Lately the children in toddler one have been very interested in learning about our solar system and the various planets. We have been listening to several solar system songs, and exploringdifferent characteristics of each planet, integrating into the children's play.
During open play the children have been building rocket ships, drawing planets and stars, and several have talked about how they want to be an astronaut one day! Keeping up with the children's strong interest in the topic, the educators invited the children to create some space art! The children were so excited to begin using crayons the children were encouraged to draw on their page, and with the help of the educator, worked on their hand-eye coordination skills! While coloring several children made some observations about the different planets they were seeing.
One child picked up the red crayon and said "I colour the red planet! Mars!". Another child chose a blue crayon and said, "For a blue planet! Neptune!". Another child started to sing "We're going to the moon!" while several others joined in! Once the coloring was complete the children were asked if they wanted to add some space glitter! Mixing glitter with clear glue the children used paint brushes to add a pop of glitter to their space art! The children seemed to really enjoy this activity, and it led to many conversations about our solar system and our home.
Overall creative activities related to the solar system helped toddlers foster fine-motor skills while sparking early curiosity about space and science. Creative tasks such as colouringplanets and adding glitter can make learning fun and tactile, encouraging both artistic expression and foundational STEM interest from a young age.
