In ECE programs, using what is known as the sand or water table can offer young children unlimited learning opportunities for math and science topics. Using water in the table, most day care providers and early elementary teachers probably think sink and float experiments are the only way to use it. Using sand, rice, or oatmeal in the table, most ECE staff think only of archaelogy-types of unearthing buried 'treasures' or giving children funnels to scoop and sift.
Stop. Take a strategy from decorating room makeover shows: empty out the table and look around your room's environment with a different outlook. Help your children gain in pre-reading skills along with the math and science. Pre-reading involves observation and discernment (or discrimination/detecting differences and similarities) just like math and science. What can children observe and separate?
With sand, rice, or oatmeal in the table, try hiding objects that are two colors next to each other on the color wheel like red and orange. Have children put found red objects on one end and orange at the opposite end. Examples to use are unlabeled chunky crayons, plastic butterflies or snakes.
I've even used a similar idea outside as science/pre-reading activities. I have the children wait at a certain spot and will toss about 6 plastic objects or unwrapped crayons using yellow, beige, and brown items for sand area and green, yellow-green, and brown items in grassy areas. They wait for my signal before they can go searching. Previously I have told them to watch the direction of my hand's throw and that they need to use their eyes to track where the item(s) have landed. They also are told ahead of time that we will do this many times, so that everyone will get a chance to find and retrieve at least one object.
Continuing with sand, rice, or oatmeal type item in the discovery table, give children number sense with concepts of more and less. Put a posters on the wall near the table to indicate the steps to do: (1) look, find, and gather ? items to middle; (2) sort/classify and/or count (depending on age and skill level) into a big group (the more) and a small group (the less); (3) move the big/more group to the left end and the small/less group to the right end; and (4) check with teacher before starting over or leaving the discovery table area.
Similar to this would be size differentiation (large, medium, small). This time have children sort items into 3 size groups.
Using water in the table (or in a sink or plastic tub) can give children many experiences with learning volume if different sizes and shapes of plastic containers are provided.
Children can do similar more or less and size sorting if net bags or plastic colanders/bowls are provided as the collecting stations for like items in the water.
Sensory exploration (besides feeling the texture of sand or rice or oatmeal or the wetness of water) can be provided by cleaning out the table and putting lots of ice cubes in. During the winter if your area has snow, put it into the table.
Think about the discovery table in a new way. Tape photos of funny faces to the surface and then cover up with your dry substance and whatever your objects are for the day or week. Imagine the surprised reactions to the first few children that are using the area for the day!! Tape photos/old calendar scenes/ etc that go with your theme or alphabet letter, too.
Observe the sensory/discovery area. Watch how the children act or don't act in the area. Do you hear them using math, science, or reading vocabulary? If not, bring the children around a table or rug area and discuss using the table. Ask them if they are bored with what has been provided or how things have been managed/utilized by you, the adult provider, and used by them, the children scientists. There are too many ways that a discovery table can be used as a learning tool. Don't get 'nailed down' using it 1 or 2 routine approaches.
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