Wordless Wednesday: Kids' lemonade recipes

Aromatherapy in the classroom

Inhale...

One day, every person who walked into preschool said, "It smells so good in here!".  Before they even saw the table, they could smell the rosemary.

I don't have much of a green thumb, but a couple of years ago I decided spontaneously to plant a scented herb garden.  Lavendar (both varieties), rosemary, spearmint, chocolate mint, sage, Italian parsley, cilantro, lemon thyme, and basil.  The hardiest half that survived are still there in the garden!

Last week, we used trimmings from the aroma garden at a sensory table that smelled wonderful.

Be was surprised when I responded to his question "What can we do with these?" with "Whatever you feel like doing!" He immediately got to pouring and grinding and letting me smell his herbal blend.

I won't tell you how to present it to your preschoolers.  My suggestion is to just see what they do.

Items needed:

Herb clippings

Sea salt (a nice medium for grinding the herbs 

and attracts those children who are all about pouring)

Rolling pins

Mortar and pestle

Scissors

Containers 

A table cover (optional, I used white butcher paper to see the prints after rolling)

Variations:

add colorful flowers (non-poisonous of course)

add water in small glass jars with droppers and watercolor brushes

add oil in a small squeeze bottle 

Add tweezers and magnifiers

Exhale...

Matching game

We *might* overdo it with the matching games...but they are just so simple to make!  Our current theme is around lemons, lemonade stand, and surrounding concepts.  This work is an attempt to fit into that theme.

It's a simple laminated work for the kids who are interested in upper- and lower-case letters:

Stay tuned for more lemony works and activities!

*Stephanie*

Bee Inspired

Beansprouts Preschool was all about the bees the past week.

• Tasting honey
• Dancing finger puppets to "Flight of the Bumble Bee"
• Bee paper collages
• Bee playdough props w/yellow playdough
• Bug-making out of old CD's

The older children explored preliteracy and pre-writing concepts around the bee theme.

They each chose a word to write and draw about that had to do with bees.  Many of theme wanted to do more than one word.  The words to choose from were "dance" "colony" "pollinator" "bee" "buzz" "honey" and "hive", all words we have been exploring this week during our bee studies.  I was amazed at what they came up with in their art and also how excited they were to write the words.  

They practiced some fine-motor skills by tracing the bees' paths to the hive!

Another Simple Game

Items needed:

Container w/one dice and 6 objects (we used stackable rectangular blocks)

How to play:

Take turns rolling di and make block patterns with that number of blocks

Can be for one child or a pair/group. The older the kids, the more complex the little block towers can get.

A Simple Ladybug Game

Simple Lady Bug Game

Inspired by my friend Tanya of Tanya's Learning Garden who does lots of clothespin games with children!  Andrea brought in the ladybug chart and it was just the perfect thing to make a work out of.

Items needed:

Chart w/4 or more ladybugs with varying numbers of spots

Cards with numerals that correspond with number of spots on each ladybug

Clothespins

Laminator, if needed

Variations are endless depending on the theme:

Bee stripes

Pieces of fruit

Vehicles in groups of different sizes OR

Vehicles with different numbers of tires, passengers, etc.

Can also vary according to developmental abiltiies:

One clothespin per card

No clothespins, just match by placing card on top

Match correct number of dots rather than numerals

Silkworm lessons

Wow.  We have silkworms coming out of our ears!  Our cocoons, like clockwork, have all hatched in the last few days and the silkworm moths are mating and laying eggs like crazy!  The rapid fluttering of wings is both frenetic and soothing, reminding me that the cycle of life and nature is happening, so visible, right in the classroom.  I'm reassured that mother nature writes in a universal code that ensures order and a level of predictability.


Well, I actually forgot that for a moment yesterday.


Before our very eyes, silkworm caterpillars emerged from their silk cocoons as angelic white moths.  Sometimes they are a little bloody and crumpled looking, but within minutes they are white, with wings spread wide, looking for a partner with which to create new life.  Be and Bl watched for probably twenty or thirty minutes as three cocoons in a row hatched beautiful new butterflies.


Well, there was a fourth.  This little one looked like it was having trouble because the hole that it pushed through it's cocoon was facing downward.  How will it ever get out of that tight little space? I wondered.  So I helped.  "Helped".  That's what I did.  I "helped".  I picked up the cocoon so there would be space between the hole and the bottom of the tray.  It just needed a little space.  But as soon as I lifted the cocoon, the silkworm slid out from the hole.


It laid there, red and too crumpled.  It had come out too fast.  I monitored that little guy for a while, but he did not recover.  I had over-helped...and I felt awful about it!


It made me think of the way I help the children.  When I do too much for them, I am doing them a great disservice.  Children need challenging experiences to create inner resilience and a desire to learn, just as the silkworm moths need time and persistence to push out of the cocoon.  A friend once told me that pushing out of the chrysalis is what helps a butterfly's wings to circulate and become strong, and without this exercise they can never fly.  I have to learn to control my own impulse, to inhibit myself, if I am to be of any real service to children.  Watch, listen.  Feel.  Question my motive for "helping".

I have since allowed many silkworms to struggle, and there seems to be a strong correlation between how long it takes to come out of the cocoon and how white and assimilated it looks when it reaches the outside world.  (If you have silkworms, watch and tell me if I'm imagining this!)


This also reminds me of the importance of play.  Children must play.  Childhood is for play.  The longer and more intensely they play, the more ready they are when they reach the "real" world.  Give them time, give them space.  Give them the right environment.  Mother nature takes care of things.

ice water foot bath during the heat wave!

Seed Game

I had extra corn and sunflower seeds so I made a little counting chart, inspired by Counting Coconuts and also by Leslie, who always makes cool little works like this.

Simple, fun, took just five minutes to make, and I learned that Ro can count to fifty with almost no help!

By dividing the chart into rows of ten, I was hoping the kids would pick up on the numeric patterns in the columns.

Some cool stuff: Preschool science and sensory

Blogging has been slow on our end but I wanted to share some of the activities of the last couple of weeks.

 Prints on the foot massage board (acquired from the dollar store)

Cornstarch trays, colored water, a pitcher of plain water, and droppers 

Oil, water, salt, and color in clear containers.  Inspired by Bev Bos.

It was very cool.  I highly suggest making these materials available for children and watch what they do with it.  It was amazing science and sensory!

Cornstarch and water tea time

 Shaving cream trays

 Silly putty (made from white school glue and Borax)

  Silkworm props at the playdough table (white pipe cleaner pieces, sticks, and black pom poms for eggs)

 silkworm eggs w/magnafying glasses

 Condiment bottles with glue colored w/liquid water colors (plus a little cornstarch to thicken).  They were leaky (a dollar from Target, what did I expect) so I added plumber's tape to the rims and they worked like a charm.  We covered the table with white shelf liner and Leslie brought out some straws through which the paint could be blown easily.  This was fun, shiny, slippery, and watching the drops come out of the containers was awesome)

My friend Katy had this great idea: color on tile pieces and white off with damp clothes.  We used highlighters.

A cornstarch bin and an empty bin, with water and droppers

Chair washing...scrub brushes, soapy water, and lots of help from kids.