Austin Children's Garden

Developing the Child's 12 Senses

9/25/2019

Rudolph Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, believes humans have twelve senses, not just the 5 physical senses we all learned in school. Steiner believed children should be taught in three realms, "heart, hands, and head" and that experiences in school should allow for movement, moral development, and academic altogether.

His goal is to help children develop four powers in a child, "strong will, rich feeling, creative imagination, and clear thinking" and the way to do this in early childhood is through PLAY and accessing all 12 senses through rich experiences.

WILL senses (physical body)
Touch, Life, Movement, Balance

At Austin Childrens Garden, children are climbing, pushing, pulling, chasing, hopping in our outdoor play spaces. They're often barefoot, which provides a grounding to the earth or they're feeling the soil, clay, plant-life and natural materials in their hands. Being outdoors connected with nature exposes them to natural elements of climate, seasons, weather, and time (sun/shade).

FEELING senses (soul senses)
Smell, Taste, Sight, Warmth

Children are naturally drawn to warmth and are more engaged in play when they're warm. This helps them access the deeper part of self in relation to the world around them. In addition, hugging the bunny, a friend, or a cloth doll develops the warmth of connecting to others. We reach the olfactory senses through nature play, essential oils, gardening, and cooking WITH the children. Our garden shades and art used in the program provide exploration of color, which Steiner believed stimulated imagination and lifted the mood.

COGNITIVE Senses (spiritual/social)
Hearing, Speech, Another's thought, Another's "I"

Ironically, early childhood programs that focus solely on academic development often fail to develop the senses that later benefit a child's success in school. By following the child's lead in learning, encouraging peer relation, empathy, group play, and problem solving, we're developing aspects of self that allow children to take on another's perspective. Being able to think outside the box and outside the self creates thinkers, not just learners.

A child is a unique being with a physical self, but also a spiritual self and emotional self. Rich sensory experiences and play help develop all parts of self to best prepare child for success and welcome the gifts they have to share with the world.

Written by Chelsea Vail, ACG parent, Parent Educator and Teacher Trainer

Here are some insights to the rhythm of our days and some of the fun learning we get up to - can you see these 12 senses developing as we learn and play?

Art Projects and Inside Creative Free Play

We love collaborative art projects!

MakerSpace!

The kids love the new makerspace to explore and create with!

Outside Free Play!

Gardening!

Music!

Math-Magical Projects!

Science Projects!

Circle Time!

Guest Teachers!

We had a new teacher show us how to make fortune tellers on Waldorf Wednesday - introducing Mr Liam!

Counting and Rhythm!

Conscious Discipline

Check out our previous blog on Emotional Intelligence to learn how we practice these skills for emotional growth and self regulation.

Yoga!

To learn more about the how and the why to the flow of our day visit our blog Learning with Rhythm.

Favorite Recipe of the Month!

Banana-dogs!

Spread almond butter on half a tortilla. Peel half a banana and roll up the banana in the tortilla. Eat whole or have an adult slice into circles.

See you next time!

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Cooking is Cool!

8/31/2019

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We love our cooking classes at ACG! For more tips on how and why to cook with your kids please see our previous blog : The Top 10 Benefits of Cooking with Kids

It has been a long hot spell in Austin this year - here are some of our favorite recipes to help stay cool during the Texas heat!

Banana Chocolate Ice Cream

In a high powered blender mix together until smooth:

4 frozen ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup almond butter
5 drops vanilla stevia

Strawberry Chia Sorbet

This one was so fresh and colorful. The chia seeds add protein and omega 3's!

In an ice ream maker combine

3 cups frozen strawberries
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1 TBS chia seeds
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or a few drops vanilla stevia (optional)

Follow instructions on ice cream maker and watch the magic as the mixture turns into a pretty pink sorbet. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Lemon Balm Popsicles

The kids love all the lemon balm growing in the garden! We made these tasty popsicles together - so fun and easy to make.

Step 1:

Pick some fresh lemon balm and release the refreshing and uplifting aroma by rolling the leaves in your plams.

Step 2:

Squeeze 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.

Step 3:

Combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 cups water, 1 TBS fresh chopped lemon balm, and liquid stevia to taste.

Step 4:

Pour into popsicle mold and freeze until solid.

We love these popsicle molds made by Zoku. Perfect size for littles and pop out easy every time!

Lemon Balm Dream Pillows

The kids loved growing and harvesting the lemon balm so much we sewed our own lemon balm dream pillows.

To practice our sewing skills we love using these simple circles with burlap and yarn.

Once we learned some basic stitches we made these lovely herbal pillows with fresh lemon balm from the garden.

Sweet Friends!

See you next time!

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Why We Love to Play

7/31/2019

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This summer I had the absolute delight of volunteering in Teacher Tom's classroom at the Woodland Park Cooperative School in Seattle, Washington. Teacher Tom has long been one of my early childhood heroes (he even wears a cape!) through his insightful blog Teacher Tom and various trainings he has led with the Pedagogy of Play conference.

I wish that it was already understood by the majority of parents and educators the huge value of a play-based curriculum, but as the co-founder and co-teacher at Austin Children's Garden (an experiential and play-based learning community), I regularly find myself defending children's play to adults who are concerned about their child's education with explaining how and why we learn through play. As Teacher Tom says "The idea that play is the opposite of learning is just too well embedded in our collective psyche".

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." - Fred Rogers

Questions that often come up are:

So what does a 'play-based curriculum' even mean?

Does that mean the children just play all day with no structure or learning? How will they transition to traditional school?

What is my child actually learning when they play?

After spending my childhood attending various Montessori, Steiner, and Democratic schools in the 1970's and 1980's (thanks Mom and Dad!) I have devoted my adult life to understanding early childhood growth and development (birth through age 8) from an integrated and holistic perspective. I am fascinated with how children learn and feel grateful for the calling to co-create the most healthy and joyful learning environment I can with the local community around me, as well as the global community of inspiring educators around the world.

Having been an educator in many types of schools there are a few principles that I have seen integral in supporting young children's growth and learning across the board:

Longer stretches of time with the freedom to play, explore, and discover in a natural yet stimulating learning environment that engages all the senses, alternated with an offering of shorter segments of meaningful hands on, experiential projects that foster new skills and encourage mastery.
A small group size of mixed age children, more like an extended family than a large classroom, to play with and learn together.
Fun, inspired, and loving adults who focus on empowering the child with inquiry-based learning, modelling self regulation tools, and creating a physically and emotionally safe environment.
Ample outdoor play and exploration that allows nature to be a powerful learning experience filled with wonder and reverence.
Open ended and natural play materials that encourage creative imagination and the discovery of innovative solutions.
Open ended, process-based art and creative activities that are set up as an invitation to explore and express.
Predictable rhythms through the day, week and year that create a natural structure and provide security with a sense of the interrelationships and wholeness of life.

"We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions - if they have any - and helping them to explore the things they are most interested in." - John Holt

All of these principles can be woven together to create a strong foundation and love of learning in a healthy, balanced, and experiential play-based environment. There is argument among some educators that to be truly play-based there would be no adult guided projects. However in my experience as long as they are offered as a creative invitation with freedom of choice rather than a demand for every child to sit down and perform an activity only in the way the teacher dictates, and when these guided activities are sandwiched with longer times of free play, then meaningful hands-on projects are a wonderful inclusion in a play-based curriculum!

"Play is the highest form of research" - Albert Einstein

One of the most fascinating aspects of children's play is to observe how much they are naturally learning about language, reading, math, science, culture, social skills and more. I encourage parents to research all the educational benefits and foundation for healthy learning that play provides from Harvard University to the high academic performance of play-based schools in Finland to the most current research by the NAEYC. All of this is important information, but as an educator and parent myself, what I am most inspired by is the growth and development of the whole child, not the ability to regurgitate information and perform on current academic testing methods.

Children are born to learn. The human experience is designed to learn about life in a natural unfolding rather than a rote exposure to dry activities that lack a sense of meaning or connection to them. Children love to play because it's fun and it feels natural to them! Play is their true state of flow. When children are allowed ample time to play they intrinsically make the connection that learning is fun, they discover what truly makes their hearts sing, and they develop the power and inspiration to follow their bliss.

"Creative people are curious, flexible, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play" - Henri Matisse

It's an exciting time for education! Old paradigms are shifting. To be a part of this positive shift for whole-child education here are a few ideas for parents of young children to consider:

Ask your child's school how much time your child spends in free play a day. Many schools claim to be play-based but often only provide 30 minutes of outside play and/or 30 minutes of guided indoor play. Children thrive with hours of play! Advocate for more free play and more outside play. Create parent alliances in your schools and make your preferences clear to the teachers and administration as well as the local and national government.
Do the research and trust that you are giving your child the best opportunity possible by allowing them the opportunity to spend hours a day in play.
Support children's outside play - host backyard play dates, spend the day in the woods, get friends together and go camping, check out so many of our awesome local programs like the Free Forest School and Earth Native Wilderness School to supplement more play in nature.
Limit or eliminate screen time and observe the quality of play that arises when ample time and space allow for it.
Provide open-ended toys like blocks, silk scarves, magna-tiles, simple figures, and natural objects like sand, shells, and pine cones that allows children to use their creative imagination.

"Almost all creativity involves purposeful play." - Abraham Maslow

Teacher Tom says it beautifully "I invite you to imagine for a moment "schools" in which children are free to discover and pursue their passions while marinated in community. Imagine that transformation, then imagine how all those free and motivated minds will transform their world."

In the alternative education community of Austin this transformation is a reality with a growing number of holistic and experiential play-based learning environments. It is a profound honor to be a part of that transformation and the lives of the thriving children in our community.

To learn more about the benefits of play and how parents can play with their children to help develop their brains, bodies, and hearts please come to our free talk by play therapist and parent educator, Chelsea Vail, before our Open House at Austin Children's Garden on November 16th at 1pm.

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The Art and Science of Bubbles!

6/26/2019

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Its been bubble-mania this summer at ACG! Bubbles are such a fun and magical way to enhance learning in all kinds of developmental areas.

Bubble Science

We experimented with several different types of bubble solutions. As we were playing with our bubbles we talked about what happens when a bubble touches a wet surface versus a dry one. We used different types of wands and gadgets to blow bubbles with such as pipe cleaners made into different shapes, funnels, paper cups, straws, and even a hula hoop.

Bubble Art

Bubble-Wrap Prints

Bubble Landscape

More Bubble Science

Bubble Music

Can you make music that feels like bubbles?

In the garden

We have been harvesting lots of summer green beans and fresh herbs.

Check out our previous blog Learning With Our Senses for the recipe for these salt preserved herbs.

Superfood Brownies!

The kids love these nutrition-packed treats!

Mix together:

1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soaked chia seeds (1 tsp chia seeds soaked in 1/4 cup water)
2 TBS coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Bake for 20 to 23 minutes at 325 degrees.

Summer Suncatchers

Ice Painting

Before water...

...after water!

See you next time!

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Wild About Wildflowers!

5/28/2019

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We have had such a marvelous Spring with wildflowers galore! The kids loved collecting flowers from our gardens and creating all kinds of wildflower inspired projects.

Local Wildflower Books

Texas Wildflower Illustrations

A HUGE thank you to Lorna, Julie's mama, for creating these beautiful Texas Wildflower coloring pages with the same wildflowers that we learned about in our book above about local flowers - Bloomin Tales!

Exploring Wildflowers

Still Life Wildflowers

Dissecting Wildflowers

Painting with Indian Paintbrush Flowers

Bottle-cap Bluebonnets

Q-tip Wildflower Fields

Planting Flowers

Spoons make excellent flower pot shovels for toddlers!

Collaborative Collage

Georgia O'Keefe Collage

Creating Circuits with Light Up Flowers

Mother's Day Flowers

Rose Petal Play Dough

To make a lovely spring scented play dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups water
1/2 cup salt
4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp beet powder
5 drops diluted rose essential oil
Rose petals

Mix all the ingredients together except for the rose petals. Once well mixed, an adult heats it up in a sauce pan until it forms into a nice dough. Once cool add rose petals and play with your dough!

Fairy Flower Tea

The kids love making fairy tea with the jasmine flowers. We counted out 30 flowers then poured in 4 cups of water and let it steep in the gentle sun for 2 to 3 hours.

Yoga Fun!

See you next time!

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Amazing Geology!

4/29/2019

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We started off this unit of exploring the wonders of the earth with some edible geology projects! Turns out that chocolate is quite an inspiring medium to ignite curiosity!

Chocolate Earth Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter
1/4 cup raw wildflower honey
2 teaspoons raw cacao powder
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
1/2 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped sprouted walnuts

Method:

Mix sunflower seed butter, honey and cocoa in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in the raisins and 2 tablespoons of the coconut. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Place remaining coconut, hemp seeds and nuts into 3 separate bowls. Using a spoon, scoop small heaps of the mixture from the bowl; roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll each finished ball in more coconut, hemp seeds and chopped nuts. Arrange the balls on a plate, cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Conglomerate Cookies

Conglomerates are common sedimentary rocks made from different shapes and sizes of smaller rocks. We made some edible conglomerates with chocolate chips, oats, puffed rice, gluten fee pretzels and honey!

To make these tasty treats combine:

2 cups oats
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1/2 cup pretzels (chopped up)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

Mix thoroughly and heat mixture on stove while stirring for 5 to 10 minutes. Scoop mixture into a baking dish. Pack it down with a spoon so it is even and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then remove and cut into squares or rectangles.

Cocoa Crust

We used classic hot cocoa ingredients to show how the earth's crust moves due to the heat from inside the planet. After the experiment we added a little honey and enjoyed some tasty hot chocolate!

Chocolate Excavation

To explore how geologists find fossils in the earth we looked for 'fossils' in chocolate bars with nuts.

Earth Pigments

Ancient humans made their own paints from rocks and we did too! We made paints from ochre, chalk, and black earth to create these rich and textured paintings.

"I like to paint with both hands!"

Earth Caretakers

Folks are always remarking how abundant and fertile our gardens are. We believe that the soil responds to the gentle care the children give with happy and healthy plants!

Magical Magnetism

Exploring and playing with magnets helps give an intrinsic understanding of the North and South Poles. And magnets are fun! These facial expressions are priceless :)

Hematite Sculptures!

Tegu Magnets!

Magna-Tiles!

Exploring Rocks, Fossils, and Crystals

Sorting Fossils and Rocks

DIY Fossils

We learned how most plant fossils are simply an impression of the original plant - not the actual plant. We started with pressing plants onto clay, then tried shells and small toy dinosaurs to explore more varieties of fossils.

It's fun to play 'Match the Fossil' too!

Rock Puzzles

Can you put these rocks back together?

Rock puzzles are easy to make! The (older) kids loved using real tools to break open rocks.

Earth Book

To learn more about our magnificent planet we loved reading The Earth Book by Todd Parr.

Land and Water

Earth Model

Earth Watercolors

Earth Yoga

Volcano Pose!

Earth Music

Singing 'Our Roots Go Down Into the Ground' and drumming the earth with our hands!

Earth Art with Recycled Materials

Fun Math Activities

Sculpting Geometry

Counting Money

Designing Tangrams

Crafting Together

Exploring Primary and Secondary Colors

Spring Flowers

See you next time!

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The Marvels of Mammals!

3/31/2019

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With all the nature meditation projects in January and the love of learning about worms in February it's clear we currently have a bunch of learners who are nature enthusiasts!

Early this month the children were offered all kinds of nature pictures to create collages with. The teachers observed over and over that the children had more interest and questions about the mammals than any other pictures. Those observations led us to offering lots of projects about mammals!

This is a wonderful example of emergent curriculum in action - when projects are inspired by the children's interests we see a a lot more enthusiastic learning happening.

We began with a broad selection of mammal projects. As we explored different mammals through art, stories, and activities the teachers observed which mammals and what about them sparked the most curiosity from the children to evolve into more in depth projects. Check out all the fun learning in action:

Wild Life Drawing

Farm Animals with Watercolor Pencils

Texas Wild Life Animals

National Geographic African Mammals

Exploring Sea Mammals

Gerbils Are Mammals!

Tracing Bats

Animal Track Painting

Animal Geography

Mammal Habitats with Shelter, Water, and Food

Red Fox and Gray Fox Masks

Fox Walking!

Fox Walking is one of the first skills taught to children in wilderness awareness schools across the globe. Learning how to move in nature is very important if we want to be able to be fully aware of the natural world around us. To practice walking quietly like a fox:

1. Lower the foot to land on the outside of the ball with light pressure.
2. Roll off the edge of the foot onto the ball laying the whole foot down still with only partial weight.
3. Place full weight on foot.

Another way to explain it to kids is to ask them to walk "like their soles of their feet are kissing the earth".

Sit Spots

Sit Spots are another core routine of deep nature connection. A sit spot is a child-selected space where he or she can observe the natural world. For more details on sit spots and sensory awareness see our previous blog Learning With Our Senses.

Mammal Yoga!

What are some mammals that we keep as pets?

Barking Dogs!
(Downward Dog Pose)

Stalking Cats!
(Cat Pose)

What are some mammals who live on a farm?

Cows!
(Cow Pose)

Horses!
(Low Lunge Pose)

What animals can you find in the woods nearby?

Deer!
(Seated Twist)

Porcupines!
(Child's Pose)

Howling Coyotes!
(Camel Pose Variation)

Fox (with a bushy tail!)
(Bird-Dog Pose)

What mammals can you find in Africa?

Giraffes!
(Tree Pose Variation)

Elephants!
(Wide Legged Forward Bend)

Lions!
(Lion Breath)

Mammal Geometry

Classifying Mammals

The Art of Questioning

Rather than give all the answers, to help people think critically and creatively it's often best to allow a mystery and answer questions with more questions!

What are these mysterious bones deep in the sand box? Do you think they belong to a mammal? How old do you think they are? What kind of animal do you think they are from? What do you think this animals head looks like?

Design Your Own Alebrijes!

Remember those beautiful mexican folk art creatures in Coco that were 3 animals all mixed up together? We made up our own animals and animal names with different animal parts!

In the Garden...

Kids who grow vegetables eat vegetables!!

Math-Magical Projects!

These geometrical figures help children to understand the core basics of mathematical figures & shapes. As they study and draw planar figures they begin to understand unique geometric principles.

Given the prompt to create a shelter with these awesome Spielgaben tools the kids learn how abstract ideas of shape, form and space composed of arbitrary lines and points can be realized in solid 3D form.

Designing Bat Houses

Hydrology and Engineering in the Sandbox!

Balloon Science!

Chocolate Monkey Bites

These tasty little treats are made with Green Banana Flour - a favorite with monkeys (and kids!).

Mix together:

3 TBS Green Banana Flour
3 TBS Coconut Oil
3 TBS Nut Butter (we used sprouted almond butter)
3 TBS Honey
1.5 TBS Cocoa Powder

Form mixture into balls and roll in grated coconut or hemp seeds. If the mix gets too soft put it in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes in the fridge. This recipe makes about 8 bites.

A swing in Spring...

... and a tunnel!

See you next time!

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The Wonders of Worms!

2/28/2019

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While planting baby lettuces in the garden we discovered a whole bunch of earthworms! Worms help to create healthy soil for our beautiful veggies by aerating the soil and adding humus through their castings.

The hunt for worms created an enthusiastic flow of questions:

Why are worms so slimy?
Why are worms so wiggly?
What do worms eat?
How long do worms live?
Where do worms live?
Why do worms hide under the dirt?
Can worm see? Can they smell?

Worm Hunting!

Worm Habitat

To learn more about worms we created a worm habitat so we could observe a few worms more closely. What do worms need to survive?

Soil! Water! Decomposed leaves! Fresh leaves!

Light or Dark?

Think about where earthworms live, do you think they prefer light or dark?

When half the box was covered in dark cloth all the worms eventually went over to the side covered with the cloth!

Wet or Dry?

Do you think worms prefer to live in a wet or dry environment?

When we put our worms in the middle of a dry paper towel and a wet paper towel, they quickly moved over to the wet side! Worms breathe through their skin and they need wet skin to be able to breathe.

Do Worms Have Senses?

One cotton pad is soaked in lemon juice, one cotton pad is soaked with salt water, the other cotton pad is soaked with spring water. One corner of the tray also has a fresh apple slice. Which corner would attract the most worms?
They strongly avoided the salt water and lemon juice (like with convulsions!). A few worms went after the water, but they swarmed the fresh apple.

Earthworm Hearts

Did you know that an earthworm has 5 hearts!?! We looked for their hearts by placing a worm in a petri dish and using a light to better see the pumping action of their many hearts!

Measuring Worms

To learn more about worms we created our own rulers and practiced measuring drawings of worms, then we measured some real worms!

"Worms are wiggly!"

We had so much fun measuring worms we used our rulers to measure different plants in the garden too!

Worm Books!

Worm Farm!

Now that we know how awesome worms are for the garden soil the kids were inspired to build a permanent worm farm that we feed with scraps from our snacks and lunches.

Love Grows!

This is one of our favorite action songs to practice in February - a wonderful month to celebrate love! Here are the words with the actions so you can sing at home together :)

"Love"

"grows"

"1 by 1"

"2 by 2"

"and 4 by 4"

"Love"

"grows"

"round like a circle"

"and comes back a knocking"

"at your front door!"

Love Yoga!

This month in Hola Yoga we have been practicing with loving affirmations in English and Spanish!

I am awesome!
¡Soy increíble!
Star Pose

I am open!
¡Soy abierto!
Crescent Moon Pose

I am strong!
¡Soy fuerte!
Warrior 1 Pose

I am beautiful!
¡Soy hermoso!
Dancer Pose

I am healthy!
¡Soy sano!
Cat/Cow Pose

I am creative
¡Soy creativo!
Bridge Pose

I am honest!
¡Yo soy honesto!
Camel Pose

I am loving!
¡Soy cariñosa!
Hugging Twist

I am happy
¡Soy feliz!
Happy Baby Pose

I am calm!
¡Soy calmado!
Resting Pose

And the best way to finish love yoga...

Big hugs!

Sweet Valentine Crafts!

Learning Fractions with Circles!

Music Class!

We have been learning to play 'Row row row your boat" on the autoharp and writing our own songs too!

Healthy Chocolates!

Simple, no-bake, no-sugar yumminess. Combine 1 cup of warmed coconut butter, 1 cup of warmed coconut oil, 1/2 cup cacao powder, 1/3 cup coconut flour, and 4 TBS monkfruit sweetener. Then spoon into heart molds, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and tong hemp seeds or shredded coconut on top. The kids ate them all up!

Sweet Friends!

See you next time!

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The Magic of Mindfulness

1/31/2019

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A growing body of scientific research shows the many positive effects mindfulness has on the mental health and well-being of young children. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to improve attention and reduce stress as well as increase one's ability to regulate emotions and feel compassion and empathy. Habits formed early in life provide the foundation for behaviors in adulthood, and with mindfulness, we have the opportunity to give our children the habit of being peaceful, kind and accepting with themselves and others.

Have a look at the benefits of a mindfulness practice for children researched by the Mindfulness In Schools Program:

Wellbeing and Mental Health:
As well as helping them to recognize worry, manage difficulties and cope with stress, developing a more mindful awareness also helps children and young people to appreciate what is going well and to flourish.

Concentration and Cognition:
Mindfulness trains us to understand and direct our attention with greater awareness and skill. This may improve the capacity of children to concentrate and be less distracted, as well as their working memory and ability to plan.

Social and Emotional Learning:
Mindfulness helps to develop a greater awareness of relationships and how to manage them, as well as offering a richer understanding of things like self-esteem and optimism.

Behavior:
Mindfulness helps young children to self-regulate more effectively, manage impulsivity and reduce conflict.

At Austin Children's Garden we weave in mindfulness practices into our daily curriculum. Here are some of our favorite mindfulness practices - we hope you are inspired to try some at home:

Mindful Meditations

Be Like Nature

This approach to sharing mindfulness draws on the elements of nature. Often, we reflect on the beauty and serenity of the natural world out there, and overlook our own beautiful nature. This exercise introduces children to ways of seeing the strength and beauty of nature within themselves, offering a short practice to help relax and observe their experience.

This Nature Meditation is from Mindful.org and the kids loved imagining themselves as the tree, wind, and sun. They especially loved being the sun and sending out love to their family.

"When we go outside we can see and feel so many wonderful things. Things like trees, and the wind, and the clouds, and the sun.

In many ways we are like these beautiful parts of nature, and for this exercise we’ll be like the tree and the wind and the sun.

Our body is like a tree. It grows and it is strong.
Our breath is like the wind. It flows in and out.
And the sun is like the part of us that is warm and kind.

So let’s lower or close our eyes and sit tall like a tree. We extend our hands way out and stretch our fingers, like branches and leaves. Let’s squeeze our fingers together and then let go and feel them wiggle, like they are blowing in the wind.

And now, with the wind blowing, let’s be like the wind and take a two big, slow breaths. Breathing in . . . and breathing out, blowing out the wind. Breathing in . . . and breathing out, blowing out the wind.

And now the sun comes out and warms the tree and the wind. As it shines on the tree, we feel our body. Can you feel fingers and feel your toes? What else can you feel—just by noticing?

And as the sun shines on the wind, we feel our body breathing. Can you feel your belly moving up and down? Can you feel the air flowing in and out of your beautiful body?

And with the sun up high in the sky, brightening and warming the whole world, you too can warm the world—with your kindness!

Think of someone who can use a little kindness—like your sister or brother, or a friend, or your teacher. And as you think of them, wish for them, “May you be happy,” imagining them smiling like the sun.

You deserve happiness too. So now wish for yourself, “May I be happy,” and smile like the sun.

And as you smile like the sun, feel your body sitting tall like a tree and feel your breath blowing like the wind.

And then gently open your eyes and look around. You are amazing!"

Pebble Meditation

Another great nature-based meditation is this one outlined in the book 'A Handful of Quiet'. For this meditation the kids created their own meditation cards, corresponding meditation pebbles, and designed a bag to hold their pebbles. When children are engaged in the creative process they are much more willing and invested to engage with the practice!

To make the pebbles we used paint markers on these beautiful jade pebbles. Each child designed four pebbles to symbolize the flower, water, sky, and mountain.

We also decorated our bags for the pebbles to give them a more personal touch.

To practice with our pebbles, we pulled a pebble from the bag, matched it with the corresponding card, and then followed the breathing and affirmations on the card. The surprise of pulling a different pebble out of the bag really helps to engage the interest of a young child!

To access more cards to make at home see the blog Keepers of the Future.

Mindful Movement

When we move our bodies with an awareness of our breath, our senses, our thoughts, and our feelings we are cultivating a mindfulness practice and focusing on the present moment. In our children's yoga classes this month we focused on the poses that the reflected the nature elements from our Pebble Meditation.

Flower Pose

Bring the soles of your feet together and imagine you are a beautiful flower. What color are you? What do you smell like? What is your flower feeling in this moment?

Now grow your flower by lifting your feet wide in your hands. How big can you make your flower?

Take 3 deep breaths. Breathe from your roots to your petals. Feel the sunshine and the wind.

Breathing in: I see myself as a flower
Breathing out: I am beautiful, just as I am

Water Pose

With your legs out in front of you touch your toes in a forward bend. Imagine you are a calm clear lake. Can you see the sky and trees in the reflection of your lake? What does the sky look like? Take 3 deep breaths here.

Breathing in: Still water
Breathing out: Reflecting

Mountain Pose

Stand with your legs hip width apart and bring your palms together on top of your head like a mountain top. Imagine you are a mountain - solid, strong, and confident.

Breathing in: Mountain
Breathing out: Solid

Sky Pose

Step your legs wide and stretch your arms out like a star. Imagine you are the big blue sky with lots of space in and around you. Take 3 deep breaths here.

Breathing in: I see myself as the big blue sky
Breathing out: I feel very free and at ease

Mindful Artwork

To deepen our connection to our pebble meditation our art projects focused on the themes and qualities of the flower, water, mountain, and sky.

Flower Still Life

Water Reflection Paintings

Playdough Mountain

Sky Collage

And Sky Mandalas!

Mindful Breathing

To help young children focus on their breath the kids love this Breathing Buddy exercise where you place a small stuffed animal on your belly and take a deep breath in so you can see your animal rise and fall with your breath.

Mindful Glitter Bottles

This is one of the best tools we use in our calming basket if kids are feeling big emotions like anger, overwhelm, or fear. To read more about how to make and use them check out our previous blog.

Mindful Listening

We love to use the Mindfulness Bell to begin our circle times and yoga/mindfulness classes. Check out these 5 Ways to Practice Mindful Listening with a Bell by HeartMindKids.

Mindful Cards

A dear friend heard we were having an extra focus on mindfulness this month and created these beautiful handmade cards for the kids to learn and play with! Thank you Cory!!

Mindful Mazes

Another great tool in our calming basket is this simple finger maze. The kids are so focused as they follow the lines to the center with their fingertip.

"Part of the reason why mindfulness is so effective for children can be explained by the way the brain develops. While our brains are constantly developing throughout our lives, connections in the prefrontal circuits are created at their fastest rate during childhood. Mindfulness, which promotes skills that are controlled in the prefrontal cortex, like focus and cognitive control, can therefore have a particular impact on the development of skills including self-regulation, judgment and patience during childhood."

The New York Times

Mindful Mandalas

The word "mandala" is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "circle". Creating mandalas is a mindfulness tool that kids love as they explore circles, patterns and radial symmetry.

Mandala Circles

Nature Mandalas

Shell Mandalas

Pasta Mandalas

Sand Mandalas

Circle Treasure Hunt

The mandalas had us noticing circle everywhere so went on a hunt for circles all over the garden!

Mindful Gardening

Gardening is a wonderful way to practice mindfulness as we focus on our senses and the present moment while connecting to nature and the world around us.

We found a snail on the lettuce leaves and noticed that the snail was a spiral which is a type of mandala! Then we found more spirals on the nature table.

Mindful Reading

These were a few of our favorite story time books this month!

Mindful Eating

We loved reading this fun book that inspired us to try foods with a deeper awareness as we compared raisins to grapes, pickles to cucumbers, and cabbage to saurkraut while focusing on all our senses.

Mindful Cooking

Cooking is a natural mindful activity as we explored the tastes, textures, colors, scents, and sounds of the cooking process.

Mindful Macaroons

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!)

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

Happy Birthday Mr. Ben!

Mindful Muffins

These chocolate muffins were even more delicious when we appreciated each ingredient and really noticed the sounds of the cracking egg, the scent of the cocoa powder and the change in texture before and after baking.

3 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup Cocoyo coconut yogurt
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
1.5 tsp baking powder

Mix together wet ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients then add the dry to the wet while stirring. Carefully spoon into muffin pan, then bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sweet friends!

See you next time!

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Brain Building with STEAM Education

12/30/2018

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Research in neuroscience and other developmental sciences shows us that the basic architecture of a child’s brain is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues through adulthood. Like the construction of a home, the building process begins with laying the foundation, framing the rooms, and wiring the electrical system in a predictable sequence. Early experiences literally shape how the brain gets built. A strong foundation in the early childhood increases the probability of positive outcomes.

In an environment intentionally designed to provide brain-building experiences for children, the educator is available to children when they need guidance and assistance with new ideas. The teacher’s role is to help create the learning environment and offer support when needed to help children develop new skills and facilitating interplay between children and the environment. The adult is not the only source of input and exploration for children. A well-planned environment will provide children with an array of learning experiences. When such an environment is combined with intentional, brain-building learning activities, children have the best of all possible worlds.

To learn more about how experiences build brain architecture see this video from Harvard University.

STEAM is an acronym used by educators for learning experiences that link together: science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Brain Building for STEAM includes the following:

Science is a way of thinking. Science is observing and experimenting, making predictions, sharing discoveries, asking questions, and wondering how things work.

Technology is a way of doing. Technology is using tools, being inventive, identifying problems, and making things work.

Engineering is a way of doing. Engineering is solving problems, using a variety of materials, designing and creating, and building things that work.

Art is a way of creating. When it comes to art, it goes beyond aesthetics. The ‘A’ includes the liberal arts as well, meaning language arts, social studies, physical arts, fine arts, and music.

Math is a way of measuring. Math is sequencing (1, 2, 3, 4…), patterning (1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2…), and exploring shapes (triangle, square, circle), volume (holds more or less), and size (bigger, less than).

At ACG we are always looking at how to create our environment and the experiences we offer to help build a healthy foundation for young children's development. Check out our STEAM inspired projects this month as we explored color and light!

The Language of Color

These color cards introduce new shades of old favorites and really expanded our color vocabulary.

Color Hunt

Matching card colors with found items in the schoolhouse!

Emotions of Color

We we took turns picking cards and described how the different colors made us feel.

"Azure makes me feel like flying!"
"This one makes me feel like a fire truck!"
"Emerald is happy!"

We loved these books to explore more colors, colors in Spanish, and the feelings of colors.

Color Sorting

Sorting is a simple math activity that kids love!

Colorful Sculptures

"I made a dog!"

Letters in Colors

Colors in Clay

Mixing Primary Colors with Non-Newtonian Fluid

"It's a liquid and a solid!!"

Mixing Primary Colors with Centrifugal Force

"It's turning purple!"

Mixing Colors with Oil and Water

Color and Geometry Collage

Snowflakes with Geometry, Color, and Light

Suncatchers with Geometry, Color, and Light

Kaleidoscopes

This project is a fun way to explore light, reflection, and symmetry!

Exploring the Light Cube

The cube changes color too...

... which changes the colors of the blocks!

Translucent or Opaque?

"X-rays are translucent!"

Colors in Geology

Which rocks are translucent? Which ones are opaque?

We took the light cube outside and looked for translucent and opaque objects from nature.

Translucent Watercolors and Opaque Tempera Paints

Opaque Snowflakes

The kids were thrilled to get out the hand drills they learned to use in our unit on woodworking!

Rainbow ABC Yoga

"M"

"I"

"L"

"Y"

Easy Cheesy Kale Chips

These were a hit at our Winter Potluck!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Take out the stems of the kale and tear into smaller pieces then wash and dry in salad spinner. Add kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with oil. Use hands to massage the kale to soften its texture and disperse the oil. Set aside.
Add 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast and 1/2 tsp salt to the kale and toss to distribute, working it into the grooves so it's thoroughly coated.
Divide kale between 2 large baking sheets (or more if increasing batch size) and spread into an even layer, making sure the pieces aren't overlapping to ensure crispiness. You may need to bake them in two batches depending on size of baking sheets.
Sprinkle the kale with 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast for extra flavor and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove from oven and toss/flip kale to ensure even baking.
Bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until chips are crispy and golden brown. Watch carefully to ensure they don't burn. Let cool slightly before enjoying.