According to Piaget, "...children learn by encountering problems they feel compelled to solve; experiencing emotions such as puzzlement, curiosity, surprise, and frustration; and engaging in the intellectual and emotional work of overcoming obstacles to solving those compelling problems.”

Quoted form the new NAEYC book Ramps & Pathways, a Constructivist Approach to Physics with Young Children, by Rheta DeVries and Christina Sales.  Get this book here!

What a great book! That one passage alone contains so much.  “...children learn by encountering problems they feel compelled to solve...”     Wow, it is such common sense, unfortunately it is not common knowledge.   Every teacher should read this book, then share it with every parent. 

Having access to great materials is so important for teachers and parents alike.  Why is it so difficult to find bulk material like a big bag of corn starch to fill a sensory table so the kids dont have to crowd around one little bowl. Dont retailers know that kids need more?! Enough is enough.  Kodo Kids is now offering bulk sensory materials!  Corn Starch, soy beans, sand, clay, coco, flax... Have more ideas? Please let us know and we will find it and sell it in large multi-child sized quantities!

A variety of manipulative materials in the classroom provide children the experience of different textures, smells, and physical properties. Parents often overlook the importance of these experiences and thus it is up to teachers and care providers to present children with interactive, hopefully messy hands on play experiences with many different materials. We have found three materials we feel give a good starting point for exploration into manipulatives. Jurassic Sand, Clay and our new offering Coconut Husk. We advocate for a permanent installation of sand and clay so the children can play in either at any time. Coconut husk is a different story. It is compressed into a very hard dry block which expands slowly in water to be about 3 or 4 times its size. It becomes a dark, soft and squishy pulp that absorbs water and feels great between the fingers. Smoosh it, stack it, strain it out. Once the kids are finished toss it out in the grass or garden or better yet plant seeds in it and start a whole new project.