Painting Some Pumpkins :)

 

When there’s (finally!) a bite of fall in the air, pumpkins start popping up everywhere!  There are so many cool lessons to enjoy involving pumpkins, such as those linked here: https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2020/10/we-are-scientists-pumpkin-exploration.html and https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-fun.html

For some Art interest, there is nothing like simple process painting for the little ones. Before their hand-eye coordination is fully developed, it’s still fun to work with paints to get that squishy feeling - either with hands, brushes or even sponges or other objects. 

Let them cover a paper with paint however you choose and after the page of orange painting dries, you can use thick cardboard stencils (cereal boxes?) cut in large pumpkin shapes to help them make lines and start to cut out their pumpkins! 

Make sure they’re on board with cutting into their artwork - modeling the process first will help them understand. Decide how to display - hanging by some yarn, taped on the wall or window, stuck on the fridge? 

Of course, kitchen sponges cut in the shape of pumpkins would be fun - your kiddos can print a whole field of pumpkins and fill in with drawn vines and leaves. 

Apples, cut in half, give a nice pumpkin shape, when dipped in paint and printed. Try using apples that are not super edible to avoid food waste.

Not looking to get out the paints - or need a quicker craft? Try large orange ink pads and spongy pumpkins to get a similar effect. 

Sometimes, though, you just want to paint on an actual pumpkin! We got the markers out for this one - fun was had by all! 

Choose your own craft, or do them all! 

Have fun! 

We Are Scientists: Think It - Make It - Try It!

Scientists have questions, try to figure out ways to answer the questions, come to conclusions, and record their information. Sounds like every young learner I've ever met!  So, let your kiddos know that they ARE real scientists ... and watch them get to work!

To get started, you can put together an assortment of materials that might be useful - and definitely will be appealing. At first, the children might just want to tinker with each of the materials but, before long, they will start to see possibilities for using them in different ways. The idea is to provide this "makerspace" where they can have a thought and then test it out :) For example ... What would make this ball roll faster? Farther? Hmmm....

PVC pipe, in varied widths and lengths is a great place to start. Your local hardware store may even have it pre-cut into shorter lengths - two feet is a very workable length for little learners. I made sure to include two different width sizes (1 1/2" and 2"), as well as different joints that fit one or the other - or both! My scientists had to figure out which would work together and which wouldn't! It has been the workings of many experiments in velocity, friction, air pressure, etc., all by 3, 4, and 5 year olds.


A standard set of unit blocks, as well as any Duplo or Lego sets are great to have around, too. They can be used in conjunction with each other, as your child sees fit. Simple things like shoelaces, twist ties, and velcro strips make great connectors when building. Ping pong balls, available in colors and 6 to a package, were a big hit from my local dollar store!

Small cars, marbles (depending on the age of your children), and any small, light balls are all terrific tools for testing theories on speed and direction. Make sure that they are within reach and at eye view, so that inspiration hits :)

The idea is to introduce these elements but then STEP AWAY. Let the children formulate questions and try out hypotheses through interaction with this variety of resources.

Ask how, what, and why questions to help steer them, if they are stalled.

Maybe they want to see how to make the cars go faster or farther. How could you make that happen? What could you use?

Maybe they want to roll a ball so it goes farther than before. What would help with that? How can you use it?

Prompting to problem solve is the way to go!

My crew wanted to roll ping pong balls farther and faster - so they built this .... on their own!

See what your little scientists can come up with!

Have fun!

Have a Cutting Party!

Let your kiddos cut! 

Children need to be comfortable cutting, in order to stay on task and work efficiently once they start "real work" in school. To prepare, give them the opportunity to learn how to operate scissors, cut on straight lines and follow curvy ones. Space these "lessons" out and make it fun - success will not be achieved in one sitting :)

• First, have them learn the grip and motion of the scissors - open and shut, little "bites."
• Use strips of paper just wide enough for a little scissor to cut, and help your child feel success in cutting it up. 
• Next, use snakes of play dough or drinking straws for cutting practice, to give some resistance.
• Then, you can draw lines on paper or have them draw the lines and cut along them! 
• When they are getting good, use stencils to trace around shapes and then cut them out!
• Old magazines are treasure troves - pick a theme for a collage and cut away! (Get some glue stick practice in, too, when you glue them all on a piece of paper!)

Make it fun!! Pull out the toy catalogs and the coupon pages - let them go crazy cutting with no real goal in mind. Steer them in the right way to grip the scissors, making sure that their thumbs are placed correctly on top.

Introduce the "helper hand" to hold the paper that they are cutting, in order to manipulate the paper as needed. 

One teacher friend pulls out the party hats and calls it a "cutting party!" Whatever goofy trick it takes to make it fun for your little ones, try it out! The more practice they get, the easier cutting will be for them down the line!

Thanks to my friend, Kelly, for her great cutting tips! Have fun!

Process vs. product: It's OK!

Children learn about the world around them by running their hands through water, dirt, and sand ... not to do anything in particular with them, but just to experience them using their sense of touch. They are great little scientists! Your children instinctively use their five senses to explore things in the natural world ... their food, toys, people, even bubbles and snow.

With toddlers and preschoolers, we are used to this exploration with science topics and encourage them to get hands on experiences to add to their knowledge of the world around them.

We should use this same approach when beginning to use art materials with our children. Letting your little ones experience the PROCESS of using art materials, instead of looking for a perfect PRODUCT at the end of the line, helps them discover so much about each medium they try.

Open ended exploration of dough can inspire all sorts of creativity, especially when everyday objects are available to add in to the play. Children can be inspired by the simplest of things and take the play to new levels.

Using pudding, doughs, shaving cream, or paints to mess around with gives your child a chance to experience the medium with no great expectations of the outcome, so that they can be free to explore on their own terms and - often - come up with new ways to use the materials.

Watercolors and Q-tips were a hit in our group a few days ago and today - play dough and buttons!

Give them a chance to use their own creativity and be inspired by their interest level and the fun they are having :)

Have fun!