The Perfect Rainbow

I haven't talked for a while about the Sensory Art class I teach at Orange Blossom Society. Every day that I teach my class, I am amazed to watch how the children experiment with the many different textures and  various art materials I set out for them to investigate and manipulate. One parent said to me the other day, that I should write a list of what I think each child is going to do that day. A hypothesis. A mere fun guessing game of calculations of what that child of age, personality, and bravery will accomplish in class today. It's delightful to see each and every child bask in the open unrestrained environment. Settle in to the comfort of a room with endless creative possibilities.

I can guess.....Sam is going to splatter the slime all over the walls and Hope is going to paint her lovely colorful mural on the glass window on the door.



While Magnus and Finny throw the flour up in the air with gales of laughter. Let's not forget Tyelor and Max who spend the time sitting down on the paper and painting a masterpiece all around them. With Samantha and Abigail painting their toes, and Mary and Kathleen pretending to cook up a lunch in the pool of black-eyed peas.

I have so much fun at my job! The science experiments continue and the creativity never ends. This last week I brought out the popular slime activity. Its so simple yet so messy and joyful. Cornstarch, warm water, bins, bowls,cups, spoons, funnels, potato mashers and a plastic table makes a happy bunch of children. They walked in it, drove cars in it, put it through funnels, scooped it up with spoons, poured it out on their feet and heads, poured it out and painted on it with paint brushes and rollers, mashed it with potato mashers, mixed it around, held it and let it drip between their fingers, and poured it back in and started all over again.

The slime :)

Fun with flour

 I also had a water coloring activity that I froze water and food coloring in heart shaped and lego shaped ice trays, and let them melt the ice cubes on white paper to make watercoloring pictures. Then when the children were done using the ice cubes to paint with, they began to throw them into the slime. As you can see by the photos (above) this had made a perfect rainbow. I love that I can plan and implement an activity and the children can use all the items around them to come up with something else. Children are so clever with their new ideas and inventions. I am so proud to be part of this early learning process. When the wheels in their heads start turning and connecting.

Flax seed

Painting toesies

Vanilla pudding, marshmallows, blue food coloring and glitter

He said he was "The yarn monster"

Warm instant mashed potatoes

Spaghetti zone 

For more info: There were recent articles published in Redmond Reporter, Sammamish Patch, and Redmond Patch