Color recognition can provide children with essential learning tools in life. For example, color recognition is used in mathematics to categorize, sort, compare, and organize. Additionally, as children learn to identify colors and use color as a language tool to describe things, it develops and strengthens their ability to communicate effectively. Recognizing and identifying the color names is important to a child’s development. It is considered a marker and milestone in a child’s cognitive process.
Colors are part of our daily lessons throughout the school year when using the different materials, games, books, songs, and activities in our environment. However, during the next weeks, we will purposely focus on studying the colors of the rainbow.
As an introductory activity, we started this week by observing a walking rainbow experiment. Using cups with water, paper towels and red, blue and yellow food coloring, the children got to observe how the water traveled through the paper towel and mixed in the empty cups creating new colors like orange, green and purple.
How does this experiment work? The water moves up the paper towels through a process called capillary action. The paper towel is made from fibers, and the water is able to travel through the gaps in the fibers. The gaps in the paper towel act like capillary tubes and pull the water upward. This is what helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the plant or tree. The water is able to move upward against gravity because of the attractive forces between the water and the fibers in the paper towel.
Children observed in awe the different stages of this experiment throughout the week. The main expression used was: Wow! Followed by giggles and little dances.
On another note, children worked happily in our class gift for our FWM Annual Gala & Auction. A big shout out to our amazing class moms, Shannon Turkett and Regine Hooper-Campbell, for coordinating and to Roberth VanEgghen, Megan Lang, and Neetha Desai for volunteering their time to come and work with the toddlers on this project! We SO appreciate you! They also had some fun with Miss Sara Hunsucker, our school art teacher, preparing another great project for the auction!
Lastly, a new popular piece of equipment was introduced in the movement area: A sensory spinning chair. Spinning on a chair provides intense vestibular input, which helps toddlers develop their sense of balance and spatial orientation. This stimulation can be calming for some children and can improve their ability to focus and attend to tasks. Spinning on a chair requires coordination and motor planning, which can help toddlers develop their gross motor skills. It can also improve their core strength and stability, which is important for posture and overall physical development. The repetitive motion of spinning can have a calming effect on toddlers, helping them regulate their emotions and reduce feelings of anxiety or frustration. To say children LOVE this chair is an understatement!
We hope you all have the most wonderful Spring break! See you in two weeks!
Adios!
Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie
