Pendulum Painting

On a Thursday afternoon, with a lower number of children, we decided to invite the toddlers from next door to play.  During our exploration time we were investigating with pendulum painting.  The children have been exploring motion throughout the year, but have not yet had an opportunity to use the pendulums.  We thought, why not combine one of their favorite art materials (paint) with a pendulum exploration.  So our adventure began.

At first the children seemed unsure of what to do with the paint bottle.  They noticed the paint dripping out, but were not sure how to move the bottle.  After a teacher modeled how to push the bottle to make it move the children soon jumped on board.

They were noticing the different lines and splatters the paint made as it moved across the paper.  At first we just used black paint, but later added in a few more colors.  The children then noticed the colors mixing to make new colors.  They were mindful after a few tries about the speed with which they pushed the bottle.  A few ended with splatters on their shoes or on the wall.  Oops J

As more children joined in the play, they had to figure out how to take turns.  Eventually the children began taking turns and passing the bottle across the paper to one another.  Everyone was so careful while working; they were mindful of their feet and no one stepped on the painting.

The children enjoyed collaborating with the younger toddlers.  It gave them a chance to act as a leader and share their knowledge and expertise.  They encouraged the children to engage in conversation and participate.  They were great about sharing and taking turns.  We had a blast during this exploration!

Sadly our finished work ripped (too much paint and not enough time to dry).  So we will be doing this exploration again very, very soon!  We definitely are looking forward to painting and collaborating with our new friends!

Outdoor Play

With the warmer weather we have been spending more time outside. We view the playground as an extension of the classroom environment and use the space for our lessons. One part of the playground we really enjoy is the garden. We have been observing the plants which are growing, using the flowers as inspiration for our art and thinking about which plants to grow in the different sections of the garden. We are also very excited as we will have an intern from the university helping with our garden this summer. She will be tending to the plants, improving the space and doing explorations with the children. This is a new experience for us and we are very excited to be working with more students from the university. Aside from the garden, the rest of our outdoor space is very welcoming for the children. We added sun catchers to the space earlier in the year.  These beautiful pieces catch the light and cast it around the playground. We are also looking to add more materials for our outdoor play. The children enjoy the opportunity for gross motor play. We are becoming more interested in games with our peers and have been playing a lot of catch and hide and seek. We look forward to meeting up with the other classes on the playground as well. The children have started to develop strong bonds with the children in the other toddler classroom. We are collaborating more and have been working on some art projects (see post about pendulum painting). This time to explore and use our imaginations is so important. With the coming months we will be spending more and more of our time outside. Check out some of our pictures below!

Spring has sprung....finally

Painting in the garden

Planting in the classroom

We have been waiting all winter to get out into the garden and begin exploring!  The weather has mostly been cooperating (minus the few freak cold day, let's get it together Michigan) and we have been able to venture out.  Our first few experiences in the garden have involved observations.  We have been identifying some of the plants which have started to emerge.  Many of our perennial plants are starting to sprout; we have been watching the leaves of our iris plants, as well as the day lilies emerging from beneath their winter covers.  The children have also been exploring our eating row.  Some of our herb plants (chives, salad burnet and mint) have started to grow.  The children have been tasting the leaves of these different plants.  Many of the children are very fond of the chives (sorry if they come home smelling like an onion).  Some of the other classes have started planting other items in our eating rows.  Having the eating rows helps the children develop a better understanding of where our food comes from and what we should be consuming.  We also took a trip out to the garden to do some painting.  We want the children to experience the garden in its various stages of growth, so we thought by painting the children can really look at the colors and explore how they change throughout the season.  We will be back out in the garden soon to do some more painting and sketching.  We are still preparing to plant soon.  In the classroom we have sprouted pumpkin seeds and cucumbers.  We are working to clear our the large garden space near the climber so we can plant these seeds in the ground.  We will also have a planting day for our families soon, check out your newsletter for the date!  If you have any garden knowledge, plants to share or just want to come experience the garden, let us know and we would love your help!  We are looking forward to spring and these beautiful days outside!

Exploring!

The space to clear for our pumpkins

Our garden, the butterfly row, the rainbow row,
and two eating rows

Our Bradford Pear Trees in bloom!

The iris plants

Chives!

More chives!

Our redbud tree