Gross-motor fun!

Eric decided he wanted to climb up the slide no matter how long it took him! He was very determined and persistent! Eric sat at the bottom of the slide as he pondered what his next move would be. Finally, he made it up the slide! With a lot of hard work and a little coaching/support from his teacher, he pulled and pulled with his hands, arms and whole body! Problem solved!!!!

Gross-motor play is a naturally occurring event in the lives of children and a common part of the curriculum in early childhood programs. You may remember your own childhood experiences and the anticipation of outdoor activities. Did you know then that you were participating in scientific explorations? Probably not. However, explorations in the gross-motor areas provide many opportunities for children to apply scientific principles and construct relationships about the physical properties of objects and results of actions on objects. They encounter problems to solve and use elements of the scientific process to find solutions. Children spend extended periods of time trying out solutions as they vary actions, objects, distance, and weight, for example. These explorations help lay a foundation for a more abstract understanding of physics in the future.