Teaching about polar animals is one of my favorite units to teach. Since I moved to PreK, I have found that I must find new ways to reach my students when we are doing unit studies. When I taught kindergarten, I had a sensory table, but I used it more like furniture than a sensory table. This year I have started to embrace my sensory table more, and the kids have loved it. I have created 6 activities to incorporate into my sensory table, each having their own special twist.
Before I started filling the sensory table I had to start setting the scene. I added a Silver Fringe Table Skirt to make the table look like it was draped in icicles. Then I put some Snow-Capped Rocks Cardboard Stand-Ups behind the table to mimic the mountains in the arctic landscape. I was almost done setting the scene but knew I couldn't forget Mr. Penguin! We used a Penguin Cardboard Stand-Up to finish off our sensory table.
The first sensory table is the easiest to create. I bought three bags of cotton balls and dumped them into the sensory table. Then I added some Winter Penguin Characters, some fish from the Fish Counting Game, and the game pieces to the center. Download these game pieces for free under the supply list to the right. The students draw a card, count the number on the ten frame, then find that many fish or penguins. Using the Chubby Markers, they write it down on the response sheet.
The next sensory table took a lot of trial and error. I searched online to find the best snow for the sensory table. In the end, after making a huge mess in my classroom, I settled on 4 parts baking soda and one-part white conditioner. It is so cold! The kids were fascinated with it!
The next sensory table is hands-down, the kids' absolute FAVORITE! It is simple; about two cups of ice and fill the rest with water! Easy right? I also added a chunk of styrofoam to make a floating iceberg and some Winter Penguin Characters. The kids love playing in the water! They also use the "bag of blubber" from our science experiment to test it out some more.
When the kids were getting restless with the iceberg, I added some math to the table. All I had to add was a Fish Counting Game and some laminated counting cards, and it was a brand new center.
My students are shocked when they learned that polar bears have to make holes in the thick ice in order to hunt fish. To mimic how polar bears fish we took a tall box, wrapped it in white paper, and cut a hole in the top. We then brought out the Bright Color Magnetic Fishing Game and Penguin Sledding Disk Game. The first way we can play this game is with laminated centers. (You can download this file here from TeachersPayTeachers, however, any center is doable) I put the center pieces in the box with a paper clip and the kids were able to start fishing.
The second way we use this center is by playing with the Penguin Sledding Disk Game.
The students drop the disk down the game board, and then the kids get to "fish" the amount of fish they drop the disk in. Afterwards, they mark the graph with Transparent Cube Counters!
The first student to fill up their graph wins! My students have enjoyed using these activities during our study of polar animals. I hope you can take one of these ideas and implement it in your own classroom!
