Happy Independence Day!!

Happy Independence Day from Woolsey Academy!  

Independence Day celebrations can be confusing, overwhelming, and scary for young children.  When I know we are coming upon a holiday that may produce results other than, "Ooohhhh and Ahhhh..." I do my BEST to prepare our little ones with stories, songs, conversations, and art that they can understand and participate in. This gives them a sense of control over what is happening.  

This inspired our very own take home "fireworks"! 

We made our own "fireworks" with this simple Creative Arts project using our prickly "urchins" from Mother Goose Time "U is for Urchin" lesson during our A-Z Animals theme!  

I LOVE to manipulatives and the children do too!  They are perfect for building fine motor skills and always come in handy for dough, paint, and sensory play.
The "urchins" fit little hands beautifully and  encouraged exploration at the sand and water tables.  They were just right for making "fireworks" that our preschool babes could take home!

We began our day outside with PERFECT 70 degree weather, paper, red and blue paints, and these SWEEEEET little "urchins" that we adapted into "fireworks!"

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Sweet Gum tree.  Ugh....

If you look closely you will see that no sooner did I set out the plastic spiky balls, the children returned with some made by Mother Nature (instead of Mother Goose!)!!  We have a beautiful Sweet Gum  tree that completely shades our outdoor classroom.

Truth be known, I DESPISE this tree and it's spiky green balls.  We literally have thousands of them.

The children LOVE them.

They play with them daily.

They become tea party "food." Balls for target practices, currency for shopping, math manipulatives for adding, subtracting and making into rows, and perfect for making towers that stick together. 

I hate the tree because I can rake and rake and rake and still have thousands Sweet Gum balls littering the yard.

Today, I welcomed them and the results were fantastic!

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The children gathered the Sweet Gum spike balls and observed that they were "just like our urchins!"

It didn't take long for them to realize that we could use them for a natural paint material!

Some chose the "Urchins" and others chose the Sweet Gum balls.

It took a lot of tapping, smushing, and dipping to get to the "fireworks" effect.

They loved looking at the colors blending on the "Urchins"

All hands IN!

So fun :)

"Fireworks!"

When we give children control of things that may be scary to them through literature, music, and art, we give them something concrete that they can understand.  This helps ease their fears and gives them understanding of their environment.

Purdue Extension office put out a brochure that you can read here that deals with helping children deal with fears.  

" Use play to talk about fears. It might help to use dolls, puppets, stories, and art to talk about being afraid. The children could act out their fears; this gives them a sense of control. Ask them to talk about their drawings or other creations." (https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/cfs/cfs-169-w.pdf)

Anticipating anxiety and fear during the holidays and making preparations with stories, play, art, and songs is a fun filled way to ease your child's emotions while having fun with family and friends.  

​As always, I wish you well and I hope you get to play today! - L