We are continuing our North America unit study with this sensory play while learning about animals which are quite exotic to the continent.
Sensory play is extremely important for children. And although a traditional Montessori Sensorial activity is designed to isolate just one sense to be worked with, setting up sensory bins triggering many senses at once and activating various brain functions is extremely effective in presenting a new material. Today, we are learning about exotic animals hands-on. To set this invitation to play and learn, I used clear hydrogels (buy in bulk here); and then just add food coloring to water during the expansion process. Add green and blue coloring to separate containers filled with hydrogels and water, and you can have a rainbow of water beads which are stain free and cost-effective.
Alligator ~ is a dangerous predator with exceptionally strong jaw muscles. Only the white shark can bite harder than him. The interesting thing: only the muscles that close the jaws are extremely strong. The muscles that open the snout are so weak that they can be closed with simple tape. Compared to the saltwater crocodile, alligators are smaller and much wider. They live only in rivers and lakes in the south-eastern part of the United States and China.
North America Honey Bee ~ although originally brought from Europe, there are more than 4,000 native species of honey bees in North America.
North America Jaguar (Central & South America) ~ The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a wild cat species and the only extant member of the genus Panthera native to the Americas. The jaguar's present range extends from the Southwestern United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Jaguars have the strongest bite of any big cat: twice as strong as that of a Lion.
A skunk from this Schleich North American Forest Dweller Set and wild boar.
Jaguars and Leopards with black coats are called Black Panthers.
Dinos from this Schleich North America Raptors: Utahraptor (with green eyes) and Deinonychus were feathered raptors. Dinosaur researchers believed that Utahraptor had feathers. However, none of these feathered raptors could actually fly. Utahraptor weighed around 500 kilograms and its fossils were found in Utah ~ the state in North America ~ and this is how this raptor got its name.
For more Dino activities, see here Dinosaur Themed Unit Study.
See here Dino Frozen 🎈Balloon Eggs Kids ⚗️Science Sensory 💦Water Play
2 Comments
Hi, I love this and would like to set it up! But how do you present this? Is there a direct objective or is it exploring a imaginative play?
Brittney
Thank you, and it depends on your child’s age and level. For really small ones, just triggering sensory stimulation and exploring the textures is probably enough ~ be it “mud” or water beads. (Always supervise! as it can be choking hazard) With Adrian, my objective was to learn the names of the animals, their behavior, so we role-played in a small world setting. You can vary and adapt to your child’s interests.. Hope it helps 🙂