Happy Hunting

I'm not sure about you but in Ontario right now we are having some very, dare I even say summer like days. I'll take them! This is actually an activity that we did in June but works great for warm fall days as well and is so easy to set up. I got the print out from Pinterest! (Thanks Pinterest) then just stapled them on some paper bags this set upbecame part of the activity for my older children, they love helping with play prep in the summer. 

She added a crayon to each bag and off we went. 

finding hidden treasures that were not on the list added to their play. This little path beside the park led to a fallen tree that the kids claimed as their fort. The branches were to low for me to follow giving them a little feeling of risk and independence. 

They were happy with the freedom but it was a little tricky to get some of them to come back out. Guess who's kids theses are? 

 

Finding items like robins eggs and animals that had passed, led to all sorts of questions and hand holding so that little fingers didn't get to close. It also gave me the opturnity to listen. The children were very empathetic to the animals and each other's feeling. 

If you are a childcare provider setting out on this mini adventure here are a few key elements that kept our hunt happy! We ventured out early in the morning before the sun became to hot, just after morning snack. You could bring snack with you to extend your outting however having free hand for this one was nice. We also didn't go very far. We are very lucky to live close to some enchanted little parks and with small children in tow I am thankful for the connivence. 

Returning home happy and still trying to master the jumping photo. Happy Hunting! 

Fall Over Again

Some things never get old! If you have never done this activity with a multiage classroom, DO IT! This table holds a 1-2 and almost 3 year old. Other then the fact that I cut out the leaf and stuck the sticky paper on they did the creative part themselves. The finished product is beautiful and they know it! 

A popping good time

On this day we were exploring corn. We have a nature table where I leave a small sensory bin open with popcorn and small cobs for the kids compare. They are able to remove to kennels from the cobs with tweezers, as wells as use spoons and other tools for transferring to help them explore. It's messy but it's small enough that they can keep it under control.
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I would love to tell you that in daycare world I set up everything the night before. That like Mary Poppins and Nanny Mcphee I am made of magic and presto a room cleans itself and I have all the time in the world to test a activity before I actually do it with the children.

 

In the real world the kids sometimes help me set up the activity and we make it work and in the case of the rolling popcorn painting. After we talk about the way the corn looks and feels we head over to the craft table, my idea was to roll the bubble wrap in the paint to make it look like corn

example A.

The kids talked and decided it would work better if they painted each little bubble rather then pouring the paint onto the paper and rubbing it around.

 

Example B

 

I think they were right!

 

I wish I had taken a picture of our floor because they made about 35 prints between the 3 of them and thank goodness I had some extra sheet ready because they were having a little business/painting meeting that went on for a good hour. I just kept refilling the supplies and they just kept creating. Guess I don't have to always have everything planned after all.

Sticky Leaf Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sticky paper is my new best friend. Martha Stewart stamps and I have always been best friends,  I love that they are so durable and that the kids can use them.

This activity was so simple to set up and the kids put it together themselves.

The ages of my lil's for this one is between 2-5

 

    As I set up the table, I asked the kids to run around the yard and pick out some leaves.

 I explained to them that their paper was sticky and that I would like them to punch out some shapes from the leaves they collected and the rest was creative kid magic.

 Somehow, my snowflake punch got put away in my fall bin so I am wondering if I will find the pumpkin punch in the winter bin come Christmas. The snowflake still made for a good design though.

 Some lil's decided so make their own shapes using their new found scissor skills.

 The best part of about this project was it kept them involved and they enjoyed watching what each other was creating and chattering away.

 The final product was wonderful and we sealed it with another layer of sticky paper.

 

 

Watch out for more sticky work coming to a window near you!

word wall

It's a boys club here this summer and that mean's not a lot of time is being spent at my craft table. so I am trying to be creative with ways to get them to write. So we made a word wall.

                                           I used some puzzle pieces and they have to read the word 

                                                 Then the use the magnet letter to build the word

                                             and finally and washable marker to write it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The older kid have been helping my younger ones

 

Throughout the week we have been coming up with new sentences and idea's for the wall.

 

 Since my JK kids have been home on summer vacation they have loved the idea of centers and even went around the room posting numbers of how many people could be at each center at a time. Not sure if the little one's have got the idea yet but I love that they are bringing some of the classroom home.

 

 

Picky Pizza

I'm still on my quest to fight against picky eaters. My kids are completely against me and try to turn

non picky eaters into PICKY EATERS!!! Not in my house. The flu bug hit us over the March break

and my sweet husband did the shopping for me. After three days being in bed I finally made it down

stairs to find that he had filled our cupboards with things that my children had never seen before.

Fruit rolls ups, pizza pockets, pudding, store bought treats of every kind.

I feel kinda bad even thinking about how quickly I cleared it all out since it did make them all so

happy. But the amount of junk makes my skin crawl. I decided that if they wanted this kind of food I

would make it for them but put in it what I wanted them to have.

It worked and they LOVED it!

I made "Pizza Pockets" with chicken and sweet potato inside and some cheese and pizza sauce. Not

only did my boys eat them for dinner but they next day we had them for daycare lunch.

All I did was get some whole grain (organic) already made pizza dough from the store,

and ad my own fillings.

These even work great for lunches eaten cold, or for nights when Dad is on dinner duty with some

salad. They can be cooked ahead and then frozen and heated when needed just like the store bought

pizza pockets.

These two little hams, who love the camera gave them two thumbs up!

What is your best trick to get your kids to eat healthy?

Easter Keeper

The kids are all about making a project themselves from start to finish. I am amazed at how little instruction I have to give. I just set out the materials and they go to work.

For this project I strung the eggs for them because that part was a little tricky even for me.

These eggs came with holes in the top so it worked perfect for this activity.

 

 

 The whole project could have just been cutting straws and they would have been happy. It was interesting for me to watch these three. They are each at such a different stages with their fine motor work.

My almost 3 year old is just happy to cut as fast as he can, now that he has complete control with his scissors.

 

Our 2 year old little lady is still trying to master the correct way to hold the item that she is trying to cut.

 

And our 4 year old sets goals for his work, aiming to cut each piece the same size.

 

Stringing the necklace was a bit of a challenge since the egg was in the middle so they had to find a way to fill both sides without the beads falling off.

Keeping the string laying on the table seemed to work best.

 

The finished product gave them such pride in their work. Anything that they create that becomes something they can wear seems to bring the most satisfaction.

                         And the fact that this item holds candy!! Well that just sealed the deal.

 

They were thrilled when I added the treats! Can you tell?

They were also so proud of each other and praising one and other for a job well done.

 

 We all gave this project a A+