Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

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 outside? W

  Yep, we're at it again-- another winter, another luge! This winter has been a challenge. It has been long, and super cold! (Even for "Yooper" Standards). In some areas of the world they call this time of year "spring." Around here, well... It is still snowing! (And I'm not pulling an April Fool's!) We do what we can to make the best of it, and Mr. Allan never ceases to amaze us with his backyard luge building skills! (You can read about and see video footage from previous winters here: 2013 , 2012 ).   This year's track has especially high walls- and due to the extreme temperature differences it is also quite fast! The children don't seem to mind the cooler temperatures when they are flying down the hill!   It has been quite a winter! We have paths or a "snow maze" to make getting around a little bit easier.... .....And we have MOUNTAINS of snow piled up in the yard! (If you look closely, you will see the shelving unit from our Mud P