Group Learning Experience Planning Sheet:

Student Name: Jessica Edwards Course Code: ECS3060

Age Group: 14 months to 3 years Date:

Learning Experience: Science and Sensory Activity- Water and Fishing Sensory Bin
Programming Purpose:

During the two weeks prior to block week I noticed that sensory play and sensory
experiences beyond programming were popular among the children in the classroom. During
my first activity, which involved the children using non-toxic paint, the children seemed to
thoroughly enjoy the sensory aspect of using the paint. One child who was not yet able to hold
a paintbrush in a way that worked for them chose to finger paint on their canvas. I chose to
add the general water play tools such as cups and strainers to the activity so that children who
may be unable to use the fishing rods, can still practice fine motor skills using other tools that
require less hand-eye coordination and a looser grip.
I also noticed another child in the room that often spends extra time when washing their
hands and seems to enjoy playing with the water at the tap frequently. I believe that adding a
water-based sensory activity to the room can help this child explore water in way that doesnt
take away from their time during other activities and allows them to experiment with the water
in more ways. Because the children in the classroom have such a wide range of fine motor
skills, I chose to include basic water play toys for children with lower fine motor skills, nets to
catch fish for children who are able to or are close to able to hold pencil like objects, and
finally for the children transitioning to preschool currently a fishing rod with a hook to fit in
the loop shapes inside the plastic fish for a more complex fishing activity.

Objective:
The children will:
1) Practice sensory exploration when using tools and their senses to interact with water to
learn about its properties such as how the water smells, feels, tastes, moves, and looks.
2) Explore cause and effect when experimenting with water by pouring, using funnels,
catching fish on a fishing rod tool, splashing and catching objects with a net.
3) Practice fine motor skills and tool use when using the net and fishing rod tools to
collect plastic fish inside the sensory bin, and when using other water toys such as
cups.
Materials:

Large bin for water (one)

Water coloured with blue food colouring
Net tools (two)
Fishing rod tools (two)
Plastic or paper cups (two)
Plastic fish (eight)
Smocks (four or one per child)
Sanitizing Spray
Paper Towel
Table cloth

Set Up:

Implementation:

1. I will set up the environment:

a) I will place a table cloth down to protect the table
b) I will set up the bin and fill it with room temperature water. I will add two to
five drops of non-toxic food colouring to the water so it is visible.
c) I will place the plastic fish into the water so they can disperse.
d) I will set of the fishing tools and water play toys on the table so they can be
reached by all four children using the sensory bin at all times.
2. I will invite the children over to the table, grouping them based on my previous
observations of their fine motor skills and interest in water play if possible.
3. I will help the children to put on their smocks to protect their clothing from getting
wet during the activity.
 4. I allow the children to take some time to explore the activity without direction and
base my instruction on which tools and parts of the activity the children take interest
in. I will encourage conversation using questions.
5. If the children show interest in the fishing rod tools I will assist them using adult
modelling and hand-over-hand guiding to show them how to maneuver the fishing rod
in order to pick up the plastic fish.
6. After the children are done playing with the sensory bin I will remove the tools from
the table, empty the toys and water from the bin and sanitize all materials that are not
disposable.

Learning Strategy #1
Questions:

As the children use the sensory bin to explore the water and practice using tools I will ask
questions to encourage the children to try using new tools, explore the properties of the water
and to give the children an opportunity to talk about what they are doing. Examples of these
questions include:
_______ what do you see in the water? Would you like to catch a fish?
Weve talked about fish before during circle time, what noise does a fish make?
How does the water feel? Is it warm or cold? What does the water do when you tip your
cup?
Learning Strategy #2
Hand-over-hand:

When the children are using the tools I can help them to adjust their positioning, try new
actions and perform different tasks using the tools. By physical guiding the childs hands with
the fishing rods I can allow them to see how the object moves in the water and how they can
move their hands do make the hook of the fishing rod move in the same way. Helping the
children in this manner can allow a child to gain more understanding of how them can move
their arms and hands to catch the plastic fish that simply watching another person could not
give them.
Supportive Strategies:

This activity is very open-ended and children could use the materials provided in a variety of
different ways. In order for children to get the most learning out of the activity they need to be
encouraged to explore.

Encouraging Observations through discussion:

While the children are playing I can facilitate learning by encouraging the children to
talk about the things they notice. What is in the water? What colours are the fish? What
does the water feel like?
Encouraging Goal Setting:
If the children chose to catch fish, I can encourage them to practice their fine motor
skills and hand-eye coordination by challenging them to catch a small number of fish.
This allows the children to gain confidence by completing a task.

Overall Evaluation
What worked during this experience? Why?
What did not work during this experience? Why?

What might you have done differently?

What theory might you use to support these changes?

Supervisor Feedback
Supervisor Signature ___________________________