Balloon Painting Bunnies

Today we used balloons dipped in paint to make bunny art.

The balloon glides across the paper when it is covered with paint.  I really enjoyed that feeling.

Look how just moving the paint covered balloon makes it look like a bunny.  I see the nose and the ears.

Here's a bunny playing in the mud.

Multi-coloured bunny.

It's a fast hopping bunny!

Bunny friends.

Not all children were willing to pick up a balloon that was covered with paint.  Not so this little one.

The more paint the better.

 A friend suggested that I fill the balloons with different things.  The one the girl above is squeezing has sand in it.  Others had rice, water or air.

And she likes moving around when she works.  Notice the paint on the chair beside her?  Not a problem - it's washable paint.

Signs of the Week - Bunny and Funny

This week we will be focusing on bunnies.
To make the sign for 'bunny' hold up the same two fingers (index and middle) on both hands.
Place the right hand on top of the left.  Pointing fingers up.
Flick fingers of both hands up and down as if the bunny is moving his ears.

The verse we will say this week is "Here is a Bunny"

Here is a bunny with ears so funny
And here is a hole in the ground
At the first sound he hears
He perks up his ears
And hops in the hole in the ground.

Sign of the Week - Pizza

Last week we were reading the story The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza and singing the song I Am A Pizza.
Here is how you sign 'pizza'.
Hold up two fingers on one hand (index and middle finger).  Bend fingers then draw a 'Z' in the air.  That represents the double 'z' in the word pizza.
This is one way to sign pizza.  There would be many variations depending on where you live.

I Am A Pizza

I am a pizza
With extra cheese
From tomatoes
Sauce is squeezed
Onions and mushrooms
Oregano
I am a pizza
Ready to go!

Fairy World

This week I set up an "invite to play" with fairies.

Garden fairies.
I found little ceramic flower fairies with dangly legs.

The dangly legs were fun as the children stood them up and wiggled them back and forth.  Although they were a bit tricky to sit down again.

 Even the older buddies enjoyed the play.

 This posted was shared in the Fairy Garden contest at
http://themagiconions.blogspot.ca/2012/04/fairy-garden-contest-2012.html

Busy Days

This week we are back at school after a one week Spring Break.
Usually after any holiday, when school is closed, families are very happy to get out of the house and come to StrongStart.  This week was no exception.
They came and they played.

Here's the room when we opened this morning.

Here it is mid morning.  Our grade 3 buddies also came to play.

Together we did ball-roll painting, super-sized.  Working together was exciting for big and little buddies.  The patience and awareness the older students are learning is heartwarming. 

And medium-sized ball-rolling. Many hands makes it easier.  Learning when and how to raise and lower the box was a learning experience for all.

We shared snack and played in the water table together.

Played and explored.

It was loud, noisy and a bit chaotic but it was so much fun.

What and who will tomorrow bring?

Bubble Painting

Lovely bubbles.  

We tried two different ways to make bubble art today. 

The first is shown in the picture above. 

Bubble juice in a cup and with a straw blow and blow and blow.

I posted a warning for the parents to check that their child knows how to blow through the straw because sucking in will not taste good.

Some were cautious at first and would blow a little at a time.

Others stopped to watch how the bubbles flowed over the top.

Bubbles make beautiful sculptures.

And are fun to burst.

Then the way to blow changed.  This little one found a bubble blower from the easel and decided to use it at the table.

Who needs to blow it on paper, the important part is just to blow.

You can blow bubbles too hard and it will splatter on you.

A little paper towel takes care of that stickiness.

The second way we blew bubbles was at the easel.  Bubble blowers were available with cups of coloured bubble juice.

But the bubble juice that I bought wasn't very good so this wasn't a popular method.  That changed when we added paint brushes.

This boy hasn't painted at school before but he stayed at the easel for about 20 minutes covering the paper with his beautiful strokes.

Others added to the painting and watched the juice run down the paper.

A parent brought in some bubble juice that she found a Liquidation World in the pet department.  It was very thick and the bubbles lasted for a long time, even landing on the children.  I'll have to get some of it.

What Will They Play With Today?

The week before Spring Break I was feeling a little burned out.  I knew I needed a break to rejuevenate.  So last week for the whole week I tried not to think about work and definitely not go into school.  I avoided planning or updating my blog.  Although I did keep searching the many wonderful blogs out there.

But yesterday morning arrived and I worried about the few new activities that I had put out on the Friday before Spring Break.  Would they be inviting?  Would the children be bored?  I needn't worry for the children were very happy to be back at school regardless of what was out.

Here are a few play areas that developed this morning.

A play invitation with toys off the shelf.

Tea party with a jar full of cookies that have been tucked away for a few months.

A new toy that I found in my crawl space that was my daughter's toy years ago.

The art idea of using oil pastels and baby oil didn't quite interest the children but add paper hole punches and it became a busy area.

The rocking boat is very popular although some little ones are a bit cautious of it at first.

Using the furniture in a new way.  This little boy crawled under the table and pushed out the tub then stood in the hole.  That way he could have everything he wanted all around him.

So what I've learned from today is that old toys can be like new and that I need to relax more and stop thinking that children need new ideas to have fun at play.