Developing Skills Through Sensory Play the Ooey, Gooey Way

May 14, 2014

Introductions/Celebrations

Brandon RuhleBorn April 10

8lbs. 6 oz. 20 in. long

Big Brother is Chase

Mom is Heather Ruhle

PreK VE Teacher Whispering Oak

Elementary

EXPECTATIONS

•Take care of yourself

•Take care of each other

•What is said here, stays here, what is learned here leaves here

•Be present

LEARNING GOAL

Participants will understand the benefits of sensory experiences and be able to integrate sensory activities into their classroom routine.

Scale

4 I integrate sensory experiences into my classroom routine, understand the benefits and can explain them to my paraprofessional, my administrator and my parents.

3 I integrate sensory experiences into my classroom routine and understand the benefits.

2 I integrate some sensory experiences into my classroom routine but I am unsure of the benefits.

1 I do not understand what is meant by the term sensory experience.

What is Sensory Play?• Engage in and understand life

through the information received through our senses.

• Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates our senses…touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing.

Rationale• Children are wired to receive and

utilize sensory input from day one

• Children need to use their senses and be engaged in meaningful experiences

• As they are better able to use their senses, they are then better able to learn through their senses

Benefits of Sensory Play• Providing intentional opportunities for

children to actively use their senses to explore their world contributes to brain development-think of it as “food for the brain”

• Stimulating the senses sends signals to children’s brains that help to strengthen neural pathways important for all types of learning

Benefits of Sensory Play• Learning and retention improve depending on

how many of our senses are engaged

• Because children learn best by having “hands on” experiences with materials, sensory experiences are vital to young children’s learning

Benefits of Sensory Play

By giving children the opportunity to investigate materials with no preconceived knowledge, you’re helping them develop and refine their physical, creative, social and emotional, linguistic skills, and cognitive skills

Five Domains of Development

I. Physical DevelopmentII. Approaches to LearningIII. Social and Emotional DevelopmentIV. Language, Communications and Emergent

LiteracyV. Cognitive Development and General

Knowledge

I. Physical Development • Children develop pre-

writing skills as the mix, measure, pour, scoop, mold, dump, splash, grasp and work on eye-hand coordination tasks.

• Sensory play can motivate and excite a lethargic child and get them moving!

II. Approaches to Learning• Prompt children to think creatively and allow

them to be in complete control of their actions and experiences

• Boost their confidence in decision making and inspires their eagerness to learn and experiment

• Promote curiosity, persistence, creativity, planning, and reflection

II. Approaches to Learning

Bottom line…how children use materials is much more important than what they make with them

III. Social and Emotional Development• Teach children cooperation and collaboration

• Bring out positive feelings such as joy, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment

• Calm children and help them work through emotions such as anxiety and frustration (working with materials that require pressure and manipulation such as clay can help children release physical energy or tension)

IV. Language, Communications and Emergent Literacy

• Encourage children to use descriptive and expressive language

• Children can’t define parts of speech until they’ve experienced the true meaning of the word

• By 4 children should have receptive repertoire of 3,000 words and expressive repertoire of 2,000 words

42 Families(1995)

13 Professional

23 Working Class

6 Welfare

Measures & Scores

Parent Child Parent Child Parent Child

Recorded vocabulary size

2176 1116 1498 749 974 525

Average utterances per hour

487 310 301 223 176 168

Average different words per hour

382 297 251 216 167 149

Hart and Risley Study

V. Cognitive Development and General Knowledge

• Promote spatial awareness, problem-solving, decision-making, mathematical thinking, scientific exploration and discovery by sorting, classifying, comparing, counting, cause and effect

• Help develop and engage memory

CEC SmartBrief

Garden Becomes Sensory-Rich Classroom for Students With Autism

Students with moderate to severe autism are learning social and communication skills by tending a garden at a San Antonio elementary school. The garden provides a calming, sensory-rich experience for the students as they learn to communicate by asking for the tools and plants they need, teacher Christopher Contreras said. "We needed a way that gets them less cognitively stressed, and we wanted to learn about the environment,“ he said.

Everyone is Successful!As one of the truest open-ended activities, sensory play provides an

opportunity for every child to succeed. No matter whether you are

gifted or delayed, learning a new language or mastering your first, you

can’t really fail with a bin full of beans or a ball of clay. Children who

struggle to succeed or who are apprehensive about failure often find

solace in sensory play. The simple act of pouring water or running

fingers through rice is often cathartic and calming to many children who

may be struggling emotionally. It can soothe the nervous child, distract

the homesick child, and serve as an outlet for the angry child.

Source: Amanda Morgan at www.notjustcute.com

Setting the Stage

• Be realistic and determine your comfort level

• Explain expectations (to other adults, to the children)

• Use easily determined boundaries such drop cloths, tubs, bins, boxes, etc

• Define use (i.e. the blue water in the tub is for pouring, the red rice in the bin is for measuring)

Ooey Gooey Rotations• Follow the directions at each Ooey Gooey

Station.• After playing, discuss with your table partners:– What are some of the benefits of this type of

sensory experience?– How could you use this activity in your classroom?– What would you change or add to this activity to

make it more meaningful for your students?

Bubble Wrap Printsp.77 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook

Materials: Sheets of bubble packing wrapTray of paintPaper

Directions: Tape the bubble wrap to your art table. Let the kids paint on the bubble wrap and then press paper on top of the bubble wrap to make a print of their designs.

Under the Table Coloringp.80 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook

Materials: Baskets of CrayonsPaper and TapePillows and/or MatsKid Sized Tables

Directions: Tape paper underneath a table in your rom. Lay some mats or pillows under the table. Put some crayons down there, too.

Roller Brush Flashlight Paintingp.82 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook

Materials: Cheap flashlightRoller brushDuct TapePaper and Paint

Directions: Use duct tape to attach the roller brush to the flashlight. Turn the flash light on, dip the roller into paint and roll the roller across the paper.

Dip and Dye ArtAdapted from p. 86 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook

Materials: Coffee FiltersMarkersWaterPaint Brush or Spray Bottle

Directions: Have children color designs on the coffee filters with markers. Use a paint brush, fingers or spray bottle to drip water onto the filters. Watch the colors fade into beautiful designs.

Object Artp.63 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook

Materials: Varied items to make prints withPaper plate of paintPaper

Directions: Tape paper to the art table. Place objects and the paint on the paper. Allow the kids to explore and print with the various objects.

Ziploc Squish Bagsp.111 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook

Materials: Assorted squishy items like hair gel, shaving cream, cool whip…Ziploc BagsTape

Directions: Fill the bags with squishy items before the kids get to class. Allow the children to squish and feel the bags.

Scale

4 I integrate sensory experiences into my classroom routine, understand the benefits and can explain them to my paraprofessional, my administrator and my parents.

3 I integrate sensory experiences into my classroom routine and understand the benefits.

2 I integrate some sensory experiences into my classroom routine but I am unsure of the benefits.

1 I do not understand what is meant by the term sensory experience.

Celebrate Your Learning

I Am in Preschool 

I am not built tosit still,

keep my hands to myself,take turns,be patient,

stand in line,or keep quiet

all of the time.I need:motion,novelty,

adventure,and to

engage the world with my whole body.Let Me Play.

(Trust me, I’m learning)

Found in the March 2014 issue of Children Our Concern

 

ESE PARENT SURVEY

Parents can take survey online or fill out hardcopy

Encourage parents to complete the Florida ESE Parent Survey which is related to Indicator 8 of the State Performance Plan

My New Teacher

My name is________ . I am in Kindergarten.

picture

I have a new school _________ Elementary.

I have a new teacher, her name is _________ .

picture

Ms. ________ will help me learn. We will work on reading, math, science and social studies.

Sometimes people are scared when they meet somebody new.

My mom and Ms. ________ talked to my new teacher. They told her what I like to do and don't like to do. That way my new teacher knows how to help me.

I will try to listen to my new teacher and work hard when I am at school.

When I am a good listener and work hard, learning is f un, and my teacher and mom will be happy!

Contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Janice Penn Stephanie Thomas Janice.Penn@ocps.net Stephanie.Thomas2@ocps.net

Component #

2100027