Good morning! We are really excited to bring you three invitations for middlers today. Hope you are well.
Connecting with nature/Science Invitation: Get to know a plant
Today we hope your child can find some time to get to know a plant. It could be a plant outside, or a houseplant. We can think of at least two ways your child might approach this. First, they could do some scientific work: what does the plant look like, what shape are its leaves, how tall is it, what other creatures are living on or around it, etc. They might also go in a different direction: what kind of name would they give the plant, what do they think it likes (or dislikes), what is its favorite color, etc. Your child might want paper and colored pencils or crayons for their work, or perhaps access to a camera.
Fine Motor/Design Invitation: Light table work
Working on the light table, whether homemade or a tracing light pad, is very engaging for young children. It provides an opportunity to explore light and shadow, transparency, translucence, and color in different ways than a tabletop. You can set out a variety of materials for your child to explore on the light table. The teachers in the infant-toddler centers of Reggio Emilia sometimes spread a thin layer of sand on their light table and invite children to explore making marks with their fingers.
Fine Motor/Art Invitation: Contact paper collage
This invitation is related to the glue collage invitations we have offered in the past. Today we hope you have access to contact paper (sometimes called shelf paper). You could also create sticky paper by spreading a thin layer of glue on a piece of cardboard. Attach the sticky paper to a table or other flat surface with circles of tape on the back. Offer an array of small, lightweight materials such as pieces of tissue paper or fabric flower petals and invite your child to explore the materials.
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