Skip to main content

Is Spring Really Near?

Image
By
We've been having unreal temperatures around here for this time of year. Yesterday it was 61 degrees Farenheit! Can you believe it, 61 degrees in February in Marquette! The sun was shining and the snow was melting like crazy. We had all kinds of "slush puddles" (the snow form or mud puddles) to jump in! Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid-to-low 30s with "FLASH FREEZING" It is crazy how our weather changes around here! Many of us have been soaking up as many rays of sun as possible, as winter seems to go on forever around here! Being that we could not all escape to a tropical island, we decided to bring one home. (Well, a small piece of one...) For Valentine's Day, we bought a palm! It has been a wonderful welcomed addition to the area a top our stairs. The bright blue sea color with a wonderful palm puts us on our own little island if even just for a moment! The children are loving it. Of course, they think that we need a few more so that we can have a dinosaur jungle! (Perhaps we will consider this down the road!)

I know for Upper Michigan, it is quite early to begin planting, but we decided to start some seeds inside anyway!
We planted some herbs in egg cartons. We also started some sunflowers and sweet peas (the flowers) in little pots.

We checked out some seeds from peas and beans. Some of our friends remembered which type of seed what which kinds from last year.

We like to start our peas and beans with a paper towel and water in a plastic bag. Each of the children made their own plastic bag "green house"

Some children folded the paper to fit in the bag, others "scrunched" it up!

They all used a spray bottle to water the seeds. Then we hung them up near the window. Here's hoping to an early spring and a great bean teepee this year!
Labels:

Comments

Play for Life said…
I've not heard of your plastic bag technique for sprouting seeds Amy. That is something we really must try.
Donna :) :)
February 17, 2011 at 4:55 PM
Amy A @ Child Central Station said…
Donna-

I'll get an update posted on this, probably in about a week or so. We are currently on day 3 and some of the seeds have already started to sprout. We have been taking a photo each day with a number by the bag for observation in regard to how many days have elapsed. I'll probably give it a good week before I update and have the photos to share, but this is a great way to start the seeds!
February 19, 2011 at 5:39 PM
April said…
They are going to have many weeks of fun and learning with this!
February 21, 2011 at 3:11 PM
Ticia said…
I need to try an egg carton planting. It'd probably be popular and it's the right time of year here to do that.
March 5, 2011 at 1:08 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (As Promised)

By
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...
15 comments
Read more

Our DIY Light Tables

By
There has been a lot of buzz about light tables over at Teach Preschool on Facebook . Deborah has collected some great ideas for light table play and has been experimenting with making her own table over on the Teach Preschool blog.   I thought I would share with you our two light tables and how we made them. This first table is one that we put together with some scrap wood pieces, an old plexi-glass door from an entertainment center, and a couple of aquarium lights. Total Cost = $0. (We had everything on hand.)  The table needs a little bit of tweaking. (It is on my to do list).  Basically, we made a frame of wood around the plexi-glass and placed the lights under it. Our DIY skills in putting this together were far from expert, so the frame has a couple of gaps (and the reused wood is warped). We plan to try a new frame and use some caulk to seal any gaps.  We also plan to attach the lights to the side of the frame instead of just placing them on the f...
15 comments
Read more

"The Markers Don't Work!"

By
How may times have you heard, "Ms. (fill your name in here), this marker doesn't work!" I know I hear it all the time. Sometimes it is because our little friends forget to replace the caps, and sometimes the markers have just been "all used up!" What do you do with all those markers that just don't work? Please don't tell me that you throw them out, try this instead: First, sort your markers out. Put the caps in one container ( save those too, I'll show you what you can do with them in tomorrow's post) and the markers in another. I have a box for the markers that "don't work" for the children to place them into every time they run across one. You can also have the children help you test the markers periodically to sort out the ones that need to be removed from the "working set." When it comes time to use "the markers that don't work," we use a small sponge paint roller to roll water onto our card...
16 comments
Read more