Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

With the frigid temperatures we've had outside- We decided to create an "Ice Age" excavation with some of our dinosaur bones.  I like to do this activity in the summer time too, the only difference is that I have to freeze the bones in our freezer instead of outside on our porch. The first thing we did to get ready was to collect some of our dinosaur bones. You don't necessarily have to have "bones" as the children will have just as much fun digging other items out of the ice.  The bones we used came from some of the excavation kits we have previously used (most of them come with a dirt or clay for you to dig through). If you dinosaur bones and you are interested in purchasing some,  here is a list  of some of the (affiliate link)  Dinosaur Excavation Kits  we have used in the past.   Over at P is for Preschool, they did a similar activity but used plastic dinosaurs instead of bones, you can read more about it by clicking here.    To prep for the excavation ...

This fall has brought with it major changes to the composition of our childcare home. This summer- we were quite busy with a number of school-aged children. When they went back to school - we enrolled a couple of new families and welcomed back some of our younger children who had taken the summer off.   All of our infants have also grown and reached the stage in development where they have become mobile and are ready for more exploration! We are all born ready to learn and explore! Here is a simple create I made to give the children HOURS of exploration fun! I took a cardboard box (this one had holes in it already, but you could put holes in any box) and a plastic basket and I taped them together to make a ramp.  The box is closed at the top of the ramp, but I opened it and taped the sides at the bottom.  The children have spent HOURS exploring this contraption. I filled the white basket with ball pit balls  ...

I'm always surprised at the look I get from folks when I mention that we have been playing with oobleck. You know the look, the what did you say, I have no idea what you are talking about look... The one that reminds me time and time again why I love my job and the field of early childhood so much! If you are giving me that look right now, let me fill you in on the wonderful that is...... OOBLECK! Oobleck is simple, soothing, and one of the BEST ways to play with science! It only has 2 ingredients, cornstarch and water. Now, don't ask me for an exact recipe.... because I don't have one. In the tub today, we added 3 boxes of cornstarch and we slowly added and mixed water in until it was... just right! The great thing about oobleck- is that it is seriously FUN to play with! It oozes and continually switches between the states of solid and liquid. This is what makes it a non-Newtonian fluid or a dilatant.  If you try to quickly grab or tap dow...

Yesterday, we walked you through how to make plastic file folder rockets.  Today, I have a video for you to make the pvc pipe launcher: (I forgot to add electrical tape to the list of supplies needed in the video- sorry!) Here's a recap: Step 1: Gather Your Supplies: For this launcher, you will need: Plastic Wrap 20 oz bottle Electrical Tape 1/2" pvc pipe connectors: 2 end caps 1 - 4 way cross 1 - 45 or 90 degree elbow 1/2" pvc pipe in the following lengths: 1 - 18.5" piece 1 - 8" piece 2 - 6" pieces 1 - 2.5" piece (Cutting pvc pipe is quite simple with a handheld pipe cutter) Step 2: Build the Base Begin to build your launcher with the 4-way cross.  Add the 18.5" pipe out one end. (The other end of this pipe will be where you will add the bottle at a later time.) Add the 2.5" piece opposite the 18.5" pipe. On the opposite end of the 2.5" pipe...

I've been busy, and other aspects of life have taken over for the time being. Thus, I've been away from the blog. I'm still busy- posting here and there on our Facebook page. I'll be back eventually. Until then.... I thought I would schedule a few posts from the archives to repost!  This one orginally posted last August. Enjoy! Last night, I finally sat down and tried to make it through my google reader. (After an hour or so of reading and still having over 1000 posts, I cleared it.... So, if I missed something great that you wrote about please bring it to my attention!) One of the posts that I did manage to read before clearing the slate was a selection from Tom Sensori . If you have a sand and water table and have not been to Tom's blog ... you need to stop reading this post and go over there RIGHT NOW! (Just don't forget to come back!) T om has amazing ideas for really making the most of your table and providing engaging learning activities for...

It is midnight, and the temperature is negative 2 Fahrenheit. Most people are snuggled inside, many are sleeping. If you haven't figured it out yet, we aren't most people. Where are we? OUTSIDE OF COURSE!!!! The world around us is covered in snow, but we thought we would try to make some more.  Allan read or saw this idea a while back and we were waiting for just the right moment to give it a go... and well... tonight was the night! I apologize for my lack of ability when it comes to good night time videos! I hope you can still see how this works. You need to use extremely hot, boiling water. We brought a pitcher of it outside and poured a small amount into a glass. Then we sent the water flying high into the air... and POOF! It freezes and turns to snow in seconds! Now, I'm not a fan of extremely cold temperatures... but part of me CANNOT wait until we have temperatures this low during the day so that we can try this activity when the children are here! Another fun acti...