Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

Awhile back, I was once again inspired by  Tom over at Sand and Water Tables  to build another amazing engaging contraption : a Pegboard Platform This simple contraption is made with pegboard, pvc pipe and duct tape. It isn't exactly the same as the one that Tom built, but it serves the same purpose . During sensory table play- It gives the children another level to play- and all of the holes in the peg board cause whatever substance to fall through.  Hours of great learning fun and exploration!  When we build contraptions like this- I tend to try to think about as many ways as possible to utilize them. You can change up the material in your sensory table- I bet this would be fabulous with sand- colored rice- I bet you could even squish play dough through it!  At the UP Early Childhood Conference, I put a big glop of flubber/slime on top of it and let it sit. The stringy ooze was fun to watch and provides a great visual! (P...

Sunset over Lake Michigamme on the beach at Van Riper State Park I was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that makes me a "Yooper" (pronounced  You-Per). I am originally from just outside of Houghton, but we currently live in Marquette.  When this opportunity arose to participate in the Love Where You Live series, how could I resist!  There are so many places and activities that I could share, but I thought I would focus on a few of our favorites in the U.P. First, I think it is important to mention that the Upper Peninsula is a large area to cover. There are 15 counties, and covers 16,452 square miles.    Depending on which area of the U.P. you are visiting, there could be a wide range of other options!  In the Keweenaw Peninsula- you will find Copper Harbor.  The drive up to this small town is breathtaking.  On the way to the town you can drive along the lake through Eagle Harbor. On the way if you tak...

Bear with us.... Spring has finally sprung. We have been busy cleaning up the outdoor play space, planting our garden- including a new berry batch with strawberries and thornless raspberries... We have been spending quite a bit of time outside- and the camera has not been joining us quite as much as normal!  Also- this Friday we go on vacation for 3 weeks- and we have been preparing!  So- enjoy your spring/beginning of summer.  We will be back-- we may even post a bit from Denmark!

Thanks for joining us on a picture journey-  capturing a few memories from this past week!

We usually make our moon sand with cornstarch , sand, and baby oil. However a blog reader commented that when they make their moon sand- they use water instead of oil.  So, of course, my first thought was- why make moon sand when you could make MOON MUD?  And so you have it- our homemade moon mud! Basically, it ends up being a sandy- runny oobleck! It acts kind of like a solid- and kind of like a liquid..... Now, I'm sure I will get all kinds of questions on the exact recipe and proportions to make this stuff.....  The truth is, we rarely measure. We just mix it up until it looks and feels about right! Today, we made ours with too much water. (It was an experiment.) So, we removed some off the top.  After we were done playing in the mud- we let it sit. A little bit more of the water evaporated while we napped.... Then, this afternoon- It was perfect! Hard as a rock on the bottom, until you dig into grab i...

Thanks for joining us on a picture journey-  capturing a few memories from this past week!