We have been having lots of fun with bugs and mud in the toddler room! Check out what we have been doing:
We made lightning bugs using our fine motor skills to glue on the body and wings.
We mixed up mud pies (using our gross motor skills) and put them into cupcake holders (using our fine motor skills).
Footprint ladybugs!
We learned about the amazing click beetle today during out country study of Brazil! We learned about its cool ability to click its head and POP like a piece of pop corn from its back to land on its feet. When we finish our click beetles they will do the same! Click on the click beetle below to see the video of the click beetle in action!
On Monday during our whole group time, I had the children watch a video of a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. After the video we discussed different aspects of the video, and I was able to elaborate a little more to build their knowledge on this subject. The children were so fascinated they wanted to watch it twice! The link to the video we watched is posted here:
In small groups we worked on our alphabet book:
V is for Vase, W is for watermelon, and X is for X-ray.
The children used their fine motor skills to draw and glue.
Ms. Cally dipped cotton balls in a flour, water, food coloring mixture then baked them to make the perfect exploration activity.
Preschool is an important year to work on concentration and focus.
Providing multiple tools for little hands to work with strengthens different muscles and promotes exploration and discovery.
To go along with our theme for the month (bugs) we made butterflies with contact paper and tissue paper, held together with a clothespin. The children used their fine motor skills to place the tissue paper onto the contact paper
One of our discovery centers was a tray with dirt, plastic bugs, and bug catcher tongs. The children loved this fine motor and sensory experience.
Small Groups:
{group #1 and group #2}
These two groups were basically the same concept/activity just with different material. This month I am trying to emphasize number recognition and focus on correctly counting out the corresponding amount of an item according to the number displayed. In these two groups, the children had to count out the correct amount of bugs to correspond with the number on their jar or leaf (depending on which small group it was).
{group #3}
In this group, the children glued on umbrellas and raindrops for “U” is for Umbrella. They had to use their fine motor skills to pick up the little raindrops and glue them onto the paper.
Today we continued our theme of BUGS and introduced our shape of the month: OVAL!
{group #1}
In this small group, the children used their fine motor skills to stamp a variety of bugs on a mounted paper.
{group #2}
In this group, we discussed the difference between a circle and a square. I drew an oval and showed them what it looked like. We talked about various things that are an oval shape. The children each got a marker and practiced drawing ovals. This activity helps develop writing skills, as well as fine motor skills.
{group #3}
The focus of this group was number recognition. The children had to locate a certain number then slap it with a fly swatter.
Creative Tots has specialized in the private education of both toddlers and preschool age children for over 15 years. We began in the heart of Madeira and now also have a new Mason location. We are specifically designed to focus on early childhood development for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
Click below to learn more about our program offerings:
