All posts by website@magic-garden.org

Sunshine Scoop

As always, the Sunshine Classroom is bustling with tons of fun, friendship and learning! Our little mathematicians have been hard at work exploring the concept of basic shapes. During Choice Time, the boys and girls created beautiful rainbow shape collages. Circles, squares, ovals and triangles were utilized to craft complete masterpieces! Check out our display in the classroom! Later, they tapped into their gross-motor abilities, tracing large masking tape shapes in the rug area. Lastly, the students teamed up in small groups to form many shapes using their bodies. Such cooperation! And so creative! The Sunshine kiddos are math stars!

Temperatures sure are dropping in the classroom! Our dramatic play area has been transformed into an ice rink! The pupils are having a blast, pretending to be Olympic figure skaters or hockey players. In addition, they have many plans for decorating our rink: Signs, benches and posters! Some children even mentioned building our own hot chocolate stand. Very cool! Stop by for a spin or two around the Sunshine Skating Rink!

Up next: More author studies (Jan Brett?), snow science experiments and the start of Pre-K’s annual swim classes!

Starburst Happenings

The Starburst Classroom is always brimming with activity! It may be frosty outside, but inside there is so much occurring! The boys and girls have launched Starburst’s annual First 100 School Days of the Year! During Circle Time, the children review the current number (and how to write it!) and post it in the classroom. Eventually the cool countdown visuals will wrap around the classroom. Exploring patterns, different colored numerals will be utilized. Infusing music and movement, 100 songs and fingerplays will also be explored. So awesome! Let the countdown continue!

STEM is always a vital aspect of the Starburst Classroom. Our students are rather impressive little engineers! The boys and girls are currently exploring the world of ramps. They plan to experiment with myriad materials. This includes construction tools like boards, tubes and unit blocks. Balls, hockey pucks and plastic bottles were also added to the mix. We look forward to the children’s endless discoveries!

Coming up: More science journal entries, cooperative board games and Pre-K swim classes!

Brrrrr! Icy, cold conditions are prompting some new learning ventures in the Moonbeam Classroom.
The boys and girls are exercising their scientific inquiry skills, as well as their creative talents! Quite recently, the children chose their favorite colors of paint. Red, purple, blue! Yellow, orange, green! They assisted faculty members in topping off ice cube trays and placing them in the freezer. And the next day…PRESTO! The paints had become solid, frozen art tools! The students utilized these cubes to create beautiful works of expression, sharing other children’s colors. They experimented with color mixing and different properties. Do visit our display in the classroom! Using observation techniques the pupils watched the cubes slowly melt. Also, they explored mixing different hues, noting their transformations. Very organic, and very fun!

In other news, the Moonbeamers have just planted a classroom Amaryllis. During Circle Time, they made observations about the bulb (dry, scratchy, heavy) and explored its anatomy (roots, sprout). Up next: noting growth of the Moonbeam plant!

Make this fun DIY paint at home

Parents often ask us for some of our craft recipes. Below is a recipe for Drizzle Goo paint. It is great fun because you can make it with AND use it with your kids. It creates a goopy texture paint that is fun to squirt onto paper from squeeze bottles, slather on with popsicle sticks or dab on with foam brushes or sponges. For best results use watercolor paper or media board.

Ingredients

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Salt
3/4 Cup Water
Food coloring

Step 1: Mix dry ingredients

Step 2: Add water

Mix until mixture is smooth.

Step 3: Separate into bowls and add food coloring

Stir well.

Step 4: Have fun!

Mix and splatter colors onto watercolor paper or media board. Let dry for 12 hours. The pictures retain their fun texture!