Exploring with Light!

The toddlers have been absolutely loving the change in season we have been experiencing recently, especially with the clocks going back and the afternoons being darker. This has led to lots more light play which the toddlers have been fascinated with, showing a real interest in the torches. Marlow in particular has been asking for a torch each time he notices it getting slightly darker, asking “Can I have a torch?”, often followed by “This is my torch!” with the biggest grin while waving it around. Jenson used his torch to shine it on lots of different surfaces, moving it from a pumpkin, to the plant in the home corner and then to all of his friend’s tummies! This incited lots of giggles as Matilde, Phoebe and Leo all lined up for their turn, baring their stomachs. One particular afternoon, after the sun had set, Cora took her torch over to the patio door and pointed it outside and onto the ceiling of the pergola, gasping as she noticed the beam moving across the ceiling as she moved it. This then attracted more friends who approached the doors and all sat in a line so they could point their torches outside too. After a few minutes of moving their torches around and chatting about what they could see, along with some “Wow” ‘s at their discoveries, Finley said, “In the sky”, gesturing his torch further into the garden. After Finley’s suggestion the toddlers all relocated to the nature table so they could shine their torches into the sky, onto the bark, plants and trees all around. Sebastian pointed the torch to the sky and gasped, shouting out “Aeroplane!” as he moved his head all around, searching to find it. Cara then pointed her torch at Cora’s toy pig which had been brought to the table and the children began pointed their torches at the pigs features. 

When setting off for a walk around the Imber Court grounds, the toddlers had their waterproofs and wellies on with their torches in hand. Whilst searching for some leaves to bring back to nursery the children came across a mole hill and sat down to investigate. Leo pointed his torch directly at the mound of soil and leaned in close. The other children copied this with Eliza stating “Wow” as she used her finger to touch the soil. After this they came across a pile of wood and Phoebe straight away went over, leaned over the wood and shined her torch into the gap between some of the tree stumps… “Ahhh spider” and quickly retracted before going back for another look. 

Over the last couple of weeks in the under two’s room, the children have really enjoyed every activity available and in particular the sensory activities including the light sensory room, which included some light up balls, shakers, and some new light up crosses. The children loved investigating the new crosses, watching with awe as they glowed while being stacked up, reflecting the sand colours on their smiling faces. Skandar happily picked one up and carried it around to show his friends! 
They have also loved spreading paint across cling film using their hands. Maddie had the occasional peek over as the activity was being set up, eager to play with the paint and began moving closer as she grinned. This encouraged more children to come and see what was going on and as the paint was squeezed onto the table, Maddie and Emily looked at each other, covered their mouths and giggled. As soon as they were given the go ahead, Maddie, Jack and Emily put their hands straight in and got to work, spreading the paint all over. Jack said, “Ohhh! Ha ha!” as he lifted up his hands and clapped spraying paint all over himself and his friends. 

Outside in the garden, the children have been showing a particular interest in the mud kitchen, using it to create all sorts of fun. One morning, the under 2’s decided to make their own potions by using resources such as herbs, leaves and coloured water. Zachary was the first one to approach this activity and did not hold back. He sat straight down and gasped in excitement at what was surrounding him. Theo then joined in and picked up a sensory bottle and shook it towards the bowl, gesturing as if he was adding ingredients to the mix. He giggled as the bottle made a loud noise. The children added leaves, water, mud and more and gave it a good stir, creating their wonderful potion!