As an Experience Early Learning Blog Ambassador, we receive the Experience Early Learning preschool curriculum in exchange for sharing our honest and authentic stories resulting from our personal experiences. As always, our opinions on amazing things for children are 100% our own. Keep in mind that all preschoolers do things in their own time and on their own terms. What one is ready for, another might not be. Please use your best judgement when planning activities for your children.
I shared the following observation with our preschool parents on Thursday:
Children had the opportunity to explore new materials in our loose parts center. They were using the beads and baubles as "ingredients" to make pancakes and french fries in cups and bowls as well as using popsicle sticks to stir their creations.
Where exactly did those new materials come from?
For the last few months, we've been using Experience Early Learning (formerly Mother Goose Time) and we've had quite a few bits and pieces left over that at first I wasn't quite sure what to do with.
As it usually happens, one day I was looking for some things to add to our loose parts center and it occurred to me that lots of the things we were holding on to from our preschool curriculum would be perfect!
I gathered up everything I could think of that I thought the preschoolers would enjoy and called a few of them over to sit down and play with me.
And play they did!
They mixed and measured and scooped and stirred all the while using their imaginations.
When I asked what they were making, I heard squeals of delight as they shared with me all of their wonderful creations.
A little girl told me that she was making pancakes and one of the boys said he was hard at work cooking french fries.
Not surprisingly, all of this play was inspired by just a few left-over items from our Experience Early Learning (formerly Mother Goose Time) curriculum kits!
We also added some wooden letters, a muffin tin, pouch caps, and a few other odds and ends that we already had.
I was beyond impressed with their creativity and ingenuity using these unconventional things in new ways and you know what? This went on for over an hour!
Take a minute to appreciate the beauty of that.
There are so many fun things that we can do with the materials that we receive in our monthly preschool curriculum kits!
Popsicle sticks, cups and bowls, pom poms, rubber bands, sponges, and even plastic eggs.
For over an hour, our preschool class explored common everyday items and used them in so many unique ways. While they were at it, they worked on their fine motor, creative thinking, and even problem solving skills.
Not to mention the obvious social-emotional benefits of working together as a group to accomplish a common goal. Of course we can't forget about the dramatic play that was going on as well! After all, how else are preschoolers supposed to learn important, everyday skills?
This is just one of the many reasons why we're loving Experience Early Learning (formerly Mother Goose Time). There are so many opportunities for learning and playing in each and every little yellow school bus box.
What an amazing experience we're creating for the children using this wonderful preschool curriculum!
Don't forget to stop by next week if you're interested in what we're up to with our Baby Animals theme.
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