Wet Felting

               
This year I learned a new technique for wet felting using a ziplock bag.
          
You need wool roving, ziplock bag (we used a large bag), dish soap and water. 
Gently pull the roving apart in small pieces and layer it in your ziplock bag. 
Do several layers changing the direction you lay the roving for each layer. 
This will be the background of your piece.
          
Next I had the children choose the colour of roving they each wanted to
use and had them pull a piece apart and place it on the background
colour. 
 
In the pictures above I had them dip their piece of roving in water first,
I won’t do that again as it proved to be unnecessary.
                
Once all the pieces are in the bag, spray it all with water and squirt some
dish soap in the bag.  Seal it and then let the children rub and rub and rub.

Flip it over and keep on rubbing.  Pass it around and let everyone have a turn.
 
As you rub, the agitation, the soap and water helps the wool felt together.  Be
sure you rub the edges too otherwise you’ll be able to pull it apart when you
take it out.
      
As an adult it took me about 15 minutes of constant rubbing to finish the
felting project.  So it may take all day with children helping depending on
their interest. 
To test if it is finished, open the bag and gently tug on the wool.  If it
doesn’t pull apart then it is done but if it does then close bag again and
keep rubbing.
When you think it is finished take it out of the bag and gently rinse it
under running water then lay flat to dry.
    
This is the only photo I have of the the big group project
(framed on the wall in the top left corner of photo).

May’s Play Trays

Shaped erasers and a wooden house tray for filling.
 
Embroidery hoops made into button and snap frames.
At a thrift store I bought a child’s buttoned shirt and a
baby’s sleeper with snaps then I stretched them with the
hoop.  If I was to make it again I would find a shirt with
much bigger buttons.
   
Clothespins on a string.  Under the string are numbers, 1-6,
and on the clothespins are dots to match.
 
  
The Very Hungry Caterpillar came to life by using a
large cleaner pipe cleaner, with a red pom pom head
attached, eating it’s way through wooden fruit (napkin
holders purchased at a thrift store).

Wind up bugs for racing as well as learning how-to
wind up a toy.
              
  
Butterfly trays and felt butterflies for sorting.
         
 
Hair rollers for pulling apart and fitting inside each other.
For talking about size and colours.
  
An old wooden game, pony beads and tweezers for matching,
and for pincher grip practice.

A Used Book Swap

It’s summer holidays here and the centre has been closed for a couple of weeks now.  But before we closed a parent suggested we start a group email list for anyone interested in getting together during the summer break.  I included myself on that list, knowing that I would be around for part of the time. 
Families have been getting together at the beach and the park, staying in touch and getting to know each other better.

Today I invited the families to participate in a used book swap at a park.  I brought a box of books I’ve been collecting from thrift stores and library book sales.  The families brought a book, added it to the collection and then chose a new one.
       
We made our own books using a single piece of paper and no staples.
 
Here’s a good tutorial of how to fold the book.
 
We spent sometime on the playground then shared some songs and stories.

This activity worked to encourage the children's interest in books and stories.
          
I'm sure there will more get togethers this summer.

Glorius Goop

A couple of months ago my computer crashed and took all my photos and videos with it.  Fortunately I had most of them saved on my computer at work.  So now that I'm on holidays I have time to transfer them to my home computer.  It's been fun finding old videos that I haven't shared on this blog. 

Here is one about a child experiencing 'goop' in the sensory table. 

Goop is a simple recipe of cornstarch and water but it changes consistency as you play with it.  On impact it becomes a solid but when you let it go it changes back to a liquid.

This video is of a little girl, her mom and another child the same age. 

The mom is encouraging the child to try it and refers to the change as melting which her daughter picks up on and plays with that notion.

At one point her mom challenges her to think that the ball of goop she has made will not melt this time but the little girl is positive it will and when she is right she is delighted.

The child continues to explore the sensation of the goop on her skin by applying it to her arms.  At one point she quietly lets her mom know that she doesn't like it and mom is supportive by wiping it off for her.

I think what I really like about this video is that the child's excitement experimenting with the goop is the same that I had when I first was introduced to it some 30 years ago.

Drum Play

Parents have been saving coffee cans, infant formula cans and any other big can with a lid and bringing them in to StrongStart.  We finally had enough for a larger group, approximately 30, to use.  Here are a few songs that we sang using our DIY drums.

Boom Ditty Boom

Boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom
Down in the jungle where nobody goes
Lives a great big gorilla washing his clothes.
Playing boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom
Boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom

Down in the jungle where nobody goes
Was a very tall giraffe walking on his toes
 Playing boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom
Boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom

Down in the jungle where nobody goes
Was a great big elephant blowing his nose.
Playing boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom
Boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom

Down in the jungle where nobody goes
Was a pack of lemurs walking in a row
Playing boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom
Boom ditty boom ditty boom boom boom

 Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Jingle Bells

And lastly Twinkle Little Star.

The Caterpillar and the Polliwog

I’ve mentioned before that I belong to a storytellers group and we get together once a month to share stories.  This month, Jenny shared a story from an old book that she had created into a felt story. 
       The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent.

It was a great choice to use to finish up our study of butterflies and frogs.
To make the felt board I coloured copied some of the pictures from the book, laminated them, then attached a magnet to the back and I was ready to tell the story.

Below are the highlights of the story.
        
Down by the pond there lives a caterpillar who was very proud of being different. 
She bragged to her friends “When I grow up, I’m going to turn into something else.”
 
Her friends weren’t too impressed by the caterpillar but the polliwog thought it
was great and wished that he could change into something else too.  The fish
reassures the polliwog that he will change too but doesn’t tell him what.
 
On her second time around the pond the caterpillar brags to the polliwog that she
will change and the polliwog replies that he will too.  That stops the caterpillar in
it’s tracks and feels a little sad that she isn’t the only unique creature.  When the
polliwog is asked what it will change into, he doesn’t know but decides to be the
same as the caterpillar.  So he watches while she spins her chrysalis and waits for
her to come out.
 
All the time he is waiting he is changing.  The polliwog is very excited to see the
butterfly emerge and begins jumping up and down like a frog, “I was so busy
watching you, I didn’t notice what was happening to me!” he says.
      
As a new caterpillar crawls by bragging that he will turn into something else
the frog doesn’t pay attention.  He is too distracted admiring his reflection in
the water.  “I am, you know, a handsome frog!”