Changing Art Table
Explore art activities like watercolor painting, gelli printing, natural materials collaging, and more at our art table! The materials often change, but every activity is a chance to practice open-ended creativity.
Skills We’re Practicing & What We’re Learning
- Creativity – creating a unique piece of art with the materials from the table
- Independent thinking – making independent choices about which materials to use and what to create
- Fine motor skills – using the small muscles in our hands to grip art-making tools
Playdough Sensory Table
Playdough is great for building, rolling, molding, cutting – you name it! Your child can explore playdough with unrestricted creativity using their hands and fun tools.
Skills We’re Practicing & What We’re Learning
- Fine motor skills – using the small muscles in our hands to knead playdough and grasp tools
- Sensory exploration – learning about textures by touching the playdough
- Imagination – pretending the playdough is something else (pizza, cookie, etc.) to practice symbolic thinking
Boat Making & Tinkering
Inspect materials, then design, build, and decorate a boat. Test how it floats and sails at the water table. Decide if it needs anything added to it or taken away. A fun design activity!
Skills We’re Practicing & What We’re Learning
- Problem solving – figuring out which materials and methods are best for creating a boat that floats in water, and changing those that don’t work
- Buoyancy – seeing how some materials and shapes float on water while others sink to the bottom
- Critical thinking – thinking about which materials, shapes, and objects float and why
Rocket Building
Design, build, and decorate a rocket ship from cardboard, foam, duct tape, and more. Then, test out how high it can propel with our air-pressurized Rocket Launcher machine!
Skills We’re Practicing & What We’re Learning
- Experimentation – figuring out which materials, shapes, and designs are best for helping a rocket ship fly through the air
- Aerodynamics – learning about and seeing why rockets are shaped in a certain way to increase their ability to launch upward through the air
- Creativity – making independent choices about the colors, materials, and designs of our rockets
Habitot’s Boat-making and Rocket-building maker activities are funded in part by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Additional maker activities coming soon!