Educating Young Children Volume 1 – Spring 2025 | Page 46

compartment made of artificial turf. Rebecca says,“ This would be the perfect place for a picnic!” In another compartment, Duke draws shapes in the sand with his fingers while Mia and Raina make pyramids. Mia says she is going to write about a sandcastle contest she went to with her family during summer vacation.

After each group visits at least two of the compartments, they meet Ms. Sanders to write their observations. Some begin writing their descriptive pieces. Others join their classmates to dance, hop, and skip through the different parts of the pathway.

In this vignette, Ms. Sanders encouraged students to make connections to learning goals while offering them choice in their explorations. She found that it was a bridge between the students’ senses and their imaginations.

An outdoor sensory pathway includes various textures for children to walk on, such as pebbles, sand, turf, mulch, logs, rope, and other materials with varying textures and sizes. Using materials from the local area helps students to actively engage in the sensory pathway. For example, the river stones reminded Jason of the rocks he had seen at a local lake. Making connections between school and their experiences outside of it helps children feel welcome and secure in their learning community.

As they move along outdoor sensory pathways, children actively engage and learn. The pebbles underneath their feet allow them to practice balancing skills and gauge how their bodies move. In addition to helping children control their responses to sensory stimuli, these kinds of experiences are essential for developing coordination, balance, and an increasing awareness of the body’ s