Jars of Glue

Glue is similar to tape in that it is a versatile medium that can be used like a paint to create or like a tool to build and construct. Understanding how it feels, moves and can be transfered from one place to another intertwine during a child's exploration to show the flexibility of the medium, thus allowing the children to build a deeper understanding of the properties of glue and how it differs from and is similar to tempura paint and watercolor paint.

Glue Bottles

Watcing the children discover the glue in the squeeze bottles was just plain fun. Whether they were carefully placing small patches of glue or simply trying to squeeze as much glue as possible out of the bottles there was no doubt the children were intrigued by the glue. Glue is stickier and thicker than paint. Not only does it feel different it moves differently on the paper as well.

Tape

Tape is a similar material to stickers although tape can more versatile in its uses. At this age tape is still used much like a sticker but soon the children will begin to use tape more as a tool . It is important that they gain the small motor skills to control the tape so they can then use it to construct and "fix". I presented the tape so that it was easy to use and attractive, hoping to entice them to explore the material. Interestingly, Theo chose a drum to place his pieces of tape, this is the beginning of using tape as a tool. It did change the sound the drum made and the next time I brought the tape out Sebastien found a drum and began to emulate Theo's creation. Tape also requires more precision when trying to get it laid flat on the paper. Both Caleb and Kaia used their thumbs to smooth out the tape. The rolls of tape grabbed Bryce's attention and he worked hard pulling and trying to get the tape off.

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Stickers

In the past we have explored contact paper and sticking things to it. This session it's all about putting sticky things on something else. To begin we started with the classic sticker. Stickers can pose quite a challenge to young children. To begin, how do you get them off the paper they are on? Then once the sticker is in your little hand, how do you maneuver the sticker off your fingers and onto the paper?

Bryce really wanted a paper of his own to place the stickers on and struggled at first to get them from his fingers to the paper but it didn't take long for him to figure it out. Sebastien found it reaching far across the paper made it easier to stick down the stickers. Kaia used her body and the bodies of her friends as her canvas to place stickers. Hannah took her time selecting particular stickers to place on the paper. Max checked out the images on the stickers but wasn't too sure about them. Theo could quickly peel and stick the stickers where ever he chose, covering a lot of space.