Here at ACG we love to do creative art activities in which there is emphasis put  on the process of creating, not on the end result. This is known as process art!

Process art is child-led, choice-driven, open-ended, and celebrates the experience of discovery. The final product of process art will have no right or wrong answers and will be unique and original. 

There are many benefits of process art for children. Through process art, children are able to...

• express themselves creatively and imaginatively.
• gain confidence in themselves and their own ideas.
• learn about the possibilities and limitations of various materials.
• use problem-solving and critical thinking skills. 
• ask questions, discuss, and experiment.
• embrace experimentation and mistakes as part of the learning process.
• (and, of course) advance their fine and gross motor skills.

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Here are some tips for leading processed-focused art at home from the National Association for the Education of Young Children:

1. Approach art like open-ended play — for example, provide a variety of materials and see what happens as the child leads the art experience
2. Make art a joyful experience. Let children use more paint, more colors, and make more and more artwork
3. Provide plenty of time for children to carry out their plans and explorations
4. Let children come and go from their art at will
5. Notice and comment on what you see: Look at all the yellow dots you painted
6. Say YES to children’s ideas
7. Offer new and interesting materials
8. Play music in the background
9. Take art materials outside in the natural light
10. Display children’s books with artful illustrations, such as those by Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, and Javaka Steptoe
11. Let the children choose whether their art goes home or stays in the classroom
12. Remember that it’s the children’s art, not yours

Check out below some of the super fun and creative art activities we did this month! 

Finger painting 

"I'm all messy with blue paint!"

Dot to dot art

Stamps

The kids naturally began to experiment with different ways to stamp their paper!

Tissue paper art

"I can try to rip it down the middle."
"I'm throwing the paper!"

Loose parts

Plastic bag mono prints 

To integrate process art with a science concept, we created a pendulum to let gravity and momentum guide the process. 

"Can I pour water on it to see what happens?" YES!

This magic leak-proof bag experiment showed us how the polymer chains of the bag work together to seal around the pencils and prevent the water from leaking out. How cool!

This experiment developed naturally over the course of the day :) First, the kids began crushing limestone rocks. Next they tried to lift the rock up using levers, with success! At the end of the day we poured vinegar onto the limestone to see what would happen. The limestone bubbled and dissolved -- just how rock does with acidic rain to form caves!

See you next time!

One of our missions at ACG is to facilitate a deep connection to the natural world in order to open up children's innate sense of wonder, creativity, curiosity, and respect for our environment. When children are able to connect to Mother Earth, it helps them learn the importance of our earth’s resources and the impact humans can have on it! This lesson can last a lifetime and can, ultimately, create better global citizens for the future. 
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For more information about the benefits of nature-based learning, check out our past blog The Many Benefits of Nature-Based Learning.

See how we explored nature and it's educational benefits through trees this month below!

Child-led stick painting! First find your favorite stick and then decorate!

Nature portraits

Tree tags

Tree slice necklaces

Printing with tree parts

Leaf coloring

Tree slice painting

We learned about how to tell the age of trees by counting the rings inside a trunk!

Then we counted how many trees we have in the big yard, sand yard, and by magic tree! 5 + 5 + 3 = 13

These snowflakes provide a great hands-on way to work with fractions and geometry! First we take a coffee filter and fold it in half, then in quarters, and then in eighths. We cut out various shapes (using sharp scissors helps this process) and help younger children with the cutting as needed. Finally we paint our snowflakes with watercolor. Unfold to see the final product!

Elaborate fairy houses are still a big interest here at ACG!

Explore the tastes, textures, colors, scents, and sounds during the cooking process of these yummy macarons!

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 TBS coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 TBS coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener
• 1/4 cup chocolate chunks (freshly hammered!)

Instructions:

1. Mix together wet ingredients.
   
2. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients then add the dry to the wet while stirring.
   
3. Scoop spoonfuls onto parchment covered baking sheet.
   
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Enjoy!

See you next time!

​In November we like to take time to cultivate healthy gratitude practices here at ACG. Research shows that practicing gratitude at a young age can improve emotional intelligence, sleep, and self-esteem, increase positive mental health, form healthier relationships, and even boost the immune system! For tips on how to develop a healthy gratitude practice in your family as well as other gratitude activities, check out our blog from last year: Cultivating Gratitude in Early Childhood. That blog also has some super fun pumpkin activities and recipes!

Check out how we incorporated gratitude as well as peace, unity, and celebrating diversity into our learning this month below!

Gratitude vine! What are you thankful for?

Gratitude color game! 

Tape resist peace signs

Self portraits -- we all look different!

Kids all around the world!

Collective mural!

It's baking season y'all! These blueberry muffins were delish! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut yogurt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 1 TBS coconut sugar
• 1 cup blueberries berries fresh or frozen

Instructions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 and grease a mini muffin pan with coconut oil
• Beat together eggs, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and lemon zest over medium speed until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• Slowly add the almond flour mixture into the wet mixture.
• Gently fold in the berries.
• Scoop mixture evenly into muffin pan and top with chopped pecans mixed with coconut sugar.
• Bake for 25 minutes then let cool on cooling rack.

See you next time!

Recently, we've observed the kids have an overwhelming interest in fairies. And we can understand why! Fairies are fascinating -- they are magical, mischievous, and full of enchantment!  

We especially love fairies for their strong ties with nature. Connecting with fairies helps us form a deeper connection with the garden and Mother Earth. At Austin Children's Garden, we love to use the Herb Fairies stories to learn all about the magical world of medicinal herbs. To learn more about Herb Fairies check out their website: https://learningherbs.com/herb-fairies/

Fairy play can inspire creativity, imagination, and storytelling! When playing make-believe, kids get a chance to explore an entire new world where real life constraints don't apply. (They can fly! Govern a kingdom! Cast spells!) This enhances children's capacity for cognitive flexibility and, ultimately, problem solving and inventive thinking. Make-believe with friends also allows kids to experiment with social and emotional roles by provoking empathy and cooperation. Furthermore, playing pretend allows children to learn about themselves and work out their inner narratives while developing language skills. 

Fairies also connect us to the past and give us insight into another time. Recorded folktales of fairies (though then they were often referred to as Hidden People or Little People) date back to as early as the 13th century. During that time, stories were a bit darker; particularly the stories of fairies. Some fairies were kind and helpful, but most were feared as they could appear at any time to cast an evil spell or curse on the helpless mortals!
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As we observed the kids' natural interest in fairies, a folklore theme blossomed! This is an example of emergent curriculum where we take a topic that the children are naturally intrigued by and encourage this interest to expand so that they learn organically and holistically; children's interest in fairies opens up an organic opportunity to explore folktales.

A folktale tells a story based on oral traditions that have been passed down for many generations. Learning about folklore has many benefits for children. It improves communication and memory, encourages creativity and imagination, and provides a foundation for literacy development by introducing basic elements of stories. Fables teach social skills and can be a great starting point for many conversations about core values and ethics. Folklore, by nature, also celebrates diversity! By exploring various folktales from around the world, children are able to appreciate different cultures' values, beliefs, history, practices, and customs.

Check out below how we learned all about fairies, folklore, and fables... Oh my!
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Making magic fairy wands!

Exploring symmetry with fairy wings!

Making magic fairy potions!

Exploring our regal side with nature crowns!

Making fairy houses out of rocks!

Constructing a fairy village!

Fairy Yoga!
We start with dancer's pose dancing at the fairy ball! On to locust when we swim through the beautiful waterfalls. Next is butterfly pose while we flutter around the garden. We then do warrior pose as we fly high in the sky. We end with child pose, resting peacefully at the fairy palace.

We gathered different folktales and fairy tales from all over the world!!

Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon, and Stars Began
After reading Coyote and the Sky, we compared and contrasted day and night through art!

Cuckoo (Cucú)
We were inspired by the vibrant colors and abstract shapes featured in Cuckoo! 

Stone Soup
Motivated by the power of sharing and working together, the kids made a collective soup from individual (and imaginary) vegetables!

Anansi the Spider
This folktale features small, mischievous, and heroic spiders. Getting into the spooky spirit, we made some spiders of our own!

After spending time to explore folktales and the elements of a story, the kids collaborated with each other to create a story of their own! These Story Stones serve as great prompts for collaborative storytelling. 

The story began with the usual introduction of "once upon a time..." with a boy named John, but then took many twists and turns with a trip to the lake during a terrible storm and ending with a rainbow-eating worm!!

Folklore also involves expressive culture such as music and dance!! This month, we did lots of dance parties and drum circles with music from all around the world. Once the fall pumpkins started coming in, we used them as drums too!

Sugar skulls and marigolds

Painting pumpkins!

Halloween yoga! Featured below is Flying Bat, Roaring Monster, Mummy Moves, Pumpkin Pose, Full Moon and :)

Lady bug release edition!! Lady bugs (beetles) eat up aphids and other garden pests allowing us to never use non organic chemicals in our gardens. They are GARDEN WARRIORS!!

Cooking is still on hold here at ACG :) Here's an older recipe we made, using our fall pumpkins. These scones are festive and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup soaked flax seeds
• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Grease a muffin pan with coconut oil.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT almond flour, cranberries, and raisins.
4. Stir in almond flour until well combined.
5. Stir in cranberries and raisins.
6. Spoon batter into muffin cups, using wet fingers to press down any bumps on the tops before baking (makes 24 mini muffins).
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean

See you next time (if we survive the zombies) !!

Science is all around us - it's in our bodies, in the sky above us and the ground below; it's in our cars and our kitchens. Science is a way of thinking. It involves observing and experimenting, making predictions, sharing discoveries, asking questions, and wondering how things work. It offers explanations for the phenomena all around and and allows us to reason rationally. 

Children are inherently curious and want to understand the world around them. By engaging multiple senses and allowing them to be fully involved in the learning process, kids are able to make their own discoveries, actually retain information, and build the foundation for cognitive growth. They are more likely to remember a learning experience if it's a new, fun, and real experience! A learning environment that involves hands-on, experiential projects allows this to happen. In this environment, the adult is not the only source of information. Instead, the educator is there to provide a wide array of learning experiences and offer support to help the child develop new skills.

We often use the weather and our garden as a teacher, learning from the world around us when it's right in front of us. But check out what else all these MAD SCIENTISTS did this in addition to that this month!

Exploring The Scientific Method

Phases of Matter: Watercolor Ice 

Absorption and Diffusion: Colors and Water

Diffusion: Watercolor and Salt

Outer Space: Watercolor and Shaving Cream

Oobleck - Exploring viscosity and non-Newtonian fluids

Inflating Balloon​ - Exploring acid/base reactions and the movement of gases

Catapults - Exploring physics and engineering 

Slime! - Exploring molecules and polymers

Citric Acid - Exploring acid/base reactions and food science

Scientific Journals - The kids write or draw their hypothesis before the hands-on experiment and then compare it to the results after! This encourages critical thinking, reflection, and deeper understanding.

Also check out these awesome videos of Volcano and Dr. Pepper explosions!!

This month, everyone got to plant their own baby seeds - choosing between kale, sugar snap peas, or cucumbers! The kids have been watering their own plants and keeping track of growth in their science journals. Soon we will plant everyone's baby plant in the garden and have some yummy snacks on hand!

Critters!! The kids found a gecko, jewel beetle, and a grub worm!

Outside fun!

We had lots of rain this month which made for some super fun water play...

...and brought us some new mushroom friends!

In any baking recipe, every ingredient has a purpose and scientific function. Flour offers structure, eggs bind ingredients together, baking powder or soda gives rise, butter and oils tenderize, and sugar moistens and makes your baked good extra yummy :)

You can make this Zucchini Bread recipe at home and explore the scientific concepts that were involved in making the delicious product! 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 2 large eggs

In one bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Carefully pour into an oiled bread pan and bake for about 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Slice into rectangles and enjoy with your friends!

See you next time!

With new friends joining us and old friends returning from summer break, we love to have our first month of the new school year focus on getting to know each other and our program. We strive to provide a nurturing environment that is rhythmic in nature to ensure a strong foundation that is essential to healthy development of young children. Our daily rhythm mimics the rhythm of breathing - inhaling and exhaling. In the inhaling period the children direct their attention to an activity relating to themselves. In the exhaling period, the children relate to the surrounding world. Check out our daily rhythm below!

We start our program off with art and creative activities! Our art projects are child-led, open-ended, and process-based - set up as an invitation for the kids to be able to explore and express. For more info on process art, please check out our blog Raising Creative Thinkers with Process Art! 

Some of our favorite open-ended creative activities the kids did this month are pictured below: painted boxes, nature loose parts, chalk and water, and clay sculptures.

Circle time is a when we are able to come together as a group and connect. We do this through various songs and greeting activities. This month we did tons of fun name games and getting to know you prompts. We also like to focus on social-emotional learning during this time. For more info on emotional intelligence for kids, take a look at our more recent blog post Emotional Intelligence or an older one with an Amazing Garden Carrot Cake recipe :)

Seen below is our super fun hello song, some of our favorite breathing exercises (balloon and hand breath), and Shubert's BIG Voice, a book from our Shubert Collection from Conscious Discipline that teaches kids, parents, and educators learn how to help children solve problems and build character through conflict.

Next, the kids have lots of time to play freely and creatively! When children are allowed ample time to play, they intrinsically make the connection that learning is fun. Play allows them to explore and discover the world in a natural yet stimulating learning environment that engages all the senses. For more info on how a play-based learning environment can be beneficial, check out our blog Why We Love To Play!

Towards the end of each program, we do a special activity. We rotate between gross motor interactive games, garden classes with Mr. Ben, and yoga or music by Magic Tree!

This month the kids had a blast moving their bodies with the parachute, chasing Mr. Ben, and having a dance party! The kids harvested and identified mushrooms and spent time in the garden planting magic green beans (aka black eyed peas) that the kids LOVE to snack on! We also did tons of yoga - the kids favorite is Make Up Yoga where they get to create and name their own pose!

With so many new friends at the beginning of a new school year, we love to focus on helping the kids to get to know each other better. A great way for the kids to learn more about each other is through their art!

This month, we invited the kids to create family portraits, make collages filled with their favorite things, and use oil pastels and watercolor to create cool, scientific name resist art!

Since our cooking classes are still on hold, here's a quick and easy, yet delicious, recipe from last year to help you cool down during these hot summer days!

1. Pick some fresh lemon balm and release the refreshing and uplifting aroma by rolling the leaves in your plams.
2. ​Squeeze 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.
3. Combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 cups water, 1 TBS fresh chopped lemon balm, and liquid stevia to taste.
4. Pour into popsicle mold and freeze until solid.
​5. Enjoy!

See you next time :)

We had a great few final weeks of summer learning about conservation and recycling through simple art projects! When children use recycled materials for their art, it helps them learn the importance of reusing the earth’s resources. This is a lesson that can last a lifetime and can, ultimately, create better global citizens for the future. Using recycled materials also inspires creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, allowing children to think symbolically and use their imagination. Lastly, using recycled materials is SO EASY! Just instead of throwing the empty TP roll into the trash/recycling, toss it in a bin to save it as a loose part later and... Voila!! You have a simple, open-ended, money-saving art project!

We love collaborative art!! Everyone who wanted to got to help out with this big project and it took over a week to build! The kids created the cardboard city in three phases. First, they painted the recycled materials.

While they were painting, the kids experimented with mixing primary colors! Blue and red mixed together make...

​PURPLE!!

Mix red and yellow together to find...

​ORANGE!!

And what color does yellow and blue make?

​GREEN!!

Next, we made doors, windows, and decorations for our box buildings. 

Lastly, we put it all together!

And maybe finish it off with some finger painting ;)

We made a mud river, took our shoes off, and felt the earth between our toes!

Our favorite guest teacher Liam showed us how holograms work!

To cool down from the Texas heat, we made some pools and had a nice swim :)​

And had fun with the bubbly, soapy, water table!

Catch Mr. Ben!!

While our cooking classes are still put on hold here at the Garden, we wanted to make sure everybody at home could still make these yummy Banana Muffins :)

1. Add 2 very ripe bananas to a mixing bowl
2. Add 4 eggs
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
4. Add 1/2 cup almond flour
5. Add 1/2 cup coconut oil
6. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt
7. Add 1/3 cup honey.
8. Mix and pour mixture into a muffin tin
​9. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins or until firm
​10. Enjoy!!
​

See you next time!!

Bugs are ALL around us! Did you know that there are estimated to be between 6 and 10 million species of insects? Or that bees are found on every continent except for Antarctica? Some people might find bugs to be pesky, but bugs and insects are super helpful and very important for a balanced ecosystem! They aerate and fertilize the soil, pollinate flowering plants, and even create compost for a healthy garden! Learning about bugs and insects can help children better understand the world around them and connect to nature more deeply. Check out how we did just that this month through these simple projects!

Paper Butterflies

Sparkly Spiders

Popsicle Stick and Pom-Pom Caterpillars

Pipe Cleaner Butterflies

The kids loved playing with their butterfly creations!

Pipe Cleaner Beetles

"My friend made me flowers. Bugs like flowers!"

Bug Habitats! Where does your bug live?

Phase 1: Research bugs and insects!

Phase 2: Draw what you see!

Phase 3: Search for bugs out in the field! The kids found a huge rhinoceros beetle, a cicada exoskeleton, lots of rolly-pollies, a caterpillar, an earthworm, and a snail!

Check out our Bug Yoga Class on YouTube for the full rundown of all the different bug poses! We started with butterfly pose, then went to grasshopper, dragonfly, praying mantis, wiggly worm, and ended with cricket pose where you move your legs like crickets do when they chirp!

To do Butterfly Juggling, take a light scarf and pretend it's a fluttering butterfly. Toss it up in the air with one hand and try to catch it with the other!

We wanted to call back to a previous recipe we have done here at the Garden. It's a super simple one and a great way to keep herbs fresh for up to a year!

Using salt to preserve herbs is a tried and true method that dates back centuries.  The fresh herbs permeate every ounce of the salt mixture that releases and preserves the garden harvest.

To preserve your fresh herbs:

• De-stem 15 to 20 stems of garden herbs - we used oregano, rosemary, thyme, and winter savory.
• Coarsley chop herbs.
• Add chopped herbs to 2/3 cup sea salt and briefly grind in a suribachi or mortar and pestle.
• We then funneled our mixture into amber glass bottles and made our own label designs!
  

See you next time!

Learning all about birds allows us to connect more deeply to nature and thus is a theme that we love to use here at Austin Children's Garden! In our schoolhouse and backyard, we often hear the loud calls of peacocks, the charming chirps of cardinals, and the sweet tweets of bluejays. While we stayed outdoors this month, the kids loved to fully explore birds through these simple projects. Check them out!

Coloring Birds

Feather Paint Brushes

Hummingbird Puzzle

Or just have fun with it and create what you want ;)

Flying Bird Collages

Invitation to Create Your Own Bird!

We pretended we were birds for this project and the kids had so much fun!

​What materials do birds use to make their nests? How do they assemble things together to create a nest? Where do you see bird nests? What kind of birds do you want to live in your nest?

Summer is almost here, the sunshine is out and about, and we are having so much fun soaking it all up!

See you next time!

Cooking is a great vehicle for communication. Children learn to share, to take turns, and to enjoy eating together. Cooking promotes social knowledge as kids learn rules for hygiene and dining, explore cultural traditions regarding the creation of certain foods, and follow safety precautions during preparation and cooking.

TIP: Have the kids wash and peel produce! Lots of things can be peeled by hand like bananas and onions. If a peeler is needed like for carrots and potatoes, have the child hold the item at the top with the bottom secured on a surface. The child should start peeling at the middle, going down. When the bottom half is done, turn it over and repeat!

Cooking with your kids engages all their senses. It also inspires curiosity, thinking, and problem solving, as well as offers new opportunities to make predictions and observations. While cooking, children learn to read a recipe, organize ingredients, follow a sequence, and carry out multiple directions.

Cooking with kids provides a hands-on, contextual way to introduce mathematical concepts such as those related to measurement, numbers, sequencing, fractions, and time. Additionally, while cooking and mixing ingredients, children observe different colors, textures, patterns, and shapes of the mixture, and can chart their preferences.

TIP: Cutting, chopping, and slicing can turn into an easy fraction lesson. The kids, of course, can do this part too! Just make sure to maintain their safety by using a child safe knife. In addition, measuring using measuring cups or spoons is a great use of children in the kitchen! Teach them to level their measurements off with their hand or a butter knife. 

Cooking integrates three major science concepts: life science, physics, and chemistry. As children cooking with either plant or animal-derived ingredients, they begin to understand the connection between their own lives and plants and animals that make they healthy. Cooking involves simple machines, tools, and human actions that allow children to make a natural connection to physics. Lastly, by experimenting with ingredients of different properties (states of matter, temperature, viscosity, etc.), kids begin to understand basic chemistry concepts.

TIP: All these tools are relatively simple for kids to use! Have them crank the grinder, use the handheld blender (perhaps with a little help steadying the bowl), or spin the salad!

Cooking helps to develop children's sense of pride, confidence, and satisfaction as they work on their cooking skills as well as further develop the various skills mentioned here in this blog. In addition, cooking encourages self-direction and independence for kids. Something we often hear here at ACG is "I made it myself!"

TIP: Have the kids plate and decorate how they want, just to take one more thing off your 'plate' ;)

See you next time :)