More Play!

Just for record keeping sake. . .

I gave Tess all the ingredients (premeasured) for pancakes. Then I let her go. She even cracked the egg perfectly! Then she got to cook them and eat them all by herself. Very good learning experience for her. I'll definitely do it again.
I saw an activity online where you put a piece of Ivory soap in the microwave for 45 seconds and watch what happens. Even my teenagers were intrigued--just no one as much as Greta. (love the shadow of her little top pony tail on the microwave!)
Then you take the puffed up soap and put it in a tub of warm water, add some toilet paper if you'd like (not necessary for fun, but it adds to the sensory experience). I put a few treasures in and had the girls fish them out. I also added a little food coloring (should have done more) and let the girls go at it. Unfortunately, it wasn't loved as much as I had hoped. Greta didn't like it at all and Tess had to be coaxed to finish pulling out treasures. If I do it again, I'll use warmer water, more of it so it seems more like a sudsy water play instead of mud and definitely more food coloring.

I've also been saving recycling items and giving a them to Tess with a glue gun. Other than having a little difficulty using the glue gun (I think I need a new one), she has loved this.

This is a flying car, she tells me. You put sugar in the little container and when you eat it, it gives it power and it flies. Of course I oblige (a couple of times at least!) because it buys me another 20 minutes of Tessa independence!I read an article about the value of white glue in a preschool classroom. One teacher said that he has a glue table where the kids have free reign of white glue and whatever they want to bring to school to glue to the table, they can. Over the years it has become a sculpture. The theory behind it is white glue is cheap and giving free reign with it, gets that sort of play out of the kids' systems and they do better all around. So I bought myself a gallon of glue! It is amazing how much fun that stuff is! Before this session ended, Tess had the glue lathered all the way up both arms and on parts of her legs. Another lovely feature of the glue is that it is water soluble so I don't worry about the clothes or the table or the skin or the hair! It all washes out! Truth be told, she has been different since I've allowed this freedom.
This picture is from another session. There is (nearly) an entire small bottle of glue on the paper plate. She stirred in food coloring, dried beans and popcorn. She also put glue in the egg carton and put in beans and popcorn for a 'tool box'. The Popsicle sticks glued to the table came off quite easily too. I'm definitely seeing the value of white glue!!