My students need a sensory table to play, learn, and explore through STEM learning activities. My students also need materials for the new sensory table so I can create monthly sensory and STEM activities.
Kindergarten is a very unique grade level to teach. For some of them, this is their first school experience and their first time away from home. They come in only knowing a few letters and sounds and leave knowing how to read. This is one of the most rewarding grade levels because they truly grow so much! They are very eager to learn and love to play and try new things. I have recently incorporated more STEM activities and have seen their problem solving skills really improve.
My Project
The academic demands of kindergarten have gotten more rigorous over the past few years, and it has begun to replace the play aspect of kindergarten. Through some other projects and some flexible seating I have increased play time while keeping up with the academic demands. I have noticed that my students’ problem solving skills have improved with what I have already incorporated. I’m hoping to include more options to learn through play with this project. My hope is to create different sensory stem activities for each month. I will use the sand and water table to create themed activities each month. In the sand and water table I will start off with the feel and find alphabet sensory tub to help my students practice their letters. I will use the marble run sets as STEM activities, so my students can work together to find paths to help the marbles make it through. They will create paths that are different lengths and then compare with their team members. Then, I would use other materials that I have in hand to create other activities. (Ex: painted seashells for sorting by different attributes)
Each activity would have a purpose whether it be sorting, counting, or creating.
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