Earthy

The Latest Trend in Day care and Schools

With Earth Day approaching quickly on April 22, it seems appropriate to discuss one of the recent trends in day cares and schools.  Society as a whole is leaning more toward natural products.

Since prehistoric times, children have used organic items such as sticks, leaves, and other natural items in their environment to play and learn.  This causes the child to use their imagination more to assume the role of parents, warriors, princesses, etc.  This can also be said for the use of natural woods and materials in the classroom.   These materials not only encourage imaginative play, but also interaction with other children.  It leads to resourcefulness when the child sees a stick and imagines it can be a wand, a bone, a tree, etc.  A molded, synthetic item is less likely to encourage such creativity.  This type of play has been theorized to engage children mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally-giving confidence and excitement.  It is also thought to be a beneficial way to focus the attention of children with special needs.

Many schools are realizing the importance of natural materials such as wood blocks and rods for counting and play.  These items are easily recognized by children because they see wooden items and trees all around them.  Play centers, tables, and toys made from wood and natural fibers are also more pleasing to the touch.  These natural items are “warmer” and more inviting to feel and are more durable than most synthetic items.  Moreover, it is often safer for children to play with natural products.  There is less risk of chemicals in wooden/natural items than in molded plastic and synthetically engineered items.  The use of organic materials is also friendlier to our surroundings-lasting longer and causing less waste.  They often are more sustainable materials and have a smaller footprint on our environment.

While technology is important in this modern world, natural exploration and the use of organic materials are also beneficial.  These materials are essential in helping to support our environment and encouraging healthy environments to our children.

Wood Designs has been ahead of this trend and has offered GREENGUARD™ Children & Schools certified products for years-making all products safe and healthy for indoor environments and without the use of dangerous chemicals and laminates.  Our Natural Environments line also gives the look of nature with earthy brown tones and finished wood.  These products focus on visually stimulating children to encourage imagination and cognitive development.  

The Importance of Sensory Play for Preschoolers and Toddlers

The Importance of Sensory Play for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Preschool age children learn through their five senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.  These senses are used to explore the world around them and to learn through those experiences.  As educators and parents, it is important to recognize this method and assist them by providing activities involving sensory play. 

The most commonly used sense in children is sight.  Providing a variety of shapes and colors is an excellent way to enhance a child’s learning.  Children often benefit from activities which involve comparing different size shapes and colors.  Craft and art projects are a wonderful way to stimulate a child’s sense of sight.

Hearing is a highly beneficial sense in the classroom as well.  Music and sounds are often included in learning toys and programs because children are able to excel when a concept is set to music or sounds.  Music also encourages coordination and motor skills development while teaching children to dance and keep the beat.

The sense of touch is another frequently useful tool for learning.  Starting from birth, children gather information by touching objects and learning through different textures.  Sensory tables are placed in preschools to assist with this process.  These tables contain items with objects of varied sizes and textures for children to explore.

Taste and smell are vital in the educational setting too.  Although exploration through the sense of taste must be closely monitored, edible doughs or treats during snack time can be used to assist children in trying assorted textures of safe foods.  The sense of smell is very important, linking us to memories and sentimental times in our life.  To stimulate this sense, have conversations with children about what flowers or other items smell like to them.

Sensory play is essential for a child’s growth and development.  We are responsible for encouraging children to use all five senses to explore their world.  Wood Designs provides a variety of sensory furniture that is safe for children and encourages such methods of learning.  Our Deluxe Science table includes magnifiers and mirrors for children to examine objects to better understand them.  The Sensory & Water table is another product from Wood Designs that focuses on tactile learning.  This table can be filled with sand or water to allow for the exploration of textures and objects while having fun.  The table comes with a lid which doubles as a work surface to be used in other creative sensory projects.

To fill your classroom or home with wonderful and safe sensory products, please check out these items and our many others in the Sensory & Physical Activity section on our web site at WoodDesigns.com.


Pictured above: Workbench with 4 Translucent Trays and Wooden Blocks, 2 Shelf Open Divider with Wooden Blocks, Art Center for Four, Sand & Water Table with Lid/Shelf, Build-N-Play Table.>