Snails in the Classroom

Alongside exploring the live snails found outside, we've also been doing some different snail activities to learn more about them.

We'll see if and how this interest continues to evolve, but here are a few of our favorites so far:

Shells and Playdough

I set out some sea snail shells for them to explore with playdough. One thing we've learned about snails is that there are different kinds- sea, freshwater, and land snails. Some students tried to make snails using the dough, while others just created using the shells.

Rolled Paper Snails

One misconception the children had about snails was the fact that they cannot leave their shells. Several students thought that snails left their shells to become slugs and look for new shells. We explored this idea in a few ways with questions like, "Why are some shells bigger than other shells? Do shells grow?" and thought about other animals that have shells. With some conversations and research we learned that the shells grow with the snails, and that snails need to stay in their shells to survive. We created these rolled-up paper shells as one hands-on way to visualize that the shell is part of the snail's body.

 We also learned that snails have 4 tentacles, and some students chose to show that in the snails they made.

Collecting "Snail Eggs"

We had water beads out in the sensory table, and several children pointed out that they looked like snail eggs! This was not intentional on my part, and I loved watching them make that connection on their own. After that a couple children started collecting only the white water beads because they looked like snail eggs.

Snail Slime Painting

This was a super messy, but favorite activity. Some kids who never come to the art table couldn't resist trying out the snail slime paint! We mixed up a batch of slime to a consistency that would work for painting and added some food coloring. 

The batch in the morning class was extra stretchy, and by the afternoon class it was more gooey. The students were free to use pipe cleaner snails, sticks, or their fingers to explore the slime. It was a great sensory art process, and dried into smooth, colorful blobs. :) 

Writing Journals

I always love to see how students express their interests and learning in their writing journals. Many students have chosen snails or snail habitats as a topic for the journals recently. 

The Wonder of Snails

We get a lot of snails in my yard. And all summer long I had been cursing those little, slimy creatures because they love to eat the vegetables in my garden. But I've found a new appreciation for them since school started. The kids started finding snails outside on the very first day of school, and their interest has only continued to grow since then.

Whenever the children found a snail, they would usually move it to the porch to take a closer look.

Often they would bring water over to it, or other natural materials like grass or leaves...or a stray seashell.

One day, the morning class found a group of snails by the sandbox, and we used the empty water table to observe them. Then they proceeded to bring sand and water over to the table for the snails.

The afternoon class noticed the table, with only a few snails left, and decided to create a new home for them, saying, "they'll love it so much, they'll never want to leave!" They gathered materials from the yard, including some discarded produce as "snail snacks."

After that day when all the students became engaged in one way or another with the snails, I decided to start adding some snail exploration activities into our day to support their interest. I started off with a simple shelf of materials,

that later evolved into an entire table.

In the middle of the table, you can see the little snail habitat the students helped to create to observe one pet snail in the classroom.

 Then we let the little guy go free.

After reading that snails like damp and cool places, to avoid drying out in the sun, the children also set out to create a shady habitat for them outside. We built it near the sandbox, since they found a lot of snails in that area before.

It started out small, and continued to grow and evolve as the days went by.

And any time a snail was found, it was usually placed right into the habitat.

Some children still check to see if they can find snails there right when they go outside.
And some children have become pretty attached to these little friends.  :)

These snails are probably getting more attention and excitement than they ever wanted...

More on our snail activities in the classroom coming up next!

Shades of Skin

We are all getting to know each other during this first month of school, and thinking about the things that make us both unique and similar. One idea that we explored this week was our skin.

I love this nonfiction book that uses real photographs of kids to show the many different shades of skin that people can have. I put out scraps of paper and crayons with paper plates and googly-eyes as an invitation to create faces with skin.

Of course, most of the kids couldn't resist enjoying the googly-eyes... :)

We also used mirrors and markers to draw our own self portraits.

After their outline was complete, the children could add colors of skin, hair, eyes, etc. if they wanted.

Some students enjoyed the process so much, they made multiple pictures. After drawing multiple self-portraits, one student remarked about how this one looked different than the others. It made me smile.

One student went on to draw their Mom and Dad. 

On a different day, another student was excited to show me a self portrait they made out of collage pieces.

The students also loved washing dolls in the baby bathtub. We can take care of our skin by keeping it clean.

Back to School 2016

The weeks surrounding the start of school always feels a little bit like a whirlwind: finishing last minute details, finalizing plans, getting to know new children, and establishing classroom routines. It's exciting and fun, and a little bit exhausting-- and yet it's one of my favorite times of year. Here are a few of the things we did during the first week of school!

Playdough

Part of our welcome routine is a gathering activity at the table that usually involves some sort of fine motor work. I love to start the year with play dough because of it's a calming and relaxing sensory experience. This year I made lavender scented dough for that very purpose, and introduced some gems and smooth stones for loose parts. 

Exploring Play Areas

During the first month of school we are learning a lot about each other and how to work together in our classroom. So learning about and exploring the different play areas and materials that we use is an important part of learning how to be in preschool. This week we explored blocks, the home center, painting, table activities, the sensory table, and our outdoor space. We will continue to learn about using these areas and others in our classroom as the weeks go by.

The kids spent quite some time examining this snail they found outside. 

Dinosaur Play

One book I like to read at the beginning of the year is How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? So I like to include a few dinosaur activities into the week.

Musical Instruments

We also jumped right into exploring my collection of rhythm instruments. I've found that making music together allows even the most shy students to enjoy participating with the group. :)