Creating a Sensory Table - Fun Indoor or Outdoor Activity for Kids

In the previous blog, we talked about the importance of engaging the five senses in creating learning experiences that last a life time.  In today’s blog, let’s examine the value of creating a sensory table in your home.

There is no “right-way” to create a sensory table.  You can choose any flat surface: table, cart (top shelf), or even a box will work.  Typically a sensory table consists of a collection of tubs, small boxes, or buckets that can be rotated regularly by changing out the different materials.

 Learning with a sensory table is more than a fun time filler.  It allows your child to gain an understanding about the world around him.  The sensory table provides essential hands-on experiences for investigating materials and different items.  Engage in a conversation with your child while he/she is exploring.  Here are a few questions you may try:

·         Is it smooth; wet; bumpy; or dry?

·         Is it sticky; gooey; slippery; or fluffy?

·         Does it tickle?

·         Does it change color somehow?

Provide different mediums for exploring with.  Use different containers to house: water, sand, dirt, rice or pasta, beans, clay, play dough, dry cereal, salt, sugar, oatmeal, pom poms, rocks, sea shells, Legos, cotton balls, and marbles.

Provide different items for scooping and measuring: spoons, cups, dippers, funnel, wooden and plastic utensils.

Remember there is no right or wrong way to use a sensory table.  Be mindful of any items that may be a choking hazard for your children and always supervise their play.  If you are using water, have towels handy and remove any valuables out of the way of splashing.

Encourage your child to explore and engage in “table talk” to increase your child’s understanding of textures, shapes, colors, and sizes of items.  Sensory play is designed to explore the senses in authentic learning experiences.  Have fun with your child and remember to change out the medium bowls frequently to stimulate your child’s learning and to keep him/her motivated.

Learning Through the Senses

Learning takes place when the senses are engaged in the process of retaining information.  Stop and think about your favorite memories.  Many times you can associate events with smells, tastes, or sounds.  You may associate musical lyrics with sounds that trigger your brain into recalling a flashback scene.  Many smells and tastes will remind you of childhood memories at Grandma’s house or in your mother’s kitchen.

Now think about how your learned how to ride a bike.  Did you conquer this skill in one attempt?  Did someone “tell” you how to ride and you learned it right away?  Of course not!  It took time and time again getting onto the bike, peddling, wavering the handlebars, falling off and getting back up again and again before you actually rode that bike successfully. That repeated practice and behavior molded your ability to learn how to ride a bike.  This repeated practice has to take place in all skill areas.  So when you are trying to help your child to become a reader and writer, the repeated practice of engaging ones senses in the learning process must take place.

First of all, remember to give your child many opportunities to investigate materials through: touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight.  You are helping him/her to develop and refine their learning skill set.  Exposing children to sensory play helps them develop and to refine their senses.  Engage your child in make-believe activities that will help to build self-esteem and creativity.

·         Touch: play games that require the use of muscles as in: running, jumping, skipping, and hopping.  Play leap frog, hopscotch and tug-of-war.  These activities will improve gross motor skills.  For fine motor skills, include: play dough, finger painting, coloring, and drawing.

·         Sight:  experiment with light around the home.  Make shadows with a flashlight.  Play “I Spy” and look for different colors in objects.  Play catch with a balloon or ball to improve eye-hand coordination.

·         Sound: engage your child’s musical side by playing different listening games. Talk about different sounds inside and outside your home.  Experiment with volume for loud and soft sounds.

·         Smell: utilize your kitchen to investigate smelling scents.  Go on a “smelly” walk outdoors and fine different fragrant flowers. Read Scratch & Sniff  books.

·         Taste: experiment with opposites: try frozen food versus hot foods; salty versus sweet; crunchy verses soft

Sensory play encourages children to use descriptive and creative language.  Children must experience something first hand in order to make sense of it and form a lasting memory in the brain.  When your child engages in eye-hand coordination, fine motor and gross motor activities, this will prepare his brain for learning more complicated skills.  By using sensory play, your child will feel a boost in confidence in decision making, and will be inspired to learn and experiment new learning opportunities with his/her senses. 

Slide into Summer with Fun Learning Activities

Now that the school year is coming to a close it doesn’t mean that learning stops.  There are so many ways to increase your child’s learning through everyday activities in the home.  Let’s look at a few tips that will keep your child engaged in learning throughout the summer months.

1.       Read with your child everyday: grab a book, any book, and read to your child at least three times a week.  Have your child read to you; another family member, friend, or even the family pet; for 20 minutes each day. Provide different forms of reading material: newspapers, magazines, cereal boxes, daily mail items, etc.   By showing that reading is a natural part of the day, you will plant the seeds for a lifetime of reading for your child.

2.      Encourage friendship outside of school:  give your child multiple experiences of interacting with other children in play groups, clubs, summer activity groups, camps, sport teams, and Vacation Bible Schools.  These experiences will strengthen your child’s emotional, mental, and physical development.  By engaging in group activities outside of the home, you are helping your child develop the necessary team building skills that will carry over back in the classroom setting.

3.      Bring learning into the kitchen:  why not bake a cake or cookies and have your child learn about measurement, following directions, and sequential order.  All of these skills are important in comprehension strategies; so you will be helping your child through involving him/her through practical steps in cooking.

4.      Visit local attractions: visit your community library for summer events and special guest attractions.   Check out an aquarium, museum, historical park, or other local venues that will help to increase your child’s cultural learning experiences.

5.      Teach your child to be responsible:  if your child doesn’t cleanup for himself at home, he/she is more likely to be messy at school.  Teach him/her to stow away toys, make the bed, take out the trash, and wash dishes.  Every house whole could use a little extra help and every child is old enough to start doing their part in the daily chores.  When this starts at home, keeping a clean desk at school won’t seem like such a big deal.

6.      Do step-by-step teaching at home:  make sure you have your child’s attention when you are giving step-by-step directions.  Give clear instructions for your little one to follow.  This will help your child to learn to follow directions and to listen to instructions.  Praise your child for good listening and following directions when the job is accomplished.

By following these simple tips during the summer months, you will be helping your child to experience learning opportunities that will carry over into the classroom next fall.  Have fun learning with your child this summer.  Every opportunity in life can be a learning experience that can be treasured by the whole family.  Enjoy your time together and stay safe and healthy.  

Avoid the Summer Slide - Tips for Summer Learning

1. KEEP YOUR CHILD HEALTHY AND SAFE
• Continue healthy eating habits- enjoy fresh vegetables and fruits
• Remind your child to wear a safety helmet when riding bikes and 4-wheelers
• Obey safety rules for swimming, hiking, and camping
• Get plenty of rest; wear sunscreen; and drink water everyday

2. READ 20 MINUTES EVERYDAY
• Take time to visit the local public library at least once a week and participate in storytime
• Engage your child in reading for fun- choose topics of interest
• Use electronic devices to read: computers, Nook Reader, Kindle, iPad
• Listen to audio books on CD

3. WRITE 10 MINUTES EVERYDAY
• Start a summer scrapbook
• Start a summer journal
• Write notes to family members
• Make Birthday cards or Get Well cards

4. KEEP PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS SHARP
• Practice math problems in the grocery store or on other shopping trips
• Make decisions or solve a mystery: give your child choices
• Do science experiments in the kitchen or garage Engage your child in fun activities that will stimulate his thinking and keep his mind active and learning. Remember to be safe and have a wonderful summer vacation time with your child.

Advice to Parents from Teachers at the End of the School Year

As we come to the end of the school year, parents can be very helpful to teachers during this time. Here are a few tips that teachers want parents to know about helping their child’s classroom prepare for the last few weeks of school.

• Sharpen pencils: stop by the classroom once a week and offer to sharpen classroom pencils to fill pencil boxes.

• Help around the classroom: an extra set of “hands” are always appreciated for: filing papers, organizing homework folders, and reorganizing classroom libraries, making copies, and wiping down desks and tables.

• Restock the supply closet: supplies are getting light at this time of the year so how about offering to supply tissue boxes, paper towels, sanitizers, and basic supplies that can be used for projects (colored markers, crayons, construction paper, etc.)

• Be a reader: offer to “buddy read” with students in your child’s class. This will encourage reluctant readers to have a parent to share in their reading time.

• Lead a small group: offer to work with small groups or individual students in: sight word drills, spelling practice or practicing math facts.

• Record your child’s favorite stories: read stories to your child and record them on a CD or MP3 player and offer to share them with your child’s teacher. She can set these up in a listening center in the classroom for other students to read and follow along in the book.

• Deliver a “treat” on a hot day: as the school year winds down, the temperatures are rising. Maybe you can offer to bring fresh fruit or cold drink boxes in on a hot day for a treat for the students.

Talk to your child’s teacher about any of the above opportunities that you would like to participate in for the class. You are strengthening your child’s connection with the school when you volunteer your time to help the classroom teacher. The teacher will appreciate any offered assistance at this time of the year. It will be a lasting impression on the students, as well.

Counting the days until summer? Use the calendar as a learning tool!

Now that we are coming to the end of another school year, before you throw out the old calendar, use this as a teaching tool to help your child with number sense skills.

1. Months of the year: your child needs to know the follow facts:
• There are 12 months in a year
• Name all of the months in order
• Use the ordinal words when naming the months: first, second, third, fourth, etc.
• Use the terms before and after to describe the relationship of months in order: October comes before November and after September

2. Days of the week: your child needs to know the follow facts:
• There are seven days in a week
• Sunday is the first day of the week
• Use the words before and after to describe the relationship of days: Monday comes after Sunday and before Tuesday
• Know the terms: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

3. Even and odd: your child needs to know how to:
• Recognize the even and odd numbers

• Count by even numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 etc.

• Count by odd numbers: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.

• Count by ones, fives, and tens

4. Digits: your child needs to understand that numbers are “digits”

• The numbers 0-9 are single digit numbers

• The numbers 10-31 are double digit numbers (or two digit numbers)

• The digits have place values: 0-9 are in the ones place

• Two digit numbers, represent the tens place and the ones place on the place value chart. (this concept will help when your child learns about the Hundred’s Thousand’s place on the Place Value Chart)

5. Number Value: your child can learn the value of numbers

• Counting the digits on the calendar is the came as counting objects

• The digits on the calendar can be compared to the value of coins: 1= a penny or 1 cent or .01. 5= a nickel or 5 cents or .05. 10= a dime, or 10 cents or .10. 25= a quarter or 25 cents or .25. To make this realistic, use real coins when comparing the digits on the calendar.

Now you have some ideas for using your old calendars for helping your child learn more about number sense skills and calendar facts. Another tip: use the calendar pictures to generate vocabulary growth by describing the scenes with picturesque words.

Teacher Appreciation - Simply Stated, Budget Friendly and Long Lasting

It is National Teacher Appreciation Week and here are a few suggestions for showing teachers your appreciation in a simple yet lasting way.

Teachers want to be recognized for their hard work and dedication to student success. When considering teacher gifts or recognition, here are a few ideas that have brightened teachers’ day over the years;

1. Chocolate: teachers appreciate little chocolate treats after a long day. Simply place a small chocolate bar in their mailbox or have a treat basket available during a faculty meeting.

2. Small gifts: such as, decorative note pads, cool paper clips, or water bottle. Even consider giving out a roll of student stickers. Teachers often use their own money to buy incentives for their students. This small gesture shows them that you realize how much they care about their students.

3. Gift cards: small gift cards to local book stores or school supply stores will also be appreciated by teachers.

4. Certificates of recognition: give your teachers a certificate that shows your appreciation of their hard work. Design the certificate suitable for framing. Make it an honor to hang in their classroom.

5. Thank you notes: teachers always appreciate it when someone says “thank you” for their dedication to student achievement.

Teachers work beyond their contracted hours and many times feel taken for granted that they are always available. Just a few simple signs of appreciation can go a long way to encouraging good teachers to stay in the profession.