Sensory Play: Messy Learning and Fun

A colleague and I created a STARS class (for child care providers and parents) all about Sensory/Messy Learning.  It was A LOT of work, but so, so much fun!!  We mostly focused on touch, sight and smell but also addressed taste and sound. 

Books Display about the five senses and messy play

including:  Edward Gets Messy; The Power of Play; Loose Parts

We had a nice turn out for our program.  We had an hour long powerpoint presentation about the WHY and the HOW of messy play; then participates got to experience stations with messy play!

Shaving Cream!

Dough

Ratio: 6 Baking Soda to 1 hair conditioner 

Clean Mud

TP, shredded Ivory bar soap, and warm water

(ratios: 1 to 1 to 1)

Goop

Ratio 1 Cornstarch to 1/2 water

Water Beads

Beans

Packing Peanuts

Shredded Paper

Fun/Random items on Contact Paper

Also:

Cloud Dough (Ratio: 1 baby oil to 8 flour)

Another fun silky smoothly dough (Ratio: 1 Palmolive or Dawn Dish Soap to 2 Cornstarch) 

Sand

We did run into a few problems was concerns with state regulations in regards to using "food items" as "play items"--beans, rice, flour; and soap that can go rancid.  From our own research we didn't find anything that strict--just not things like painting with pudding, playing with cooked spaghetti (ready to eat items).  So we encouraged them to talk to their coaches about specifics.

We will probably be doing this class again in 2019.

Frogs!

Books

I Don't Want to Be a Frog

by Dev Petty; illustrated by Mike Boldt

Down by the Cool of the Pool

by Tony Mitton; illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

Graph  Question

Which animal can jump the farthest?

            Frog, bunny, kangaroo, grasshopper

Songs

Tiny Tim (magnet board)
(tune: The Grand Old Duke of York)

I have a little froggy
His name is Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim
He drank up all the water
He gobbled up the soap
And when he tried to talk
He had a bubble in his throat.

Oh, bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble, bubble, POP!
Bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble, bubble, POP!

After teaching the song and going over it a few times we sang it through and then I blew bubbles for the kids while the parents sang the bubble part.

I Have a Little Frog
I have a little frog that goes jump, jump, jump
Jump, jump, jump! Jump, jump, jump!
I have a little frog that goes jump, jump, jump
All day long!

Additional Verses:
Ribbit!
Swim

Little Frog--Magnet Board Activity

Little Frog, Little Frog come out and play
What color log are you behind today?

Play and Learn

Make a Lily Pad game to take home and play

Catch-Up Storytime Blog Post!

I am writing this post in September, but backdating it to May so it is before Summer Reading.  I just don't have time to do a full post on each storytime, but I love having a record of what I've read and done in storytime.  So here's the quick and dirty storytime posts!

Baby Storytime--Spring!

When Spring Comes

by Kevin Henkes

Abracadabra, It's Spring!

by Anne Sibley O'Brien; illustrated by Susan Gal

Peek-a-Bloom!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Little Green

Keith Baker

Splish, Splash, Ducky!

by Lucy Cousins

Spring!  Preschool Storytime

Wake Up It's Spring

by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Spring is Here

Will Hillenbrand

Rainy!  Preschool Storytime

May I Come In?

by Marsha Diane Arnold; illustrated by Jennie Poh

Tap Tap Boom Boom

by Elizabeth Bluemle; illustrated by G. Brian Karas

The Big Umbrella

by Amy June Bates; cowritten with Juniper Bates

Kitty Cats!  Preschool Storytime
(5/8/18)

I Won't Eat That

by Christopher Silas Neal

Stack the Cats

by Susie Ghahremani

The 2nd time I did the storytime someone else had "I Won't Eat That" so I read Mr. Fuzzbuster, which ended up being a bit too long.

Play and Learn

Yarn!

Ducks!  Preschool Storytime

Flannel: Ducks Away

Just a Duck?

Dino Duckling

 Little Quack's New Friend

Water play

Big Cats

As I was putting together a storytime about cats I found two books that could make a specialized cat storytime:  Big Cats.

Books

Tiptoeing Tiger

by Phillippa Leathers

I am a Cat

by Galia Bernstein

Graph Question
Which big cat do you like most?
Tiger, Lion, Cougar, Cheetah

*Cougar won--WSU mascot :)

Songs

T-I-G-E-R

(tune: Old MacDonald Had a Farm)
words by Tammy Henry

There is a cat with lots of stripes

T-I-G-E-R

It is big and orange and black

T-I-G-E-R

With very large paws

And sharp, sharp claws

Great big teeth, scratchy tongue, and his legs can really run!

There is a cat with lots of stripes

T-I-G-E-R

I Can Walk on Two Feet

Play and Learn

Paint a lion's mane with a fork

Little People Zoo

A Windy Storytime!

It's been pretty windy out here (nothing like the wind in Nebraska though!) so I decided on a storytime all about the wind!

Books

Argyle Fox

by Marie Letourneau

Windblown

by Edouard Manceau

Graph Question

I know it's windy when I see...
Kite in the sky, Flag flapping, Hair blowing in my face, Pinwheel twirlling
Both Tuesday and Wednesday most kids voted for the pinwheel

Songs

W-I-N-D-Y

There is a day when kites fly high
And windy is the weather
W-I-N-D-Y
W-I-N-D-Y
W-I-N-D-Y
And windy is the weather.

Take away the Y and now it says wind.

There is a day when kites fly high
And windy is the weather
W-I-N-D-(clap)
W-I-N-D-(clap)
W-I-N-D-(clap)
And windy is the weather.

Continue taking letters away until all the letters are gone and you clap five times.

If You're Happy and You Know It

Play and Learn

Windsock

Hiccups, Sneezes, and Snores

A silly, noisy storytime!

Books

Stop Snoring, Bernard!

by Zachariah Ohora

Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups

by Tadgh Bentley

Chu's Day

by Neil Gainman; illustrated by Adam Rex

Graph Question

Which animal has the loudest snore?

Elephant, Bear,

Songs

Four Hungry Ants

Four hungry ants marching in a line;

Came upon a picnic where they could dine.

One marched into the salad,

He marched into the cake

He marched into the pepper--but that was a mistake!

Aaah, aaah, CHOO!

Are You Sleeping?

(zoo animal edition)

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping

Little Elephant Little Elephant?

[snore]

Wake up Little Elephant

Wake up Little Elephant

Stomp, stomp stomp!

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

Play and Learn

Can You Paint with That?

Forest Friends Storytime

Another theme created from a new adorable book about a porcupine.

Books

No Hugs for Porcupine

by Zoe Waring

How to Find a Fox

by Nalah Magruder

Graph Question

Which forest animal would you like to see?
Deer, Raccoon, Porcupine, Fox
(fox was the winner with five)

Songs

If You're Ever in the Forest
(Have you ever seen a Lassie?)

If you're ever in the forest, the forest, the forest
If you're ever in the forest you might see a deer.
With antlers on one the other may run
If you're ever in the forest you might see a deer.

Additional verses:

Raccoon--it climbs a tree and hides from me
Snake--it hides in the grass and slithers real fast
Skunk--it's black and white, get out of sight!
Squirrel--it's tail is furry; he's always in a hurry

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Turn around
Touch the ground
Touch your nose
Dance on your toes
Reach up high
Touch the sky
Bend down low
Touch your toe
Jump up now
Take a bow
Stomp your feet
Take a seat

Play and Learn

Forest animal scavenger hunt

Forest animal puppets

Forest animal coloring page

Duplos

Gears

Magnets (farm, zoo, and forest)