Exploring Texture
Long before children can talk or walk they are exploring our world through their senses. At Nenagh Childcare Centre we try to offer children as many ‘hands on’ experiences as possible for all children.
Today our under 2’s were experimenting with texture. The bubble wrap provided a base for children to glue and stick feathers, sometimes – well mostly, the feathers stuck to the children. Educators were able to give new vocabulary to the children ‘sticky, fluffy, pop, glue, soft’ etc., while children develop their fine motor skills spreading glue, placing the feathers onto the glue as well as social skills, communicating and turn taking.
Importantly this activity is child led. They choose where the materials go. They choose how long they stay at the activity.
And for parents, the best thing is all that creativity, independence, glue and mess is at our Centre and not in your home.
The most important part of this play is it’s fun and yes there is a piece of art work at the end of the activity, however its is totally the children’s own work. It’s what we call process (the enjoyment of making the art, choosing where the feathers and glue go, getting them stuck all over our hands etc) over product. It doesn’t matter what the product/result is because the aim of the activity was to explore texture.