Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

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 know this is the post that some of you have been waiting for! Thank you for your patience! I don't mean to keep you waiting longer- but due to the length of the videos and the steps involved, I have split this post into two! Today, we are going to learn how to make the rockets! Tomorrow- we will walk through how to create the launchers! Mr. Allan aka "Astronaut Al" stars in the wonderful silent movie walking you through all of the steps. If you aren't much for videos- I thought I would describe the steps for you too: Step 1: Gather your supplies .  You will need: Translucent File Folders Electrical Tape Scissors and/or exacto knife Ruler 12" long piece of 1/2" PVC pipe Step 2: Cut Your Pieces If you trim the folder to cut off the edges that bind the folder together, you will be able to open the folder up, cut it in half along the crease line. This will give you 2 pieces that are approximately 8" x...

Awhile back- I was inspired by a book by Jeff and Tasha Johnson called  Do It Yourself Early Learning.  In the book are a number of fantastic ideas of what you can do with pvc pipe. The majority of the things featured in this round up use 1/2" pipe. You can use different sizes, but this was the size we opted to use for our pvc pipe building set .  Of course, the children use the set to build all sorts of things- from marble runs to shapes and letters. They also use the pieces to build forts. I have used a few pieces to make room/section dividers when it was requested to split spaces. Through trial and error- the children discovered that 1/2" pvc pipe is the perfect compliment to pool noodles. Inspiration in Family Fun Magazine a few years back led to these rackets . Jeff and Tasha's book let to a very simple bike wash - and hours of fun!  pvc also makes a great frame for pendulums for painting with- ...

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...

Yesterday, we spray painted our snowy white outdoor canvas. Today, we decided to go BIG, and to continue to add some color to our world of white.... Again, like yesterday, we opted to use Kool-Aid to color some water. Today, we put the powder into buckets and pitchers with water. For our paint brushes, we took our handy dandy pvc pipe set and made some giant ones! Some of them have sponge pieces on the ends (We took apart our water bombs from this summer and attached them to the end of the pvc pipe with pipe cleaners and packaging tape.) We also made some brushes with the pieces of a new clean mop head. We used the same technique to attach them to the pvc pipe. Like Dan Hodgins notes, when it comes to paint brushes- the bigger the better! Then, out into our winter wonderland.... This painting was a lot of fun. It did not hold the children's attention as long as the spray bottles did. There is something magical about squeezing those that keeps little ones entertain...

Today, we decided to build with our PVC Pipe building set yet again. This time, we opted to build a puppet theater. After a few tweaks, and trial runs, this is what we ended up with: Each of the children had an opportunity to choose from our wide array of puppets and take turns making puppet shows. One of the first things most children do when they have an opportunity to create a puppet show is to have their puppets fight. Although we do not ban those types of shows, we try to encourage children to create and tell stories with some more substance. I often ask the children to choose their favorite one or two puppets and to sit with them for awhile. We practice making observations about the puppets and asking/answering questions: "Oh, that one looks really fuzzy, I bet she is cuddly." or "Wow, that one has sharp teeth.... " etc. "Do you think that is a boy or a girl? I wonder what his/her name is?" "What do you think he/she does all day?" "I...