#1 - New Start-Up Orientation Required  

The regulations now require that before an application is issued to a person or entity that has yet to hold an Office of Children & Family Services registration/license, the applicant must complete an approved orientation session. Please be aware that monthly Family and Group Family Day Care Start-up orientation sessions are free and available to all those interested in starting an in-home child care program. If you would like additional information, please contact  Lindsay Tiernan at (914) 761-3456 ext. 115.

So Much Learning With Sensory Play

Children construct their own knowledge in response to their experiences.

Children learn many things on their own without the intervention of older children or adults.

Children are intrinsically motivated to learn and do not need rewards from adults to motivate learning.

-Jean Piaget

Sometimes teachers think children learn only when teachers are telling, doing, instructing, referencing, or leading. But it's clear that when the right materials are present, children's natural drive to learn and explore takes off at a quick pace!

Sensory play provides learning opportunities in every domain: language, motor, cognitive, and social-emotional. From birth, children have learned about their world by smelling, touching, tasting, hearing, and seeing. Each time the senses are used, neural pathways in the brain called "synapses" are strengthened.

So, let children explore sand, water, and other scoop-able and moldable materials such as dirt, cloud dough, "quick sand", goop, non-toxic pet bedding, shredded paper, gravel, and play-doh.

Children will learn -  

• words such as wet, dry, smooth, sieve, crinkly, textured
• that different items react differently to touch and pressure
• that adding colored water to a substance may give the whole substance an entirely new hue
• the concept of object permanence is tested and upheld as small animals or worms disappear into the dirt

Children will use their fine motor skills

• to roll, push, and squeeze squishy play-doh, or silky cloud dough. 
• to use child-sized tweezers lets them pinch and peck at objects hiding in the sand or other material
• strengthen their hand-eye coordination as they pour water from a cup into a narrow funnel or tube.

Children will develop social-emotional skills and learning dispositions -

• curiosity
• persistence
• confidence
• planning
• self-control
• cooperation
• social language

Messy sensory play is full of crucial learning opportunities. So dust off the sand-table, get out some sturdy small plastic bins suitable, or break out the garden hose.  Watch as children purposefully and painstakingly figure out how to transfer materials from a bucket to a pipe, speak excitedly about the colored bubbles swirling in the water, and gain skill at sharing space around the sensory table, often with the minor assistance of an attentive adult close by. Young children whose lack of judgment leads them to throw sand or spray water at others are reminded of the need for care and consideration, and given second, third, and fourth "chances", in order to build those critical skills of self-restraint, which will serve them well throughout life.

Consider the ages and developmental needs of the children in your care, and witness the connections the children will make by "learning in the sand"!

For "recipes" for great sensory play, click below:

 Sensory Play Recipes