Cut, Rip, Punch, and Colored Glue

I'm a big fan of open-ended, child-driven projects. Today, the children decided to use colored paper, scissors, shape punches and glue to make their own creations. We don't have a lot of glue that isn't colored here. When I first opened my daycare (5 years ago this week!) I purchased a large quantity of small glue bottles. I labelled them with various colors and added a little bit of liquid tempera paint to the glue. (I recently learned that you can use the markers that don't work to color glue too!)

I'm not a fan of giving children glue in a container and using a qtip or other utensil to use the glue. I like to give them the experience of having to squeeze the glue out of the bottle. It is great for their fine motor skills. We use a lot of glue here. I know that children will need to use glue to stick things together when they get older, and that they will probably hear things like "a little dab will do you!" Later, not here, and not from me. Glue is inexpensive and for a young child is a great substance to explore:

Sometimes we use glue, just for the sake of using glue. It is fun to squeeze and I look so proud when I can do it all by myself. (This is the main reason why we have colored glue. Art is about the process. When you use regular glue, the process that the child went through is not reflected in the product as it dries clear! When you add color, they can share what they did with their family as the glue is visible.)

When we learn that glue really makes things stick... sometimes we match the colored glue to the color of the paper.

And sometimes we like to use the glue to stick some paper together, and we still like to just squeeze! How much glue is enough glue to hold things together?? As we grow and we continue to try, we will explore and learn.

I wonder what will happen if I put the glue on top instead of on the bottom? (I don't know... I guess we will just have to wait and see.)

I think we will need to refill our bottles this afternoon. Time to find the funnel and the paint. It is a good thing we buy glue by the gallon!

Comments

Easter Egg Caterpillars!

OOOPS! This post has moved, please click on the photo to be redirected!

My friend died

I learned a hell of a lot from Dan Hodgins. He was mentor, a friend, and a "bone shaker" for many of us in the field of Early Childhood Education. He was and will always be a champion for children, and protector of childhood. I have so many great memories of time spent with him, it just doesn't seem like we had enough time. Dan died this past Saturday. Interestingly enough, Dan and I talked about death quite a bit. It is one of those topics that isn't talked about all that much in our field, but is super important. All living things eat, all living things poop, and all living things die. Dan and I recorded a podcast for awhile called "Shaking Bones." Dan was always shaking bones, even before I met him. To say I was honored to be asked to be his co-host would be putting it lightly. I loved recording with him. He was never afraid to touch on topics that were a bit edgy, or issues that sometimes weren't talked about much at all. We even...

A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (As Promised)

Yesterday, I hope I convinced you not to throw away your markers that "don't work." Today, I will share with you a few ideas for what to do with all of the caps. The possibilities are nearly endless, but here are a few of our recent creations: 1) A Leprechaun/Fairy Ladder/Rope Ladder: 2) #1 if not permanently secured can also double as a rope bridge: 3) #1/#2 can also be made into a train track for your homemade trains :). (No photo available) 4) You can use them as beads for a necklace: 5) You could make them into a wind chime. (No photo available). 6. You can use them as small manipulatives to count, sort, and make patterns with. (No photo available). 7) You could use them as playing pieces in your own homemade board game. (No photo available). 8) You could put them on a wire and glue them in place to make a twirling whirly-gig. 9) You could top them with a lid from a milk jug to make tiny tables or toadstools. 10) You could make them...

Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

Search This Blog