Countdown Calendar

This year I made a countdown calendar that I saw several years ago and ever since have been searching the thrift stores for the 24 mini cupcake pan needed.
                
I sprayed the pan red to give it a festive feel and cut out 24 paper circles to cover each hole.
                
As I was considering what to put in it I found 24 Christmas Jokes for children on the Nurture Store site for free.
                          
                        A fun alternative to chocolate calendars.

Pasta Fossils

Last week we spent a lot of time creating new dinosaurs.
  
Using cork screws, shells and penne pasta the children created dinosaur skeletons.
 
After they created their skeleton they were encouraged to name and label it.

Then using an extra camera the children took a picture documenting their work.
 
Just like paleontologists we recorded our creations.
    
The grown ups modelled and supported their child’s attempt at printing.  Taking photos was a big draw for the children.  At the end of one day there was about 35 pictures of different creations on the camera.
                        
 
  
I printed off all the children’s pictures (the ones that were in focus) and made a spiral bound book for them to revisit.

The children really enjoyed taking photos of their work.  I want to find more ways to encourage this form of involvement and documentation.

Building Towers

I found this tower building toy at a thrift store.  I'm trying to use less plastic toys but this one challenges the children in different ways.  First they have to figure out how to set it so when they push the button to knock it down that it will.
  
Then they have to work on building it up, balancing each layer on top of the other so they don't fall before they want it to.
                     
  
I encouraged the children to show me how to build a tower and I copied theirs.  I noticed soon after a couple of parents doing the same thing.
                   
The surprise, when they press the X, and watch the tower tumble was the best part.

Gingerbread Creation 2015

Each year our StrongStart centre creates and donates a gingerbread creation to our local Boys & Girls Club’s fundraiser.  We always share the fun with our big buddy class.

This year I found our inspiration on Pinterest and shared it with our big group.
     
     
                             
      We met for a planning session and drew Christmas trees.

 
                       
The next day the StrongStart children made gingerbread squares that will be used
                     to make a wall around the trees.
  
            That afternoon the big buddies made rice krispie trees.

       
        
               
This week we got together to decorate the trees.  It was so tempting to eat the candy instead of putting it on the tree but our big buddies were great models and the trees were well decorated.

    
                    
Tonight, at our evening session, the walls went up and we decorated around it with
                                             lollipops.

       
              
A final step was to add snow.  We sifted icing sugar to give a snowy effect.
                   Some of the trees looks like a storm hit.

Tube Dino Skeletons

A simple, quick activity I set out this morning after I received a donation of a bag of
                                                tubes.
                    
                
    
                                    Adding a head and teeth.
          
                                     Tyrannosaurus Rex