Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

One of my very favorite pieces of being a blogger is the opportunity to collaborate and work with other folks in the field. Today, I am joining in on a virtual classroom tour blog hop! [caption id="attachment_997" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The children love to make forts with all of the loose parts in our outdoor classroom.[/caption] This hop was the brain child of Katie over at Preschool Inspirations.   One of my favorite things to do when I am on the road presenting is to have time to visit other programs. I learn so much from the little touches and individuality of each place! It is fantastic to see how different people organize supplies and set up their learning spaces. So, of course I wanted in on the action when Katie mentioned the idea of a virtual tour, a blog hop of classrooms.... of course I said "YES!" [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Here is an older photo from our mudpie kitchen....

We are getting more snow, 9-14" inches are predicted for today.  So, instead of showing you some recent photos, I am thinking spring and summer- warm thoughts in hopes of the positive energy sending some our way soon! One of our favorite loose parts in the yard are our tires! Welcome to the weekly "Just Playing?" Blog Hop hosted here at Child Central Station. If this is your first week joining us- you may wish to learn more by visiting the  "Just Playing?" landing page.  Last week- we looked at some spring mud! I have updated the post to include additional insights into the learning that took place during the play. You can see the revised post  here.   Now on to this week's photos:  We may be "just playing", but.... What are the children doing here? What do you see? What learning is taking place? What skills are being practiced/developed? This post is part of the "Just Playing?" Blog Hop! Thank you for remembering that young children do ...

The weather around here is finally starting to look like spring might be around the corner! Snow is melting!!!!!!! The beautiful part of this time of year is that the ground is still quite frozen, so our yard turns into wonderful spring mud puddles! There is nothing quite like playing in the spring mud! Welcome to the weekly "Just Playing?" Blog Hop hosted here at Child Central Station. If this is your first week joining us- you may wish to learn more by visiting the  "Just Playing?" landing page.  Last week- we looked at some more mud play on the swing! I have updated the post to include additional insights into the learning that took place during the play. You can see the revised post  here. Now on to this week's photos:  We may be "just playing", but.... What are the children doing here? What do you see? What learning is taking place? What skills are being practiced/developed? This post is part of the "Just Playing?" Blog Hop! Thank you f...

There is nothing quite like spring mud and puddles-- the first true signs of spring! (Although the forecast calls for more snow around here). We love the slushy, muddy, spring puddles! This puddle was conveniently located right under the swing! Welcome to the weekly "Just Playing?" Blog Hop hosted here at Child Central Station. If this is your first week joining us- you may wish to learn more by visiting the  "Just Playing?" landing page.  Last week- we looked at children playing with balloons! I have updated the post to include additional insights into the learning that took place during the play. You can see the revised post  here. Now on to this week's photos:  We may be "just playing", but.... What are the children doing here? What do you see? What learning is taking place? What skills are being practiced/developed? This post is part of the "Just Playing?" Blog Hop! Thank you for remembering that young children do not "just play....

  Eruptions are always a hit around here, so with the warmer weather we decided to spend some time melting some snow with our colorful snow volcanoes! First, we gathered some snow to created our volcanoes. Then while the children chose their squeeze bottle, I sprinkled baking soda on the snow...... The squeeze bottles were filled with vinegar, water, and a couple drops of food coloring.  The perfect combination of erupting fizz!!! (You can also add a bit of dish soap for a bubbly fizz). After the children melted their volcanoes, they decided to just add color to the bin of snow: Although the parking pad has melted, our yard is still full of piles of snow and we are expected to see more snow fall this weekend.  We sure did enjoy the thaw and the sunshine today though! If you enjoyed these eruptions, you might also enjoy some of our other explorations with vinegar and baking soda: Preschool Chemistry Giant Volcano More Than Just Volcanoes Blowing the Cork Have you been playing outsid...