$99.00
The Activity Tray creates a focused and portable activity space in your classroom and home. Perfect for loose parts play, art or construction projects, sensory experiences, and even as a mini ramp space.
Our Activity Tray is made of high quality maple with a watertight steel interior. The 24″ x 24″ interior tray has a slightly reflective surface. It provides visual depth to the play area and creates dynamic interaction with materials. Use as a landing area for ramps, block play, dramatic play, sensory exploration, or art creation! We love it for melting ice and constructing with ice cubes.
Includes
Appropriate for 18 months +
From The Kodo Classroom
The Activity Tray offers practicality. A shallow tray with substantial side walls which will hold water and countless other materials has endless uses in the classroom. From a containment tray to a science exploration surface, the magnetic interior is a teacher’s go to workspace. Ideas below.
Contained Ramp Space – A few 1 foot Discovery Ramps, wooden balls and the Activity Tray provide a controlled space with a built in ramp support and containment for the balls. Children quickly understand how to place the ramps to allow the ball to roll, hit the other side and come back. This is a wonderful way to introduce ramp play with toddlers.
Melt Ice Cubes – The steel interior of the tray provides the perfect surface for experimentation. Melting ice cubes clearly illustrates the transformation of ice to water. The steel tray retains the cool temperature from the ice cube which can be felt both on top of and underneath by the children. Our Ice Molds are perfect for this activity!
Block Building – On occasion, children benefit and enjoy the challenge that comes with restrictions on their play. One challenge we use is to restrict the building space. “We are in the middle of the city and this square is the only city lot available for the construction project.” The Activity Tray provides not only the outline of this space, but also physical walls to keep them true! By focusing attention on the defined space, children have a spatial purpose and are not drawn outward from the start point of their project. They are challenged to plan ahead to stay within the space. Because the tray is ferrous children can use it with magnets or magnetic builders. Use it with Tegu Blocks!
Portable Sensory Tray – It’s sturdy but light enough to move, so use your Activity Tray whenever and wherever a sensory experience would be engaging for children. Fill with your own sensory or nature materials, add a magnifying glass or two and let the investigation unfold. Place two trays next to one another and fill one with water. Offer some metal shaker cups and other tools such as scoops for some work with filling, emptying, and transferring.
The Literal Frame for Art – Your Activity Tray lends itself beautifully to art exploration; from collage to interactive dioramas, the framed space speaks canvas. We use various colors of rice or different materials such as flax and millet and spread them in the tray using small scoops. Colored oobleck is also fascinating for children and the shallow tray with its reflective bottom adds to the experience. Simply adding fine sand creates a sensory art experience. As you run fingers or tools through the sand the reflective bottom shines through creating a dramatic visual experience.
