Boxes, Boxes and More Boxes!

You know, it always make me laugh how we feel the need to buy expensive toys for kids. It seems we fill that if we offer an expensive toy, their imaginations will be able to unfold like a butterfly's wings. We spend and we spend, and then we are frustrated that the children are not playing with the toys on end as we would hope. Well...out with the spending...grab some boxes for endless fun!

This week we added some painted boxes to our Outdoor Classroom. The children had painted them over the past week under the trees in our art center. They painted A LOT of boxes. They also painted the tires that we used as blockades from the bikes, the side walk, and the concrete around the garden bed. Hmmm...we'll have to work on that! Most of the children were also fairly covered in large blotches of paint as they forgot that leaning against a large, freshly painted box could be a slightly messy affair! I also saw a lot of the two year olds squishing the paint-filled rollers in their hands and watching as the bubbles of paint squeezed between their fingers. We did say it is the process that count, right???

Each day, we added new boxes of all shapes and sizes. We also changed up the colors and varied the painting tools each day, using brushes, rollers, etc. On one day, I only put out the color green. Our project focus was dinosaurs, so the big green box became a "Boxosaurus" (created by my imaginative coworker). We cut holes into the front and the kids had a go of throwing soft balls and beanbags into him.

This poor guy looks like he had a rough night...little did he know what he was REALLY in for!

 Of course, many of the kids did try to get into the holes, but hey, that's part of the fun. The kids had a blast!

Once all the boxes were painted, we put them into the block center for the kids to play with. I did tape some of the boxes shut, but left some open as well. This station was filled with children for the entire week. Many of the boxes had to be "retired" throughout the week, but somehow we managed to replenish our stock with other boxes we found lying around. The kids have asked to keep the boxes going for another week...perhaps we should add some extra fun and make a "whole body pendulum" like the one I saw on Teacher Tom's blog (check it out...it is quite a sight!)! Nice work, Tom!

Did you know? Painting boxes allows children to develop fine, gross and stabilizing muscles. Painting on vertical, flat, and horizontal surfaces forces the children to stand upright, bend down, reach, and change motions as they paint! 

Paleontology...Preschool Style!

Homemade "Moon Sand!" I accidentally poured too much water into the mix, but that made it all the more fun for the kids! It was an ooey, gooey mess!

We stuck to the KISS rule (Keep it Simple, Silly) for the first week of school. However, week 2 meant it was time to get serious with some seriously fun and engaging activities for the children. We decided on a "Science and Paleontology" focus, because heck...what kid doesn't love dinosaurs and fossils?!?!

We love a "print-rich" and "photo-rich" environment because it sparks emergent literacy, imagination, and critical thought. So, we started by hanging photos and dialogue all around the playground. There were photos of scientists working in labs (yes...even the one of Einstein sticking his tongue out!), beakers filled with colored water, microscopes, and even a "Caution: Safety Goggles Must Be Worn" sign for the dramatic play area.
Here are a few of the other ideas we implemented during this focus on dinosaurs and science! Enjoy!

Dramatic Play: We filled a diorama table with play sand, toy dinosaur skeletons, and paint brushes. On another table in the DP area, we added goggles, beakers, magnifying glasses, and white lab coats. We also put out clipboards with beaker shaped paper for the kids to write lab notes. The kids were crazy for it! They did take MUCH of the sand and dinosaurs from the diorama table over to "lab" (okay...rather unexpected!), but I suppose we should have had the foresight to add something of investigative interest to the "lab" table. The following week we added fossils to the diorama table that we made from natural items (rocks, shells, etc) pressed in Plaster of Paris. We also changed out the science equipment and put out non-drying brown plasticine and some natural items such as pinecones, shells, & rocks, as well as some small dinosaurs. The children were encouraged to press the items into the plasticine to make their own fossils.

Sensory: We are HUGE into sensory items. This week, we made our own homemade "moon sand" using play sand, cornstarch and water. We added small dinosaurs, plastic Easter egg shells, and small trees. It started to smell by the end of the week, but the enjoyment at the beginning was unparalleled...the children couldn't get enough of the drippy, oozy, hand-covering mess. I accidentally added too much water, but they LOVED it! Originally, I purchased new play sand, but to do it again, I would just nab some from the sandbox since by the end of the week it all ended up in there anyway!

Another sensory activity we did this week was creating a "Color Lab." I filled each bin in the water table with a different color. I used Colorations Liquid Watercolor (you could also use food coloring), but tempera worked just as well. The noticeable difference in the methods was simply clarity of the water.The children used beakers, ice cube trays, eye droppers, turkey basters and measuring cups to mix the water and explore color.

Art: We decided to paint boxes this week. Large, small, and medium. It was a great muscle-building activity since the kids were able to paint horizontally, vertically, on a flat surface, and on an upright surface. We mix-and-matched the colors and sizes of boxes on most days. Our intention is to put the boxes in the block corner next week. On one day, however, I only put out green. During the course of the day, I realized this huge green box could be put to good use...and so he transformed into a giant bean-bag eating dinosaur! One of my more-creative-than-I coworkers put together the "boxosaurus." We're not sure how long he'll stand up to 80+ bean-bag throwing preschoolers, but he'll be the center of attention for a while, I'm sure! I will keep you posted on that one!

Be prepared to use A LOT of boxes! We set up this activity for the whole week and the kids painted about 15 boxes. Painting was so much fun...but I think building with them will be an even bigger hit!

The "Boxosaurus" ...if he looks as if he's had a rough weekend now, you should've seen him AFTER the kids got to him! Sniff!

Sand Area: Large dinosaurs and hard hats were added to the sandbox alongside the usual shovels and buckets. Several of the safety goggles also "wandered" over to the sand, but that was part of the fun! Though we don't encourage items being moved from one area to another, if a child is focused and purposeful, we allow their play to evolve wherever they like. We just make it a policy that each class cleans up the playground and returns all the loose parts to the respective areas prior to the next class coming out. Labels with photos are essential for this strategy!!