Approaches to Learning:
Approaches to Learning is a theory that students will take a different approach to how they study, depending upon the perceived objectives of the course they are studying.
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Try adding these items to your dramatic play center for this topic:
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Hulla Hoops
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Cellophane
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Small and Large Jars for the Children.
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Open-Ended Toys (Blocks, Carpet Squares)
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Cotton Balls
Name of Activity: Filling and Spilling Buckets
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Originating Idea: Problem Solving
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Curriculum Area: Approaches to learning
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Materials:
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Large and Small Plastic Bottles or Jars
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Small and Large Items to drop/add to Jars or Bottles (Ex. Buttons, Cotton Balls, Rocks, Crayons)
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Appropriate Age group: 12-24 Months
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Beginning of Activity:
Grab the children's interest by showing them the large and small bottles. Have them pre-filled with all the items inside. Allow the children to sing and dance around shaking the jars and bottle with all the items inside. Promote to them that their going to make their own bottles.
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Middle of Activity
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Early:
Give these children jars with large mouth openings and large objects to insert into the jars. Allowing them to still take apart in the activity, but with easier tasks.
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Middle:
Give these children both large and small mouth jars to insert large and small objects into. They will be able to choose which jar they want to use and drop items into, they could even do both.
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Later:
Give these children small objects and small jars. These children should be using very small objects to use to put into the jars. Their fine motor skills should be developed enough to help them with this activity.
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End of Activity
Allow children to decide if they want to keep in the classroom or if they want to take home. You can use these items in your classroom further.
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Follow-up Ideas:
Use these bottles for decorations around your classroom or you could even expand these bottles into your music center and use them as shakers during music time or a music center.
Name of Activity: Mixing Colors
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Originating Idea: Initiative
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Curriculum Area: Approaches to learning
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Materials:
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Cellophane
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Hulla-Hoops
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Colored Cellophane
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Appropriate Age group: 2-3 Year Old
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Beginning of Activity:
Read the children a story about exploring our world and talking about all the different outdoor activities and objects that you can find in the outdoors.
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Middle of Activity
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Early:
Asking the children what they see when they look through the hulla-hoop. what do they see around them?
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Middle:
Have the children carry around a hulla-hoop with clear cellophane wrapped around it. Have them explore the outdoors and all different areas outside. Take them to different spaces around the center.
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Later:
Have the children carry around a hulla-hoop with colored cellophane wrapped around it. Have the children explore the outdoors and all different areas around the center. Ask them what colors they see, what objects they see, and if they are different colors.
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End of Activity
Ask all the children what they seen outside through their hoops. What did they notice looked different?
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Follow-up Ideas:
Put these hoops in your science area.
Add all different colored cellophane to your activity and allow the children to use them outside during the day as a science experiment.
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Name of Activity: Cake Decorating
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Originating Idea: Planning
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Curriculum Area: Approaches to learning
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Materials
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Assorted Colored Papers
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Sissors
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Glue
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Appropriate Age group: 3-6 Years Old
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Beginning of Activity:
Singing the song "Patty-Cake" with your children.
Explain to the how a cake is made, using the song.
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Middle of Activity
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Early:
Help these children cut out small or large pieces and they can decorate a cake with you.
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Middle:
Give these children scissors and ask them to cut out large decorations to put onto their cake. They can decorate with the materials they cut out and glue their own masterpiece together.
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Later:
Give these children scissors and ask them to cut out large and small decorations to put onto their cake. They can decorate with the materials they cut out and then glue their own masterpiece together. When complete allow these children to draw on their own little designs to make their cake even more unique.
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End of Activity:
Keep these cakes and attach a description of what the children tells you their design was. Keep these for the children's portfolio.
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Follow-up Ideas
Adding real cake pans to the dramatic play area.
Discussing with the children what they made, what their design is, and do a show of all the cakes with each child in front of their peers.
