May 17, 2019

We have used different tools to create unique art pieces, painting with Popsicle sticks, feathers, pipe cleaners, clothespin with yarn, pom poms, clothespin with cotton balls, and the popular rubber band painting tool. It’s also amazing what you can do with recycled materials or how the children maneuver and manipulate a painting tool. They are creating a different pattern, texture, and it allows children to explore and discover new things. Creating art expands a child’s ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Learning about colors, mastering fine motor skills, and when children experiment with materials, they dabble in science. Most important, art helps their self-confidence; children feel good while they are creating.

We read a variety of books, and among the many songs we sang were:

• ABC

• Johnny works with one hammer…..

• Head and Shoulders…..

• Mr. Sun

• You are My Sunshine

• 7 days in a week

• What’s the weather

• Where is thumpkin…..

• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

• Hello, how are you? Good Morning Song

• Jump in the water

• The Wheels on the Bus

• Watermelon

  Specialists:

Monday afternoon, Karate

Wednesday morning, Soccer

Tuesday morning, Spanish

Tuesday morning, Cooking with Diane

In honor of Parent’s Day, Diane made another body and foot soak, using Epson salt and orange water. The teachers also received one. Enjoy!!! The aroma is relaxing!

Thursday morning, Music

Music is essential because it helps the body and mind work together. Exposing children to music during early development helps them learn the sounds and meanings of words. Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression. For children and adults, music helps strengthen memory skills.  
It's lovely to see and hear as children sing songs along with the music specialist, Emily.  Toward the end of the session, the children had the opportunity to touch the strings of her guitar.  They appeared very excited!!!

Thursday afternoon, Yoga

Art

Painting with Popsicle Sticks

The children have experienced manipulating and maneuvering different drawing tools during the year. Each child has created beautiful work of arts as they explored. Each painting tool provided different experiences.

Painting with Forks

The children seemed to enjoy dipping the fork into the paint and then pressing the fork down onto the paper. They appeared surprised, as they noticed the pattern they created. I enjoy exploring and discovering new things for the children to investigate.

Pipe cleaners glued on recycled paper rolls, made an interesting art tool.  The children selected three colors and rolled back and forth the roller, creating straight and wavy lines.  

They are painting with Aluminum Foil paper using paintbrushes, sponge-like brush, sponges, and their hands.  Foil painting is also a sensory activity.  Rohan preferred to use his hands to explore the paint.  He seems to enjoy the texture of the paint.

Whether you are packing boxes or using it to protect a gift, bubble wrap painting is a fun and interactive activity for young children.  Revisiting art on bubble wrap paper, the children still manage to pop the bubbles before painting. 

A dexterity exercise like this one is a fun way to play and get those muscles of the hand moving and strengthened to improve endurance and positioning. 

The teacher asked Alexandra where your eyes, ears, mouth, and hair are?  She pointed to each as she looks at herself in the mirror.  Then she created a self-portrait on canvas using pipe cleaners. 

Wire Sculpture Self-Portrait

The joy, creativity, and the imagination of children always inspires us. As I observe the children exploring and manipulating pipe cleaners, the concept of creating self-portraits using pipe cleaners emerged. The children gradually learn about their different facial features as they maneuver the writing tool during each month’s self-portrait sessions. They notice each location of their eyes, nose, mouth, and hair are. As they look in the mirror, they see different changes. These changes are significant because they reflect self-identification. Using pipe cleaners to create a self-portrait, provided an opportunity for self-study that accorded with their persona as an artist. Each child selected the color, lengths, and shape that pipe cleaners offered.

The self-portrait canvases are on the classroom wall. Please, take a peek at their artwork. The children have explored, discovered, and investigated many materials as they learn about their environment. All the information they have absorbed has helped shape their personality. They are all unique learners!

We used tape and a square canvas to create each child's first letter of their name. The children selected the color of their choice to paint over their letter, and then the tape was removed. Each canvas is displayed next to their picture.

The children have always enjoyed painting on the small tabletop easel.   It gives them a different perspective on painting; for example, arm and hand movement.  Charles appears focus as he paints and adds details to his paintings. 

The children are collaborating in the Art Fair by painting boxes and creating a painting, using pom poms. 

It's a beautiful sight to have a parent come in and spend a few minutes with their child and interact with the other children before they depart after drop-off.  

Sensory

Model magic is a lightweight and spongy material that does not stick to your hands.   Model magic is a physical activity that allows children to explore and express themselves through sculpting, molding, and squishing.

Oliver: “Look, a snake!”

Alexandra: “A worm!”

The children touched scooped and filled small cups with colored sand. 

Problem-solving

Leela's top from her sippy cup came off.  We asked the children how can you fix Leela's cup.   Leo, Rohan, and Nathaniel immediately explored the cup.  They were trying to find a way to insert the top.   It was amazing to see these toddlers at work, and it was a team effort without asking them to work together!  What can you use to fix the cup?  "A stick!" they replied.  A popsicle stick was offered to the children.  Nathaniel tried, and then they all worked together, including Leela.  They didn't find a way to fix her the cup, but the team effort and their initiative were as important. 

Leela, took her cup momentarily from them, to take a sip of her milk.  She returned the cup to the children continued working. 

Measuring children using unit blocks

We are almost done measuring all the children! The last time we measured them, was in January. On some children, we are adding a half pillar or unit block. The activity promoted math (counting and geometric shapes) and encouraged them to interact with the unit blocks.   When the teacher called the children to measure their height, they immediately retrieved the unit blocks and aligned them before placing themselves in a horizontal position next to the blocks.  That was amazing to see!!   

Alexandra is a new student in our classroom. We welcome Alexandra and her family to the 1B class!