Playing Favorites from "the archives"

I don't have anything new prepared to share with you tonight, so... I thought I would share with you some of my "playing" favorites that we have done. If you would like some insight into other people's ideas that I find interesting and enjoy, I encourage you to hop on over to www.childcentralstation.tumblr.com where I save all of the great inspirational ideas I find around the web.

For tonight's post I'm going to pick 5 "favorites" from my archives - I'm taking this to mean that they are from sometime in 2010. (Ask me tomorrow and you would probably get a different five). In no particular order.....

The World Is A Stage.... And We're On It!

I love how the children created their own stage and started their own band. I have to add that on this day, all of the songs were original! (those are always the best!)

Fire in the Hole! Predicting Distances with Catapults

This catapult creation was really only the beginning of our adventures with catapults. The children can't seem to get enough. We have launched water balloons, sponges dipped in paint (for the snow), and a wide array of objects that the children have wanted to test. The ogre has found a permanent home in our outdoor classroom.

Why Did You Move the Toys?

With the recent arrival of a dump truck full of sand, I was reminded of this wonderful time when we moved all of the toys out of the sandbox and the children created their own play area. We made giant volcanoes and stomped around in our bare feet. (Some of the children went home with pockets and shoes filled with sand... It was a great couple of days!)

Pictured Rock Inspired Paintings

This was a great "gravity works" lesson with paints!It was great messy fun. Not only did the children enjoy using the droppers to drip paint down the page, they also had a great time climbing up and down on the chair. I hope we can work out a Pictured Rocks Cruise as part of our summer field trips this year so they can see the rocks in person instead of just through photos.

Marble Prints

This is always a hit! Shaving cream is a great medium for marbling. The children love to make the prints and then play in the shaving cream after. We also made t-shirts using this same technique and acrylic paints. they turned out GREAT!

Well, I hope you enjoyed a bit of the archives tonight, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Easter Egg Caterpillars!

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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 t

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

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