directions. Washing anything is enticing to children because they love anything that involves water and at the same time they are also able to model/mimic what they see adults doing everyday around them. Since water play is a staple in early childhood education it comes so naturally for children to play and explore with water. By providing various cleaning tools (sponges, tooth brushes, hand towels) the child will be exposed to different techniques of cleaning while enhancing their fine & gross motor skills plus hand-eye coordination.

The book Ish, by Peter H. Reynolds is about a little boy named Ramon who loves to draw, but loses his confidence when his picture is laughed at by his older brother. Over & over he crumples his drawings & tosses them on the floor and is ready to give up on art. But, his younger sister has been secretly gathering the crumpled drawings & displaying them. She teaches Ramon that art isn’t about being perfect, but about thinking more -ishly!  We wanted to inspire the children to find their inner artists just like the book, so we invited them to paint on easels galore. We covered the fence with butcher paper & made frames from recycled cardboard boxes. On the tables we put up easels with poster board & had our outdoor easels out as well. We provided Colorations Tempera Paint in the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to explore color theories as well. Vertical painting whether it is indoors or outdoors, is as important & essential as building, reading books, dramatic play, science, sensory, playing or any other aspect of #earlychildhooddevelopment . It provides endless rich opportunities to develop so many skills during the most formative years. Painting or writing on vertical surfaces, such as an easel or butcher paper will help a child develop the tools they will need later on when learning how to write or draw. When a child paints on a vertical surface, they are naturally encouraged to hold the brush in a more efficient & ergonomically appropriate manner. Standing @ these spaces is great for upper arm & shoulder strength, which in turn provides the wrist with more stable support. By practicing these movements, children will develop a dynamic tripod grip. This grip allows for precise finger movements, which will provide the child with more control & less fatigue/frustration during writing/drawing when they are ready to do so. Painting vertically has a fluidity that is different from other art media. The vertical surfaces help children develop the appropriate amount of writing pressure. When painting on a vertical surface, children must apply more pressure than they would on a horizontal surface, which helps them better calibrate their grip strength & the pressure they need to apply when writing on paper. Overall, vertical surfaces like this easel provide a natural setting for children to improve their pencil grip, which will contribute significantly to their handwriting skills. Shoulder stability is crucial in their gross motor development as it provides a solid base for the coordinated movements of the arm, forearm, & hand. When it comes to writing or any activity requiring fine motor skills, shoulder stability plays an essential role. When a child paints on an easel, their arm works against gravity. This naturally strengthens the muscles around the shoulder, promoting stability. Over time, these repeated #grossmotor  movements & exposure, can contribute to enhanced shoulder stability. Integrating a vertical painting regularly into a child’s environment overall will provide an endless FUN & effective way to enhance overall #motordevelopment , all while letting children experiment & be creative through the arts.

It's artist week! Throughout this whole week we will be exploring all different kinds of art from around the world through reading books and setting invitations to build, create, paint, and explore. Exposing children to the arts and different artists at a young age exposes them to various styles & techniques of art. The books Anna at the Art Museum, The Museum, Let's Go to the Museum, and Parker looks up have been great introductions to learn about what a museum is and be a point of inspiration for when they are invited to build. After reading these books we set out an invitation to build our very own museum! We provided blocks, laminated images of many different art works, table # holders to display the art, and wooden peg dolls.  STEM + #blockplay building activities like this are designed to engage & stretch a child's thinking especially when they are challenged to create in new ways. The engineering & design process is a natural fit due to the fact that children already like to build & problem solve with everything. This invitation is a perfect opportunity to change a simple building activity/center & challenge them to think, create in new ways, be inspired by other artists, & enhance their awareness of the different types of ways structures are built. Through all these trials, child(ren) are able to analyze situations more critically & come up with solutions in their own way with anything they put their mind to. STEM subliminally provides awesome real life lessons that are so valuable + enriching to a child, and something they will carry with them throughout the rest of their life.

The book What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive? by  Mark Lee  (Author), Brian Biggs  (Illustrator) is perfect for dinosaur  lovers and fans of cars, trucks, and all things that go! In the book the T. Rex wants to buy a car too and he's surprisingly hard to please... So what kind of car  does  a T. Rex drive? A microcar? A convertible? A minivan? After reading the book we set an invitation to make the story come to life with a little STEM building. To set this up we provided picasso tiles,  @learnandgrow_toys  road  toppers #gifted, dinosaur figurines, and cars galore. The toppers can turn any tile into roadway with a variety of pieces, intersections, curves, making for unique transportation routes for their toy vehicles. The toppers offer creative open-ended play that encourages their imagination, explorations, and problem solving. Integrating stories through another medium in order to extend the experience strengthens literacy skills as well as fostering creative thinking. Books related to the concept explorations are motivating, inspiring, and appealing to children. Stories can impart a lot of meaning and new information to help the children learn more about a topic, interact, relate their own experiences, be exposed to new concepts, and guide the children's inquiry and curiosity.

Magnetic Tiles are quite possibly the most versatile STEM learning tools for children. Whether you simply let children play with the tiles all by themselves or add elements to enhance the experience there are many benefits to a child's development through block play.  Since magnetic tiles are such a staple in block play, a great way to upgrade & enhance their play are with these @learnandgrow_toys road and train toppers #gifted. The toppers can turn any tile into roadway or railroad with a variety of pieces, intersections, curves, making for unique transportation routes for their toy vehicles. The toppers offer creative open-ended play that encourages their imagination , explorations, and problem solving. 1.Road Toppers 2. Train Toppers Block play with any building materials has a natural progression. Children have to learn how to move and manipulate various shaped objects, big & small, as well as have the fine motor control to “click” them into place. Building with materials such as these helps children enhance their visual-spatial skills. Encourages thinking & reasoning, which are skills that make children become well-rounded, independent & successful adults. It involves focus & patience, children need to work slowly and carefully to be successful at creating their designs. Using their imagination boosts cognitive, academic, language and social growth. When building, children need to decide what will or won’t work. Through building, children learn to experiment and make new discoveries about how things work. They build confidence once that masterpiece is finished, children become so proud of their accomplishments.

This week during our summer enrichment program we are exploring our favorite prehistoric animals Dinosaurs! Through reading books, singing songs, & setting out different invitations to explore all things in the land before time through open ended play. Invitation to Create a Dinosaur Party: After reading the story Saturday Night @  the Dinosaur Party by  Carol Diggory Shields  &   Scott Nash   which is about a jurassic gang that wanted to off some steam by dancing. They rocked & rolled, twirled and tromped & had themselves a Dinosaur Stomp.  We invited the children to create their own dinosaur party with playdough +  loose parts. In a cupcake tin we placed pom poms, gemstones, acrylic rocks, flat marbles, rainbow wooden squares, sequins, mosaic tiles, feathers, pipe cleaners, & party beads. We also provided balloon cake toppers, mini party hats, + playdough. The children were invited to create whatever they desired.  Dinosaur Ice Excavation: Freezing any type of toys, loose parts, or special ingredients always makes for a great way to explore science through a multi layer approach.  We froze dinosaurs in balloons with water and provided water mixed with liquid watercolors + twisty droppers. The children were invited to experiment and explore how to excavate & release the dinosaurs from the ice. The children worked together using different techniques of squirting water or pouring water to release the dinos. They were able to discuss & collaborate on how to make the ice go from a solid to liquid state through a lot of trial and error. Even with all that experimenting with science, there was also a lot of water & sensory play, cognitive + fine motor development all packed into this invitation! Invitation to Explore Mary Anning Excavation Site:   Before inviting the children to become Paleontologists we read the story Dinosaur Lady , which explores the daring discoveries of Mary Anning, the first female Paleontologist. In the  Tuff Tray we set up rocks, sand, dinosaur bones + skeletons, fossils, shells, magnifying glasses, paint brushes, shovels and shifters. In two sensory bins we placed dinosaur skeleton molds, fossils, and bones. The children were invited to explore the excavation site just like Mary Anning.

The book  Don't Worry, Little Crab by   Chris Haughton   (Author, Illustrator) is about a Little Crab & Very Big Crab that live in a tiny rock pool near the sea. They decided they are going for a dip in the big ocean. Mustering the courage to take the plunge helps them discover the brilliant world once they try something new together.  After reading this book we set out to recreate the story through sensory filled small world play in our tuff tray. We mixed water with Colorations shiny paint + liquid watercolors & corn starch to create an oobleck like texture for the water. Sprayed shaving cream to create waves. Provided crab figurines, fish, aquarium seaweed, coral, rocks, & seashells.  Sensory play (oobleck, shaving cream, water, loose parts) stimulates the child‘s brain & builds neural pathways that improve sensory processing systems. In addition to enhancing their senses, many sensory activities also encourage social & pretend play, math, science, language development, hand-eye coordination, & so much more. Since children learn best through hands-on experiences because they are using different modalities they will retain & learn new concepts while enhancing their developmental skills. This type of learning through play helps their brain engage & expand their neural pathways since so many of their senses are being used. Hence why play builds brains. The more children are given opportunities of open ended play such as this they higher their level of thinking will grow & develop.