Thursday Group - Exploring the Rope Bin & Animals in the Clay

The Thursday group gathered together after a short break and everyone dove back into the environment. The rope bin, the boat, and all the materials were fully explored. Before the children visited the clay they made sure to revisit familiar items. With all the materials I present to the children during playgroup I also try to incorporate them back into the environment so that the children have the chance to continue their exploration during other sessions. For Max it is usually finding the balls (this is a favorite stop for him) and during this playgroup Xavier joined him in his exploration. The following is a short clip of Max & Xavier both interacting with the balls. Xavier claps the balls together while Max watches him and then a short time later Max finds two different balls and does the same. I love how children watch, learn, imitate, and mimic each other but the discovery still feels new as evident by Max's face.

The clay was was just a quick stop for the children during playgroup but the visits are always interesting to observe. I really liked having the animals and clay together as it added an interesting element to the exploration and so I repeated the experience for the Thursday group. Sebastien rescued a lion and then found a new way to taste clay, this time offering a taste to his buddy Xavier.



Exploring clay brings about an interesting dilemma - what to you do once you get it on your hands? Do you shake it off? Add more? Xavier tries to figure this one out.



Max also tries to figure out what to do with the clay he finds on his hands. He enlists his other hand to help out with the situation.

Friday Group - Clay Animals

I decided to add another element to the clay to see how it would change or enhance the children's engagement with the clay. I playfully placed animals all around the clay. A gorilla climbing up the side, a hippo taking a bite, a deer with an antler stuck... it amused me and did draw the children in for a closer look. Sebastien was the first to make his way over. He freed the lion perched atop the clay and continued with his taste testing and offerings to others duties.

Theo spent a long time with the clay. Not only did his mother, Annelise sit close by making clay balls and other creations, but his grandmother was also there observing. At first, when Theo would touch the clay he would shake his hand like he was trying to get it off. Later he found a liquid filled test tube that he used as an extension of himself to interact with the clay. He would use it to push, bang, and move both the big mound and pieces of clay. He also found out that it made interesting marks when he moved it on the mylar covered in clay. As time went on, he became more comfortable touching the clay and even tasted it a few times. The video is long but I couldn't help myself, Theo is just so into it and doing such interesting things with the test tube.

Bryce brushed by the clay and came over to it momentarily but both he and Kaia found the rope bin especially exciting this session. I had added some large wooden beads to the rope bin, sporadically placing them on different ropes. Bryce located a few right away. He manipulated and moved them while taking in all that was going on around him.

Kaia has been loving the sparkly ribbon. For a few sessions now Kaia has been concentrating her rope bin explorations around the cylinder containers and the sparkly iridescent ribbon. Trying to get the ribbon back in the container has been a particular challenge along with getting it untangled from her little feet.

Friday Group - Warming up to the Clay

This week there was a small breakthrough in Kaia's interaction with the clay. She found a small piece that had wandered away from the clay area and brought it to her mother. Kasey then prompted Kaia to take it over to the the big clay mound. On her first attempt she came close but didn't want to add it the block of clay. The following is her second attempt at bringing the little piece of clay over. I offer her something she can place it on and as she is in the vicinity she considers touching the clay.

There are no words for this next video. This is Bryce's first experience with the clay. It simply reminds me of the ever popular commericals...Clay $30, Tools $15, Look on Bryce's face as he touches the clay - PRICELESS!



Sebastien has now become the official clay taste tester. He is intrigued by using tools on the clay and getting them to "stick" but ultimately it all comes down to the flavor of clay...he even offers it to others to try.

Friday Group - Imitation

With the exception of Sebastien, the Friday group steered clear of the clay. Kaia did circle the clay a few time but never touched it and Theo sat near by but never approached it. Sebastien swiped one of Theo's spoons and brought it to the clay to gave it a taste but seeing his playmates were not into the clay he decided to join them in their play.

From very early on babies imitate the adults in their lives. I remember "testing" this natural imitation reflex with Sebastien when he was just 2 months old. I would stick out my tongue and then wait for him to do the same, he would always mimic me. As children grow they begin to do more sophisticated imitations or what Piaget termed "practice/functional play". During this type of play "children repeatedly practice their schemes for actions with objects or their own bodies" (Play at the Center of the Curriculum, pg.28). In the following video Theo practices the scheme of what it means to use a phone. Watch carefully as he slings the phone up toward his ear at the beginning. He is answering the phone, of course.

Piaget described practice or functional play as "a happy display of known actions". Kaia knows how to care for a baby, watch as she holds, walks, and talks to baby Lukas.



Many times we don't even realize that children are replaying what they have seen us do. Watch as Sebastien practices putting a lid on a pot. This functional play caught my attention because our regular pots and pans are in a place where he can reach them and get them if needed. He watches us use and put them away daily. They are very heavy and hard to manipulate but Sebastien still tries to get them out and drag them around. His most challenging experience with these these pots and pans is to fit the lids on and then carry them around. He is trying to do the same with his wooden pots and it is still a little tricky. Theo is extremely interested in what he's doing as he works with the pots.