Developing Skills Through Sensory Play the Ooey, Gooey Way May 14, 2014

1. Developing Skills Through Sensory Play the Ooey, Gooey Way May 14, 2014

2. Introductions/Celebrations

3. Brandon Ruhle Born April 10 8lbs. 6 oz. 20 in. long Big Brother is Chase Mom is Heather Ruhle PreK VE Teacher Whispering Oak Elementary

5. EXPECTATIONS • Take care of yourself • Take care of each other • What is said here, stays here, what is learned here leaves here • Be present

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

7. Scale

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Five Domains of Development • Physical Development • Approaches to Learning • Social and Emotional Development • Language, Communications and Emergent Literacy • Cognitive Development and General Knowledge

14. 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!

15. 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

16. II. Approaches to Learning Bottom line…how children use materials is much more important than what they make with them

17. 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)

18. 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

19. Hart and Risley Study

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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)

24. 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?

25. Bubble Wrap Prints p.77 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook Materials: Sheets of bubble packing wrap Tray of paint Paper 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.

26. Under the Table Coloring p.80 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook Materials: Baskets of Crayons Paper and Tape Pillows and/or Mats Kid 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.

27. Roller Brush Flashlight Painting p.82 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook Materials: Cheap flashlight Roller brush Duct Tape Paper 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.

28. Dip and Dye Art Adapted from p. 86 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook Materials: Coffee Filters Markers Water Paint 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.

29. Object Art p.63 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook Materials: Varied items to make prints with Paper plate of paint Paper 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.

30. Ziploc Squish Bags p.111 in The Ooey Gooey Handbook Materials: Assorted squishy items like hair gel, shaving cream, cool whip… Ziploc Bags Tape Directions: Fill the bags with squishy items before the kids get to class. Allow the children to squish and feel the bags.

31. Scale

32. Celebrate Your Learning

33. I Am in Preschool I am not built to sit 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

34. ESE PARENT SURVEY Encourage parents to complete the Florida ESE Parent Survey which is related to Indicator 8 of the State Performance Plan • Parents can take survey online or fill out hardcopy

39. Contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Janice Penn Stephanie Thomas Janice.Penn@ocps.netStephanie.Thomas2@ocps.net Component # 2100027