Anything with magnets is loved by preschoolers. I love adding them to many of our learning centers, and it’s a great way to encourage hands-on exploration! For this light table activity I gathered our beloved Magna Tiles and added some magnetic pumpkins and wands. Super simple, yet thoroughly enjoyed by all of our students! Watch the video of our classroom in action: I’ve used them in the sensory bin, the block table, and as a table activity … so this time I decided to add them to the light table. Take a look: Pumpkin Color Sorting Table Activity
Preschool Halloween Light Table with Magnets
Supplies
Light Table Magna Tiles Magnetic Wands Magnetic Pumpkins
Note about the magnetic pumpkins: The ones shown in these photos are no longer available. If you want the multi-colored ones, these are the ones I’ve found. If you’d like slightly larger pumpkins, you can get the orange ones here. As for Magna Tiles, I pulled the following colors: orange, purple, green. By the way, if you haven’t tried Magna Tiles yet, put them on a wish list. They are one of our favorite toys. Our entire preschool uses them and they never get old. And no, I am not sponsored by them. Although that wouldn’t be a bad idea considering how much I talk about them! I set up the Magna Tiles and a tray of magnetic pumpkins and added the wands. That’s it!
Hands On Exploration
There’s not a lot of direction needed for this light table. In fact, I like to stand by and watch what the children will do with it. Making boxes was the most popular, dropping the pumpkin balls into them and fishing them out with the magnetic wands.
Working Together
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t limit how many children can be at most centers. Children know when an area feels too crowded. They will either find a way to make everyone fit, or they will start moving to other areas. Usually we have two to four children at the sensory table at a time. Working together at the sensory table means navigating shared space and sharing materials. I usually change it when we change themes. However, that’s not a given. If I find that the children just don’t seem to be as interested in the activity as I thought, I will change it out before the two weeks. This is why I am always observing how the children are interacting in each center.
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