Light and Shadow

Children explored light and shadow with the overhead projector.  They were able to add different items to the project.  Some children colored on the paper or even tried to trace the shadow lines.

Stick it real good

The children in our class were very interested in working with tape and scissors, so we did tape on canvas.  The children were given colorful tape and scissors.  Children worked on their cutting skills.  They also had to master tape and all of it's stickiness.  They worked on handling it , so that it did not get stuck together.  Some children used the table to get their tape ready before adding it to the canvas.  We talked about size, shape, and patterns.

The taping project did not end there.  Some tape was left out and a child decided to explore what she could do with tape.  There were three chairs stacked on the table and she began to wrap the tape around the legs of the chair.  The teacher decided to go with it.  The next day the teacher brought out the chairs that had been taped and allowed children to continue the project.  We called it our tape sculpture.  The children worked together and by themselves to cut and tape the chairs.  They used their entire body to wrap the tape around the chairs as some slowly walked around the chairs, while others just taped in one area.  Some children enjoyed taping the chairs so much that they began to tape large trucks and cars.  Some children added toys to our tape sculpture.  They had to problem solve and work through cause and effect as they worked on making the toys stick to the sculpture.

                               

                                   

Taping continued to play a large part in our curriculum children worked on their problem solving sills as they stuck blocks to tape.

Fairy Garden

Some of the children were talking about fairies, so we decided to make our very own fairy garden.  We first decided to build them houses with wood, nails, and glue.  We worked together to build one house and some children were having so much fun that we made three all together.

First we hammered nails in to build the main structure of the house.  Next, we glued on smaller wood pieces as decoration.  We painted the houses with colorful paint and then a clear coating of paint to protect it from outdoor elements.

 We painted large pots and planted succulents in them.  The children planned out where they wanted each item to go in the pots.  They decided to create stone paths in the pot leading up to the house.

 One child created this fairy house all on her own.  She used popsicle sticks as a roof for her house.

 Two children worked together to create this house.  They painted it with polk-a-dots on it and insisted that their house have a bed inside for the fairy to sleep in.

 We later made a concrete mosaic sign for our garden.  The children had recently watched construction workers pour concrete into our new STEM Garden.  They sat and watched as it came through a large hose and then flattened it out.  We mixed our own concrete and spelled out Fairy Garden with letter tiles.  The children added colorful tiles and jewels to the sign.

Last we walked around our garden in search for a place to put our Fairy Garden.  We decided on a spot under our Fig tree.  We set everything up and told the other classes about our contribution to the garden.  Our Director was so excited about our project that she gave us a small fairy.  We place her next to one of the fairy houses.

Mosaics

Different frames were set out on the table along with rocks, mosaic tiles, jewels, and wood chips.  Children were encouraged to create designs using the different materials set out.  When children were done, a photo was taken of their work and that was used as their documentation of their art.  By not gluing materials down, we were able to use materials many times.

                                               

Dirt Exploration

I had two bins set up with potting soil, measuring cups, containers, and plants.  The children were able to cut the plants with scissors and explore the texture and smell of the materials.  We added water to see how the dirt changed.  Children cut the plants and planted them in containers that they filled with dirt.


Fine motor skills
Cause and effect
Dramatic play
Math (Measuring cups)

HAMMER TIME

I wanted children to work on their hammering skills.  We used real hammers, yes real hammers, and goggles.  They hammered leaves onto foam core.  I used foam core because I wanted the children to work with something that was easier than wood.  I also found two large pieces of foam at our school.  Children worked by first going around our yard looking for leaves.  Once they found the leaves they came over and hammered them onto the foam.  They worked together helping each other find leaves and took turns waiting for a spot at the table.  The children's personalities shown through as they hammered the leaves on.  Some children hammered the leaves in a line, while others hammered them on in a scattered design.  

WOOD WORKING

We have been working wood in our class.  Children created wood sculptures on canvases and free standing.  They had previously colored on wood with markers, so they used some of the colored pieces.  Some worked together, while others worked on their own.  They had to problem solve as they created their designs.

Bringing Nature into The Classroom

Nature Through The Mirror  The class had been working with mirrors, so I put out mirrors with seed pods, sticks, leaves, and pokey balls.  The children placed the items onto the mirrors in different designs.

Hammering Flowers  We got many beautiful flowers from the children for Teacher Appreciation Week and as they were getting older we decided to use them for art.  The children placed the flowers onto the fabric and then folded it inhalf. they hammered the fabric and then opened it up to find that the flowers had left marks on the fabric.

Potion Making  We used some of the flowers to make what we called potions.  The children used flowers, water, and glitter.  They mashed, mixed, stirred, and said magical spells as they worked with the materials.

Flowers, Stems, and Glue  Children cut stems and flowers and placed them onto the canvas to create designs.

More Sewing

We decided to sew on canvas too.  The children used embroidery needles with embroidery floss on the canvases.  They even added on buttons.

This activity works on fine motor skills and patterning.

Just Keep Sewing

We started out by using a sewing table that I made with PVC pipes.  the children stood around the table as they sewed.  They worked on going in and out.  Many children went around the sides.  I let them explore and didn't correct them.  This helped them to work on their fine motor skills and patterning.

Next we used plastic grids from Michael's.  Some children drew out lines that they then sewed along the line.  They did the first letter of their name or shapes or lines.

We later came into possession of a large piece of tree bark.  The children decided to paint it and then we continued to explore sewing on different surfaces.  The children had to use a lot more strength as they pushed the needle through the bark.  They also added beads onto their thread.  This continued to strengthen their fine motor skills.