We have started the year focused on boats.
We live on an island, boats are part of life.
This table is set up as the first thing families see when they enter the classroom.
I wanted to see if there was enough interest for boats to become a project.
Every child that entered the room stopped to play.
Some were focused just on the boats and others liked the little blue ceramic fish.
So this week we will be using different materials to make boats.
Today the children were provided with corks, toothpicks, string, paper, string, plastercine.
I was happy to see the families feeling comfortable enough to use anything they wanted on the shelves. Some added beads to their boats, while others use toilet paper tubes to extend their play.
They were very excited with the results.
We extended our play to the water table.
Will our cork boats float?
Yes and no.
What we learned about using paper for the sail?
When it gets wet it droops and pulls the boat over.
Maureen, I love reading your blog! I really admire the boat-themed play invitation you set up. How do you make that work in a drop-in setting? It would take so little for a child to inadvertently break an item or two. With new children, including toddlers, arriving regularly, how do you teach them to handle those fragile items carefully?
ReplyDeleteAll of the items on the table are from a thrift store so there isn't alot of money put into it so I don't worry if it gets broken.
DeleteIf you notice above the table on the shelf is a bigger pirate ship with lots of sails and strings, that is up there for display not for play.
About drop in....I'm usually around the door greeting the families so I take the time to introduce the children to the table. There are two big chairs on either side of the table to invite the grown ups to sit and play with their child.
I really like having real objects for the children to handle, I feel that they handle them more carefully and respectfully. Also if something gets broken we problem solve about fixing it or how to clean it up. That's part of life - when something breaks how to we handle it.