Our Vet Clinic

For the past two months we have been playing with animals in our dramatic play area.

First it was a pet store, you can visit the post here.

Then we switched it to a Veterinarian Clinic.

 We look after wild animals as well as domestic.

After touring a vet clinic,

where we learned about x-rays, bones, bandaging and more,

 

 

we headed back to school to play and discover.

Bandaids are always a hit with children.

I saw this great idea  at Storytime Katie and

just had to make them.

 Bandaids made from felt.

I added velcro to a few, hoping that they would stick to the stuffies 

a bit better but it didn't help.

They were still a lot of fun.

Making x-rays was a learning experience for us all.

I never expected it to turn out this way.

This is how it started with x-rays copied from google images on to transparency film.

 Then we discovered we could draw our own.

Although this little boy was determined to draw guts.

So we quickly talked about the difference between an x-ray and

an ultrasound.

By the end of this week our window was filling up with x-rays

from different animals.

This is our reception/lab note prep area.

I have my daughter's old laptop that still has Word.

It was a hit so we needed to bring another note taking 

machine out.

I love hearing the question "What is it?" about old technology.

Plus the stories that the parents and grandparents tell of their experiences

using a typewriter.

Wet Felted Eggs

We tried wet felting for the first time at StrongStart.

I took a workshop last fall and really enjoyed it.

Then I found this blog that makes it real easy to do with little children.

We made felt eggs.

Unfortunately the little containers I bought did not seal tight

so we had to wrap them in paper towel.

This little guy will show you how to make them.

 Pick your felt and put it in the container

that is about half full of soapy water.

(You do not need much soap)

 Put the lid on tight.

 Shake, shake, shake some more.

This was the perfect time to talk about directions.

Shake it up and down, back and forth, side to side.

And then you have your egg.

At the other end of the craft table we made these little nests for our eggs.

 Start with shredded wheat.

And break it into little pieces.

Add glue and mix together and shape into a ball.

We used our thumb to press an indent into the middle.

Just the right size for our egg to sit in.

I wasn't sure how this activity would go but the children and the grown ups

really enjoyed it.

 It drew children in that normally didn't do crafts.

This little boy really liked making the eggs

but wasn't interested in making a nest.

Bird Nest Snack

Today's snack we ate a bird's nest and eggs.

Here are the materials we used to build the nest.

 pretzels

 chow mein noodles

 shredded carrots and broccoli

 peas

craisins

Snack table is set. 

 Discussions I heard from the snack table...

The craisins don't look like eggs.

Maybe they could be beetles the baby birds eat.

 The noodles look like worms.

Carrots could be worms too.

We counted how many eggs were in our nests.

But mainly the nests were enjoyed.

What Do Birds Eat?

We have been studying birds in preparation for a field trip next week up to the mountain.

We'll feed the birds, play in the snow and enjoy a snack and story time.

But that is for another post.

I posted an 'I wonder' this week 

to get the children thinking about what birds eat.

Most children responded that birds eat bird seeds.

We will make feeders with seeds in a few days

but today we used cheerios.

 The children (and grown ups) wondered if the birds will really eat Cheerios.

 As the children were busy stringing cheerios

 a discussion followed about what birds they see in their yards.

 Chickadees, Robins were a couple mentioned.

I wanted to expand their thinking to other birds

so I brought a few other stuffies to the table.

We have a lot of eagles here and we see them mostly by the water.

This was a clue that we gave the children.

What do you think the eagles eat?

What about birds we see hopping on the ground?

What do they eat?

As for the question "will birds eat Cheerios?"

I asked the children to take them home, hang them on a tree

and watch.

Then come back to tell me what happens.