Painting with Feathers

A simple but fun art+nature activity.....large feathers we found on a nature walk and tempera cakes.  Really any type of paint would work!  The kids had a great time using something different as a paint brush!  After painting their papers with the quill end, they ended up dipping the barbs in the paint, which yielded really pretty feathers I snatched up to use on my nature shelf!  

On Our Nature Shelf....exploring rocks and gems

Remember that sometimes just "putting it out there" is a great way to invite little learners to explore science (or any!) objects.  When we were in South Dakota this summer, there was a big rock display at a gift shop.  They were reasonably priced, so I picked up a nice selection for our geology studies.  I haven't yet had time to pull together a geology study, but I did decide to put the rocks out for open exploration.

Note that my kids have been taught how to explore scientific objects properly--They take the whole tray/basket to the table and handle the items gently.  Then they return the items to the shelf when finished.  They also know these specimens aren't for playing with in other areas of the house, they are specifically for scientific exploration, so they won't be included in building a castle or hauled in mini dump trucks (we have other rocks for that!!)

I love these little Golden Guides and pick them up whenever I see them at used book stores or thrifting.

Putting this little display out for my kiddos really peaked their interest and both of them have enjoyed looking at, touching, and exploring the rocks and gems.  Q will even use the book to try to identify them!

Obviously these rocks are more interesting than things we could find in our backyard, but we make some great nature displays even from our own area.  Often we save rocks that have neat textures or shapes or sizes to put on our nature table, so don't be discouraged if you don't have something amazing.

Including kiddos in finding items for your nature table/shelf is always a hit.  They feel ownership and pride and are so much more likely to use good stewardship for "their" items!

What's on your nature table/shelf/windowsill??!!!

Going on a leaf hunt!

Around here we still have leaves falling.  We had a fun walk trying to find as many colors of leaves as we could and making our leaf sticks pretty!  We just poked a sharp stick through our leaves as we walked around our nearby nature park.  I did a pile of green ones and then a pattern of red and yellow leaves.  A fun, simple activity that encourages mathematical patterning, observation skills and a little artistry when deciding how to arrange the leaves.  I did this activity with a 3 year old and a 2 year old and they both loved it!

Three sticks, a piece of string, a couple blankets=an outside play tipi that they go CRAZY over!

She played out here for hours...and for several days.  Until it rained and we had to take it down.  Maybe this week will bring more tipi-building!  The cat will be thrilled!  He thinks we built it for his naps.

Sun nature table

 I am constantly rearranging our spaces to fit the current season of our lives.  This summer we've been doing lots of time at the kitchen table, learning, playing and working.  So I made a little nature shelf area right next to the table (under the window.)  Everything on this shelf is to be touched and played-with, of course!

I'll describe in detail what was there during our "sunshine" unit.

These two little cards were colored with chalk--I did one and Q did the other. 

 On the backs of them were our sunshine song (Mr. Sun) and our fingerplay. 

 This was a little sunshine made (sorta) by Beck.  He was wanting to cut with scissors.  I held the paper for him and he made slits all along it.  As I was cleaning up for the day I grabbed a piece of orange paper and rolled it up inside the red and it made a perfect little sun!  So onto the nature table it went!  He loves carrying it around saying, "sunshine" or something that sorta sounds like the word.  :)

 This is just a wooden/felt sunshine I already had that we added to the table. 

 I cut the previously mentioned sunshine paintings into little pieces and put them in this gold bag.  The kids enjoy putting them in, taking them out, carrying them around, etc. 

 This is one of Beck's paintings--we did a lot of painting with the colors of the sun.  I cut a dry painting into a (sorta) sun shape and attached a stick to use as a waver. 

 Summer tealight candle holder from HERE:

Quinn traced the pattern, cut out and sewed this (with my help only to hold it still while she sewed) and I sewed on the beads. 

We also have some sunshine-y artwork hanging--some paintings I cut into our initials after they were dried, a star Beck made (after we talked about the fact that the sun is a star--about which Q still doesn't believe me), a collage sun Beck and I made together, and a few other paintings.  And a random shark Q still doesn't want to take down even though it was made in May.  :)

 

We also have a little "sun gnomie" that lives on the nature shelf this month, but he was hiding when I took the picture.  He has since been located (hiding in a bouquet of my flowers) and I will soon photograph him and post.  

Tomorrow's May Day.....

Any flower crowns on your agenda?

The great OUTDOOR TOY CHALLENGE!

My good friend, E stepped up to my outdoor challenge and headed to "Sally's" (Salvation Army) to replenish her outdoor toys.  She says:
"$2.33, I'm super impressed!  The plastic spatula is because I didn't see any metal on this trip:)  Cheese knife, 3 wooden spoons, 1 metal spoon, 1 spatula, 1 tongs, 1 grater."
 

Five stars for her and these great finds!!  Who's next?  Email me your pics and I'll post em!

PS) Another great thing about these outdoor toys--they are wonderful vocabulary builders--tongs, grater, spatula....all words a child will learn as they play with these items!

What Rabbits Do

We are studying rabbits right now.  I made up a game for us to play during our circle time--needed something that could include an 18 month and 4 year old.  I cut some of Q's watercolors (I save them for projects) into rabbit shapes using a cookie cutter.  Then I wrote different things rabbits do on them.  When we play the game, we put on our rabbit ears (headbands with ears that we have).  We take turns drawing a rabbit, then we do what the rabbit card says.  We have fun acting out the different actions.  For example, for "Eat" we "hop" all around the living room to different parts of the garden and pretend to eat beans, carrots, cabbage, parsley, etc.  The kids' favorite is "dig."  Both kids love this game and get very into playing it!  They learn some great vocabulary words, exercise their large and small muscles and use some pretend play!

Groundhog Day flashback

Candlemas and Groundhog day are on the same day.  This year they were on a Saturday, so we didn't actually celebrate either on the correct day.  But the following week I decided to teach Q a little bit about the tradition of Groundhog day.  I needlefelted a little groundhog.  Sorta.  I am still not happy with it looking "groundhoggy" enough, but I fussed with it for several days and finally decided it would have to do.  We kept it on our table for the week and the kids enjoyed holding and playing with it.  It went into our box of Valentine decorations to re-emmerge next year!

We read these two books this year:

 

Note--this book has a Halloween Witch and Santa in the story, so if you are not fans of these two you may want to forego this book.  Though it is a fun read!

We didn't get any more involved than just reading the books and talking a little bit about shadows.  I saved the titles of several more "shadow" and "groundhog" books to my "February" teaching folder on my computer, so next year we may choose to delve deeper!

Beeswax candle rolling, a felted Snow Fairy, and our winter tablescape

Our dinner table is our spot to keep a seasonal nature round.  Ours is a piece of log with holes drilled in it for candles.  We decided this week to make some new candles and use the beeswax candle set we'd gotten for Christmas!  It's very simple to use--you cut the wick and roll up the wax sheets.  You can add embelishments if desired.  We went mostly simple this time--a few plain and a bit of decorating.  Q loved it, but I would say that it was on the edge of her ability level.  She's 4.5 and it was a little tricky for her to roll up the candle tightly and evenly, but she was able to do it with some help.  We both had so much fun making our candles!
 

Here's our table scape for winter:
-I felted the snow fairy out of a felted wool sweater, white roving, a snowflake cut from some scrap fabric, and metallic silver yarn for embelishment. 
-a small blue vase (that belonged to my Grandmommy) filled with white clovers we found in the field--because the Snow Fairy loves all things white.
-some clear "jewels"
-pipecleaner snowflakes
-"snow" (cotton)
-pinecones

 

-a little snowshoe hare I made from some playdough we were working with

-some leaf skeletons we found in the field where a pond had begun to dry up
-some moss and lichens on a piece of bark

 

 

We really enjoy having a space to keep and look at some seasonal treasures.  Q also found a couple tiny white stones and tiny snail shells that were white that she put on the table, as well!  We enjoy lighting the candles at dinnertime and looking at all our treasures anytime we're gathered around the table.  My kids love contributing to the collection and changing stuff out over the course of the seasons.  

Backyard Birds of Winter

We've been reading about winter backyard birds.  We've been watching them out our window, as well!
We learned from our book that birds like suet in the winter to give them protein since they aren't eating as many birds.  So we had a project this week of "winterizing" our bird feeding area!

We made a pole in the ground with a branch and hung our suet on it.  We tied another branch on to make a perch for birds to sit while they eat. 

We bought a new bag of seed and put some out!

We rinsed and refilled the birdbath.

And now we've been watching to see what types of birds come to our yard! 

Such a fun way to incorporate practical life, motor skills, science concepts, and literacy skills as we take care of our feathered friends!

December Playroom Update

We've had so much fun in our fall farm-y playroom!  With the coming of the Advent season, it's time to prepare our space.  Advent is a time of simplifying in order to fully focus on Jesus as Emanuel--God With Us.  To keep in line with this, I simplified our playroom big time.  I took out a lot of stuff, and it helped that all our doll furniture is being borrowed for an adoption shower, so that was an easy way to clear some space in our play area.  I also took many items off the workshelves. 

To provide a little change, I covered the playroom rug with a pretty quilt my grandma made us as a wedding present.  I have decided to be a person who uses my quilts to pieces, so it makes me so happy to sit on it while I play with my babies! 

I also try to rearrange the set up and furniture of the playroom each couple of months to give a fresh feel and renewed interest in the areas. 

I took the green leaves and bees off our branch and now all that is left are a few yellow and brown leaves.  In January we'll add snowflakes and forest animals.  But for now I want the branch bare. 

As you can see, the animals are a big fan of the floor quilt.  :)

This side of the room just holds a few little chairs, the basket of doll clothing/accessories, and Ms. Mouse and her clothes. 

Our little table holds our lantern from the Lantern walk and lots of candles.  My kids LOVE these fake candles.  They love switching them off and on, singing with them (This Little Light of Mine, Twinkle, Twinkle....), and just generally playing with them!  On the candle tray we've also collected some pretty pinecones and Q and I made some acorn fairies out of felt scraps and acorns. 

New playsilks!  We took a trip to Hobby Lobby this week and Q chose two wintery colors.  She has been playing like crazy with playsilks and clothespins this week!  She is very into clipping the silks to her hair.....

I put several of Beck's cars/trains on the floor. 
As part of Advent, we're not going to go full into Christmas and Christmas decorations quite yet.  We'll take our time focusing on the birth of Jesus first.  As a result we don't have Christmas things out, except this book.  I bumped into it on my bookshelf and knew if I didn't set it out now I would totally forget about it, and Beck would be too big for it next year.  So I am cheating a little bit.  :)
We also have some of our fall items still out.  I LOVE giving myself permission not to go crazy into all things Christmas and allow our family to finish out the fall season and enter into Christmas leisurely.  I've never felt this peaceful during this time of year before.....All of that to say, we still have some pumpkins, acorns and gourds out in the playroom.  :)

Little Man is loving tools.  I got out a few of his pounding items.  I always put these types of toys on their own rug and teach my children that they (and their pieces) live on the rug.  This helps give a good boundary for items that otherwise tend to fly all over the room.  And hammers need a gently reminder and sometimes physical redirection that "hammers are for hitting nails or balls."  I love having some type of hammering work out at all times with toddlers--they have a natural tendency to hit when they are frustrated, and a hammering area provides a good spot for redirection--"We hit on our nailbench." 

I also put out part of our Melissa and Doug tool kit.  Just a couple of each of the screws and nails (one of our nails broke this week...booo) and three of the tools.  You know my constant mantra to only put out the number of items that a child can clean up successfully--you never HAVE to put out full sets. 

We always have fun playing with mixed nuts in their shells at holiday time.  Q chose these out of a big bin at the grocery store.  Putting them in a mini muffin tin encourages counting and one-to-one correspondence as well as fine motor skills when putting them in and out.  A spoon or tongs can be combined, for additional fine motor practice.  Beck likes to dump the tray and put them back (well....some of them back....he's totally a one year old!).  Q engages in LOTS of imaginary play with them.  And we have more than what fits in this tray, so anytime Daddy is home the kids will bring him nuts to crack for eating!  This is also a great science skill!!

In our doll basket I put out some doll coats and some festive dresses.   

My grandma made these dresses for us when we were kids!  Love that Q is now playing with them!

 
Our shelf isn't real exciting right now.  It holds Q's baby from her Rainbow Bridge ceremony on her 4th birthday and also a basket of clothespins.  As a reminder, I keep clothespins accessible at all times.  They end up coming into use for all sorts of things in the playroom--usually combined with playsilks!

On the dressup shelf I put out a little jewelery box of bead necklaces.  It's been out before, but for the past year or so it's been in the closet, so Q has renewed interest in playing with it!  And Little Man loves opening and closing it!

As we enter Advent we'll be adding specific items to our playroom, so stay tuned!