Drip & Twist Painting

Drip and twist painting attracted many children to the art table today.

I got the idea from Deborah over at Teach Preschool.

But added our own little twist to it.

 We used eye droppers to drip the paint on to a paper plate.

 Creating new colours as we went.

 Then used a little cup to press the paint and twist.

 Add some more

and twist again.

I like how they got into the rhythm with the eye dropper in one hand

and the cup in the other.

Alternating back and forth.

They are beautiful.

Even without a twist.

 Or big twists.

Some children did 4 - 5 pieces of work.

All ages gave it a try.

Play Trays Last Week

 Counting bugs.

Five containers with numbers written on the outside of the lid.

On the inside of the lid there are dots to correspond with the number.

I provided tweezers to use to pick up the bugs.

 Matching bugs.

I drew two coloured dots to help show that the bugs match.

 Although some families thought it had to be colour coordinated to the colours on the bugs.

Ta Da!

 Matching coloured chopsticks.

 The tray is simple with lots of holes.

 Each hole is big enough to hold 2 chopsticks together.

 But it takes coordination to get them in the holes.

Snail Garden 2012

It's that time of year when we see and talk a lot about bugs.

What is the attraction for children?

Is it because bugs can be so small?

Or wiggly?

Colourful?

I'm not sure but many children that come to the program are interested.

 

Each year we build a garden for snails to live.

This week we started.

I have been inspired by many 'fairy' gardens I've seen on pinterest

so decided to ask the children to design the garden

instead of just planting grass.

We started with our container filled with potting soil.

(Yes there are a few plastic bugs in it.)

We brainstormed ideas of what could be in the garden,

fences,

rocks,

pond,

toadstools,

 moss, etc.

Then today we put it together.

A bench for a chat with visitors, a moss bed, a pond surrounded with pretty glass stones 

and flat stones for easy sliding.

It also has toadstools and wooden boulders.

 But it needs grass.

We sprinkled wheat grass and lawn grass seeds all over.

 The bottle was empty by the time I returned.

Now we wait for the grass to grow.

Then invite a few snails to move in.

Big Flowers

Art today was painting really big flowers.

 I found these colourful pot scrubbers at a store.

 They are made of foam and are easy to grab.

I matched the colour of the scrubber to paint.

And the children printed on large coffee filters.

They make a pretty bulletin board.

Planting Seeds

It was buddy day and we planted seeds together.

Our new school has greenhouses and a garden so we are preparing to have these seeds grow through the summer and harvest when we come back to school in the fall.

These seeds will start inside so we can care for them and watch them sprout.

Then move them out to the greenhouse before ending up in the ground.

We started by decorating the tube

(not that it will matter because the whole tube will go in the ground).

 This process helps the bond strengthen between the two ages.

They are becoming comfortable fitting into each others classrooms and space.

 

The conversations and stories that I overheard are assisting in building friendships.

Next we filled the tubes 3/4 full

before adding the seed.

Then topping it off with more soil.

The children chose between pumpkins or sunflowers.

Cooking on a Round Table

I was fortunate to get a round table for our room during the school's move 

to our new location.

The table is used as our snack table.

I like it for visibility.

Everyone who sits around it has a view of everyone else.

I feel it leads to open conversations.

It's also great for when we cook together.

Like today,

we made carrot ginger cookies.

Everyone wants a turn,

and everyone gets a turn.

We work our way around the table.

 Taking turns stirring,

measuring,

 learning how to fill the measuring cup full

then leveling it off.

They pass the bowl then eagerly await their next turn.

Always willing.

 Learning how to use a new utensil

 and watching our cookies appear.

They were delicious.

I found the recipe on Martha Stewart website.

Here's the recipe for the cookie and not the frosting (you can go to the site if you want that)

• For The Cookies

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup packed, finely grated, peeled carrots
  • 1/3 cup dried currants

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat until combined. Cover; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and egg yolk. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until combined. Mix in oats, carrots, and currants.
3. Drop dough by level tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake until edges are crisp, rotating baking sheets halfway through, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.