Diversity

We will get to part 2 of our dandelion series on our next post, but I wanted to share a lovely thing that happened today.

We took a trip to our local library, and on the way back we stopped in at the bakery to pick up a little something. While we were in the shop a man walked in. As much as I want to say that the children do not notice differences, they are aware, but the are accepting. You see this man had one leg. 

So I know this wonderful man will probably not see this, but in the event that he does, I want to say thank you for allowing the children to ask you questions, and for your kindness in answering those questions so patiently and with such openness. I know some of the questions were silly, like did the doctor throw your leg in the garbage? To children these questions are important, and you recognized that. Thank you also for showing the children how you can hop on one leg... in the middle of a tiny bakery!

Dandelion Art (part1)

It seems that overnight someone took our grass and replaced it with some dandelions. Now, the Early Childhood person in me is very happy to see these little yellow guys. But on the other hand, the 'first time with a lawn to care for' person in me cringes. It's really a battle of wills. 

But as Jan White points out in her post about dandelions they are complex flowers and ones that seem to have a bit of a bad rap. So because we have a plethora of dandelions at our disposal, this will be the first of a series of what we find to do with dandelions.

As we were walking through the forest this week we stopped occasionally to pick up a dandelion or two, and discovered that there growing along side them were some purple flowers. Now, as a daughter of a horticulturalist I am supposed to know the name of the purple flower, but I just can't remember it... so we called it a Grape Flower, because it reminds us of a cluster of grapes. 

We picked a large number of these two wild flowers, and I suddenly spotted one child holding a dandelion with a grape flower they had stuck in the stem of the dandelion. I was so curious, so I stopped to take a photo.

As we continued along, I then noticed that each and every child had done the exact same thing with their flowers. 

Just for fun here's a fun little Dandelion Time Lapse video that we found so interesting.

Determination

This is a story of determination and persistence.

It all started when a desired item (in this case a car) was at the bottom of the stairs, and a very determined child wanted it at the top of the stairs. The solution seemed simple enough, but as it was discovered, it was not so simple. 

So it required a little sit down to think the process through.

The biggest problem was the floppy wheels that kept getting stuck in between the stairs. 

Beside the stairs were some circular pieces of wood that to a three year old seemed to be a perfect solution and a makeshift ramp was created.

It seemed to work quite well

But this three year old discovered that gravity was a bigger problem than anticipated.

But a few good pushes worked quite well.

Almost there!

Sweet Success!!!

To the left of the photo above you can see an opportunist. A moment previous to this photo, the little brother seized the opportunity to hop in this little car while his big sister, who worked so hard, had gone to remove the wooden circles from the stairs. After a quick negotiation, it was sorted out, so the child that worked so hard was able to enjoy the fruits of her labour. 

Ropes, Tubes and Wheels

Our blocks and bricks have taken a back burner for the last few weeks and have been replaced with tubes, ropes and wheels. The variety of play that has come from having these items to create, build, roll, and pull has been endless. It took a while to get used to these new items. We tend to be closed minded at times, and items like these have really caused us to step it up and think with an open mind. 

Below the children created a bridge with the tubes. The children involved took turns leaping over the bridge, and they upped the ante by adding a tube after each rotation of turns. Of course, this was after the tubes were artistically decorated.

Ropes in play added a new dimension and challenge. The first step was untangling the ropes!

A donation of cable reels have really challenged our creativity.

A snake charmer's basket of snakes.

The cable reels and ropes made little puppies tied to their leash.

Rope tying is tricky, and new to a few of us

A 'puppy' being taken for a walk

The 'off leash' area. 

Then suddenly, the reels that were once puppies became a set of wheels for some gross motor play! 

Keep your eyes open for what else we create and imagine during our play with these materials!

'It's just so squishy'

We have never been ones to shy away from getting messy, and even getting right up to our elbows and beyond. Shaving cream sensory play is an activity we engage in quite often. It's fun, it's messy, it's smells nice, and well, it's just so squishy. 

Usually this activity is a whole table experience... right onto the table, and well, i'm embarrassed to admit... I wasn't feeling it on this particular day. This was my attempt at 'containing the mess' but allowing for the experience to happen. 

These photos are just the beginning of what happened this day. It started out as I had 'planned', but quickly, it became an experience, one that I did not want to miss out on, nor did I want to stop. These photos showcase the process that lead to me jumping in with the children, thus disabling me from photographing the experience. But, rest assured the shaving cream was even in our hair! Sometimes we just need to let go, and jump in! It was very therapeutic. If ever you are having one of those days, just spray a little shaving cream on the table, or the floor, or wherever and squish it, even squish it between your toes. The children can join in with you, or you can enjoy the moment yourself (I won't tell).

Disco Fever!!!

A few weeks back we hung some Easter Egg Disco Ball things in our windows (yes, here I go again, raving about our windows, but we love them THAT MUCH!!) They were quite neat, and certainly added to the sensorial (is that even a word?) side of our classroom. I should point out that they shimmered like a disco ball, but the effect was a bit hard to see... the dots were mostly restricted to the windowsills. So the results were neat, but not quite what they could have been.

All in all we enjoyed them quite a bit that we have just taken them down, but not before a little discussion about how sad it was that Easter was over, and the reason was that the 'shiny Easter Eggs' would be put away. 

I did consider leaving the eggs up, and probably would have if I didn't find these in my latest 'shopping spree' at the local Dollarama!

The children helped hang these in the window, on a more than cloudy morning. The fanfare was subdued, and the children carried on with their day without a second thought. But it wasn't until the late afternoon that the magic happened. 

Our camera could not capture the true effect, but it was truly magical. Just imagine the entire classroom shrouded in tiny spinning dots. The children's faces added to the magic of it all. They all just stood in the middle of the room looking at the ceiling in delight and awe. 

In addition to the lovely disco balls, we have hung CDs in our windows, and the results are quite outstanding. 

  

Such a simple and easy thing, but oh so effective.

We made ourselves a table!!!

There are some pretty amazing things you can do with pallets, and we put our own spin on a table making project. 

She's a Beaut!