Wheels Are Turning and Our Brains Are Chuggin' Along

 It was a rainy day outside, but we kept busy inside continuing to explore transportation! 

The children have all been very curious about the salad spinners in the Atelier. Today we brought them into the classroom for an exploration. Each child choose two primary colors that were poured onto a paper plate "wheel" inside the salad spinner. Then we showed them how to make the spinner spin. They got to see what happened when the colors mixed after we removed our wheels from the salad spinner.

Ms. Rose brought in a new tunnel today! The children had a great time exploring the tunnel. Some were a little wary at first but pretty soon they were crawling through the tunnel, rolling balls through, and pushing cars through the tunnel.

As teachers, we are always excited to see our children explore the invitations in new ways. This activity was meant as a lesson in number relations using the book Freight Train by Donald Crews . They did work on telling us what color came next in the train, but also turned it into a toddler obstacle course using the blocks as a stepping stones and incorporating the tunnel.

Our light studio has allowed our Katon littles to continue exploring fall while also exploring some farm vehicles. They were so busy in the studio today! 

We got in some gross motor work in the gym this morning. A few of our friends worked on climbing up to the bottom bleacher to take a break. We also had friends encouraging each other to climb up the ramp and slide back down. 

Indiana Early Learning Foundations:

ELA1.2: Use gestures and actions to communicate

ELA2.4: With adult support, respond to simple questions about a story

M1.3: Begin to identify first and last

SE4.1: Engage in parallel play

APL1.1: Select desired object from several options

APL1.2: Use active exploration to solve a problem

APL2.1: Show creativity, inventiveness, and flexibility in approach to play with adult guidance

APL3.1: Repeat an activity many times in order to master it, even if setbacks occur

SC1.1: Identify and solve problems in the environment through active exploration

SC4.1: Use complex motions to play with simple machines

SS3.1: Experiment with materials to represent objects in play

CA3.2: Use a variety of media

CA3.3: Express likes or dislikes of certain colors or patterns

PHG1.2: Respond to adult direction to change behavior in order to avoid danger or prevent injuries

PHG3.1: Develop gross motor control for a range of physical activities