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Tape, Trees, Twigs...and the letter "T"

5/27/2013

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I can't imagine a better time of year to talk about the letter "T" and trees, tape, and twigs.  What a perfect example of springtime than to be able to see a birds nest built with twigs up close!

Let me back up a bit so that no one thinks we robbed a momma bird of her little babes!!  Over the past winter and early spring a friendly wood pecker decide that the side of our house was the perfect place to display his expertise.  Night and day we could hear him drilling holes in the siding of our house. It sounded like a jack hammer in the walls, especially at 5am!  But, not quite knowing what to do, we waited him out, figuring he would tire and move on...that he did.  However, other critters opportunistically commandeered the space and took up residence.  Specifically, robins...  Once the little eggs hatched the chirping in the walls became quite LOUD...at...all...hours...of ...the...night...  At this point a very nice man came out of professionally removed the nests, fixed the holes in the siding and in the process allowed our little preschoolers to have a peak at the downy covered babies.  We looked at the nest and observed all the twigs intertwined together.  We talked about how mother birds build their nests with spit, dirt, twigs, and weeds.  We talked about the importance of trees keeping the babies safe from animals that might hurt them.  We listened to them chirp and watched them wiggle around the nest.  We talked about how the momma feeds her babies and then the hunt for worms was ON!  This was a great introduction to our letter "T", tape, twigs, and trees study and the children were EXCITED!  We were so thankful for the time we were allowed to see these babies up close (careful not to touch) until they were place in a location safe and close to their original "hole in my wall" habitat. 

We will also report that the mother found the babies and immediately began her care for them again...

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Our "babies" the man who came to move the nest needed boxes to keep the nest safe and secure during transport. I brought him the big box and the "Hello Kitty" box (we have a lot of girls around here and Hello Kitty is IT!) He thought I was being sarcastic and literally laughed out loud at how "appropriate" that box was! I, being a bit slow on the joke, didn't get what he meant until MUCH later....yep..Hello Kitty! (not really, the babies are safe!!)
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Here we were collecting twigs and trees to use as our painting utensils for a later project. We noticed the different shapes of the leaves, heart, round, long, short, big, small, smooth, rough, dark and light green, fuzzy and soft. The leaves gave us LOTS of opportunity for sensory vocabulary building.
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Children LOVE tape and we made several long and short strips for them to remove and use to attach their twigs together.
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Here we are using our evergreen paint brushes...
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We began our study on trees by looking at what was under the ground...roots... We dug for the tree roots and found LOTS around one specific tree. This picture is of us just starting out.
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Eureka! Our tree roots. We discussed that the finer roots are for eating vitamins from the dirt (they understand vitamins since most of them take them each day) and how they get their drinks from the dirt too.
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We discussed the color green extensively. We painted these handprint trees with popsicle stick trunks.
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We made small, medium and large "t" twigs.
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At the end of the week we made large tree pictures.  We used only the materials we had found from the trees at painting utensils.  We imprinted tree bark, leaves, and twigs on our papers and used the evergreen branches as paintbrushes. 

Natural play...and why it's important

"Children learn by constructing their own knowledge about the world, not by memorizing facts." (Piaget 1962).  Getting children out to play is not an effort to take a break from them, but rather a very important part of their education.  Digging for worms, finding the bugs, roots, and different types of rocks in the ground and the discovery of birds, bushes, growing plants, nests and grasses are all a necessary element of child development. I have attached a link to a long, but good article in the importance of nature for children.  Click on the title below to direct you to this informative article by fellow Kansas Citian, Randy White

Young Children's Relationship with Nature:  
Its Importance to Children's Development & the Earth's Future by Randy White


 
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If you give a babe a box...

5/25/2013

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"The toy in the child's hand is alive." 
Magda Gerber
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If you have a preschool aged child you have certainly read the book series by Laura Numeroff, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie."  This is our take on it.  This is one of my personal favorite activities for a child. 

A box...

A box is a world of imagination to a young child.  If you give a child a gift, and it comes in a box large enough for them to crawl into, they will likely ditch the gift and go for the box.  The box is a boat, a ship, a cave, a car, a rocket, a house, a bed, a safe place.  It is always, in my observations, a place of safety for a child, a refuse and a help for whatever scenario they have conjured. 

Feeding and caring for ten children requires purchases to be made in bulk, so thankfully, usually by months end, we have an ample supply of boxes.  I do try to make certain I have enough boxes for each child to have their own.  Sharing at this age is very difficult.  At times, we can utilize them as objects of sharing, but along comes one of our little 1's and share time is over... :)

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Here, he used the boxes one in front of the next, lining them up perfectly. He then climbed into one of them and sang our song, "Little Red Caboose."
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Small spaces have a calming effect for young children and they spent hours creating, reading, and relaxing there... I would seriously spend MONEY buying boxes (if they weren't so expensive!! HA!!)
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The picture is a blur...but you get the idea. The box basketball goal was a huge hit. On cold/wet days it kept the kids moving and helped work out the wiggles...
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We lovingly and jokingly referred to this as Toddler Town while the boxes were still standing. We cut in doors and windows. We gave the children their crayons and markers and told them to do ANYTHING they wanted to do. They spent LOTS of time decorating their boats, trains, apartments, houses, caves, baby beds, bedrooms...etc...
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At one point we put them together with blankets and tape to make a maze. This was taken just before adding the blankets.
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We made homemade indoor basketball goals by cutting out the bottom and the top and taping it to a door.

Why is playing with boxes is an important part of the learning process?

We know it's fun.  We know it's the nature of young children to toss the toy and play with the box.  We have all felt that little sting as well meaning parents, grandparents, and yes preschool teachers when we have spent quite a lot of money on a new toy and the box is what they have a BLAST with until it's unrecognizable and tossed into pieces into the recycle bin.  Why, though?  What is the draw that young children have to the box?

They desire to create the world around them...just like we do.  Think about it, we decorate our homes (big boxes), our cars (sometimes big boxes), even our coffee mugs (little boxes) at a pottery class with our own style, with the things that touch our hearts and speak to us emotionally.  Creative, imaginative play is practice for later adult world events like homemaking.  We each desire to have our own "box" or space that is uniquely ours; something that speaks to us and others and says, "This is me, what I like, and what's important to me." 

This type of imaginative play is vital to the self-confidence.  It is an essential building block in the foundation of thinking.  This "thinking" teaches children to problem solve emotionally/socially with other children; to think about spatial relations in reference to ALL the stacks of toys or friends they attempt to put into their box space; to redesign and redirect their materials for to meet their goals for a variety of play that will ensue individually or as a group. 

So...the next time you are trying to decide how to spend $20 on a fun new toy that will keep your child busy for hours, go to your local moving store and pick up a big box, step back, and watch the fun confident that your decision is appropriate, imaginative, and GREAT for their development!

As always...we wish you well - L

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A whole lotta' letters and a whole lotta' fun!

5/21/2013

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"Be careful what you teach, it might get in the way of what they are learning...Magda Gerber"
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The above quote from Magda Gerber is definitely what we have been experiencing around here lately.  There are times when, as a homeschool momma, a pre-k teacher, and an all around servant of small children (I wear that proudly!!) that I have to take a step back and see what's working and what isn't.  As our little group grows and changes from season to season and our old routines become...well...old...I am posed to put my thinking cap on and determine what our best, next course is. 

During the winter months the children have been content with arts and crafts, letters and numbers, playdough and cooking, parties and paints, but as the temperature's rise, so does their longing for the outdoors.  Their natural inclination for the undiscovered and yet to be touched.  They need...NEED...to own their time, their activity, their autonomy.  Part of this is the age of the children, moving from 1's and 2's to 2's and 3's, this is a natural progression of development.  Autonomy, the ability to choose, to think, to reason, to be under no "man's" or "preschool teacher's" clock.  Ms. Melissa and I have discussed how rowdy our storytime's have become, how they just want to PLAY!  We still fit in our storytime, but it has morphed more into group-story-making-up.  Their recognition of the world around them, their own creativity, and how they can imagine a story is much more exciting now than sitting around listening to a book.  So, group-story-making-up it is...  This happens indepently of me some of the time, as an extension of their peer to peer play, and at other times, I have learned to utilize it as a means of teaching the days lessons. 

Not a day goes by with these children that I am not their student.  They teach me far more than a classroom, more than a mentor, more than a book ever could or ever has.  All they ask is that I listen with my heart rather than my ears to what they are wanting to learn, to what they need.  And...on the days that I remember this, we have grand success.  On the days that I allow "what I am teaching to interfere with what they are learning" even though we may have measurable academic advancement, I have not touched their heart with learning.  When I do, what they learn becomes so ingrained in them, that they will never forget it.  They may forget the subject matter or the situation, but they will never forget the kindness, the love, the life lessons of friendship, sharing, caring for one another, or the ease of childhood that they experienced while under my watchful eye.

This will be a LONG blog post.  I am going to attempt to catch everyone up on all the activities we have engaged in over the past several weeks.  And, I hope, you will see between the lines of the A,b,c,'s and 1,2,3's and see the joy, the looks, the excitement for learning.  THIS is my #1 goal as a "student" and "teacher" of and to these sweet children; a love for learning...

"Today I shall behave as though this is the day I shall be remembered." Dr. Suess
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Click on the picture above and it will take you to an article on the importance of play. We focus each day on social/emotional skill building. One of the best ways to teach is through play. Any game that involves holding hands, patty cake, high fives, is ripe for teaching a young child the value that others bring to the group. This is where team building begins. This is also a sad realization that so many preschools feel that they have to enforce "no touching" in order for safety to be ensured. Children, especially young children, MUST have touch. They need to hug and be hugged, hold hands, pats on the backs, it's how they develop empathy. The skill of empathy allows children to realize that others are important and so are they...
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Children LOVE dirt. So when it was time to study the letter "R", the book "Planting a Rainbow!" was a natural choice. We dug and dug, sowed and sowed, watered and watered...only now, many weeks and a snow later are we getting sprouts!
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Even our little babes enjoy "planting" seeds!
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A few more seeds and then we will be done...
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We paint and paint and paint...it doesn't matter how old or young, they LOVE the opportunity to learn!
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Thankful for beautiful days and the opportunity to paint our rainbows outside!
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No rainbow week would be complete without the Fruitloop rainbow!!! We categorize, add, subtract, talk about colors, and then...of course, eat them up!
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A rainbow here...a rainbow there...
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This one isn't nervous AT ALL...the more the better!!!
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More "P" is for pig...we made little happy/sad piggy puppets and talked about why piggy might feel this way and what we could do to help!
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Their favorite part of making piggy puppets was wrapping the pipe cleaner around their little fingers to make piggy tails!
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An oldie but a goodie! Our favorite "barnyard" book.
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Our completed barns and silos. We talked about the habitats of the pig and how the farmer feeds them. We learned what a "silo" is.

Celebrations...

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We love parties! We have them for every holiday, going away, and birthday. This gives each child an opportunity to be celebrate and to celebrate others. We have had many of these over the past few weeks. We decorate, make cupcakes, cards, give gifts and SING!
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More sweets and sweeties to celebrate!
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One of my favorite cutie pie pix...I think this was one of the first times she had ever had icing!
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We studied rainbows for the letter "R." During this time we were experiencing a lot of rain and thunderstorms. Talking about rainbows, learning the colors and our special rainbow song, helped ease their fears to look forward to the rainbow at the end of the rain...
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Our favorite book while learning about rainbows.
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Here we are, planting our own rainbow!!
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We made rainbow crayons by breaking up our old ones, spraying the pan with Pam, and baking them at 175 for about 20 mins.
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Different ages and stages of the painting process. Pictured above is one of our little 2's engaged in painting a rainbow. He mixes his colors and paints with short and long strokes. Here, one of our 5's makes the rainbow in the arch form and keeps her colors separated. Each stage of development is equally important and appropriate. Clicking on either picture will take you to a link that discusses the stages of drawing development.
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This is how the group paint started...
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Group painting rainbow colors...
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More rainbow art. We cut up foam pieces in many colors with the help of the children, then we gave them a "rainbow" shaped space to make it in.
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During our rainbow study we were also making our Mother's Day rainbow handprint heart bags...she was a bit nervous about having all that paint on her hands. She likes to keep her hands clean!!

P is for Pigs...which was more of a study about farm life...

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During our "P" is for pig week, we made red barns and silos out of recycled milk boxes and paper towel rolls. We painted EVERYTHING red and learned the color of red. I love this pic...soooo sweet!!! If you give a babe a trumpet!!!
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We also built barn yards for our pigs with blocks.
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Pig tails!
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Puzzles aren't a "special day" in our world...they are an everyday occurrence. Here, this little fella' used his "match the legs to the farm animal" puzzle to make a circle. With the right tools learning happens all around...
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All of our little ones loved this farm puzzle!
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I take a lot of pictures...I know! But this is why, sometimes I am able to capture the heart of what I do and why I love it. The quality of this picture isn't there...but the heart is. These sweet girls aren't sisters but you wouldn't know it. This is learning, this is caring for others... Here one of our little 5's is reading (new reader) to one of our little 1's. This gives each child an opportunity to practice their skills. For the 5 year old its reading, turning the pages in order, caring for others. For the one year old it's listening, engaging in the story and enjoying the moment of friendship and togetherness.
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Sweet little birthday girl enjoying her icecream cone cupcakes...
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Party YUMMIES!
During the past several weeks we have welcomed new friends and said "Best Wishes!" to old.  We have celebrated birthdays and holidays and have learned about rainbows, farms, seeds, rain, and the weather.

But more importantly, we have enjoyed the sun and rain, jumped in puddles, made messes, cooked and baked, been together during fun and fits, and had a all around wonderful time.  We have endured lots of illness with the spring allergy season, but are SO glad for the warm weather. 

As always...we wish you well...LaDonna
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This too shall pass...

5/7/2013

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If you follow us on Facebook, you know many of the fun, educational and all around messy activities we do on a daily basis, but if you don't and rely on our blog I have absolutely NOT been on the ball recently.  I LOVE to write about what the children are doing, how they are growing, how they see the world around them, and why we do what we do.  But, from time to time, the needs of my children supersede all else.  This has been such a time. 
As a homeschool momma, business owner, blogger (wanna-be), toddler climbing post, and all around multi-hat juggler (as we all are!!), my time to actually sit down and write seems to be thrust to the wee hours when all are sleeping.  Recently, my little girl has been in a "NO SLEEP" zone and pushed the limits of caffeine consumption to a record high for the adults in her life.  She, like many 2's and 3's, wants our full devotion, especially when all her little friends have gone home for the evening.  Recently, as I sat with my computer lap and asking her for "Just one more minute, honey and Mommy will be done," it hit me...THIS TOO SHALL PASS... 

All too often I have heard that phrase quoted as a means to encourage someone to just keep going despite the odds, that the life event they are experiencing will not last forever and that they can endure it with persistence.   But, this season of her little life will be gone in the blink of an eye.  This time to enjoy each season as though it was her first, to taste the snowflakes, jump in the puddles, make dirt soup, draw letters in the sand, look for animals in the clouds...this too shall pass...and I don't want to miss a beat, not a single look, discovery, or experience. 

Sometimes, it does me well to remember that she just wants me...perfect or not, prepared or not, fully caught up on my work or not...me...just...me...

and I wouldn't have it any other way.





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Dandelions and Darlings...

5/1/2013

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This blog is not only for our daily activities, but also to view each child as a gift...and some pictures capture that quality so well, that I have no choice but to pause and take a moment to appreciate it.

Originally, I snapped this quick picture as my little girl sweetly picked yet another handful of her favorite "flowers."  I say that loosely as we all, as adults, know these are weeds, lawn pests that we diligently seek to exterminate and scowl at our neighbor's yards for possessing.  Well, like most pre-school aged children, she LOVES these bright yellow, easy to pick, readily available supply of Dandelions.  She usually can't remember the name so she lovingly squeals "Lion FLOWERS!!!" And, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are subject to wait for her as she delicately picks to her fill, each...one...she...can...find...  As you can imagine, this can be quite a wait. 

It is so precious, she will only love these for so long until her tastes for "real" flowers develop and she is "educated" to the fact that most consider these "good for nothing" weeds. 

But not today...

Today we will pick the "flowers" and appreciate them through her eyes.  Today we will give them a place of high esteem in a small vase with fresh water among the other flowers we have on our windowsill.  Today we will revel in her innocence and recognize that this stage passes far too quickly.  In her right hand, she holds her brightly bloomed "lion flowers" and in her left she named these her "ball flowers."  I had to ask her several times until I fully understood what she was saying (she is still a card carrying member of TotTown and hard to understand at times..)  She said, "Look!  These are just wike a ball!" "Day are wound, just wike a ball!"  OHHHHHH!!!!!  Ball flowers!  Of course!!!  Yes, I knew that!?!  So, in the vase also sit the "ball flowers."  Anytime a well meaning older child has attempted to explain to her that "Those are just weeds, honey."  I quickly point out to her how yellow and fluffy and pretty her flowers are and she happily continues picking her prize. 

At times we are all childlike, aren't we??  We hold onto something that others see as silly, insignificant or trivial.  And isn't it better, in those times, to uphold the person and their values rather than to tear down what they hold so dear?  What seems like a weed to be destroyed to one may be the only bright yellow fluffy flower that someone has left to hold. 

And you know what?  God sees beauty, just like my little girl...beauty in the bloom at each stage, each phase, each age; it still has beauty and purpose. 

Luke 12:27 (NIV)
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell
you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these...

I wish you well...


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    Life is made of moments...

    "There isn't anything more full of hope, joy and peace than a child's smile... It captures the mundane and makes it extraordinary." - LaDonna Woolsey

    I am a www.prekwithme.com blogger. I decided to become one after trying their products because I they are comprehensive and serve my mixed age group well.  I do receive products to review from www.prekwithme.com and do so with my own honest and thorough opinions.  For more information, please contact me at [email protected]

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My husband and I both work full time and during the year 2011 we needed a child care provider for our five year old daughter and our 20 month old son. I am a Special Education Teacher for the Willard RII district in Missouri. I found LaDonna Woolsey on the internet while searching for a child care provider.  I had called numerous places and never felt comfortable with any of them to even make an appointment to meet them in person. I called LaDonna, and almost immediately after the conversation started, I felt a sense of relief and made an appointment to check out her daycare in person, the following day.  When I saw her facility I was absolutely amazed. LaDonna answered all of my nervous mom questions and watching her interact with the children made me realize I had found the perfect person to watch my children during the day. She started providing Child Care services for my children immediately... - Lisa Lassley - Special Education Teacher for the Willard RII 

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