Sea Foam Sensory Play

Sea-Foam-Sensory-PlayCreate your own version of sea foam! Explain that when the ocean churns up dissolved salts, proteins, dead algae, organic material, and pollutants, the materials mix together and wash ashore as sea foam.

Continue reading...

Offering Loose Parts

Loose parts play is popular in early childhood settings. Play experts value it as a form of open-ended learning. Loose parts are objects that children can move around and combine or arrange in many different ways. While some educators prefer to use natural materials as loose parts, manmade materials also work well. Loose parts may include rocks, shells, twigs, leaves, cardboard tubes, jar lids, boxes, bits of ribbon, and more. Any materials that are intriguing to children and offer many possibilities for play will work.

Continue reading...

Building a Honeycomb: Toddler Adaptation

Our original activity Building a Honeycomb (link here) sparked one of our readers to ask how the activity might work for toddlers. We adapted the activity with Velcro strips for those not ready to use clothespins or paper clips.

Continue reading...

Building a Honeycomb

Cardboard rolls make great pretend honeycombs! Create a honeycomb using cardboard tubes and paper clips. Recap what a honeycomb looks like. A honeycomb is group of wax cells with six sides inside a beehive, used to store honey or protect baby bees. A six-sided shape is called a hexagon. Explain to the children that you will be making honeycombs using sections of cardboard tubing. Here is a step-by-step picture tutorial of how to complete the activity.

Continue reading...

Celebrating NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will be celebrating the Week of the Young Child, and we want to join in! Find ways to celebrate your youngest learners with the following suggestions. For more information, ideas, and resources, please visit naeyc.org/woyc.

Continue reading...