What sparked the activity?
The children are welcome to bring toys to the dayhome. One of the children, L., brings a different dinosaur each day. He shows this to his peers and tells them what kind of dinosaur it is. M. says, “I also have dinosaurs at home. I have one that is a triceratops and a T-Rex from my brother.” Z. added, “Me, too! I have a dinosaur book at home.” I remember one of the activities that I prepared for my old dayhome children. It was a big hit that lasted for weeks. I plan to create the same invitation for my current children in care.
Materials included a mix of natural and toy manipulatives: flat, wide containers, sand, moss, decorative for potted plants, mud (explorative), rocks, twigs, seashells, decorative crystals, dinosaur figure toys, dinosaur egg toys, air-dry and natural clay, and paint brushes.
This play branched out to many extensions.
The activity featured imprints of dinosaurs that were done on natural clay and air-dry clay. L. knew about what they were. He excitedly said, “Fossils!” They started digging for fossils. I role modeled how to use the brush to remove the sand off the fossils. L. said, “Oh, just like from Jurassic Park movie.” M. commented, “I want to do that, too!” I remarked, “Yes L. you are correct. You are like archaeologists!” This increased their knowledge about dinosaurs and they were introduced to the people who work with fossils – archaeologists.
The play was expanded when the children tried to match the dinosaur to its corresponding fossil. M. said, “This looks like a triceratops.” I asked her, “How could you tell?” She pointed to the head part and said, “See this, it’s like horns.” I answered, “You are right, it looks like a horn. Do you think you can find the matching dinosaur for this fossil?” She started looking and found it. |
Incidental learning: It was a surprise when A. took special notice of the floral foams. He created his own extension of the play. The other children copied what he was doing. They started piercing the foams using the paint brushes and twigs. Then, they picked up dinosaurs and started laying its feet down on the foams. Viola! They made paw prints! |
What did the children learn?
• Sensory exploration: we explored our sense of touch and sight. The different sensory materials like sand, moss, soil, dirt promotes awareness of varying textures.
• Fine motor: the children used their finger muscles in rotating cards to find the right matches. This also promoted their eye-hand coordination.
• Language: the children talked as they played. This boosts their language skills. They learn many new concepts about dinosaurs, its types, what they ate, differences in size, shape, colour, and overall appearance. They also learned vocabulary like fierce, carnivore, massive.
• Social and emotional: playing together enhances interaction among children. They develop self-regulation by keeping in their space or recognizing that they share space with their peers. They also engage in turn-taking and may have opportunities for cooperative play.
• Creativity: with this invitation, there were many allowances for the children to get creative about the experience. They engaged in pretend play: dinosaurs eating fellow dinosaurs; dinosaurs looking for a place to rest; and dinosaurs working together.
• Large motor: supporting their interest for an active play, we carried one dinosaur and went to the backyard to play with it.
• Fine motor: the children used their finger muscles in rotating cards to find the right matches. This also promoted their eye-hand coordination.
• Language: the children talked as they played. This boosts their language skills. They learn many new concepts about dinosaurs, its types, what they ate, differences in size, shape, colour, and overall appearance. They also learned vocabulary like fierce, carnivore, massive.
• Social and emotional: playing together enhances interaction among children. They develop self-regulation by keeping in their space or recognizing that they share space with their peers. They also engage in turn-taking and may have opportunities for cooperative play.
• Creativity: with this invitation, there were many allowances for the children to get creative about the experience. They engaged in pretend play: dinosaurs eating fellow dinosaurs; dinosaurs looking for a place to rest; and dinosaurs working together.
• Large motor: supporting their interest for an active play, we carried one dinosaur and went to the backyard to play with it.