Blog #3

Wednesday was spent with a playgroup of 5 toddlers. The activities we did with them were similar to what we did with the preschool group on Monday, but there were apparent differences in how we approached certain activities and how successful they were. We started off the day with the same sensory bin that the preschoolers has, the difference being how they interacted with it. The playgroup of toddlers we were with were born during the pandemic. While they were isolated from other kids and the general public, most of their developmental speaking, communication, and gross motor skills are quite underdeveloped. Sensory bin time with preschoolers was loud and busy while sensory time with the toddlers was fairly quiet- a few kids were able to name zoo animals or verbally express themselves. The toddlers were especially distracted by pretty much anything-they would run around and had trouble staying focused for long periods of time. I had to adjust how I interacted with them to encourage teamwork and resolving conflict peacefully. A difference from the preschool group to the toddler group was the craft we did today. We took loofas and dipped them in brown paint. The toddlers would stamp the painted loofas on paper, creating a mane for a lion face we would help glue on later. This activity was successful, as it included fine motor skills the toddlers had been developing since attending Treehouse playgroups. The toddlers work better with free rather than structured play, so we spent the rest of the playgroup allowing them to play with the other kids freely. We brought out balls, a play tunnel, and a crash pad which they could jump on. These activities worked particularly well to tire them. While observing the playgroup, it was interesting to see how each child had different behaviors- some would isolate themselves in an activity while others would gravitate towards other kids and even adults in the play area. Once the toddler group was gone, Arya and I focused the rest of our time on individual tasks we discussed completing with our mentor. We are currently working on coming up with activities for upcoming Dr. Seuss and Alphabet & Letter themes. We browsed the internet on Pinterest and different blogs for inspiration.