How Does a Baster Work?

Turkey basters - how do they work?

 We've used eye droppers a lot at the art table

and it's a challenge for most of the children.

This week I put turkey basters in the water table expecting them to be a challenge too.

I was impressed how much easier they seemed to be able to work the basters

compared to eye droppers.

Is it because they are that much bigger and they can use their whole hand?

 

The parents were wonderful modeling how the baster works and sitting back and letting their child try over and over again.

Here's a photo study of concentration.

After a week of using the baster we will use eye droppers again soon.

Hunting for Teeny Tiny

Last week we went for our first walk in the forest behind our school.  We weren't going to be outside too long so I decided to have them go on a hunt for small items that can be used in our fairy play area.

As a measurement tool we used empty raisin boxes.

This helped the children to really look around and think "what can fit in this box?"

Once they filled their boxes we headed back to the school.

Inside we emptied the boxes at our Fairy table and started to play.

As the children collected their bits outside I overheard a couple of things they imagined they could be; like a stove or a blanket.

I'll be watching and listening for more of their ideas.

Sunflowers

 I love sunflowers.  They are so big and bright.

I set up the art table for the children to work together to paint petals 

to make giant sunflowers for our bulletin board.

 Instead of paint brushes I provided small sponges on a stick.

 

 The children used the sponges on sticks in different ways.

Some dabbing, some swiping, some doing a combination of both.

The sponges were great to help them blend the colours.

Lovely autumn colours.

More at the Beach

One other thing that I have noticed with children at the beach, and pretty much anywhere, is that they love rocks.  The toddlers will pick one up and walk around with it in their fist.  The older children will stick them in their pockets or pails if they are at the beach.  So with that in mind I set up a few activities around rocks while we were at the beach on Monday.

They stacked rocks into towers.

Went on a scavenger hunt to find rocks to match the pictures.

They counted rocks.  

First matching rock to rock on the pictures then counting them.

But the most popular was painting rocks.

What is an activity that you have done around rocks?

A Morning at the Beach

It's our first Monday back to school and we spent it at the beach.  While planning for our first month at school I was trying to think of what we should focus on.  It's difficult after a vacation to know what the children will be interested in.  Even more so at StrongStart because we don't know what children will be coming, which have moved away or on to preschool.  So I thought I would plan around what they may have experienced, living here on an island, during their summer vacation.

The beach!

Last week at school I set up a table that looked like the beach.

Blue fabric for water, beige felt for the sand.

Rocks and shells for crabs to hide under.

 This morning as soon as the children hit the beach they were turning over rocks 

and shells finding crabs.  Little green crabs that they easily pick up.

No fear for most of the children.

We were lucky to find two hermit crabs too.

The bigger one was being shy when I took this picture.

Using Recyclables at the Easel

I've been trying to clear out my storage room knowing that I'll have more donations coming in this year.  So what to do with a box of dividers from apples?

Why not put them at the easel to paint on instead of paper.

 

Some children were a bit unsure and refused to paint on it.  
Others who were unsure gave it a try.  At first making small strokes or dabbing the paint here and there.

Or using the brush to push the bubbly part flat.

Other children were very intrigued and couldn't wait to paint on it so they buddied up.

And a couple showed quite the enthusiasm with having a new way to express themselves.  Almost like Jackson Pollock (I had a little floor clean up after).

I heard some of them telling their parents that they were making new colours.  I noticed that some had one or two strokes of paint and then stopped, while others, like the one here, was covered.  What I noticed the most is that it slowed most of the children's process. As they pulled the brush down the bubbled cardboard it swayed from side to side instead of the smooth motion they were use to.
I wonder what else we could find to paint on.  Any suggestions?

Rearranged Art Area

In my first post this school year, when I talked about setting up the classroom, I mentioned how much time I put in to thinking about the arrangement.  How can each area be improved?  How were the children playing in that area last year?  Did it meet their needs?

Over the past few years I collected and expanded the 'loose parts' available for the children to create with but I couldn't figure out, till nearly the end of last year, why they weren't using them as much as I had expected.

It was because I didn't give them enough table surface to create.

This year's new art area is shown in the above picture.  

I changed the long table, from last year, with two smaller tables.

One table will hold an art idea that I provide for the children to explore.

The other is left clear for them to use.

In the first three days of school it has been used almost constantly.

Going with my focus on opening the areas, I moved the easel away from the wall and set it between the art area and the next.  The shelf that was there is now along the wall.

With one simple move and the children are using the easel far more than they have it the past.