Playing in the Shaving Cream

     During my senior year in high school, I started volunteering at a local Special Needs Preschool. The teacher, Mrs. Hill, asked me to over-see her art center that day. She explained to me that she was going to let the kids play car wash-- with laminated pictures of cars, squeegees and shaving cream. I thought that this was a pretty cool idea. I had never played with shaving cream before, and it was actually a lot of fun. Since then, I have used this idea with many of my classrooms while teaching.
     These sensory activities are very important for children, especially for those who have a difficult time touching and feeling things that are "messy". I know what you're thinking, "I don't know very many kids, who don't like getting messy!" I thought the same thing, when Mrs. Hill told me that there were some students that did not want a single thing to do with any of her sensory activities. It wasn't until I started playing with these kids that I saw how hesitant and anxious they were about touching the shaving cream.
     In order for me to get these kids to join the activity, I had to show them how fun playing with the shaving cream was. Some kids eventually put their hands in the stuff, and others just played with their squeegees. Mrs. Hill was fine with that. Her focus was on inviting each child to participate, and continually expose the child to similar activities.
     Why must we encourage children to participate in sensory activities? Think about it. Throughout these young kids' lives, they have learned through their senses. Young children are not used to sitting still, and listening to a lecture. Children learn by experience, and by doing. It is our job, as the parent or teacher, to talk to each child about the task at hand. This will help them learn new words to describe what it is that they are experiencing. Something as simple as, "eww, that's slimy", can help a child build upon his/her vocabulary.
     At any rate, I decided to pull out some shaving cream to let my kids play with today. This time, I let their imaginations grow wild. I did not provide them with laminated paper. I just handed them a dab of shaving cream on top of some Tupperware lids (hoping to contain the mess, a little), and of course a few toys. It was so much fun just watching my daughters play. Saydee wiped shaving cream all over herself, while Brooklee decided to roll a ball in the shaving cream. The best part was watching the expressions on their little faces, as they started digging and squeezing the shaving cream in their tiny hands. It was priceless!