My boys love slime! (And really, so do I!) Whether it’s playing the part of radioactive sludge engulfing their action figures, an alien blob, or just an enjoyable home gym for their fingers, one batch can keep them engaged for hours.
The Simplest Way to Face Paint
Due to the enormous amount of fun we’ve been having with face painting around here lately, I thought I’d let you in on a little secret I learned about a decade ago while teaching at the lab school. If you purchase an inexpensive set of Watercolor Colored Pencils
Here’s just a sample of where these pencils, plus a little imagination, have taken us in the past few days:
Enchanted Learning: The Benefits of Fantasy Play for Children
I’m sharing some of my old favorites while I’m away this week. This one was originally posted July 6, 2010.
Many parents have come to their child’s preschool teacher with the same concern. “It seems like my child plays dress-up all day at preschool. What could he possibly be learning from that?” The question is understandable – what does he learn from leaping around with his cape fluttering behind him? And yet, the question is somewhat ironic, as these very parents likely spent much of their childhood engaged in the same kind of play.
I personally still have vivid memories of my own childhood, as my playmates and I snuck past sleeping giants, swung through the trees in the Amazon, and set sparkling lures for fairies. In fact, my playmates themselves included one conjured character named Cheney, a girl who lived in the clouds.
Book Activity: Mouse Paint
I’m sharing a few old favorites while I’m away this week. This one was originally posted January 19, 2010.
Mouse Paint
Make Story Time Hands-On with Flannel Boards
Flannel boards are a great way to really bring children into a story. They can help move the pieces around as you spin your tale, and later they can retell the story (or create their own new and improved version). It’s a simple hands-on tool for supporting the language and comprehension skills that build solid readers.
How You Can Encourage Your Child to be Creative Even When YOU Are Not
I’m posting on a Tuesday this week as part of today’s Ultimate Blog Swap! You’ll find me posting about one of my other passions – cooking- over at Mostly Food and Crafts. I’ll cover both the food and the crafts by sharing one of my favorite pasta recipes, Butterfly Noodles, and some fun insect activities to go with it. And I’m so happy to share with you this wonderful post from Kelly of the blog Wisdom Begun, as well as a fantastic discount for the ebook Art Not Craft! Read on to get all the goodness! [Read more…]
Shiny Syrup Paint
I love it when art materials can come from my pantry. That usually means they’re inexpensive, non-toxic, and that I can have an idea and act on it in ten minutes or less. One of my favorite art supplies that comes from my pantry is corn syrup. I almost think I use it more frequently for art projects than for cooking. (Though I do love a good batch of caramel corn!)
Play: The Key to Creativity
It’s time for the final installment of my series on creativity for Willow Creek Pediatrics. Here’s a little snippet:
Weekend Reads 5.14.11
Build-a-Fairy Box
If you haven’t guessed from the series I’ve been writing the past few Mondays, I’m a big fan of creativity. Any time I can jump on an opportunity to encourage kids to create and have ownership in a project, I am all for it. And so it was quite serendipitous when I stumbled upon this post on fairy wings for clothespin dolls from Made By Joel and also received an invitation for my son to attend the birthday party of one of his “friends-who’s-a-girl”. This little girl had been to our home just a few months earlier when we were making these gnome leprechaun dolls from Wee Folk Art . She just took off with the idea, creating her own designs and really enjoying herself. I instantly knew I had to make a doll kit full of “loose parts” for this artist to create with! (Knowing her home and family, I’m sure she’ll find a few more loose parts to add as well!)
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