Children are always generating ideas about the world and how it works based on evidence from their own experiences.

Playing with water can be a wonderful tool for laying the ground work for future mathematical and scientific learning as well as a fun, hands-on learning experience rich with discovery.

Mr Ben created some fun water walls for us to explore some of water's amazing properties.

As the children play and investigate they are researching:
​

• How water takes the shape of its container.
• How water flows down to the earth pulled by gravity.
• How water sticks to itself (cohesion).
• Water sticks to other materials (adhesion).
• Air makes bubbles in water and rises to the surface.
• How water can turn things into mixtures or solutions.

The kids love this water wall made with pool noodles!

In Sink and Float experiments children can explore the forces of buoyancy, displacement, up thrust, porosity, density, as well as make predictions.

We gathered items from around the garden and made hypotheses of what would happen when we put them in a large tub of water.

A lot of the learning comes through meaningful conversations between the teachers and the children that supports scientific inquiry.  

Inquiry is a process that includes foundational skills like exploring, wondering, and raising questions, and more sophisticated practices like collecting and recording data and analyzing previous ideas in light of new evidence.

Teacher:  "What's your hypothesis? What do you think will happen when you put the leaf in the water?"

Child:  "It will float like a boat!"

Child: "The leaf FLOATS!"

Teacher:  "Why do you think the leaf floats?"

​Child: "It just floats."

Teacher: "Do you think the leaf is lighter or heavier than the water?"

Child: "Lighter!"

We compared larger balls to smaller rocks:

Teacher: "How are the ball and the rock different from each other?"

Child: "Ball is bigger and the rock's little."

​Teacher: "Is the ball heavier or lighter than the rock?"

Child: (long contemplation) "Lighter!"

Teacher:  "How are the ball and the rock the same?"

Child:  "They are both circles!"

After several trials the children were more accurate in their predictions!  They learn so fast!!

We made a table with our sorted and categorized findings while learning new vocabulary words like bouyant and dense, shallow and deep, empty and full.

​The floating naturally led to a fascination with boats!

In this science experiment we had a contest to see who can design a Tin Foil Cargo Boat that will hold the most pennies.

We floated our boats and slowly added and counted out the pennies as we explored further the concepts of gravity and buoyancy.

It took one boat 28 pennies to sink!

​We made Sail Boats out of pool noodles, straws, and self-designed sails!

We helped them along with a little 'wind' and the kids were soon racing their boats!

​DIY Water Slides are another fun way to explore the effects of water!

​We compared making Watercolors on dry paper with watercolors on wet paper.

The kids love to paint on this Buddha Board where they paint with water and then quickly watch the painting evaporate.  What a great paper saver!

These frozen Paint Cubes are a creative way to explore a solid that then melts into a liquid.

Great questions to enhance learning are:
​

• How does the ice feel?
• What is happening to it?
• ​How long do you think it will take to completely melt?

And when you get covered in paint from head to toe - what's going to clean you off?

WATER!

​This Ice and Rock Salt activity was inspired by Figment Creative Lab - they have the coolest art workshops in Austin that focus on STEAM learning in an art studio environment!

We compared melting one block with just water and one bock with rock salt and water.

The group with the rock salt was able to free their insects much more quickly.

Teacher: "Why do you think the salt helps melt the ice faster?"

Child: "It's like the ocean turning it into a river?"

Teacher: "Do you think the salt raises the temperature at which water freezes or lowers the temperature that water freezes

​Child: (long contemplation) "It lowers it!"

Allowing children plenty of time for contemplation gives them time to formulate their own hypotheses, predictions and ideas!

​We extended the activity by creating Ice Sculptures with liquid watercolor.

Annie prepared Home-made Ice Cream ​with us!  So simple and delicious with only coconut milk, raw honey, and vanilla essence.

We mixed water, corn starch, and food coloring to create Ooblek!

Teacher: "Do you think Ooblek is a liquid or a solid?

​Child: "It's a liquid!"

Another Child: "It's a solid!"

​Teacher:  "You're both right!"

Picking and shelling (and eating!) black eye peas from the garden was another favorite activity!

The kids love feeding the bunnies carrots and collards from the garden too.

​Hay Bale Playground!

Watermelon Pizzas!

Super-fun and super-yum!  We were inspired by a picture in Thrive magazine to create these pretty fruit 'pizzas' with bananas, blueberries, strawberries, coconut, and mint leaves.  Such a cute Summertime snack!

Slicing the bananas and using tongs to transfer ingredients is a great Montessori exercise and helps create a fuller learning experience.

See you next time!

With all the sunflowers abloom we were inspired to make this tasty treat for our Summer Solstice Potluck!

Step 2:

Add in the honey, eggs, and cinnamon.  Blend until smooth.

Step 3:

Pour into an oiled 9 x 11 baking dish and smooth out the batter on top.

Step 4:

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes and allow to cool.  Slice into squares and top with honey or ghee.

The kids have been helping to take care of the bunnies everyday giving them fresh garden greens and water.

The bunnies had the kids asking all kinds of questions about animals so we started studying Texas Animals with some fun projects and by reading these great books:

We made Bat Puppets and put on a puppet show!

In this Puppet Show the mama bats all fly out of their caves together to hunt for food for their babies. We learned that the mama bats eat their whole body weight in insects in order to feed their young!

We made a Native Texas Habitat Collage and learned all about the animals that live in our area.  Check out this Texas Parks and Wildlife page for a cool resource for free coloring sheets and activities!

We made Bunny Ears and hopped around with our new bunny friends! 

We made Animal Masks and explored the garden as we moved and made sounds like our animals.

The raccoons hunt at night for their dinner!

The deer graze on the greens!

The owls swoop down on their prey!

Animal Yoga!

Deer Pose

Fox Pose

Bunny Breath

​Question: Will the water spill out with lid sealed and the poked holes?
Hypothesis: "It is going to pour out!"

Question: What do you think will happen when you take the lid off?
​Hypothesis: "The water will stay in the bottle"

Emotional Intelligence!

We love learning how to regulate our emotions by playing with our Feeling Buddies.  For more details on how we do this check out our previous Blog on Conscious Discipline.

The Hoberman Sphere Breathing Ball is another great tool we use to learn how to calm ourselves down by taking deep breaths.

Fine Motor Skills and Creative Play!

Making bracelets for our mamas :)

Garden Adventures!

We went exploring in the garden and found a magical green pumpkin blossom!

Check out the Top 10 Reasons Why Life's Better Outside for Children by Texas Parks and Wildlife:

"These are the top ten reasons that children need nature to be Healthier, Happier and Smarter. The links below will connect you to research that supports each of the statements and focus areas.

Studies show that children who learn and play outside:

1. Are healthier physically and mentally.
2. Do better in school.
3. Have higher self-esteem.
4. Have good self-discipline.
5. Feel more capable and confident.
6. Are good problem-solvers.
7. Are more cooperative with others.
8. Are more creative.
9. Feel connected with nature.
10. Are tomorrow’s conservation leaders."

See you next time!

What happens when you paint with water colors on paper that has been sprayed wet?  WATER COLOR FRACTALS!!

Left over apple cores can become shape stamps!

Easy Kale Riders!

What happens to the dry herbs floating on top of the water when we add a drop of water? Wow they move fast!   Soap makes water molecules stick less together so the dried herbs really get moving!

Summer is coming soon! The kids were very helpful putting straw mulch over all of the dark garden soil! We later felt the difference between the soil that was mulched and the bare soil after 2 days of bright sun. The bare dark soil was hot and dusty, but the mulched soil was cool and moist!!

Yummy spring carrots from the garden!

Alphabet Stamp Art!

SEE YOU........

.......NEXT TIME!!!

It's carrot season and we had so much fun making this delicious kid-friendly salad.  It's extra fun to say "carrot coconut currant salad" three times really fast!

Step 1:

We harvested and scrubbed clean 4 garden carrots.

Step 2:

Grate the carrots.  The kids showed some great teamwork as they helped eachother with the grater.

Step 3:

​Juice 4 limes and add lime juice to the grated carrots.

Step 4:

Add 1/4 cup currants to the carrot mixture.

Step 5:

Add 1/2 cup (unsweetened) coconut flakes.

Step 6:

​Add 1/4 cup coconut oil and an optional 2 TBS honey.  We did not add any honey as the garden carrots are so fresh and sweet :)

Step 7:

Mix together all ingredients.  Drop your spoon in the dirt?  That's OK!  We used a carrot as our stiriing utensil!

Step 8:

​Yum!  The kids loved this simple salad!

Here's some more awesome garden inspired activities we got up to!

Planting Seeds

Question:
"What helps the garden grow?"
Answer:
​"Sun, rain, butterflies, and love"

Science Projects

3 weeks ago we made a cloud in a bottle by puting very warm water in a bottle added some smoke and changing the air pressure. A young scientist asked if we could make a colored cloud.

So, we tried to!
​
We first all made our own hypothesis, then we added green food coloring to the previous experiment.

Add very warm water. 

Photos by 6 year old:)

Then we add some smoke from a lit match.

High pressure (squeezing the bottle) = very little cloud

Low pressure (relaeasing the squeeze) = dense cloud

Results: Our cloud was not green!
Discussion: Why does the green just stay in the liquid water?
Because when water evaporates it leaves behind any molecules that are not water.

Homemade Water Filter: 

Can we make a water filter from our yard?
​
We layered sand, leaves, gravel, wood mulch, green grass, juniper bark, and ball moss into an invertered plastice bottle. We put in muddy water and it came out almost clear. Not good enough for drinking though.

Chemical Reactions

Which chemical reaction will cause bubbles to rise the highest,
baking soda and lime juice or baking soda and vinegar?

The kids measured equal volumes for each reactant.

​"What is your hypothesis?"

Baking soda and lime juice above!
Baking soda and vinegar below!
The sugar in the lime juice help the bubbles get tall.
The vinegar had a much faster reaction, spilling all over the table.

More fun in the garden!​

Here at ACG we love creative art projects - especially process art experiences where the emphasis is on the process of creating, not on the end result.  In process art we set up creative invitations where the children can explore the materials and create freely.  Check out our fun projects with tips to raise creative thinkers and positive ways to respond to children's art!

This printmaking project was really exciting for the kids as they made several copies of their original painting.

Step 1: Create a painting on a plastic sandwich bag.

Step 2: Place a piece of paper on top of the painting and roll over it to transfer the painting.

Step 3: Carefully peel off the paper.

Step 4: Do it again and again to make copies of the original piece.

"This one's for my mommy and this one's for my daddy!"

As adults we have been led to believe that praise is a motivator and a way to support a child's accomplishments with saying things like ' I love...' or 'That is so great'. These are all comments that can hold judgement and can turn into empty praise. 

Check out this article 'Preschoolers and Praise, What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow' for more info on how to create a growth mind-set by choosing process praise instead of generic praise.

To support the creative process we try to make comments that are provocations to open the door for more conversation:

"Tell me about what you've done."
"What are you thinking?"
"I notice that you have used a lot of red and yellow."
"In this part of the picture your lines go round and round and round."

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to take the time to reflect, notice, and share a thoughtful response with our full attention. 

(Betsy McKenna M.Ed.)

Through this drawing and painting experience, children discover how the unique qualities of waxy crayons and watery paint can create an interesting effect.

Step 1: Draw a picture with waxy crayons.

Step 2: Watercolor on top of the crayon drawing.

Step 3: Notice how the crayon reappears!

"My pink is coming back!  I love pink!"

"This paint is like magic!"

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child."
PABLO PICASSO

Art projects are a fun way to integrate early math concepts.  In this project we explored counting, matching and sorting, patterns and sequence, and spatial relationships.

"I'm making my circles dance!"
"I'm going to make my circles dance too!"

Cotton swabs are a fun invitation for children.  They are little and fit right into their fingers!  Great for fine motor skills too!

"The most beautiful world is always entered through the imagination."
HELEN KELLER

1.  Let go and get messy!
Trust that children are capable and can create their own path. 
Nurturing creativity can get messy sometimes :)

2. Let them play.
Unstructured play supports a lifelong love of learning.

3. Create a maker space.
Carve out a place in your home where kids are free to create and explore on their own terms.

4. Ask questions.
When we ask open-ended questions we are helping our child use language to elaborate an idea, and we are showing interest in their play and work.

5. Visit Museums.
Museums  expose children to unknown worlds, can provoke imagination, and are a place where art appreciation begins. A great trick to make them fun is to start at the Gift Shop, have the child pick some postcards they are excited about, and then go on a search to find the real art that matches the postcard!

6. Let them decorate their rooms.
When children are in charge of their own space it gives them a sense of autonomy, motivates them to keep things tidy, teaches them to respect other people's spaces, and helps them develop a sense of style.

7. Model Imperfection.
When we make mistakes (as we all do!) if we apologize, clean up, laugh at our mishaps and find creative solutions we are modeling for our children how to fix and learn from mistakes.

We took our canvases and paints out to the garden!

Here are some powerful prompts that can influence a child's positive mind-set and creative confidence:

I see that you...
"I see that you used red swirly lines."

Remind me how you...
"Remind me how you made the paper stand straight up this way."

I know you can...
"I know you can figure this out.  You have done it before."

Try it!
"Try it - you never know what might happen."

Take a chance...
"Take a chance see what happens."

What do you think?
What do you think about how to make your sculpture bigger?"

Give it a go.
"Give it a go.  That's the only way forward."

Tell me how...
"Tell me how you built such a tall sturdy structure."

You remembered how...
"You remembered how to close the glue jar so it won't dry up."

I noticed that...
"I notices that you started folding the paper but then changed your mind and began to cut the paper instead."

Just try it and see how your child responds!

(Betsy McKenna)

Here's a process art collaborative experience where anything is possible!  All made with recycled and found objects.

Wonderful things can happen when children work together: greater energy, words of encouragement, consideration of equality, thinking out loud, taking leadership roles, listening to other opinions, and generating new ideas.

"It's through others that we develop into ourselves."
LEV VYGOTSKY

We got up to a lot of activities besides just process art this month.  Check out our cool bridge we made!

That's one tough bridge!

Taking care of our garden :)

Play-dough family!

We love our new kayak!  So far we have been on adventures to the jungle, the ocean, and grandma's house.

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
KENNETH GRAHAME, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Learning Locks and Latches!

Geometry Puzzles!

Water Play!

Sweet Friends!

The kids love to make our delicious guacamole!  Check out our previous blog for the recipe.

See you next time!

While we regularly focus on social-emotional development, we especially like to highlight our theme of love, cooperation, and friendship in February!

Check out our "ME Books" where the children articulate things they like about themselves and that are special to them.

The kids really spent some time pondering what it is they liked about themselves!

Love Affirmation Yoga

This heart opening sequence was inspired by Kids Yoga Stories with postures to help release emotions, build confidence, and open our hearts to receive love. 

​Triangle Pose - "I am open minded"

Warrior Pose - "I am strong"

Chair Pose - "I am happy"

Table Pose - "I am balanced"

Happy Baby Pose - "I am safe"

Resting Pose - "I am calm"

​Loving Kindness Breath

"Close your eyes and begin to tune in to the sound of your breath.  

Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale for five counts.

On your next exhale, think of filling yourself with love.

On the next exhale, think of sending love and kindness to someone close to you.

Then on the next exhale, think of sending love and kindness to someone you might be upset with (some of the kids chose fireants!).

Then send love and kindness out to the world around you, the animals, the trees, your neighbors, and your city.

​Lastly, send out love and kindness to the whole planet!"

One of our favorite fingerplays to sing at Circle Time is "Love grows".  Ask the kids to teach it to you :)

"Love" (hands on heart)

"grows" (hands spread wide)

" 1 by 1" (hold up 1 finger on each hand)

"2 by 2" (hold up 2 fingers in each hand)

"and 4 by 4" (hold out 4 fingers in each hand)

"Love..." (hands at heart)

"...grows..." (arms spread wide)

" round like a circle" (make a circle with your finger)

" and comes back knocking at your front door" (knock on pretend door)

​Emotion Drawing

We explored different feelings with pictures and art!

​These great books helped us recognize different emotions and gave us tools for how to respond to them.  It was amazing how many sincere apologies were shared after reading Zach Apologizes by William Mulcahy!

​Friendship Poster

This collaborative art project was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

​Cooperative Games

Cooperative Musical Chairs - The goal of this game is to share (not compete for) the remaining chairs when the music ends.

Robot Game - Split up into pairs, take turns with one child being the commander and the other child being the robot. The commander tells the robot how to move so he or she can get around obstacles to reach a predetermined goal.

​Cooperative Play

As they share space and resources, the children are constantly practicing communication skills and learning how to cooperate and play together.

Science Experiments Together!

Can paper go under water without getting wet?

"It's a miracle!  The paper is still completely dry!"

If the cup is pushed straight down, it will form a pocket of air in the cup and the paper will stay dry.

How can we show that water molecules really do move from areas that they are squished close together to areas where there is more space? This is called diffusion.

What is your hypothesis? Do you think the molecules will find more space in the center jar? What color will that water be?

After 24 hours the jars had the same water level and diffusion ended!

Writing our ABC's in the foreground, ABC magnets in the background!

Sweet friends!

Cooperative Cooking

These simple Grain-free Brownies were so yummy!  Cooking class improves our ability to follow directions and encourages teamwork, patience, and self control.

Step 1 - Oil the pan with coconut oil so the brownies don't stick to the pan.

Step 2 - In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup almond butter, 1/3 cup honey, 1 egg, 2 TBSP melted ghee, and 1 tsp vanilla. 

Step 4 - Stir in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Step 5 - Pour the batter into a 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes at 325 degrees, until the brownie is done, but still soft in the middle.

Step 6 - Garnish with more chocolate chips and enjoy with your friends :)

S.T.E.A.M. is an acronym and buzz word in education:

S - Science (experiments, observations, predictions, inquiry skills)
T - Technology (using tools, being inventive, understanding how things work)
E - Engineering (solving problems, designing and building things that work)
A - Arts (creativity, design, open ended activities, music and language arts)
M - Math (sequencing, patterning, matching, exploring shapes, volume, and size)

When we integrate STEAM into everyday play and learning we help support and encourage the innovators of tomorrow!

This winter we explored COLOR with a STEAM lens.  Check out our awesome projects!

 
Psychedelic Snowflakes

When the plants and skies start to look gray and dreary outside, it's time to bring more color to our inside projects. These snowflakes were inspired by Babble Dabble Do - a great resource for creative activities that include a STEAM curriculum.

These snowflakes provide a great hands-on way to work with fractions!

Step 1: Take a coffee filter and fold it in 1/2.

Step 2: Fold it in 1/2 again.

Step 3: Fold it again in 1/3.

Step 4: Cut out various shapes.  Sharp scissors help this process, help younger children with the cutting as needed.

Step 5: Dip the corners into different colors of liquid watercolor.  The kids loved watching the color absorb up into the paper.

Step 6: Carefully unfold your snowflake and observe the different colors and patterns.

We made these paper spinners by Red Ted Art for a fun way to learn about Color Theory and incorporate STEAM principles.

On one side of the spinner was the basic color wheel and the kids designed their own colors and patterns on the other side.

When spinning you can really see how the red/yellow rim turns orange, the blue/yellow goes a light green and the red/blue turns a bright purple!

When this color spinner is going fast enough it actually appears as white.

White light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow!

Challenge - Discover how a flashlight works by taking it apart and putting it back together.

Turn natural materials into interesting paintbrushes!  Notice the different textures created by the materials.

Red and yellow make ORANGE!

These oil and watercolor projects were a great experiment in learning how oil and water don't mix... and they produced a beautiful effect.

Red and blue make PURPLE!

We used this art spinner to mix blue and yellow.  The kids were fascinated as the centrifugal forces drew the wet paint outwards, creating intricate designs.

Blue and yellow make GREEN!

Rainbow Milk Science Experiment 

The molecules of soap interact with the fat molecules of milk and disperse the food coloring into beautiful swirls.  Check out Steve Spangler Science for detailed instructions to try at home.  The kids ask to do this experiment over and over :)

“Every kid starts out as a natural born scientist.”
Carl Sagan

By dipping paper into the milk swirl you can create amazing marbled milk art!

Geometry Collage

We put together different colors of rectangles, squares, and triangles into our own unique designs.

"Two triangles is the same as a square!"

Without even realizing it, the kids are learning basic principles of geometry and how shapes and area interact.

Color Matching

We loved these fun cards and looked for matching colors in our environment.

Self Portraits with Color

We used mirrors and watercolors to create these fun self portraits.

We identified different letters and then spelled some of our favorite colors.

Here we are spelling BLUE!

U (hint - the U is upside down)

And here we are spelling RED!

Rainbow Chakra Affirmation Song!

Red - I'm Powerful
Orange - I'm Joyful
Yellow - I know I can
Green - I'm Loving
Indigo - I'm Smart
Violet - I'm Understanding
I'm a Rainbow!

Engineering with blocks, tires, ramps, and balls!

Technology - These Snap Circuits are a really fun way to introduce more advanced technology projects.

Cooking is a wonderful STEAM activity!

Science - Observing changes when combining wet and dry, and applying heat
Technology - Using tools; whisks, blenders, scoops, ovens
Engineering - What's the most efficient way to get the mix into the muffin pan?
Arts - Presentation, choosing ingredients, celebrating customs
Math - Measuring, volume, counting, following a sequence

Check out the recipe for these superfood Applesauce Muffins on our May 2016 blog!

Take a look at this STEM Guide from the Boston Children's Museum for lots of ways you can incorporate STEM and STEAM learning at home!

Happy STEAMing!

To make the crust, we collected pecans from the huge pecan tree in our front yard.

Mr Ben removed a small branch for us so we could see how the pecans attached to the tree.

The kids adored using this nutcracker.  It's so easy and effective!
​Great stocking- stuffer!

They carefully shelled the pecans and delicately removed the pits from the dates.

We combined 2 cups pecans, 3 large pitted dates, 2 TBS coconut oil, and a pinch of salt in the vitamix and blended until smooth.

We oiled the pie plate and carefully pressed our crust into a pie shape.

Bake the crust at 350 for 15 minutes and let cool before filling.

To make the persimmon filling - be sure the persimmons are very ripe and soft to the touch or the flavor will be too astringent. We used Fuyu persimmons.

Scoop out the flesh of 4 persimmons.

Prepare fresh ginger juice by grating an inch knob of ginger and pressing out the juice from the pulp with your hands. Discard the pulp after pressing.  The kids loved using this Asian box grater and enjoyed the zingy scent of the ginger.

The kids were so proud of their pie!  They focused with delight for over an hour in all the different processes involved.

So, sometimes parents ask us "What's with all the cooking?  Is it really helping my kid learn?"  To which we answer a happy hearty "YES!".

​Early Childhood Education experts agree that cooking with children has innumerous benefits from laying the foundation for basic math concepts to instilling healthy eating habits.


​"We believe that children learn best through play and when they are able to fully engage all of their senses. 
​
The textures, smells, and tastes from the various ingredients provide an unmatched organic experience with an ability to enthrall, entice, and spur a sense of wonder in the children’s eyes. As educators, we foster each child’s independence and encourage the exploration of culinary creations, igniting a sense of accomplishment which provides an insatiable desire to push boundaries while we work together to create tantalizing results."

NAEYC National Association for Education of Young Children

We did a lot more activities this month besides cooking :)
Here's a few pics:

Gratitude Hands

Watercolor Leaves

Fall Animals and Fruits with Dot Markers

Rainbow Scratch Cards

Music Class with Amanda Panda!

Calculating Speed in Mr Ben's Science Class

Sweet Friends!

See you next time!

​Did you know that acorns are edible?  They were commonly used by Native Americans and a great source of protein and fats. It just takes a few steps to make them healthy and delicious!


Step 1 - Gather the acorns.

We collected acorns from under our beautiful Live Oak in our yard that the kids call 'Magic Tree'.

Step 3: Flash boil the acorns. This helps to easily remove the shells and skins.

Step 5: Boil the shelled acorns to leach out the bitter tannins. We boiled ours for 30 minutes then removed the yellow water, added fresh water and brought to boil again.  After 4 boiling sessions, we tried the acorns and they were no longer bitter!

It's really fun to play Monster Mash while you are mashing :)

The kids love this grain mill - they took to it with gusto!

You can make bread, muffins, pancakes and more with your acorn flour.  We made chocolate chip cookies!

PS - we like these Lily's Chocolate Chips, sugar free and the kids love them!

We learned all about acorns and oak trees this month!

Sorting different varieties of acorns with tongs and chopsticks...

... then making clay puzzles with the first letter of our names!

We loved reading these books to learn more about acorns and oak trees:

Acorn math!

Counting acorns!

Estimating acorns!

Sorting acorns by size and color!

Counting acorns by 2's!

Acorn games!

The kids were so surprised to learn that acorns sink and pumpkins float in this sink/float experiment.

Oak Leaf Rubbings!

With the leftover paper from our leaf rubbings we made recycled paper!

Decorated with Texas Red Oak leaves!

Mama Wendy made us a broom from Bur Oak leaves!

ABC walk! We are having such a lovely warm Fall.  It's a great time to go out for a walk and an ABC walk helps keep the kids entertained and really noticing the world around them. On our walk through the garden we found...

Acorns!

Blossoms!

Collards!

...and all the way to Zombies!

ABC rocks!

Have you noticed all the beautiful butterflies on the passionflowers by the front gate?

We identified them as the Gulf Frittilary, explored with their caterpillars, and checked out some wings we found in the microscope!

See you next time!

The kids loved this zuchinni bread made with the last of our summer harvest!

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!

MAKE YOUR MARK!

It's not just scribbles... mark making is an important foundation for pre-writing skills, creativity, and critical thinking.

‘Scribbles are products of a systematic investigation, rather than haphazard actions’. (John Matthews, The Art of Childhood and Adolescence: The Construction of Meaning)

Make your mark with watercolor pencils!

Make your mark with dot markers!

Make your mark with watercolors!

‘Children as they begin to draw and paint make an intellectual journey which has musical, linguistic, logical and mathematical as well as aesthetic aspects.’ ​(John Matthews, The Art of Childhood and Adolescence: The Construction of Meaning)

Make your mark with chalk!

"I wrote my name and this is my picture of me!"

Make your mark with shaving foam!

 ‘When children have opportunities to play with ideas in different situations and with a variety of resources, they discover connections and come to new and better understandings and ways of doing things.’ 
(The Early Years Foundation Stage)

Mark making goes beyond just crayons, markers, brushes, and pencils... make your mark with clay!

The best projects are completely child-led!  Here one kiddo starts randomly crushing chalk and it quickly becomes a thriving painting project for everyone!

"I am a hunter!"

We have been practicing some fun yoga poses!

​Mountain Pose

Frog Pose

Airplane Pose

Tree Pose

Mama Lisa donated a beautiful Alphabet Puzzle!

At circle time we have been learning clapping and musical rhythms to help remember all the names of our new friends!

At snack time we like to read socio-emotional growth books to help start our day with some good reminders.  We love this book "The Story of My Feelings" by Laurie Berkner.

Watering and weeding in the garden - such sweet caretakers :)

Birthday Cupcakes!

Heavy Work!  Creating ramps and building trains...

Sweet Friends!

See you next time!