"Holey" Wood

I'm A fine motor activity including small logs with numerous holes drilled into them were left out for exploration on the art table this morning. Along with the logs were toothpicks, small wooden dowels and pipe cleaners.

These boys chose to work together. They cooperated putting all the dowels in until they were gone. "We need more". They both looked at the table "We can use these!" picking up a pipe cleaner. One picked up a pipe cleaner that he thought resembled the number 9. 

These two children cooperated together filling every hole in their log using mostly toothpicks and pipe cleaners. They concentrated using their finger muscles to fit the pieces into the small holes. When they thought they were finished one of them rolled the log over to discover a whole new set of holes to fill. "Look" she pointed and giggled excitedly. 

One child came to the table and began pushing the dowels into the log. He examined the log closely as if to see what was inside the holes. He made one line of sticks when another child joined him, together they pushed some of the dowels completely through the log before placing them away in the basket. 

"It's a porcupine" He stated after filling the holes with as many dowels as he could find. "It's gonna poke me" He noticed some of the holes were still missing sticks, but toothpicks were too small and pipe cleaners were too bent for the porcupine. He was happy to find some extra dowels hiding in a different art basket.