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Getting to Know ACG!

8/20/2021

“You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” -Dr. Seuss

Welcome to ACG! We are glad to have many returning friends joining us for another year of growing, and are so excited to welcome all our new friends joining our garden family. As a nature-based learning environment, we spend our days connecting with the world around us, nurturing and developing our bodies and minds through free play and child-led activities. In August, we focus on learning about each other and ACG.

We start our days with art based and creative engagement activities. Our art projects are based upon child-led discovery, allowing the kids to take charge of their own learning. By having open ended activities, the kids learn to enjoy the process of making art, rather than the final product. (Read more about Process Art in our past blog post)

Favorite Things Collages

Getting to know each other through our favorite people, places, and things is our first step in connecting with each other.

Learning About Colors

Using primary color paints, the kids loved discovering what colors could be mixed to make new colors.

“Yellow and blue make green!”

Bubble Wands

Using pipe cleaners, soap, and water we can make our own unique bubble wands.

Fingerprint Stamping

Each kid at ACG is special and one of a kind, and we are reminded of that by stamping our fingers and hands :)

Watercolors and Oil Pastels

Using oil pastels and watercolor paint, we can make “magic” paintings!

Explore and Play!

Our program highlights play-based learning, letting kids naturally learn through playing and exploring. We can learn so much from the world around us that learning happens naturally. Check out our past blog about Why We Love to Play!

This month the kids were especially interested in bugs from the garden, counting their steps, and how to work together to build block structures.

Gross Motor

After free play, throughout the week we like to alternate between doing a gross motor, mindfulness/yoga activity, or music and dance parties!

Some of the gross motor activities we did this month were tag, hide and seek, and climbing on our hay bales.

Breathing Makes it Better

Learning about our emotions and how to deal with them in a positive way is a big focus at ACG. Using books like "Breathing Makes it Better", we learn lots of different ways breathing can help us reflect on our emotions when we are experiencing big feelings. Our breathing ball also helps us think about our breath coming in and out.

Based upon conscious discipline, we also learned about breathing techniques like balloon breath, drain breath, pretzel breath, and STAR.

Yoga

The kids love picking yoga cards to inspire yoga poses for them to do.

Music and Dance Party!

Building Fine Motor Skills

Building with magnet tiles and stringing beads on pipe cleaners are just two of the ways we help our little hands build strength and dexterity.

Gardening

By helping plant and water our garden, the kids love being able to see their plants grow and to eventually munch on all the yummy plants we nurture.

Stepping Stone Art

As well as helping grow the garden, the kids also helped make our garden more beautiful by working together to make a garden stepping stone.

Water Play!

One of the best ways to stay cool in the summer heat is playing in the water!

Story Time

We end each day with reading books and fruit juice popsicles!

Recipe

We have begun doing cooking classes again during our morning program. This month the kids helped make organic cookies, brownies, and banana bread! Check out our recipe for Paleo brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper or oil.

In a large bowl beat together 4 eggs, 1 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup honey 1 cup melted coconut oil, and 2 tsp vanilla.

In a separate small bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cup almond flour, 1 1/3 cup cacao powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.

Combine together and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy :)

See you next time! :)

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Loose Parts

7/29/2021

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"If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child, they will learn without any further assistance." -Sir Ken Robinson

We have always been amazed by how even the simplest of objects can inspire hours of play in our children. Children love to play with objects that can stimulate their creativity and curiosity, and we believe in encouraging this natural exploration is to provide children with a variety of objects to experiment with in their play. We call these materials "loose parts", and had so much fun getting to play with loose parts this month at ACG!

What are loose parts? Loose parts can be any found object that children can use to combine, remake, take apart, move, and manipulate. The beauty of this type of play is that there is no "right way" to use the loose parts, they can be used in any combination, and their creations can become anything the child imagines. Loose parts have infinite possibilities that encourages conversation and innovation that can create a lifetime of skills in children.

Here at ACG we also love that loose parts are often natural and recycled materials! We can find so many materials at our fingertips: found objects, recycled items, and nature items.

We use an inquiry based approach as we start exploring loose parts with our children:

Remembering: What is this called?
Understanding: Which part do you think...?
Applying: How would you use...?
Analyzing: What are you creating?
Evaluating: What would happen if...?
Creating: What is your finished result?

String, Beads, and Buttons

As an introduction to loose parts, we began with using three familiar materials for kids to explore and create with.

Popsicle Sticks, Clips, Paper, and Felt

“I’m making a boat!”

Paper Plate Art

We continued our exploration with loose parts by slowly adding more materials now that the kids felt comfortable using them.

"I'm making a path on my plate."

Clay, Buttons, and Popsicle Sticks

Air-dry clay was a great addition to our loose parts play exploration, as it can be shaped into any way we want to! The kids loved pushing their imaginations even further.

"I made a rocket ship!"

Combining Materials

After lots of exploring, we could begin using different combinations of loose parts they were familiar with and new ones. Even with the same materials, there were always new ideas!

"Our pieces can go together!"

Loose Parts in Play

Loose part learning was also happening during our every day play, from building blocks to creating new objects.

Curiosity Fun!

Our kids are always curious about the world around them and wanting to know more. Using loose parts is just one of the many ways we can encourage that curiosity. We talked lots this months about birds and insects, using binoculars, books, and magnifying glasses to see them up close.

Because loose parts invites kids to conversation and interactivity, it's also seen that loose parts leads kids to enjoy collaboration and cooperation!

Recipe: Dandelion Cookies

Whisk together 4 eggs.

Mix in 1/2 cup honey, 3/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 cup palm shortening, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt.

Gently fold in 1 cup of dandelion blossoms (fresh or dried).

Spoon dollops onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes and enjoy with friends for a birthday celebration!

See you next time!

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The Wonders of Water

6/29/2021

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“A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us.” -Lucy Larcom

Water is such an AMAZING substance! Did you know that the water that comes out of your faucet at home is the same water that the dinosaurs drank? All living things, no matter how big or small, or whether they live up high in the tree tops or in the deepest parts of the sea, need water to survive! It's because of this that scientists believe that searching for water on other planets is the best way to search for other life. Even by searching our own ocean here on Earth, we find new species all the time. In fact, it's estimated that just one drop of water can have millions of bacteria and viruses in it!

Unlike most liquids, water expands and floats when frozen, which is a good thing because if the frozen glaciers sank instead of floated, all the oceans (which cover more than 70% of the earth's surface) would freeze solid! Water can also defy gravity! Because water likes to stick to itself, droplets are able to travel from the roots under ground all the way up to the leaves.

But what's really awesome about water? There's no better way to beat the heat than to engage in water play! Check out how we explored the wonders of water through tons of fun and refreshing projects!!

Watercolor Exploration

We began our water investigation with mixing watercolors!

Next, the kids experimented with watercolor on dry diffusion paper and compared the process to watercolor on wet diffusion paper.

Sink/Float Exploration

First, we gathered various objects from around the property and hypothesized whether they would sink or float.

Then the kids made boats that could float, even with small pebbles added!

Lastly, we shaved chalk on top of shallow water to make floating chalk art!

Volume and Displacement Exploration

The kids explored different containers with various volumes.

Next, using graduated cylinders we observed what happens to water when it is pushed out of the way by another object -- water displacement!

Phases of Matter Exploration

To explore the different phases of water, we first explored painting with solid watercolor ice cubes!

Once the watercolor ice cubes melted, the kids used the liquid watercolor to paint with.

Finally, to investigate water in its gaseous phase, we did some oil-diffuser inspired art!

Water Animal Exploration

Using stencils and magazine cutouts we explored some animals that live in water. We talked about what water animals need to live in an aquatic environment and how they are different than humans and other land animals!

The kids loved this water bead sensory bin with water animals!

Lots of Water Play!

We also made a DIY water wall using old PVC pipes! This was super fun and easy and can be done at home too using any pipes, noodles, funnels, water wheels buckets, zip-ties, or more!

More Outdoor Fun :)

On science Friday we went to the park to launch water rockets! Check out our Youtube channel to see some videos!

Cinnamon Coconut Apples

Such a simple and fun snack to make! Add 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of coconut sugar, and 2 tsp of unsweetened shredded coconut to a bag of sliced apples. Then "shake shake shake" the apples until they are fully coated.

See you next time :)

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Let's LEARN Through PLAY!

5/31/2021

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“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul” - Friedrich Fröbel

Here at ACG we have seen first hand how valuing quality play can make a noteworthy difference in the learning experiences of young children – they are able to display and explore their natural curiosities, are more deeply engaged in the process of discovery, and obtain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Extensive research has demonstrated that play significantly contributes to the typical development of children. Particularly, outdoor risky play is associated with increased physical activity, improved fundamental motor skills, improved psychomotor skills, improved social health, and decreased sedentary behavior. Remember: active children typically become active adults!

In addition, play significantly contributes to the social-emotional and cognitive development of children. During free play, children are able to showcase many capabilities including exercising their imagination and creativity, organizing games and determining rules, developing problem-solving skills, collaborating and working with others, engaging in conflict resolution, and establishing roles and practicing leadership. Furthermore, pretense play specifically has been associated with increased self-regulation, social competence, cognitive functioning, and theory of mind.

Play also presents many benefits for children on their scholastic journey. Research suggests that children who engage in unstructured play are more likely to achieve academic success and possess logical and analytical reasoning skills. Additionally, construction play with three-dimensional blocks or other like materials helps children to develop visual-spatial imagery to support STEM learning. Likewise, children are intrinsically driven to engage in play and play caters to all different types of learners. Therefore, connecting curricular activities to play can increase engagement and motivation in subject areas that may be difficult to conceptualize.

Despite the clear benefits of play for young children’s learning and development, play and learning are often systematically (and problematically) dichotomized. As champions of children and advocates for their optimal well-being, parents and educators alike should aim to reposition play as more than just a four-letter word that is separate from learning, and instead as a right of all children and advocate for its presence in and out of learning environments to inspire a life-long love of learning!

Check out how we LEARN through PLAY on a daily basis below! And, if you would like to read more about play-based learning at ACG and how you can support more play at home, check out our past blog Why We Love To Play.

Resources

Outside Fun!

Exercising motor skills

Engaging in pretense play

Cooperation and working together

New hay bales -- SO MUCH FUN!

Science Fridays

Oooooo-bleck chemical reaction! Step 1: Drum it out.

Step 2: Add corn starch, vinegar, and food coloring to a large bowl.

Step 3: Mix with a spoon or by hand.

The ratio is correct if it acts like a solid at some times and a liquid at others, depending on the pressure you apply to it. This is called a non-Newtonian fluid!

Step 4: Create your hypothesis. What will happen if we add baking soda to the mixture?

Step 5: Experiment.

Rocket ship launch!!

Check out videos of the launches here, here, and here!

Carrot Harvest!

Superfood Brownies

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. Enjoy!

See you next time :)

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Blooming Flowers

4/29/2021

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"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment." - Georgia O'Keeffe

The weather is warming up, birds are singing, and flowers are blooming! We've had so much fun here at ACG so far this Spring watching all the beautiful new growth and color from flower blooms all over our gardens. Along with exploring live plants and planting our own from seeds, we explored flowers through various flower books, lots of flower-inspired art, as well as many other hands-on flower projects. Check them out below!

Flower-Inspired Books

Exploring Flowers Through Art

Texas Wildflower Coloring Sheets

Tracing Flowers

Tie-Dye Diffusion Flowers

Collective Flower Collage

Still Life Flower Portraits

Beeswax Wildflower Fields

Nature Bracelets

Monet's Flower Garden Puzzles

The Science of Flowers

Identifying Wildflowers

Flower Dissections -- below are some of the natural observations the kids had while dissecting their flowers and making their discoveries!

"Oh! I see the little seeds inside!"

"Is this dirt or tiny bugs on my flower?"

"I think a bee must have sucked on this one before because there's purple up in this little tube."

"This kind of looks like a head. I going to use it to make a fairy at home."

"I'm still curious about this..."

Mint and Lemon Balm Play-Dough

Mix together in a large bowl:

Fresh picked mint and lemon balm
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup hot water
Food coloring
Optional: a few drops of essential oil for extra fragrance

Garden Time!

Planting magic green beans!

Lady bug release!

See you next time :)

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Exploring The World Through Colors!

3/25/2021

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"Color! What a deep and mysterious language, the language of dreams."
- Paul Gauguin

Our world is made up of so many beautiful colors!! Colors are a wonderful way for children to naturally begin to describe, categorize, and shape the world around them. You can tell so much about life simply through colors: a green banana is not ready to eat; a red light means stop; a blue mark on skin means your body is healing from a bruise. Teaching children about colors is also a lovely way to introduce early math, science, and literacy concepts!

Check out how we explored our world around us this month through COLOR!

Color Identification

Nature color match

Rainbow q-tip painting

Color match collective collage art

Colorful Creativity

Using primary colors to create secondary colors

Creating our own color blends

Finger painting

Colors in Mathematics

Sorting by color

Patterned bracelets -- mimic the patterns!

Or create your own pattern!

Using colors to identify shapes

Colors for Literacy Learning

We loved these books to explore more colors, expanding our vocabulary, and learning the elements of a story!

Colored alphabet letters

Color salt name recognition

Verbal language color hunt -- "Go find YELLOW! ...GREEN! ...BLUE!"

Circle time -- "What's your favorite color?" "Is there a color that you don't like?"

Science of Colors and Light

Absorption and color diffusion

DIY color wheel

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!

Light cube -- translucent and opaque?

More light exploration!

Mindfulness and Self-Regulation

Rainbow sensory rice bin

Later on in the week we used the rainbow rice bin for a shape matching game!

Emotions of color!

"Cobalt makes me feel tired." "Citron makes me feel happy!"

Rainbow ABC yoga

Anasazi Rainbow Salad

Mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, several pinches of sea salt, and the fresh juice of 1 lemon for the dressing. Pick a handful of fresh mint and Italian parsley from the garden. Combine together 2 cups cooked Anasazi beans, 1 small red pepper finely diced, 3 carrots cut in carrot flowers, 1/2 cup cooked sweet corn, 1/2 cup purple cabbage finely diced, and 1/4 cup fresh herbs finely diced. Pour dressing on top. Gently stir together, add a few more pinches of salt if needed. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips and seasonal fruit. Enjoy!

See you next time!

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Love and Emotions

2/25/2021

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“Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They’re there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence.”
-T.K. Coleman

In February, we especially like to focus on themes of love, kindness, and emotional intelligence! The best way to raise children to be great global citizens in the future is to create a culture of kindness. Kindness can be shown in many ways! Here's some examples from The Thoughtful Parent of how to foster kindness in children:

Model kindness - children learn by watching you!
Practice prospecting speaking - "What would that feel like?"
Teach self compassion - kindness towards others is only half the picture!
Use mindful speech - encourage a pause before speaking to ensure the words are kind.
Instill good manners - a simple "please" and "thank you" can go a long way!
Help others - volunteer as a family in an area that interests your child.
Notice the effects of kindness - kindness brings joy!

When we think about love, we want children to be able to express how they love, respect, and value themselves as well as others. One of the best ways we can show love to each other is by being understanding of the people around us. We highlight this by focusing on cooperation, collaboration, and inclusivity.

To explore our feelings and emotions, we always emphasize social-emotional development. We use cooperation and teamwork every day during play, and continually fostering a strong emotional intelligence among our kids is something we strive for! Skills like regulating and identifying emotions are a foundational part of every kid’s development and here at ACG we particularly explore this through the use of Conscious Discipline. For more info on what this looks like, check out our past blog Emotional Intelligence!

Kindness Bracelets

These bracelets are so much fun! With each color we put on our bracelet, we would ask a new question to get to know our friends better:

Yellow - What is your favorite movie?
Blue - What is your house like?
Green - What do you like to eat?
Red - What are some of your favorite things to do for fun?
Orange - What is your favorite animal?

Then the kids were encouraged to give their bracelet to someone else as an act of kindness!

"I want to give my bracelet to my friend!"
"I'm making mine for my whole family to share!"

ME! Books

The children articulated things they like about themselves and that are special to them to create their very own ME! book.

What people and things make me? What do I like about myself?

Collaborative Artwork

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.

Collaborative drawing

Collaborative collage

Drawing our Emotions

Identifying facial expressions as a type of emotion is an important step in practicing empathy.

Working Together!

There are so many ways we naturally work together every day during play, from digging sand pits to building tall towers!

Garden Broccoli!

Now that our broccoli plants are big enough to eat, a broccoli for the whole class to share is our favorite treat! The kids love eating the plants they help grow!

Outside Fun!

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.

See you next time :)

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Enjoy the Process!

1/20/2021

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"The basic law of children's creativity is that its value lies not in its results, not in the product of creation, but in the process itself."
-Vigotsky

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.

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

Approach art like open-ended play — for example, provide a variety of materials and see what happens as the child leads the art experience
Make art a joyful experience. Let children use more paint, more colors, and make more and more artwork
Provide plenty of time for children to carry out their plans and explorations
Let children come and go from their art at will
Notice and comment on what you see: Look at all the yellow dots you painted
Say YES to children’s ideas
Offer new and interesting materials
Play music in the background
Take art materials outside in the natural light
Display children’s books with artful illustrations, such as those by Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, and Javaka Steptoe
Let the children choose whether their art goes home or stays in the classroom
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!

Process Art with Painting

Finger painting

"I'm all messy with blue paint!"

Dot to dot art

Mixed Media Process 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

Science Friday!

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

Through experimentation, we discovered that the marker and paintbrush attached to a pendulum wasn't working as well as we hoped, so we made some adjustments! The next week we did the same thing, but with pouring paint instead. Check it out!

"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!

Outside Fun!

Easy Cheesy Kale Chips

These were a huge hit at our Winter Potluck back in 2018 and you can make them at home today! Enjoy :)

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.

See you next time!

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Taking Root in Nature

12/18/2020

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“Allow nature’s peace to flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.”
-John Muir

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.

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!

Using Trees for Art

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

Counting and Trees

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

Geometric Snowflakes

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!

Outside Fun!

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

Mindful Macarons

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:

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.
Enjoy!

See you next time!

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Growing Gratitude

11/19/2020

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“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

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 and Thankfulness

Gratitude vine! What are you thankful for?

Gratitude color game!

Peace, Unity, and Celebrating Diversity!

Tape resist peace signs

Self portraits -- we all look different!

Kids all around the world!

Collective mural!

Science Explosions!

Outside Fun!

Blueberry Muffins

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!

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“You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” -Dr. Seuss

Favorite Things Collages

Learning About Colors

Bubble Wands

Fingerprint Stamping

Watercolors and Oil Pastels

Explore and Play!

Gross Motor

Breathing Makes it Better

Yoga

Music and Dance Party!

Building Fine Motor Skills

Gardening

Stepping Stone Art

Water Play!

Story Time

Recipe

"If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child, they will learn without any further assistance." -Sir Ken Robinson

String, Beads, and Buttons

Popsicle Sticks, Clips, Paper, and Felt

Paper Plate Art

Clay, Buttons, and Popsicle Sticks

Combining Materials

Loose Parts in Play

Curiosity Fun!

Recipe: Dandelion Cookies

Watercolor Exploration

Sink/Float Exploration

Volume and Displacement Exploration

Phases of Matter Exploration

Water Animal Exploration

Lots of Water Play!

More Outdoor Fun :)

Cinnamon Coconut Apples

Outside Fun!

Science Fridays

Carrot Harvest!

Superfood Brownies

Flower-Inspired Books

Exploring Flowers Through Art

The Science of Flowers

Mint and Lemon Balm Play-Dough

Garden Time!

Color Identification

Colorful Creativity

Colors in Mathematics

Colors for Literacy Learning

Science of Colors and Light

Mindfulness and Self-Regulation

Anasazi Rainbow Salad

“Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They’re there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence.” ​-T.K. Coleman

Kindness Bracelets

ME! Books

Collaborative Artwork

Drawing our Emotions

Working Together!

Garden Broccoli!

Outside Fun!

Healthy Chocolates!

Process Art with Painting

Mixed Media Process Art

Science Friday!

Outside Fun!

Easy Cheesy Kale Chips

Using Trees for Art

Counting and Trees

Geometric Snowflakes

Outside Fun!

Mindful Macarons

Gratitude and Thankfulness

Peace, Unity, and Celebrating Diversity!

Science Explosions!

Outside Fun!

Blueberry Muffins

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“Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They’re there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence.”
-T.K. Coleman