Treasure Sand Box

We have started a pirate dramatic play this week.  

And with that we have transferred all the sand to a box on the floor.

 

We replaced all the shovels with shells from the beach.

Painted rocks gold, added doubloons and wooden treasure boxes.

 Even a treasure map in a bottle was found.

The treasure has been dug, collected, counted and reburied over and over.

Today the sand was quite dry so we cleared out everything and poured in water.

While mixing the water and sand we began to make a big pile in the centre.  

Imaginations started to work as the children said what they thought it would be.

- pirate's hideout, mountain, castle.

It was christened with a Jolly Roger flag.

Then began decorating with sea shells.

I really like the sand box on the floor.

So many more children can play around it.

All ages can access it.

Even the frogs found their way to it today.

Bug Garden Play Invite

On Monday I set out a play invitation of a bug garden.

Wood pieces, rocks, bark, bugs and fake grass.

On Tuesday I added sticks, flowers and my finished wooden peg flower people.

Pom Pom Caterpillar Clip-ons

Another caterpillar craft with a twist (or should I say clip)
- pom pom caterpillar on a clothespin.
With the clothespin it can be clipped on and off the paper leaf.

This provides many opportunities to work those hand muscles.  Punching holes into the paper leaf was the first.

 

Picking up and placing the pom poms and googly eyes was another.

All ready to clip.

Cutting Grass Sensory Tub

This week we have grass in the sensory table ready to be cut.  

Scissors were provided and we sat back and watched how they went at it.

The smell of the cut grass was so fresh and spring like.

Some children already knew how to hold the scissors in one hand

but others not yet.

It was fun to brush our hands across the top of the thick wheat grass.

It was a good opportunity to talk about the scissors opening and closing 

and getting the feel of that movement.

With a bit of instruction on where to put your fingers some were able to move

from two hand use to one handed cutting.

I worried about what we would do when the grass was cut.

This little guy figured that out for me.

He was playing with a tray of toy caterpillars and green bits.

He put the caterpillars into the grass.

So we built a garden.

I can't wait to see what will be added tomorrow.

I wonder if some of the grass will grow back.

Circle Caterpillar Craft

What a fun time we are having watching our caterpillars grow.

A few simple collage materials,

paper circles, yarn pieces, sparkly glue and drawing materials
helped us build our own caterpillars.

We used toy caterpillars to look at the different markings on them.

What colours, stripes or spots did we see?
Did they have eyes or antennas?

 We dug out stickers and googly eyes to finish off the caterpillars.

Sign of the Week - Caterpillar

This week's sign is 'caterpillar'.
Using your index finger wiggle it while moving it across your left arm.

Our poem is "Caterpillar Crawled"

A caterpillar crawled to the top of the tree
"I think I'll take a nap" said he.
So under a leaf he did creep
Spun a cocoon and fell fast asleep
For two long weeks
he slept in his cocoon bed
until spring came and said
"Wake up, Wake up Sleepy Head"
From under the leaf there was a cry
"Look, look at me! I'm a butterfly."

How to Paint a Caterpillar

Can you see the caterpillar crawling amongst the leaves?

This is the first of our caterpillar art projects.

 

We used wooden rectangles, foam circle brushes and rolling brushes.

With simple materials amazing work can be seen.  This child spent quite a long time at the art table this morning.  Painting circles in a row for her caterpillar.  A bit of rolling mixing brown and green.  Then making a second caterpillar but notice how she did it.  First yellow circles then dipping the same brushes in blue paint she went over the same circles.  We noticed the colour changing to green.

 After gluing on googly eyes, she painted over them.  When asked 'why?' she responded "I'm making them colour blind.  So the birds can't see them."  Ah, camouflage.

She continued experimenting with the brushes.  Two in each hand.  Pushing them hard on to the paper.  Squeezing out the paint.  Dabbing them together.  Repeat.

So much fun to watch.