Summer Stations

Integrating Art: Keeping the memories

There is nothing better than your child coming home with wonderful artwork that they made at school. This occurs more at the preschool and lower grade levels. I do not like to keep things around. Never have and never will. So how, as a mom can I make her feel special and celebrate her beautiful art without it junking my house? One way is using her artwork as cards to send to family members. Another is to create a book. It is very simple, take a picture of the artwork and place it in a folder for later keeping. After you get a collection worthy to fill a book, you can go on to websites like Shutterfly.com or snapfish.com to create the book. I took pictures over the last year and a half and gave it as an Easter present. She loves it, and now she has documentation of her artwork, and I have less clutter. Now, she has a book she can read over and over again.

The quote on the back: " Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things they way they really are or people might thing we're stupid." Julie Feiffer

Integrating Culture: Chinese New Year

2012 is the year of the Dragon. It is going to be a legendary year! This starts the calendar year of the Spring Festival in China. January 23rd, 2012.
Here are a few books that you can look for to read throughout this month. Hopefully, your local library has a few books to enjoy.






Now that you have a few ideas, get some sheets, paper and old shirts to make your own moving dragon with your family.

Integrating Holidays: Advent

Many Christians around the world celebrate Advent. It begins December the First. I have not been able to update the blog weekly like I have wanted to , but wanted to begin this Christmas Season with some ideas and websites your family can go to for writing, crafting, and reading ideas.


Disney has many links and countdown calendars you can create and enjoy.

Countdown Calendar

Ornaments


Advent Calendar


My favorite one that I will be working on for next year:
Persnalized Advent Calendar

I really like the activities in the calendar.


Here is an idea I am using in my home this year. I took a shoe holder and will be using the pockets for the readings, candy, and activities. It is not what I want it to look like yet, but it is only December first. I am just proud I had it ready to go.

We just got done with our first activity: Make an ornament and give it to a neighbor.

Integrating Seasons: The Leaf Man

Have you been on several hikes collecting many leaves? Not sure what to do with them? The old, put them under a piece of paper and rub them is out. The easy, let's put them between two pieces of wax paper and iron them is well done.

How about turning those leaves, twigs, and acorns into artwork?



Now, mind you, this was created by an almost 3 year old, so you can use the book to help stretch the older kids imagination.

Also, here is a link about the book, author, with an activity and sticker sheets, that could help you create your own animasls, places, and people.

Leaf Man:

And of course, the book:



At the end, your child can write about the adventure of their leaf creation. Happy Fall!! About two weeks left before the snow moves in.... if it hasn't already!!

Integrating Holidays: Labor Day

We all associate Labor Day with the ending of summer. The end of BBQ's, picnics, warm weather, and freedom from school. For many Americans, it marks the start of football season. How are parents, can we really explain to our children why we celebrate Labor Day?

Many teachers tie this to their community unit to get small children to understand workers and how they help the community. This can be extended at home so that children undersand that all the things workers do, sometimes they just need a day of rest and to be honored.





For the older children, there are books that can tie the day to a definition.




Plan on being in the car for a while? Here are some short stories you can print for the car ride camping or to grandma's house:
Short Stories: Apples for the teacher

Also, to give some hands on time to connect the stories, students can make a collage of workers on paper. Enchanted learning has a great craft for that.

However you celebrate this long weekend, make sure your child understands why they are having it. Give the name meaning and enjoy your day off. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Integrating Arts and Writing: Paper plate bunny

A tried and true classroom craft can now come to your home- The paper plate Bunny. So simple. So perfect. So easy.

You can add many things to this craft. Instead of wiggly eyes, you can add jelly beans. Sometimes the bunny needs a little bit of hair, why not put the multi-colored Easter grass from the basket? There is always too much in the package anyway. For the whiskers-try licorice candy. Before you know it this piece of art has become edible. What other ideas can you use to turn this into edible art? Then, of course, when the bunny is complete, write a story about your new friend. Don't forget a beginning, middle, and end, whether it be only 3 sentences your child can write, or 10.

Integrating Culture: St. Patrick's Day

The stores are ready and have tons of green and people are scheduling parties. While St. Patrick's Day is not a huge party day in the schools, teachers do take a week to do crafts, host scavenger hunts, and teach students about what March 17th is all about.

For the younger children, the perfect book that explains the day is: Hooray for St. Patrick's Day! by Joan Holub. It is a read over and over again for children. It has rhyming and a leprechaun that the readers must spot on each page. It also have a lift and flap for toddlers.


Afterwards, children can make their own leprechaun man. Take green construction paper and make it into a shamrock. Fold the green (or brown construction paper) back and forth to make the folds. Children can do this also. Add mini shamrocks for the hands and feet and a yellow top hat. Emergent writers can write about where they would hide if they were a leprechaun.

For the older children a great book that combines history and folklore is: Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade, by Steven Kroll.

After they have had a chance to read about what Mary wishes for, they can take to a creative writing activity where they write about their three wishes.

(The good thing about teachers is that we don't reinvent the wheel, we share. This paper has been in my bag of teaching materials for years.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Drawing development in Children

For more information on how children develop in their drawing go to: Drawing Development in Children.

Integrating Art: Emergent Literacy with Crayola

Introducing art to infants and toddlers allows them to explore the world around them.

In our area, one way I began to introduce art was to take advantage of the free first Wednesdays of the month they have at the Art Museum. (They even have one at the History of Natural Museum). It has been nice to go for a little bit at a time as her attention span has increased, we have stayed longer and longer.

After you have exposed your child, allow them to create:
1. Find some great books to read.
2. Invest in Crayola finger paint, Crayola mess free color wonder, or the good old fashioned crayons.
3. Find a study easel (I found mine at Ikea)
4. Of course, a bib to cover up.

Books:





I found this easel at Ikea:

The bibs also from Ikea.

The result, a long creative train of artwork. She walked her art back and forth for a half and hour. Who knew it would turn into that. The nice thing about taking pictures is you can see the growth in strokes and maturity of creative vision.



I will take pictures of all of her art to turn into a book by using snapfish or shutterfly so that paper doesn't clutter the home and she gets to keep her artwork.

Integrating Art: The Sock Puppet

My 2-year old is always putting her socks on her hands. So, when I was getting ready to throw away my worn out, hole filled socks, an idea struck me. Sock puppets!!

We got out the hot glue and found whatever pieces we could and this is what we made:


Nothing spectacular or art-tastic, but to my daughter, it is amazing. And it should be, she created it. What is even more amazing is the good listening ears my daughter gave that sock puppet. She tried to put him on her arm and when the sock was there she said , "It's not working." Man, to be a child again.

So, sock puppet, continue to do your magic. Read, read, read.