To continue to encourage teamwork, being open to suggestions and Ideas. We could explore with other various Items and continue on building these creations using different materials.
Together Melissa. S (toddler educator) and Shannon came up with a coloured peekaboo activity for the infants and toddlers to do together. Melissa and Shannon painted three plexiglass screens with multiple colours (orange, green, red, purple, blue, yellow) on one side and black paint on the other, like a giant scratch art. There were popsicle sticks, tongue depressors and little sponge brushes provided. Felix started by using his fine motor skills to hold a popsicle stick and when he scratched it on the black painted side of the screen, it created marks that looked like he was drawing with a pencil. It wasn’t hard enough to remove the paint to reveal the colours, so Shannon passed him a wet sponge brush. Felix, Emma, Ari and Beau used their gross motor skills to paint big strokes with the wet sponges of water to remove the black paint to reveal the colours hiding underneath. Shannon would point and label the colours the infants revealed. Ari repeated the word “purple.” Then every time after when Shannon said “purple”, Ari would giggle. I wonder if you thought I was copying you, during this social interaction between child and educator. Emma used the palm of her hand at one point to smear the black paint. She then noticed that the black paint was on her fingers. I wonder if you were looking for the other colour on your fingers too, as you squeeze your finger together feeling the smooth paint texture. What a fun educator and child activity as we learned you have to push hard with the sticks or wet the black paint before scratching it, to have it come off easily. Shannon also took a turn to interact alongside of the children and removed paint with a sponge brush and popsicle stick. To extend this activity we could find other ways to hide or find objects and continue on colour recognition and language.
