Creativity at it's Best

Creativity at it's best:

 

I've let this project go on for about 3 days so far.  This has been JV's idea from the beginning.  I've given no directions.  It's unstructured play at it's best.  Sure, it's a bit messy leaving this project on the kitchen floor, but I've noticed that he's been whining less and has taken more control and pride in his work.  He even cleaned up a spill that he had, without whining for me to do it.  From the role of a child having to do what everyone else wants and when they want to do it, I have to imagine that it's nice knowing that he can completely control something from start to finish. 

 

So yes, my floor is a mess, but my child it happy and that's what really matters. 

Farm Week 1

During nap time, aka, break time for MamaRach, I found this website: Everything Preschool .  It has a few sample lesson plans and lots of ideas.  I was so thrilled that I attempted to follow their lesson plans titled "Farm Week".  I made my own changes since my charges (nanny kids) are on 1.5 years old. 

Little People Barn and Farm Animals

Above:  The boys LOVED these!  I was lucky enough that there were 2 barns.  Even with both barns there were times that we had to work on sharing and 'gentle hands'.

Coloring a farm picture

We also worked on fine motor skills through artwork.  Here, I had the boys color a picture of a farm.  As they colored we talked about the the objects in the picture and the sounds each animal made.

It snows on the farm too!

Too cold to play outside?  Bring the outside in!
Honestly, I had high hopes for this but it just didn't work out as well as I had hoped.  Although my oldest charge (5.5 years old) loved it!  The plan however was to have the boys play in the snow with the Little People animals.  Next time I will set up cookies sheets with snow.  The little guys (1.5 years old) just couldn't reach the animals in the tub.

Painting a horse

Don't interrupt.  He's very focused!

I love texture play, and the easiest way to do that is with paint.  Dump a little paint into a bowl.  Give the kids paint brushes, a picture to paint and you have an instant master peice!  (This is also good for fine motor).
*tip: Use painters tape to hold pictures in place

'P' working on his puzzle

Little Man working on the puzzle with 'P' there for support.

These Melissa and Doug puzzles from Target proved to be a big hit.  I specifically like that the are thick for little hands and have the picture on the puzzle board.  It only took one or two times of working with the boys before they started figuring it out on their own.  'P' was able to complete a whole puzzle by himself!

Mama Rach



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A Rainbow of Colors

Here is a quick and simple art project that I call "A Rainbow of Color".

First, I set out primary colors for P (11 mths. old) knowing that they would all blend nicely together.

Next, I put a dab of each color on finger paint paper.

Then, I let P splat, squish, and rub the paint as he wished.

And here is the finished product:

A Rainbow of Color!

Helpful Tips:

1. Give young children pacifiers (if they will take it) to keep paint out of their mouths.

2.  You could have older children make a rainbow shape, but let young children experiment with the paint.

3.  A bowl of warm soapy water and baby wipes make clean up a snap.

4.  Above all, HAVE FUN!!!

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Birthday Card

For my grandma's birthday I wanted to have my son participate in making her birthday card.  I decided to have him paint a picture.  Here is how I did it...

First, I taped the paper down with paint tape.  You can pick it up at Target, Home Depot, or anywhere that sells wall paint.  Doing this keeps the paper steady for young children.

Next, I gave J two paint brushes to encourage use of both hands, dabbed a little paint on them, and let him have at it!  His artwork was developed using a combination of paintbrushes and fingerpainting.  When the painting was dried I folded the painting in two so that it was the outside of the birthday card.  I then used my Cricut to cut out the words "Happy Birthday!" and glued them to the inside.

By the time he was finished, paint was everywhere, but the final product was totally worth it!  Grandma Y. loved her card.

Helpful hints: 

*Give young children a paci to keep them from eatting the paint.  This can also be helpful when coloring or using playdoh.

*Place a big or large shirt over nice clothes to minimize the mess.

*A sink full of warm water and/or babywipes make cleaning hands easy.