This month our theme at preschool is the five senses. We’ve had some fun with this, using touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste to explore and learn about the world around us and each other.
One of my favorite things we did this month was a taste test. To introduce the topic, we read Lick by Matthew Van Fleet. We learned that our tongues can lick, taste and feel. This book reading was participation focused and we used a combination of oral language, sign language, visuals and single message communicators (such as Big Macs) to give everyone a voice and access to new concepts.
We also got to warm-up our mouths by engaging in an oral-motor imitation game. Kids enjoyed looking at themselves in a mirror and got to practice following directions and imitation in a fun activity. This portion also targeted oral-motor awareness and control as did the taste test itself.
Next, we got to explore different textures, temperatures and tastes of foods using our hands and mouths. While this activity presented a challenge for those children with texture sensitivities and picky eaters, we are proud to report everyone participated in their own way. Some of our kids really impressed us with their willingness to try new things and step outside their comfort zone.
Kids were encouraged to practice their pincer grasp to pick up small bites, use finger isolation to feel foods, lick their finger and also practice using utensils.
While tasting and feeling, we also learned vocabulary to describe those actions, tastes and textures. Our staff modelled new language using this Aided Language Display. This tool also helped visual learners to combine words to make longer sentences to request, comment and ask questions.
This activity served as an excellent opportunity to practice turn taking, waiting and listening. It’s only been one month of school, but I’m excited to report I’ve seen improvement in all areas.
Looking forward to updating you on next month’s fun and learning!
Kathryn Jackman
ECS Speech-Language Pathologist
