I have heard from a few families that they would like some guidance on how to incorporate some of the things we do in class in their home play time. A lot of what we do at Ah-Ha Fun Time falls under the general category of messy sensory play. My students engage in this type of play when they do art, as well as when they play in the sensory bins. Today we are going to be focusing on the messy play we do in the sensory bins.

Stir together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the water, oil and food coloring to a pot and heat until boiling. CAREFULLY add the boiling water to the stand mixer as it slowly mixes. Increase the speed as the mixture comes together. Continue stirring on high until the dough has thickened and begins to form into a ball (should take a couple minutes). Turn it out onto a cutting board or wax paper. Allow to cool slightly and then knead until smooth. If you’re making multiple colors you can divide the dough into balls (for how many colors you want) and add the color to the dough as you knead.

Sharing is always a hot topic among parents of toddlers, and I want to make sure we are all on the same page so we can support our children as they play together. Imagine this situation, which you are probably very familiar with; Tami and John are playing next to each other at the sensory table. They don't seem to notice each other as they happily engage with the material. All of a sudden Tami reaches over and takes a bowl out of John's hands. He doesn't seem to notice and continues playing. Then Tami again reaches over and takes an animal toy out of John's hands. Perhaps he looks up for a moment to see who or what is taking his toys but then he goes back to playing. What would you do?

For those of you who are new to Romp & Rollick, hello!! My name is Meryl. You can call me Meryl or Ms. Meryl, whatever you prefer. I have my Master's Degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City, which is the birthplace of modern progressive education, and I very much teach in the Bank Street style. I taught in classrooms before I had my children, then I transition to consulting with both families as well as schools and businesses. If you have any questions about development or schooling, you are more than welcome to approach me during class to pick my brain. 

This week we are going to take a closer look at the way in which we think about art for young children at Romp & Rollick, specifically painting. If you have to come to class for a while you will recognize a lot of this information, but perhaps you wondered what the motivation and justification was for offering art the way we do. I hope you find some answers and if you have any questions, as always, I am here.