Have you ever noticed that children take toys and use them for a different purpose other than it was intended for?  Children love to use their imaginations and enjoy make-believe props in planned and sustained play.  This shows representation and symbolic thinking.  Play helps children learn to think, to express their ideas, and to become successful learners.  In this picture, children took plastic bowling pins and turned them in water bottles, soda, and juice.

“Free Dance” Friday!

Today was our Sumida Watercress Farm field trip.

Today, we used music to dance through the three different stages of a butterfly.  The first song had a slow tempo.  The children crawled around the room slowly like a caterpillar.  The second song had a soft and quiet tempo.  The children lay very still like a cocoon.  The last song had a cheery and upbeat tempo.  The children flew around the room like a butterfly.  The children are bringing home their antennae headbands today.  Please ask your child to demonstrate the three different stages.  You might also want to play three different songs and dance the butterfly life cycle with them.  Children love to dance with their parents!

“Makaukau?”  The Dramatic Play Area has been transformed into the ‘Ulu Hula Halau.

Today, we introduced a new play dough activity.  The children were challenged to cover the entire surface of a plastic animal with the play dough.  By now, you know that play dough is a fun way to develop hand skills as young children poke, pinch, roll, and cut.  Play dough can be used for other development too.  Three year olds have short attention spans.  One activity rarely can hold their attention for more than a few minutes.  Sensory activities, such as playing with play dough, often help children stay focused for longer periods of time.  This can help lengthen the attention span of other activities as well.

Today, we dramatized the life cycle of a butterfly based on Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  First, the children crawled around like caterpillars and went around looking for healthy fruits from the book to eat.  Second, the children curled up into cocoons and tried their best to lie still.  Third, they emerged from their cocoons as they turned into beautiful butterflies.

Water Play Fun!  The children are taking an ice cake break.

Today, Uncle Porter shared two baby goslings.  The children practiced how to be gentle and humane to these small animals.  Many of the children made observations of how similar they are to ducks and chickens.  Three year olds enjoy calling attention to details and exploring, with adult support, the ways in which things are alike and different.  They comment on what they see, but need to be given words to describe more accurately what they are observing.  Thank you again Uncle Porter for providing a learning experience for us.

Our beans seeds are really growing and creeping.  The keiki enjoy looking for and picking them during our outdoor backyard time.  Why beans?  Bean seeds are large enough for kids to handle easily and they grow quickly.  Pole beans are great for creating child-friendly structures like tepees and tunnels.  Kids can harvest them easily.