Exploring our natural world!
Our Dolphin friends are diving into nature (and getting a little messy) with a fun activity that helped them explore nature items and explore with their senses!
âFor children, play is learning. There is no better space for kids to learn than the outdoors, and there is no better play resource than nature!â
Today in the Dolphins room we enjoyed reading the good old classic story âGoing on a bear huntâ A family stumbles through nature elements, to soon end up at a bear cave!
To extend on this learning we set up a sensory walk experience for our friends to explore their very own bear hunt!
Activity
Flipping over our stepping stones , we added different sensory textures to each one;
- long wavy grass;
- bark;
- sticks;
- sand;
- crunchy leaves; and
- our own âsnowstormâ- using frozen ice blocks with added pompoms and glitter.
The sensory walk ended into our mud pit, with the bear waiting in his cave, that we created with a box!
The children were super excited to explore the sensory walk.
The children took turns making their way through the sensory walk by steadily stepping into each sensory bin with the help of their educators.
Once everyone had a go at walking through, we explored the contents of the sensory bins together; with the snowstorm being a favourite (our Dolphin friends love to explore with water play)
Childrenâs feet are as sensitive to touch as their hands and are a great learning tool.
    “Walking barefoot helps promote childrenâs awareness of their senses and surroundings”
Walking barefoot, develops the muscles and ligaments of the foot, increases the strength of the foot’s arch, and improves proprioception
âAllowing your bare skin to be in contact with the earth, is known as Earthing, it has countless positive effects to the bodyâ
One of the best lessonâs children can be taught in their early years is to play outdoors.
Children innately reap great benefits as they grow connection and appreciation of the natural environment.
In the structured, busy, and technologically advanced world we live in, the role of outdoor play is soon beginning to be forgotten!
Nature play significantly improves all aspects of child development â physical, cognitive, social, and emotional.
Here are some simple helpful ideas to get more outdoor play in your childâs life:
- Outdoor chores like weeding, sweeping or watering the garden
- Enjoy a picnic outdoors in the park or your backyard
- After it rains, put on your gumboots and find some muddy puddles
- Show them how to climb a tree or balance on a fallen log
- Create a worm garden or grow a veggie patch
- Regularly allow them to walk barefoot on natural surfaces
That is all from us until next month, Miss Lauren, Miss Ruby and the Gwondas.
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