Ice, Ice, Baby!

 A while back, we set up a "science lab" in the outdoor classroom. Various shades of colored water filled bins upon bins in our dramatic play area. The children donned goggles and lab coats and set to work mixing the brilliant colors in beakers, funnels, measures, cups, basters, and more. 

To change it up a bit, we decided to add several bins of ice each morning. We squirted a few drops of liquid water color (purchased from Discount School Supply) and the children went to work. 

We were only planning to set out this activity for a week or so because of the sheer quantity of ice we needed to bring in, but the children enjoyed it so much that we wound up hauling ice for nearly a month! 

Barrel Pumps in the Outdoor Classroom

We recently added this beautiful barrel pump to our Outdoor Classroom. It was a simple addition, yet it has added a wealth of engagement in our OC. Our garden has been an integral part of our yard, however, we have always needed a staff member present to fill our little ones' watering cans with the hose. This old-fashioned barrel pump was the perfect solution. Not only do the children flock to the pump to fill their canisters for watering their class gardens, but the pump offers unique lessons on water flow, cause and effect, and the new gross motor movement of pumping the handle up and down. In fact, our three year olds were so intrigued with the pumping action, they didn't even venture into filling containers until after a few days!

The pump was built by one of our handy parents. We simply purchased a large wine barrel and an "old fashioned pitcher pump" at our local hardware store. Click HERE to find the model we used. The entire system cost approximately $70! Our handy parent then caulked the barrel, installed the metal platform, and then bolted on the pump.

Simple and SIMPLY WONDERFUL!

Swamp Sensory Bin

I have been eyeing Tom's "Swamp" sensory event at Sand & Water Tables for some time. If you haven't visited Tom's site, it is well worth a look-see. His sensory tables are phenomenal!

I finally put in the effort to create a similar table on our patio area. I used a 3 separate sensory/water tables for this project to add depth, dimension and varying levels. I added swamp creatures, sand, leaves, and various other natural items to the bins. I also used bamboo garden poles for the bugs to "crawl" on. Each day, I add water to the swamp for added sensory fun. It is a bit of a mess, so the event will probably move to the yard next week, but it has drawn a lot of attention thus far!

Here is what I came up with...

Catching creatures in bug containers filled with swamp water.

A Few Storage Tips and Tricks

I really enjoyed Jenny's blog (Let the Children Play) this week about creative ways to store loose parts in the Outdoor Classroom. I wanted to piggy back on her post because I LOVE to learn about creative ways to organize the environment. 

There were so many great ideas on her post. She was kind enough to feature my idea about using milk crates for outdoor storage (to get directly to the post, click here). Milk crates are a wonderful "loose part" in themselves, but they are also a terrific way to store shovels, buckets, natural items, pvc pipes, mud kitchen materials, and more. They can be hosed down, the sand falls through, and they can be easily labeled. We have several classrooms ages 2 - 5 who use the same playground, so labeling is essential for us.  Each class in our school is asked to "reset" the Outdoor Classroom (ie - clean it up!) before the next class comes out to enjoy the yard. 

Another great storage trick we have is our 3 bin sensory/water tables. These tables were custom made and hold 3 removable utility bins. They are very simple and wouldn't take much to recreate. When we are using playdough, we put cafeteria trays over the bins to create a flat and elevated surface on which to roll and mould the dough. We store the tools in the middle bin. When it is time to clean up, we pop the playdough in a bag, and everything goes under the trays. 

Take note and look UNDER this table...the tires and tarp are for overnight storage. We lay the tarp on the table and hold it down with tires. The tires are also used as "loose parts" in our Outdoor Classroom.

When we are playing with water, goop, ooblek, etc., we take off the trays and put it straight in the bins. 

This table is EXTREMELY versatile!

Our outdoor "Quiet Corner" is an old bathtub! We've stacked blankets inside so the children don't have to sit too low into the tub and lined the top with pillows to make it extra soft. The books are stored in a simple woven basket. This is a covered area, so we do not do anything to protect it overnight or on weekends.

Use baggies to keep make clean-up a breeze!

I have worked in education for years and have always dreaded cleaning up the paint jars. When I started my role at this preschool, I was so impressed to see their idea for creative cleanup...line the jars with ziplock bags! Not overly environmental, but we do keep the same liners for a week since they don't tend to dry out. We store the jars in a caddy in the shed overnight. We wash the brushes and tops as needed.

Our 2's teacher used cafeteria trays and lined the tables with towels for their cornstarch and water sensory experience (click here for the ooblek recipe and the science behind it; and if you haven't tried it, you MUST!!!!). It was a neat change from the traditional method of using a bin. She provided colored water in recycled applesauce containers, spoons, and cups of cornstarch for the children to explore. 

When our 3's teacher was planting flowers in pots, she lined the ground with a tarp and put the dirt in utility bins (we have as many of these bins as we do milk crates!!!). She provided child sized gardening tools and she let the children do the potting. When the project was complete, we rolled up the tarp and dumped the contents over our raised garden beds. 

Since we received WAY too many Pansies this season, I had each child plant a Pansy in a cup to take home. I used the same tarp and bin method, but we sat at a table since we were on the patio.

This is one of our "diorama" tables. They were also custom made by the same person who made our other sensory boxes. Again, these tables would be VERY simple to build. To make this sensory box, we lined the table with a tarp (for easier cleanup), and then poured in cornmeal, rice and beans.

This is the same table in use during our "dino dig." To the left, you can see our other diorama table which we used for the "science lab" area.  

We also use these tables for Duplo, Lego, tree blocks, doll houses...you name it!

Tarps and tires cover pretty much everything that needs to be protected at night. In the morning, set up is quick and easy as I just have to fold the tarps and toss the tires to the side. Remember, tires are a fantastic loose part, so they are part of the children's play environment.

I hope you found these tips useful. Please feel free to add your own clever ideas!

It's Raining, It's Pouring, the 3's Room is Flooding (but not from the rain!)

I was planning on writing a fantastic blog today on the fun we had exploring the Post Office theme we have set up in our outdoor dramatic play area. It is really great...we have mail boxes, writing stations, dress-up clothes, and even "US Postal Truck" signs on all the bikes so the kids can ride around delivering their packages. 

However, it rained. Actually, it rained HARD! Being Southern California, most of the kids don't come dressed for extremely wet weather, so we donned our sweaters and stayed on the patio. The patio is a great place and we use it every day as an extension of the classroom. As the Outdoor Curriculum Coordinator, it is my job to plan and run the patio activities for the "older" pod (3-PK) in addition to planning the big play yard. The great part of our patio system is that it allows the more "active" and "outdoor oriented" children to spend time outdoors being slightly more loud and energetic than is acceptable indoors. Like most schools, each class must have an allotted time on the playground which inhibits the coveted indoor-outdoor flow system. Having the patio is our compromise as the children can use the patio throughout their entire free play session. I generally supply activities in art, easel activities, fine motor, gross motor, clay, small-scale dramatics, and cool (aka messy) science. 

But I digress. Today, I must talk about our "Water Event" table. 

This table was constructed by a structural engineer with money that was donated to our school. Our vision was to make the table as interactive as possible and was meant to also serve as a sort of 'water feature' while the children weren't using it. It really is a piece of work and it is very popular with the children. As you might guess, it was extremely popular today considering the children couldn't go out into the big yard to play. I recently added some siphons that we purchased at a hardware store to the table. They were great fun, but out little buckets just weren't large enough to hold all the pouring water. 

So, I added a 5 gallon bucket and some large PVC pipes to really get them engaged. The new additions were quite a splash with the kids and they had a fantastic time pumping and watching as the water came up the clear tubes, then back down into the bucket. It was a nice exercise in cooperation, too, since the tubes required one person to hold one end in the water while the other held it down into the bucket. It was 3 minutes until cleanup and everything had gone off without a hitch.

  But of course, this is preschool, so one must expect a hitch to come up at the busiest moment. And that it did...the 5 gallon bucket was tipped over by one of the more rambunctious boys of the group, and the brilliant pink water went spilling across the floor and under the door and into our three's classroom. Well, it wouldn't be preschool without some sort of water "event"!

Thankfully, as I'm writing this, I can see the sun peeking through the clouds. Ahhhh...there is hope for tomorrow! Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me!