Ripples of Inspiration!

(Photo above courtesy of Opal Hoffman)

(Photo courtesy of Tina Brandel)

I am so excited to share these photos with you! If you have been following the blog, you know that I have been traveling and providing training sessions to other early childhood educators in the U.P. There are A LOT of great things about this opportunity, but what has been absolutely amazing is the response I have received!

(Photo courtesy of Cindy LaFave and Liz Gudwer)

I cannot adequately put into words the feeling I have when I see all of the wonderful changes folks have made after my training! I love how they take what I have done and/or found and make it their own!

(Photo taken at the Gladstone Childcare Center)

It is AMAZING to see all of the inexpensive changes to children's spaces that create atmospheres for learning through play!

Stephanie over at A Little Bit of This N That came to one of my science training sessions and she posted all kinds of great things they tried the very next day!

If you aren't close enough to come to a training but would like to see some of the sources of inspiration, hop on over to the Outdoor Inspiration link up page and check it out! There are oodles of great inexpensive ideas!

Have you made changes to your space and/or tried some of the ideas I have been sharing? I would love to hear about it. Drop me a message and send some photos along if you can!

Comments

Let the Children Play said…

These are all so wonderful Amy - and you are doing an amazing job spreading the word! I'm loving their banging wall - and the little dinosaur scene just yells "come play with me".

August 24, 2011 at 4:05 AM

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...

Our DIY Light Tables

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...

"The Markers Don't Work!"

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...

Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

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