Group Learning Experience Planning Sheet:

Student Name: Jessica Edwards Course Code: ECS3060

Age Group: 14 months to 3 years Date:

Learning Experience: Sensory Activity: Season Themed Sensory Bags
Programming Purpose:

During my first day at the center I noticed that some of the children in the classroom showed
a lot of interest in the classrooms science and discovery center which contains a large sensory
mat containing water and oil that children can squish down to see the two liquids separate,
draw on with chalk, and view with magnifying glasses. Two of the children I spent time with
on the first day were very excited about how this separation looked and made short statements
such as Look! and Its moving. Based on their interest in how liquids react to each other
and viewing objects up close using a magnifying glass, I wanted to create sensory bags that
had different texture that the children could touch and feel, that also contained objects inside
relating to a topic. On my first day at the center I brought in an old sensory book I had sewn
just to observe the childrens skills and interests and the children were very excited about the
fish pieces I had created for the underwater themed book. I have already planned another fish-
themed water activity so to relate to water play but focus on another themed I choose seasons.
Some of the children in the classroom are transitioning into the centers preschool rooms, from
visiting the other rooms I noticed that during circle time, the preschoolers sometimes discuss
the weather and current season. I wanted to use this activity as an opportunity to introduce the
children to discussion about the four seasons.

Objective:
The children will:
1) Explore materials using their senses include touch, sound and vision.
2) Practice representation by identifying objects within the sensory bags and discussing
their association with different seasons.
3) Practice fine motor skills when holding magnifying glasses and picking up the sensory
bags.
Materials:

Winter themed sensory bag (one)

Spring themed sensory bag (one)
Summer themed sensory bag (one)
Fall themed sensory bag (one)
Magnifying glass (two)
Cleaning Spray
Paper towel

Set Up:

Implementation:

1. I will lay out the sensory bags on one of the classrooms play mats along with four
magnifying glasses.
2. I will invite two to four children to come to the mat area and play with the season
sensory bags.
3. I will allow the children to take a moment to get familiar with the bags and notice their
texture, the objects inside, their temperature and other things they can see when using
the magnifying glass.
4. While the children explore the bags I will visit them and discuss the items inside the
bag using questions, pointing out objects and paraphrasing and expanding on
statements from the children.
5. After the children are finished playing with and exploring the sensory bags I will
remove the bags and magnifying glasses from the play mat, I will sanitize the bags and
the mat using cleaning spray and paper towels.

Learning Strategy #1
Telling, Explaining, Informing:

This activity may be the first time that some of the children had a chance to explore seasons
and items associated with the different seasons. For this reason, there may be objects that the
children have seen before but may not know the name of. The children may also be interested
in the sensory bags but may not be able to make the connection between a bag and the season
it is meant to represent. For this reason, one tool I need to use to support the children during
this activity is explaining concepts, items and names in order to help children build their
knowledge and guide them through exploration. Examples include:
________, thats a penguin. A penguin is a bird that lives where it is very cold
________, you have the spring bag. Do you see the flowers inside? Lots of flowers
grow in the spring time.
Learning Strategy #2
Sensory Engagement:

Introducing this concept through sensory play allows the children to use all of their senses to
understand a topic more thoroughly. By observing how the children interact with the bags and
the objects inside of them, I can take cues as to how to teach them more information. For
example, if a child is listening to the sounds of the leaves in the fall bag, we can discuss leaves
and how they fall from trees in fall. If a child is feeling the squishy texture of the water and
basil seeds in the summer bag, we can discuss swimming and other water activities that can be
done in the summer.

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 ___________________________