resources

I came across this today, the center for early literacy learning and thought it might come in handy for families home during our mid-winter vacation. There are quite a few links and I only clicked on a few but it seems like a good resource. There are literacy ideas for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers (scroll down to reach the section about preschoolers). They also have some interesting videos here.

On that note, I hope you're having a fun vacation filled with lots of playing, reading, and exploring!

winter days inside: let's get creative

Originally, I planned to spend our Monday off from school at the American Folk Art Museum, which I have been wanting to visit for some time. Unfortunately, Mondays seem to be the day of rest in the museum world. So instead I've been rummaging through craft blogs, for myself and for our class. Here are a few of my favorites from my blog journey today...

The Arts


This inspiring art teacher shares many of her secrets. I've always been intrigued by printmaking but it seemed a bit intimidating. This is a simple (seeming) tutorial on creating monoprints that we will definitely try in class. Try it at home too - I bet you have everything needed to give it a whirl!












The Crafts

Today's craft search grew from my own crafting ambitions, namely I really wanted to try my hand at soap making. After reading some diy soap and lip balm recipes I ordered ingredients from brambleberry. This link leads to a children's soap making kit but you can find lots of diy recipes if you just google "diy soap" or "homemade soap", without needing to buy a kit. I would recommend the melt and pour recipes as they seem simplest for novices.

but there is a a lot you can make with ingredients that are probably in your home cabinets. After I try my hand at soap making at home I may bring this idea into the classroom, if you try at home let me know how it goes!




Even simpler than soap is homemade lip balm, I'm looking forward to trying this

lip balm recipe as well. I bet most of these ingredients could be tracked down around town. If you know of places to buy beeswax, Shea butter, or Castor oil around town please share with us and leave a comment.












And this is really just fun, any whimsical craft you might be interested in probably has a tutorial. This will be a frequent Site I refer to for myself and for inspiring classroom ideas.

I'm always curious about what you think, leave a comment, email, or catch me at school to chat.

Beach Expedition Ideas

As summer nears take a look at this great article before heading to the beach, just click on the "beach expedition" link below. It will give you some great ideas for maximizing your day of sandy exploration.

Beach Expedition

Enjoy!

Homemade Watercolor Paint

Here's a fun project for home, make your own watercolor paints! You can even watch a video here http://www.wholeliving.com/article/homemade-watercolor-paint

Tools and Materials

* Baking soda
* White vinegar
* Light corn syrup
* Cornstarch
* Mixing bowl
* Mixing spoon
* Half-dozen egg carton
* Assorted food coloring 4-pack
* Popsicle sticks or skewers


Watercolor Paint How-To
1. In a mixing bowl, mix 4 tablespoons baking soda with 2 tablespoons vinegar until fizzing stops. Add 1/2 teaspoon corn syrup and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Mix until a uniform consistency.

2. Pour the mixture into individual egg carton cups, filling each about a third to halfway.

3. Add five to 10 drops of food coloring to each cup, mixing in thoroughly, to reach desired colors. (Experiment, or see color recipes below.)

4. Allow paints to set overnight. Use paints on watercolor paper with a wet paintbrush.

Color Recipes

* Reddish pink: 10 drops red
* Orange: 1 drop red, 6 drops yellow
* Yellow: 5 drops yellow
* Leaf green: 3 drops green, 7 drops yellow
* Sea blue: 5 drops blue
* Violet: 4 drops red, 2 drops blue