Just like that we say goodbye to August and Hello to September. Crazy to think summer is done and we have entered into a new school year. With the beginning of new month we welcome some new friends into Shale, we are very excited to welcome all our new friends in!

What a whirlwind of excitement all week, we welcomed in Danielle into our room as a new educator and say farewell to Cassi as she is preparing for life next big adventure. We are wishing all the luck with her move to Nova Scotia, we will all miss her. The week has been full of belly-laughing messy art experiences. We painted with paint brushes, our hands and sometimes bums from sitting in the paint. We drew all over the floor with chalk but noticed when we slid across it or rubbed it with our hands the chalk would disappear! This caused some of us to be shocked and confused about the disappearing chalk drawings.  Messy play is big hit in Shale, we love to explore and learning about the experiences through all our senses. We feel the paint, we watch the colors mix and sometimes we like to taste the paint. Alex is one child who loves to use her senses to explore any sensory bin set up. On Wednesday Emily created a bin of Gak, a mixture of water and cornstarch with a little hint of food coloring. Emily made a small batch but also placed the two ingredients in cups for the Shale friends to make on their own. Emily let her nervous feelings be known over the fact she left a bowl full of cornstarch for the children to dump; she knew it would go one of two ways. They would dump it in the bin or cornstarch would be all over the room. Luckily Alex and Andrew dumped the bowl in the bin and began to mix the water and cornstarch with their hands.   Emily let her feelings be known to the other educators and some parents during drop off, but knew that Shale friends are mighty learners and display their ability to explore and learn via playful exploration and seeking through exploring with all our senses.  The “Oo’s and Ah’s” from Alex‘s first pour of water into the bin set the tone for a playful exploration. Andrew was very focused on trying to grab the Gak with his hands but found it difficult to hold as it would turn from a solid into a liquid form and run out of his hands back into the bin.  When Alex was done, she walked away covered in little drops of Gak on her shirt, in her hair and all over her face, a sign of a good time exploring a bin and getting messy along the way.

We love to get messy and encourage it. It’s a key learning tool to explore and discover our senses, curiosity and knowledge. How do you explore and support messy play at home?

Have a great long weekend! See you on Tuesday