Activity Plan #4 – ECE Field Placement I

Preliminary Information:

Name of Student Educator: Rebecca Ariburnu

Curriculum Area: Gross Motor Developmental Domain: Physical

Descriptive Title of Activity: Ball Ramp and Chase

Indoor: __x_____ Outdoor:________

Age of Children:13 to 18 months

Date of Implementation: March 19, 2019

Resources Used to Prepare Plan (in APA format):

Best Start Expert Panel on Early Learning. (2007). Early Learning for Every Child

Today: A Framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings: Toronto:

Ministry of children and youth services.

Busy Toddler. (2017). Make a DIY Ball Ramp [Blog Post]. Retrieved from:

https://busytoddler.com/2018/01/diy-ball-ramp/

Children’s Resource or Storybook (in APA format, to be used as part of activity-

before/after/extend/enhance learning):

Raschka, C. (2011). A Ball for Daisy. New York : Schwartz & Wade Books

Part I – Planning

Rational for the activity (sentence form):

Our classroom play area has a large bin of rubber balls of various sizes and I’ve noticed that the
children love getting these balls out and playing with them. I wanted to create an activity that allowed
them to further explore the properties of these balls and how they move, while developing gross
motor strength and getting exercise.

List one from each domain and indicate the reference to ELECT
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While participating in the activity the child will, independently or limited assistance:

Physical
5.1 Gross Motor - Walking
Specific Skill: walk around the room in order to collect balls

5.1 Gross Motor - Coordination

Specific Skill: pick up balls from the floor and send them down the ramp

5.2 Fine Motor – Palmer grasp, holding and using tools

Specific Skill: Hold a paintbrush and paint on the piece of cardboard

5.3 Senses – Tactile Exploration

Specific Skill: Explore the feeling of paint on their hands

Social/Emotional
1.1 Social Interest
Specific Skill: return my gaze during the activity and show interest

1.3 Simple Turn Taking

Specific Skill: take turns sending balls down the ramp and bringing them back

Cognitive/Language
3.2 Receptive Language Skills
Specific Skill: respond to instructions to pick up balls and put them on the ramp

4.3 Cause and Effect Exploration

Specific Skill: repeat the action of putting the ball on the ramp to produce the expected outcome

Learning Materials needed:

 Rubber balls of various sizes
 Large piece of cardboard
 Packing tape
 Broomstick
 Smocks
 Water-based paint
 Paintbrushes of various sizes
 A Ball for Daisy - book

Description of Set-Up:

This is an indoor gross motor activity where the children will take turns picking up balls and sending
them down a large cardboard ramp. During the first part of the activity the children will decorate the
cardboard by painting it with various sizes of paint brushes. Once the cardboard is painted and dry,
children will watch the ball go down the ramp and end up in various parts of the classroom. The
children can then walk around the room in order to collect the balls and repeat the process. The ramp
will be constructed using a large cardboard box and packing tape. A broomstick will be taped to the
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back of the ramp for stability and the whole ramp will be placed on a plastic stool and held steady by
a teacher in order to bring it off the ground.

Guidelines to Foster Self-Regulation:

 I will remind the children that we will have to take turns sending balls down the ramp one at a
time
 I will ask the children to use their walking feet in the classroom when they go to collect the
balls

Health or Safety Considerations:

 Ensure that all children have their shoes on and secure
 Ensure that other toys are tidied up and are not posing a tripping hazard
 Carefully watch the children to ensure that there is no pushing or shoving
 Ensure that the ramp is held securely at all times

Part II – Implementation

Invitation (aimed at getting children’s attention and interest):

Teacher brings out the large piece of cardboard and invites the children to explore it “Look what I’ve
brought for you today! Who would like to take a look?” Teacher asks the wonderment question,
“What do you think we could make with this?” The teacher then suggests decorating the box by
painting it before we decide what we can use it for.

Teaching Steps (detailed and clear):

1) Begin by putting smocks on each child and inviting them to stand around the art table. Lie
the large piece of cardboard on the table so that it can be reached by all of the children
2) Place a selection of paintbrushes in the center of the box and allow each child to choose
one
3) Squeeze a few colours of paint directly onto the box and demonstrate using a paintbrush to
smear the paint all over the box. Ensure all of the children have a chance to participate
and allow them to switch brushes if they would like
4) Remove smocks and wash children’s hands. Move the box to an inaccessible area so it
can dry
5) At some point before the next part of activity, read the book A Ball for Daisy to the children.
This can spark a discussion about balls that can lead to an explanation of the ball ramp
activity
6) Once the cardboard is dry set up the ramp by leaning the cardboard against a wall, using
the broomstick for support. The ramp should be off the floor, using a stool or some other
object to lift it up.
7) Ensure the ramp is stable – have a teacher hold it if necessary. Bring out a variety of balls
for the children to choose from
8) Invite the children to one-by-one select a ball and send it down the ramp. “Look what
happens when we drop the ball here? Where do you think it will go?”
9) Help the children find the balls and encourage them to bring them back and repeat the
process
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Closure:
Once the children have started to slow in their exploration of the ramp end the activity by saying
“Great job everyone, that was so fun. Let’s put away our ramp now and we can bring it out another
time to keep playing”.

Transition:
After the activity the children will need to get ready to go outside. Have the children help to pick up
the balls in the room and put them back in the ball bin. “Thanks for helping tidy up everyone. Now
let’s find our warm clothing and get ready to go outside”.

Ways in which the following are incorporated into this activity:

i) Creativity
This activity promotes creativity as each child is encouraged to paint creatively in their own way and
using a paintbrush of their choosing. The second part of the activity also promotes creativity as the
children get to experiment by dropping the balls from different locations on the ramp and in different
ways. For example, children can throw the balls and the ramp, or drop them gently. Children can also
choose from a variety of different sizes and colours of balls and observe any changes in the outcome
of their actions.

ii) Inclusiveness
All children can participate in this gross motor activity. Children are free to paint using any type of
brush, or with their hands if they prefer. Children than do not wish to participate in painting the box
can still watch the colours being added watch the other children paint. Children that do not wish to
send balls down the ramp will still get to observe the cause and effect of the activity.

Part III Documentation

The Learning Story:

The most surprising and delightful part of this activity was how engaged the children
were immediately with just the plain piece of cardboard. The size and weight of the
cardboard seemed to instantly attract attention and the children immediately began
exploring it by touching it, walking on it and dragging it around the room. It seems that
just bringing large novel objects into the classroom to be explored can be a valuable
activity all on its own.

The next part of the activity was also very successful. My initiate thought for the activity
did not include painting the box, but I thought of extending the activity in this direction
when I was brainstorming ways to make it more creative. Being able to paint freely on
such a large surface as a group seemed to stimulate a lot of creativity in the infants and
keep them very engaged. The large paintbrushes were the most popular with the
children. They seemed to enjoy making large, broad brushstrokes. A couple of the
older infants in the group were particularly focused during this part of the activity
remained engaged for a long period of time.

The painting activity took place in the morning, allowing the cardboard to dry and for me
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to set-up the ramp while the children were napping. Before nap I was able to read them
the book, which lead into a conversation about balls, and let me suggest the idea of a
ramp to the children. I had the ramp set-up when the children woke up from their nap.
In hindsight I should probably have waited and set it up after the children were finished
their snack, as it proved to be quite a distraction when the children were trying to eat.

Once the children were finished their snack, I invited them to choose a ball from a bin
and showed them how to drop the ball on the upper part of the ramp and watch it go
down. The activity seemed to be very developmentally appropriate for the older infants
in the group, but the younger ones had trouble grasping the concept. The older infants
were very engaged in experimenting with the cause and effect element of the activity,
walking around the ramp to drop balls in different locations, and even independently
experimenting with sending toy cars down the ramp instead of balls. They expressed
delight by laughing, clapping and smiling when the balls rolled down the ramp and into
the room. The younger infants did not stay very engaged with the activity, but still
enjoyed watching the older children explore the ramp.

After the activity was complete, I put the ramp away for use on another day. One of the
other great surprises about this activity was how versatile the decorated piece of
cardboard turned out to be in the classroom. A couple of days later I brought it back out
during gross motor time and used it to make a small tunnel for the children to climb
though. The children loved this activity even more than they love climbing through a
ready-made tunnel that the centre has. It seems that “homemade” items that the
children can participate in creating help them stay focused and engaged in activities. I
hope to use many more cardboard boxes in my activities in the future!

Analysis of Learning;
(What did the child(ren) do and understand during this experience?)
 The children used their gross motor skills by walking around the classroom, picking up balls, and
sending the balls down the cardboard ramp
 The children practiced coordinating their movements by picking up balls and sending them down
the ramp
 The children practiced their palmer grasp and fine motor skills by holding a paintbrush and
painting the cardboard box
 The children practiced simple turn taking by taking turns putting balls down the ramp
 The children returned my gaze during the activity and showed interest
 The children responded to my verbal instructions to pick up balls and place them on the ramp
 The children explored the cause-and-effect of sending the balls down the ramp

Extension of Learning:
 I extended this gross motor activity by allowing the children the opportunity to paint on the
cardboard first, allowing them the opportunity for sensory exploration, creative expression, and to
watch the box transform from a plain piece of cardboard to a colourful ramp.
 I asked the children wonderment questions such as “what will happen if I drop the ball here” and
allowed them to independently explore cause-and-effect
 I read a book that allowed me to introduce new vocabulary to the children
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 I brought out the cardboard on a future date and extended the activity into another gross motor
activity (tunnel)

C –Self-Reflection of Student Educator’s Learning / Performance

**Must be completed before the cooperating teacher’s evaluation

Strengths:
(how did the student impact the success of the activity minimum of 2):

 I had my materials (cardboard, paint, smocks, brushes) organized and ready ahead of time for the
painting part of the activity
 I allowed the children a lot of choice in how they wanted to paint the box (type or brush, fingers,
colours) to allow for creative expression
 I allowed the children to extend the activity by sending various objects down the ramp (toy cars,
etc.)

Recommendations:
(what can the student do differently to change, improve, enhance the experience – minimum
of 2):
 I should have waited to set-up the ramp until after the children were finished their snack in order to
avoid distractions
 I could have provided a low step-stool to allow the children to explore dropping the ball from
higher up on the ramp

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D - Cooperating Teacher’s Evaluation: (Please include signature and date)

**To be completed after the student has self-reflected.

ECE Cooperating Teacher signature: _________________________ Date: __________