What are “rotations? I’m glad you asked! Rotations are a type of independent work the kids do.
The rotations we work on not only build dexterity and small muscle skills, but they also build these kid’s “gray matter” by using their problem solving skills.
There are certain rotations built as a brain break, but just because they are having fun does not mean they aren’t learning. For example, this “build your own snowman” game actually does help these kids make independent decisions.
Why are independent choices important? I think we all know that we don’t want our children to grow up to be drones, but independent individuals who are capable of making independent choices without having a meltdown.
Many skills we learn are also very practical, like writing our names.
Kids get three minutes at each station, then they are asked to move to the left. This also helps them get used to systems, sharing, and a variety of different small motor skills.
They can also practice these rotations at home. One of my favorite Sunday activities is to get out coloring books, stickers, play dough, small games and puzzles and let the kids have a great afternoon. It is simple to set up just by using what you have and what your kids like. But don’t forget to put at least one thing out that is a challenge for them. So, go have a great time and Rotate!
It’s always nice to have a day when we just play! And even though it’s fun, they’re still learning as they go. 
They saw that chocolate could turn into a liquid by heat it up. I asked what else could melt when it was heated and these amazing preschoolers came up with answers like “ice cream, popsicles and ice”. 
We discussed how other things could melt if you got them really hot like, rocks, metal and plastic, then placed in molds like our chocolate and shaped. We headed over to the toy bin and each student found something they thought had been melted and shaped, and guess what, they were right!!!
These things may be simple to you, but all of them are very important to life. If you don’t have great small motor skills, writing is going to be very difficult for you. If your not confident, life is going to be difficult for you! If you haven’t been exposed to different textures or tools, you may not want to try new things later. If you don’t have practice following directions...we’ll, you get the gist. Sometimes the simple things in life make a big difference. 
Calendar Time is one of the first parts of our day. We gather together and sing songs, count numbers, talk about the days of the week, months of the year, the weather and seasons. We learn poetry, sign language and sight words. And if that’s not impressive, did you know that your preschooler knows what a hexagon is?! We work hard and play hard here at Little Sprouts Preschool and these kids make it look easy. 
What is “monkey grip” you ask? Well, it may be a crude expression, but it is a way to describe the type of hold that would make it very difficult to do any writing with dexterity. 
