Layer Materials to Offer Complexity

To build on children's learning with materials, it is useful to offer combinations of materials that lend themselves to many uses and extended investigation.  When children are interested in an idea or concept, providing different materials to extend their exploration helps them make further connections and build on their ideas.  Not only do they use the materials to represent their current thinking, but they increase their skills and go deeper in exploring new ideas through the multiple activities they bring to the work.

Over the past few days we created an invitation with new materials for play dough to give the children an opportunity to explore impressions and create with the connects.  We observed without interfering with their explorations, giving them the opportunity to find out for themselves how they could use the connects.  The children used the connects with the play dough to make designs and invent dramas.