Snow Dough Fun

Exploring the Texture of Snow Dough

A fun sensory activity was set up for the babies to participate in, allowing them to use their senses to explore. At first they were a little reluctant to touch the dough, however, this did not last long.  The babies used the spoons to scoop up the snow dough and transported it to their bowl.  Placing the tuff tray on the floor enabled all of the children to join in, even the smaller babies. The practitioners joined in by touching the snow dough and used simple language to describe how it felt, such as "soft", "fluffy" and "smooth".[ngg src="galleries" ids="278" display="basic_slideshow"]After several minutes of exploring the snow dough, the babies decided it was time to actually sit in the middle of the tray and get fully immersed in the activity. The babies showed curiosity as they moved around the tray, grabbing handfuls of the snow and filling up the various sized bowls. The babies demonstrated excellent hand-eye coordination when moving the snow dough from their spoons to their bowls. The children turned and looked at Vicky, our Head of Baby Room, and Claire, one of the practitioners based in Baby Room, for encouragement and praise for their achievements. This opened ended activity allowed the children the opportunity to be proud of their accomplishments, without actually having to create an end product.[ngg src="galleries" ids="279" display="basic_slideshow"]The practitioners in the Baby Room observe the children daily during their play and build on interests and preferences throughout their day at nursery. Providing stimulating activities and experiences is highly important as they aid children's learning and development. Children will become more involved when they are provided with exciting and stimulating activities, especially when they are linked to their interests. Read more about what the babies got up to when they joined in exploring a range of sensory activities.