Still Life Color Theory... or playing with your vegetables...

I hadn't fully unloaded all my groceries, when John Michael's bus pulled up, dropping him off after a busy morning at preschool.  I gave him a snack and sat down to chat with him.

  

We're still working on colors, so I pulled out a lime, a bell pepper, and a stalk of celery.  I set it up as "Still Life" on a plate and it prompted a fun, 15 minute sensory learning opportunity. 

First, we named the vegetables and noted they were all green (deen). 

Next, we felt the veggies and talked about their different textures.  The lime is bumpy, the pepper is smooth and the celery has lines.  He was very into feeling the veggies and repeating their textures and names... bumpy lime, smooth pepper, etc.  He was quite impressed with himself that he could stack the lime on the pepper. 

 

Next, we took a whiff and smelled the veggies.  I cut an x in the lime so he could get the full fragrance.

And finally, he decided to try the veggies, without prompting.  I cut a tiny piece from the pepper and he put it on his tongue.  He didn't get very far with the pepper or the lime, but he did crunch on the celery a few times.  I don't think he really "liked" any of them very much, but at least he was open to trying.

So there you have it.  A simple, impromptu lesson on colors, textures, tastes and smells.  You don't need fancy kits, just make things interesting.  One of the most important things I've learned about John Michael (and other kids with Ds) is that he learns best by seeing and doing and by repetition.  See what you have in your environment, inside or out, and have fun learning something new...

I leave you with this short video clip.  I'm so proud of my boy!