There are so many amazing celebrations during the holiday season, and the more children learn and represent all cultures in the classroom and in our homes, the more knowledge and understanding we provide for everyone while making every child feel seen and heard in their community. Last year we did an Invitation to explore Shab-e Yalda or Shab-e Chelle also known as Winter Solstice, which is celebrated in the country of Iran. The Iranian festival, which is celebrated every year on the coldest and longest night of December, (typically the 21st) has a very long history and is among the most important Iranian celebrations. To deepen the understanding or connection to this holiday you can read the bilingual book Yalda Night and Yalda Night Celebration both by Anahita Tamaddon where they tell the story of families who celebrates Yalda. Here are the traditions of celebration: A sofreh table setting where everything is usually decorated in crimson hues of red to represent dawn and glow of life, along with candles to bring ligh, life, & joy into the long night. Sweets, pastries, fruits (pomegranate, watermelon, persimmon, oranges) and nuts are eaten all throughout the night. Every family member does a “Divan-e Hafez” where you get a "Fal." This is where you make a wish, ask a question, and when you open the book, the page that appears will be the answer to your question. After reading the story, you can discuss the symbolic meanings of the Yalda Sofreh along with the traditions by letting the children explore the objects. And then provide watermelon and pomegranate shapes out of recycled cardboard and loose parts ( black rocks , translucent shapes , acrylic rocks , and flat marbles ) for the child to create the fruit. Preserving and practicing cultures brings us all some kind of meaning and connection to nature and major concepts of life. Whether you are an adult or child, the more we know the stronger cultural diversity we have in our societies. If you would like to learn more about how to integrate Yalda in your classroom or home check out L ittle Persian Learning Materials Learning for Yalda Actvities or 6 Easy Ideas to Share Yalda in Your Child's Classroom. For more invitations about the Persian culture check out this blog post: 11 Nowruz Activities.

The winter solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures and has been marked by festivals & rituals. It marked the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun; the gradual waning of daylight hours is reversed and begins to grow again. The book The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper is a book about the celebrations of winter solstice where it blends long ago & modern day imagery. It is a perfect book that opens discussion about rebirth rituals and holidays that incorporate light, & celebrates hope even in darkest times. After reading this story inviting children to explore a Small World Play of Winter Solstice. You can place set it up a in sensory bin, mat, or tuff tray . Provide led tea lights , tree blocks , wooden peg dolls , fire and sun blocks, target dollar spot wooden block houses, & insta snow . Invite the child to recreate scenes from the book to deep their comprehension of the story. Small world play accompanied with sensory materials are a great way for extending literacy, language, imaginary play, & tactile play. Through this play they can reenact what they see in stories, shows, experiences, & environments around them to deepen their understanding of the world. This type of play can be defined as where children accept & assign roles, then act them out. When children engage in small world play they break through the walls of reality, use their imagination, pretend to be someone or something different from themselves, explore different worlds, & have actions to go along with the roles they have chosen to play. Play is an integral part of the developmental learning process by allowing children to develop skills in such areas as abstract thinking, literacy, math, & social studies, in a timely natural manner. They are able to play and manipulate a variety of materials and textures that stimulate their mind & body while deepening their connection & understanding of the world.

Repurposing everyday materials for STEAM invitations can pretty much be done with anything. Assemblage is the art of assembling materials together from objects, in this case ping pong and ball pit balls. The materials are used to make 3-dimensional art and often involves building, collaging, exploring, and creating sculptures. For this invitation we used dollar store ping pong balls, ball pit balls, hot glue gun, and tempera paint. Simply invite the child to glue the "snowballs" together in whatever structure they want and let them paint! As they work with the materials together to explore the concept of assemblage art they are: comparing items (shapes, textures, lines, height/width, size), negative space, spatial awareness, cognitive thinking, communication/collaboration, gravity + viscosity, fine + gross motor skills, hand eye coordination, all while empowering their creativity throughout the whole process. Invitations such as this opens a child's mind to the many ways of creating art. When children learn about diverse types of art the more well rounded and creative they become. Art is a fundamental component of early childhood education therefore continuous exposure leads to seeing the world in different ways and learning about all the beautiful forms of art.

The WhatsIt Couch is the gift that keeps on giving. It is so versatile that it can even turn into a roadmap! All you need it is a WhatsIt Couch , Road Playtape , and cars! Since Cy is still in monster truck madness mode, we created our own mini monster jam arena. Let the child set up the WhatsIt pieces however they want. Next, if they are old enough to cut or rip the play tape let them create their own roadways or you can help. Let the roads take the cars on an adventure. With the ability to be rearranged in so many different ways, the WhatsIt it provides for boosting a child's imagination as well as enhancing their cognitive and gross motor skills building a fort, tunnel, boat, car, castle, obstacle course, book nook, or a roadway! After all that brain boosting play they can also utilize it to wind down and use it as a comfy spot to relax, read, nap, and regroup. The material of the WhatsIt is durable, stain-repellant and easy to clean. The covers can be unzipped and placed in a washing machine. The best part is that is can be moved and stored in so many different ways without taking up a lot of space. Check out all the ways we've played with the Whats It: Double the Whatsit Fun , Santa's WhatsIt Workshop Wrapping Station , & Invitation to Create with the Whatsit.

There are so many fun ways to do Christmas STEM invitations. One of our favorite ways is by providing lights for the child(ren) to decorate whatever they create. In the past we have done Christmas STEM with Picasso Tiles with Lights + Bells . This year we decided to use our wooden blocks, loose parts , bottle brush trees , and fairy lights . Simply provide blocks, loose parts, bottle brush trees, and a set of fairy lights and invite the child(ren) to create whatever Christmas scene, village, house, building, city, town, or store. The beauty of pairing loose parts , block play, and lights is that it truly provides the opportunity for a child to have limitless opportunities to create a world through their imagination. Since children are naturally drawn to light this enhances their visual sensory experience. We know that block play in early childhood is something that is constant and continuous throughout the many stages of their development. As they grow by adding loose parts and an element of light to be on hand, it encourages to deepen and extend their play. This type of play with loose parts and light lets the child truly shape and create according to their own vision. Since loose parts and light are so versatile & illuminating, they can become anything and everything. For this type of play you can really use any type of blocks and loose parts. What is pictured here are a wide range of materials that I have collected over the years, purchased on FB Marketplace, DIY, or have been gifted. Blocks: Excellerations® Window Blocks Loose Parts: Wood Bits ( DIY Dye ) Grappat Beechwood Community Figure Rainbow Wooden Rings Wooden Rings Lights: Fairy Lights Trees: Bottle Brush Trees

With all the deliveries being made during the holidays, a fun way to repurpose the boxes is to reuse them to place your presents in. You can even make your own wrapping paper with butcher easel paper, rollable paint #gifted, scissors, tape, and ribbon. Provide butcher or easel paper and Colorations Rollable Paint from Discount School Supply and invite the child(ren) to freely paint. After the paint dries invite the child to wrap the present in the box. If they are old enough let them cut the paper, tape the paper, and wrap the ribbon. When a child is painting, cutting, and wrapping it allows a child to build up the tiny muscles in the palm of their hand with the continuous opening and closing of the hand. These muscles are also used for writing, painting, and gripping things. It enhances eye-hand coordination by using vision, processing what is seen, and moving the hand simultaneously to accomplish a task. When they are painting, cutting, and wrapping it encourages the child to use bilateral coordination using both sides of the body at the same time while each hand is performing its own task. To make it an even more exciting process you can set up a Santa's Workshop Wrapping Station .

Quite possibly the best gift you can give this holiday season is any set of magnetic tiles. If you want to enhance a child's play space this is the easiest DIY magnetic tile station that you can gift to everyone or create for your own child. All you will need is this Magnetic Whiteboard Contact Paper, Magnetic Tiles ( Picasso , Magnatiles , Connetix ), and a Utility Cart to store your magnetic tiles. Simply roll out the contact paper and place it on the wall and just like that your child has a cool new vertical play space to build and create on. When children are provided with environments where they work on different surfaces and spaces it puts a whole new element of learning in their play. They develop critical-thinking skills and strategize to make in depth decisions about what works and what doesn't work on their own and how to become more innovative and creative in their play. Magnetic tiles are one of those magical toys that all children are naturally drawn to that have so many elements of learning. Children love them because they are intriguing, easy to master and they help children develop a variety of skills. They are able to foster communication skills as they explore the materials as well as enhance gross + fine motor skills. Magnetic tiles also have a scientific and mathematical aspect to them because they expose the children to the idea of “cause and effect”, spatial awareness, more/less, on/off, size, shape, & problem solving skills, which are essential for developing early brain connections. A magnetic station truly honors a child‘s work which is “play.” Here is another way to create a DIY Interactive Magnetic Wall with Paint.

Plastic Ornaments are great for so many invitations during the holiday season. Last year we did DIY Pom Pom Ornaments and Fizzing Ornament Science. This sensory play invitation is set up with plastic ornaments and bulbs , Kidfetti , wooden scoopers , in our Ikea FLISAT table. Simply invite the child(ren) to pour, scoop, measure, Children's Factory Multi-Colored Kidfetti Play Pellets with the ornaments. Sensory play stimulates the child‘s brain and 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, and so much more. Since children learn best through hands-on experiences because they are using different modalities they will retain and learn new concepts while enhancing their developmental skills. This type of learning through play helps their brain engage and create and 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 opened ended play such as this they higher their level of thinking will grow and develop. We loved how the ornaments turned out when filled with Kidfetti so much we placed two on the tree!

Developing Minds shared these magical Menudas Piezas Iridescent Pieces and I was in complete awe. Eternally grateful that Mariana shipped them to me to create this iridescent mirror exploration invitation. To set this up you will need an acrylic mirror as the base, Iridescent Pieces , Iridescent Twirlers , Iridescent Shelves , and Iridescent Cellophane . Simply invite the child(ren) to explore the light, colors, and reflection through opened ended play. With infinite construction possibilities, you will see a child's curiosity, wonder, and creativity ignite as they play. With these small rainbows in their hands, the materials reflections and colors change as light hits them. When children are left to explore light, colors, and reflection, they are intrigued by the many interesting outcomes with the materials. Through playing with light and reflection from infancy throughout early childhood, they are able to explore a whole range of theories and enhance so much of their development. They are fascinated and deeply engaged by the interplay of the shapes, patterns, shadows, effects, spacing, imagery, light, sizes, and colors. Let the magic of light and reflection continue to enamor the child! This is yet another invitation that is inspired from taking Dr. Louisa Penfold's Light, Shadow, & Reflection workshop. It has continued to ignite new open ended play invitations that explore light, shadow and reflection. Here are the previous posts where we explored Rainbows , STEM , and Cellophane , Flashlight STEM Light & Shadow Play , through light, shadow, and reflection.

There have been a lot of sick days over here, and this book has been a perfect relatable read. In the story a little girl misses her classroom costume party and decides she is going to dress up the next day anyway! While she questions her decision, a new friend turns her self-conscious moment into a wonderful one by joining in on the fun. This book is a great ode to friendship, embracing individuality, and putting yourself out there no matter the occasion. After reading this story sick at home, we decided to dress up and play! In dramatic play, dress-up play is role playing and storytelling that helps children develop ideas about how the world works in so many ways. It is a type of play that every child needs to experience as it has so many benefits! Dress-up play has profound positive effects on a child’s development. It fosters imagination, let’s a child explore themself, and the world around them, strengthens relationships, improves language/communication, builds empathy, fine/gross motor skills, life skills, and process feelings to help their social emotional development. A child’s imagination is one of their greatest tools and this type of play is vital in their development. When they pretend to cook, become an animal, take care of their babies, and more, they are acting out actions, which they have watched in the world around them. Pretending to care for a doll or be a super hero does more than just expand vocabulary, it provides opportunity practicing life skills, helps them work through strong emotions, and empowers them to feel capable of accomplishing or overcoming anything all through the power of play.

This science experiment is perfect for Fall, Winter, and Spring! With the weather shifting throughout these seasons, rain cloud in a jar is an all-time favorite to explore whenever it rains. Whether you watch rain from a window or have fun splashing & jumping outside, children can observe through watching, feeling, and listening to the rain. After they see, hear, feel, and explore the rain you can open a discussion about rain. Some fun facts to talk about: The average puffy, white rain cloud weighs as much as 100 elephants?! The rain cycle starts with bodies of water evaporating under the warmth of the sun, turning from liquid to gas. That warm gas rises up into the sky. But as it rises, it hits cooler air — and as it cools, it turns liquid again. Water droplets are itty-bitty. The average drop inside a cloud is smaller than the thickness of a piece of paper. When billions of these droplets come together, a visible cloud forms. So while an entire cloud may be heavy, the individual droplets are much lighter than the air around them. Eventually, the droplets (which can attract more water themselves) in the clouds are heavy enough to be pulled down by gravity — and that's rain! After talking about rain, you can continue to explore creating their very own rain cloud. To set this up first set out a clear glass, jar, or cup with water, leaving 1/2 inch of room for shaving cream. Place shaving cream to represent the cloud. The glass represents the atmosphere. Provide another cup with blue colored water. You can use food coloring or Colorations® Liquid Watercolors . Provide the child with pipettes , twisty droppers , spray bottle , canister cups, or a plui Cloud . Next, invite the child to create rain. Have them draw colored water with their tool and squeeze it over the shaving cream rain cloud. While they use their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination, they will begin to see that they will make the cloud rain! Scientific opportunities such as this let children learn and explore their environments through a multi layer hands on approach. As they learn about cause and effect, cycles of nature, comparisons, chemical and physical changes, reactions and properties of matter, their curiosity about how the world works continues to build.

Children's Factory Rainbow Arch Trio Climber #gifted is perfect for encouraging imaginative and gross motor play! With three movable sets of colorful arches that nest to form a rainbow there are so many ways for children to climb, lay them end to end, nest them, crawl over and under, or turn over and rock! Encouraging imaginative play is a vital part of childhood and child development. Through imaginative play children can grow emotionally, socially, intellectually, and even physically. Creative experiences where a child is able to maneuver and create through play helps a child develop these skills and enable them to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas. Children need to be exposed to diverse gross motor opportunities to move freely and experiment with different resources to help their skills develop. When a child is given the time and space to develop gross motor skills their confidence and self-esteem improves as they develop the ability to take part in exploration, regular physical activity can help a child achieve long-lasting good health, and gross motor activities can have a positive impact on school readiness skills later on such as reading, writing and sitting posture. The Rainbow Arch Trio is perfect for honoring their imagnitve and developing their gross motor play.