Plant Painting and Printing
This week, we took sunflower painting to a whole new level by actually painting the plant itself! Working with this new material was a great opportunity for the toddlers in order to allow them to experience new materials and textures. The children were eager to choose which color to change the sunflower to as they applied the paint. After painting on the flower, we decided to do some imprinting on a plain piece of white paper, so that the flower design could last forever!
Glueing with Sunflower Seeds
Last week, the toddlers used warm colors to paint on paper plates that were cut out to resemble sunflowers. Now that the plates have dried, the children were given real sunflower seeds to glue in the middle of their project. These seeds added depth to their sunflower as they made their projects become more realistic to the flowers we see outside!
Feet Painting
In the toddler classroom, painting with and on new materials will be a year long exploration. The art studio is going to introduce each toddler to new ways to create while using many different objects. As we continued our sunflower exploration, we thought that a fun and creative way to add to our sunflower projects could be by painting our feet to represent pedals! The toddlers helped one another by taking turns painting the bottom of each other’s feet before helping their friends off of the table and onto a white sheet of paper. Each child then walked across the paper, leaving behind their colored footprints! At the end of the sheet of paper, the toddlers were guided to a wash bucket filled with water where they were asked to clean their feet. Each child gave their helping hands by assisting their friends throughout the entire process. It was a great experience filled with art and social skills!
Sunflower Loose Parts
At one of our table activities, the toddlers were given natural loose parts and a sunflower template to create. These loose parts included different sized rocks, colored toothpicks, circular pieces of wood, and of course sunflower seeds! The purpose behind giving the toddlers loose parts for an activity is that it allows them to explore natural objects in hopes that they will inspire imagination and creativity. These explorations of loose parts occur naturally while encouraging open-ended learning. Some of the children used the loose parts to trace the outline of the sunflower while others stacked the different items in a pile to create their own design.
Adding Seeds to our Play Dough Creations
Play dough has been a hit in the toddler class from day one! We enjoy giving the toddlers many different manipulatives to use and incorporate into their play dough creations. Some of the objects that they were able to work with this year so far have been gems, sea shells, cookie cutter shapes, and various tools. This week, we decided to give the children sunflower seeds! Some toddlers made cakes while others enjoyed hiding the seeds inside their play dough to make a seed sandwich.
Using Gems During Sensory Play
This week, our sensory table was filled with glass gems, water, clear cups, and bubbles! The idea of using glass gems came to mind last week, during a different table activity, when the toddlers showed great interest in dumping and pouring the gems in and out of cups. Adding water to the bin allowed the toddlers to dump and pour as they pleased while also showing them how to be gentle with the gems. During this sensory play, the water for the table would sometimes spill onto the floor. Some of the children were eager to come to the rescue as they quickly volunteered to get a paper towel and clean it up themselves! They have truly been classroom helpers!