We are always busy!

Zoey, Noor, Charlotte and Suri are having a picnic lunch for their baby dolls.  The dramatic play area provides the children with  the opportunities to cooperate with each other as they act out realistic situations.

Each morning  we place a variety of  manipulatives on the tables so that the children will build different skills.  On Tuesday, we had a clown with blocks that resembled small cylinders. In order to balance the clown, the children carefully placed the same number of blocks on each side.  What a fun way to challenge hand eye coordination.

Unifix cubes are always a popular morning choice.   Suri decided that she would build towers just like a stair-step.   Each time she made a different tower she made it one cube higher, using so many math skills along the way.....counting, sorting, and adding on are just a few!  Way to go Suri!

Amelia's big sister, Ellie, was in the Curious George class 4 years ago.  She gave Amelia a big hug and told her how much fun she had being a Curious George kid!

Govind showed us that blocks aren't just for building as he pretends to talk on a phone.  What a wonderful way to use his imagination and to build language skills!

Remember our eye color discussion?  This week we gave it a fun twist.  Each group of children got some blocks and one ping pong ball with an eyeball painted on it.  The challenge was to get the ball to roll down a block.  Alex and Emma used the sensory table to prop up their block.

Saul and Briana went into the dramatic play area,  using the chair for the base of the ramp and then experimenting with other objects in that center.

Jake, Suri and Noor have it figured out too!

Daniel and Zoey worked together so well.  They tried different things and talked about different ideas, but nothing  made that ball roll.  We suggested they look at what some of their friends were doing, and they immediately saw what they needed to change.   Zoey quickly added that vertical  block because "that makes the ball stop rolling and we won't have to chase it!" 

The next day the children were still involved!

When you think about all the times we as adults collaborate with our co-workers, and build upon their ideas, you have to admit our kids are getting an early start!

Another extension...googly eyeballs in playdough.

How many small eyeballs can you "dig out"?  Great for developing finger strength.

Same idea, different materials.  Here the children are pulling the nails out of the foam pieces.  Not as easy as it looks.

The girls are so creative!  Briana made an umbrella "in case it rains my hair won't get wet!", and Noor made a "double twirling star".  Pushing the plastic straws onto the connecting piece requires much eye hand coordination.

Zoey made 5 fairy wands because she said that when she is 5 she will be able to do cart wheels!

Alex and Daniel made a house using Magna Tiles.

Out in the gan using our sense of sight and touch. The children exclaimed, " This pumpkin is huge!"



Amelia was exploring an interesting  gourd!



Using our sense of sight and touch again, we learn about the differences between members of the gourd family.

The children are recording their discoveries.

Look at this incredible structure!  So nice to see both boys and girls working together with blocks.