Fidget bracelets

I got the idea for these after 2-3 incidents over the past year where children sitting on the mat listening to a story have picked up something they found on the floor and put it up their nose or in their mouth. I have a friend who wears 'Stimming Jewellery' - jewellery cleverly designed for people who stim, such as those with autism and other learning needs, and also those who need to constantly fiddle with something in order to pay attention. I know from my own experience that having something in my hand to play with does not detract my attention from listening to others, but it is quite soothing and almost obsessively sensual.

So I decided to try making something that children can fiddle with quietly while we have mat time. There are some children who struggle to sit still, while others have trouble paying attention to a story. These fidget bracelets will hopefully help to support those children who need to move or be doing something, and hopefully stop them peeling and unpeeling the velcro straps off their shoes (velcro is so noisy!) and prevent them from picking up random things off the floor and putting it up their nose.

One of our parents kindly donated lots of ribbon to our centre, so I cut lengths of ribbon and laid out a variety of large wooden rings and bits with holes in them and plastic beads. Children threaded 1-3 rings or beads on a length of ribbon and I fastened them with a reef knot. They are too big to go into noses or ears, and too big to be swallowed. Having only one or two beads means they are not going to make an irritating clicking sound, and using wide ribbon makes it easy to hold, slows the beads down and requires you to purposefully push them around the length of ribbon.

I also gathered up some beanbags and a koosh ball and placed them in a teachers basket together with the fiddle bracelets to be given out to children who have trouble paying attention at mat time. I explain to the tamariki that these bracelets are to help them concentrate and focus at mat time - if it distracts them, then it is not suitable for them. After mat time, those that have got one can return them to the basket before going to wash their hands.

For those that are wondering about how fair it is to give one child a fidget bracelet but not another... fairness is not about everyone having the same thing, but allowing everyone to be on the same playing field - in other words, giving those that need it the tools they require to be at the same level as the others. When I was completing my Bachelor of Education, I made good use of the library at the University Campus, and got out many books on teaching, even though they were not part of my required reading for the courses I was doing. I found that I just loved learning more and more, and I read voraciously on things that interested me. One book I got out on teaching children with diverse needs explained the concept of fairness as three children of different height, all asked to reach a button on the wall. The tallest can do it easily; the middle one can do it if she stands on her tiptoes; the smallest can't reach at all. Fairness is giving the small one a stepladder to stand on, so he can reach it too. At mat time, there are children who are easily able to pay attention, to sit still, and to listen. But there are also children who find it challenging. Fairness is giving them the tools they need to be able to listen too, so that they don't miss out on learning.

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs are a very common theme that occurs regularly in early childhood - and I remember being fascinated with dinosaurs as a child.  It is worthwhile making resources for these re-occurring themes to engage children, foster a love of learning and fascination and wonder, and provide a range of different ways for children to learn.

I made up this super simple counting song in the shower - my thinking space! It is to the tune of 10 Little Indians...

Small World Play

One of my teachers found this set of dinosaurs on sale for only $12 so she grabbed them and set up this small world play area. It was simply some sand, dinosaurs, and she made signs by printing out the names of the dinosaurs and laminating them, and stuck them to craft sticks.  One of the children helped with the naming of each dinosaur (they have such incredible knowledge of these things!).

It was wonderful to see some children who are generally found playing in only one area, suddenly playing in the Dinosaur Kingdom, talking and making up stories, and sharing, co-operating and role playing with others.

Dinosaurs on the Playdough Table

This was simply dinosaurs, playdough (or dough made from cornflour), some plastic trees, a bowl of sand and a bowl of glitter.  You could add leaves, grasses, and sticks to this.

The dinosaurs stomped in the playdough soon after I set it up, leaving their footprints behind.  

Dinosaur Board Game

I created this Dinosaur Board Game to follow on with the children's love of board games and games, and their interest in dinosaurs.  I used a large(ish) piece of matboard, drew the tiles on it and the children coloured it in.  I printed off some pictures of dinosaurs, which the children cut out and stuck on where-ever they wanted.  The footprints pointing the other way means you have to move backwards if you land on them.  You need counters and dice, and you throw the dice and move your counter along the path until you reach the safety of the cave.  First person to finish, wins.

Space Theme

 The children are currently interested in Space - planets, stars, rocketships, and aliens.  There is a fantastic song on Youtube, The Planet Song that teaches facts about the planets - and another one about the Dwarf Planets.  One of my favourite songs is another educational song by They Might Be Giants - Why Does The Sun Shine?

Galaxy Bottles

 As part of our interest in Space, I made Galaxy bottles with the children.
We used:
Empty plastic bottles
Synthetic stuffing (you could use wool roving, unspun sheeps wool, or cotton wool balls)

Water storage crystals - the kind you put into your pots when gardening, to retain water during the hot sumer months.
Acrylic Paint - I used purple, dark blue, burgundy and black. You could use food colouring instead.
Water
Jugs
Teaspoon
Glitter
Star sequins


Mix a bit of paint with water.  You can use a lot of water with acrylic paint. Have jugs of each colour available for children to pour into their bottles.

Layer in paint/water; water crystals; wool/stuffing; another paint colour; more wool /stuffing / water crystals / another paint colour.
The wool/stuffing helps to keep the colours of paint separate so that you retain the different colours within the bottle.
Don't fill the bottle right to the top - allow time and space for the water crystals to expand. I ended up pouring out a bit from each bottle and filling up an extra bottle with the excess.
Add glitter and star sequins.
This is great for children developing their fine motor skills - pouring, scooping, measuring, pushing, which are essential for pre-writing.  I found it was easier to use a pencil or the handle of a paintbrush to push the stuffing into the bottle.

 Ice Cube Stars

 I found these ice cube stars at The Warehouse for $2 a bag. They are the sort with water in, that you freeze and pop into your drink.  I thought they were perfect for a bit of fun with ice.

 I cut up 2 litre plastic milk cartons and used the bottoms as containers for making large blocks of ice.  I put in the ice cube stars and a bit of blue glitter and put in the freezer to freeze.

It then provided children with sensory exploration, scientific exploration, numeracy (counting how many stars they could see in the blocks, as well as how many stars they managed to get out); vocabulary - hard, melting, frozen, clear, wet, slippery, etc; sorting of colours; comparing whose block was the biggest, etc. We also talked about constellations, as each block resembled a constellation of stars.  We talked about how Matariki is a constellation of 7 stars, (actually it's 9 stars according to some) so children began counting to see if they had 7 stars like Matariki.

You can add salt to the children's ice experiments but I didn't do that with them today.

Bottle Rockets

These bottle rockets were quick and simple to make with a bit of adult help.  You could be fancy and paint the rockets, or you could even put a photo of the child on the rocket! A parent had kindly given us a book of paper samples, including metallic paper, which we used for the circle that we glued onto the bottle.

You will need:
Plastic bottle
Craft knife
Card - parents had recently donated empty cerealboxes, so we used these for our wings.
Pencil
Scissors
Coloured Paper (metallic paper looks great)
Glue

I created a basic template for the wings, and the children  (aged between 3-5) drew around the template and cut them out.  I try to find ways as much as possible for children to do their own work, rather than done by an adult. I like to empower children and let them do it and feel the sense of pride you get when you have made something, rather than when someone else makes it and gives it to you.  I want children to realise that they are capable and able, and to give things a go.  It doesn't matter that it is not perfect.  If a child hasn't cut around the template properly, it doesn't matter - it is their work and that is what is important.  They are learning to use scissors and pencils, and imperfection is part of this learning.

While the children were busy drawing and cutting their wings, I was busy cutting slits in the bottle with my craft knife.  When someone was ready, we inserted the wings into the slits and adjusted the length of the slit as necessary.  We only did 2 wings but 3 would look great as well.  Then the children cut out a circle, and glued it onto their bottle.

While I was having lunch in the staffroom, I was laughing at the sight of children chucking bottles around the playground.  It would look like chaos to anyone who happened to walk into the room. I redirected the random chucking of bottles by grabbing a couple of tires and hoops to be planets, and children stood in one hoop (Earth - Nasa Space Station) and took turn launching their bottles into the tires.
This promoted:  taking turns; waiting; patience; learning about how to keep themselves and others safe; physical skills - aiming and throwing; cheering each other on; good sportsmanship; persistence - not giving up if they don't get their rocket onto Mars; and a feeling of pride when they finally do hit Mars.

Rocket Ship

We are lucky to have parents who donate large boxes to us to use.  We received this wonderful big box and the children helped to make it into a rocket ship.  We had another parent who donated a book of sample metallic paper, so we used that paper to glue onto the outside of the box, and glued a paper plate onto the front of the box.  Two children could fit inside the box and this provided days of fun and counting down from Ten to blast off!

Of course, once we had made the rocket ship, we then needed to make a space control panel....

I made the control panel from two boxes, tinfoil and glue. I put it together, and then I provided glue, brushes and lids to the children to glue on as knobs and controls.  As children were having trouble counting backwards from 10, I made a display on the top of the panel with the numbers on them, to help support counting backwards and number identification.

Some Other Space Crafts...

My colleagues have also been busy doing an assortment of space related crafts to help support children's learning... 

* they painted planets on black card using paint thickened with cornflour

* they made rockets using cardboard rolls, metallic paper, crepe paper, coloured paper and paint

* UFO's made from paper plates, paint and foil paper

* Handprint aliens using hands, paint and googly eyes

* Stars made by bending pipecleaners around a star shaped cookie cutter

* Stars painted on a black background, using a star shaped cookie cutter to trace around, then children painted the inside of the star.  Gold paint mixed with glue in a squeezy bottle was then used to go around the outside of the star. 

Plaster of Paris Moonscapes

This was a great little science experiment that I got from a book full of fun science experiments.

You need:

Plaster of Paris

Hot Water

A foil tray (preferably circular shaped)

A stick for stirring

Pour half a cup of plaster of paris into the foil tray.

Pour hot water over the top (I can't remember exactly how much water - maybe half a cup - 1 cup?)

Stir briefly to mix and wet the plaster of paris. Don't stir it smooth - the lumps will help to form volcanoes and craters, which is what we are after - just like a real moonscape.

Let dry. 

You may need to pour off excess water as it dries.

Jet Packs

I don't have a photo of these, but I made jet packs for the children using two plastic bottles taped together, and wide ribbon attached to go over each shoulder, so they could wear them on their backs. Then they were off running around outside pretending to go to the Moon.

Sensory play ideas

Sensory play is such a crucial part of children's development.  According to Rudolf Steiner, the development of the lower senses (sight, taste, touch, sound, smell, and balance) affects the development of the higher senses.  The lower senses are developed during the early years, so it is important that we provide children with lots of different sensory experiences. 

 Water play. 

This was a water play activity that I set up today.  A selection of containers (large and small, tall and shallow), syringes, eye droppers, sponges, and icecube trays.  A couple of tubs filled with coloured water - blue, yellow, red.  I like to use primary colours with young children, so children can see the effect of using these colours and the multitude of colours that children can create using them.

One of the children started using the syringe and dropping coloured water into the icecube trays. By gradually mixing colours they were able to create a beautiful range of colours in their tray.  The child even said "Look at my beautiful colours that I'm making". They worked carefully and purposefully, to create colours and to explore what colours they could create.  One comment from the children was "We are doing science experiments". 

This was a popular table throughout the day, and to prevent the floor getting soaking wet and slippery, I brought the table outside. 

Lavender Scented Water Beads
I bought the water crystals at the $2 shop, and soaked them at home in water with a few drops of pure lavender oil.  The beads soaked up the the oil and had a really strong scent of lavender. I chose lavender because of its calming, soothing effect. You could also use roman chamomile, or a blend of calming essential oils.  I poured the lavender beads into the sensory tub at school, along with scoops, spoons and jars, and the children filled up the jars and then emptied them out, sometimes from one jar to another, or sometimes pouring them straight into the tub.  This was popular throughout the day.  You do need to watch out for water beads and crystals getting spilt on the floor, as it does make it slippery. We did it on the vinyl floor, and kept a dustpan and brush handy to sweep up the spills, and children also helped to pick up their beads that they dropped.


Bubble Blowing
A really simple but fun activity we did this week was simply containers of tap water with dishwashing liquid in it, and straws. The children blew through the straws to try to create bubbles.  And it was awesome! The bubbles rose really high and children tried to connect their containers of bubbles to other containers of bubbles.  Bubbles were all over the table, and you could actually see the water drip off the bubbles onto the floor, which looked really cool.  I put a towel down on the floor to catch the water.  Children worked together, and one bowl had 3 children blowing bubbles all at the same time, which created great big bubbles rising up over the top.  You do have to remind children to blow, not suck.  I get them to practice blowing first before giving them a tub of water.

Sand Play

 I mixed a tub of sand with cornflour, and provided a variety of containers, scoops (the scoops from tins of Baby Formula are great), tweezers, shells, pebbles and acorns.  I love mixing cornflour with sand, as it gives the sand a really light, fine texture and feels nice running through the fingers. This table was really popular throughout the week, and you do need to keep the dustpan and brush handy!

Flour and Glitter

 

I used a combination of flour and glitter, and strawberry-lime herbal tea to make it smell lovely. The herbal tea was about to be thrown out, so I grabbed it to utilise in our sensory play.  I added scoops, tweezers, containers, trays and dishes to fill up.

At the end of the week, I added warm water to give a completely different sensory experience. 

Rice 

 This was rice mixed with strawberry-lime tea, and filled with treasure.  Children were given tweezers and trays to fill with their treasure (The treasure was a mix of buttons, broken jewellery, pebbles, wooden bits, stars, beads, glass nuggets, and pom-poms).   One day the rice was filled with alphabet magnets and children found the letters of their names.  The strawberry-lime herbal tea added a really nice dimension to this as you could smell it every time you sat down at the table.

Oh, Lovely Mud!

This was a Mrs Wishy Washy provocation to allow children to retell the story themselves - I modelled using the tubs at mat time as I told the story (I adapted it slightly using the farm animals that we had), and then kept it at the sensory table for the children to play and engage with.  I filled the tub with a mix of bark and dirt from the garden and a bit of water.  I added farm animals, a tub of warm soapy water and an apron for children to wear and pretend to be Mrs Wishy Washy.  This table even got the most resistant, unwilling and unsettled child to engage and begin to enjoy themselves.

Cornflour Playdough

I really like using cornflour to make play dough with, as it is a pure white colour and is able to take other colours easily. I find when making playdough with flour, it is a creamy-grey colour, and  if you add red colouring, it goes pink, and black playdough turns grey.  But somehow the playdough made from cornflour allows the colours to keep its true colour - black playdough is black, and red is red.  

I wear gloves when making this so that I don't scold my hands, and the gloves also help prevent my hands changing colours when I add the colouring.

Cornflour dough also has a neutral smell, so it is perfect for adding herbal teas, scents, spices or essential oils to.  Playdough made with flour has a really strong smell that I find is quite overpowering when trying to add other scents - it doesn't work so nicely.

Ingredients:

3 cups Cornflour

1 - 1 1/2 cups Salt (experiment a bit to find out your preference)

3 teaspoons Cream of Tartar

about 2-3 Tablespoons oil

2 cups boiling water

Put all ingredients in a bowl.

Mix together.

Tip out onto table.

Knead and mix thoroughly with your hands - this takes time.  Knead, push, roll, pull, drop onto the table like making bread. You may want to add 1/2 cup more water - just add a little at a time.  

Add colouring and scents and knead through again.

When making playdough with flour, I find one cup of water to one cup of flour is perfect, as the flour absorbs the water, but the cornflour reacts differently, so experiment a bit to find out what works.  With the cornflour dough, you might need to add water during the week as it does start to dry out.  

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Zen Sand Trays

These Zen Sand Trays were inspired by Rachel's Stimulating Learning Blog, where she uses Zen sand trays in her classroom.

I like to mix sand with cornflour to give it a light, soft texture.  The above sand was painted: mix sand with blue paint; spread out on a tray and let dry.  I then mixed it with cornflour.  I don't use measurements, but perhaps 2 cups cornflour to 4-5 cups sand?  I don't know, I just chuck some in.  


Make sure your dishes that you use for sand trays have high edges, otherwise the sand falls out pretty quickly.

I scoured the room and second hand shops for appropriate trays and containers.  I used a pretty cardboard box; the above picture uses a screw-top lid; baking tins; and plastic trays.

I scour second hand shops for spoons and scoops; and I collect the scoops from tins of baby milk formula.  If you can find miniature rakes and forks, they are perfect too.  When putting out the Zen sand trays, I set out a little dish of spoons and scoops for children to use.

I like to set out a plate of pebbles and shells for children to decorate their sand trays with.  Other things you can use for decoration include:
leaves
petals
glass nuggets
bottle tops
miniature ornaments and figurines, such as the dragon above
sticks
branch slices

I also like to set out glass jars with lids, so that children learn to unscrew lids, which helps to develop strength in their hands (which they will need for writing).  The children love using the scoops to fill up the jars - which requires hand-eye co-ordination, control, fine motor skills, and grip.

Be aware that this is a table that does get messy, especially if there are younger children in the room.  Sand gets everywhere! Have a dustpan and brush handy to sweep it up; I put it back on the table.

I do find that as a table gets messy, children will be less likely to play there.  But once I tidy up the table, sweep it, re-sort the pebbles and shells, and distribute the sand amongst the trays again, the children flock to it.  It is a lovely way to let them explore ways to make patterns, decorate, and make little sand gardens.


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