Natural Materials Add Wonder

Offering children an array of natural materials at the playdough table can encourage interesting design work.  Things such as polished stones, sprigs of rosemary, massage tools, and wooden cutting boards integrate an interesting array of designs.  The rosemary adds a beautiful scent opening an awareness of senses and is also beautiful to look at.

Creative Play Tip of the Day

A supply of columned paper encourages children to draw the steps in how to make things.  These can be used as directions or recipes by other children.

Ideas for Fall Outdoor Activities

As the weather changes, outdoor activities change.  The cooler days of fall are ideal for long walks of discovery.  Pack a snack of cut fruit, cheese curds, crackers or finger sandwiches and some water to drink.  Walking in familiar places makes changes more noticeable. 

Watch for:

• Flowers turning brown
• Leaves changing colour and drying
• Birds and animals gathering food
• Pets growing heavier coats

Encourage children to:

• Look, smell, feel and think
• Collect pebbles, twigs, leaves, pine cones, wild flowers
• Hug some trees and decide which is largest, smoothest, friendliest

Use nature collections for crafts and to decorate at home:

• Make a branch mobile with leaves and nuts.
• Dip leaves, feathers, evergreen sprigs, etc. in paint and then press onto paper.
• Adopt an abandoned spider web by sprinkling it gently with talcum powder – lift it by placing a sheet of black construction paper underneath.
• Create a table centrepiece of acorns, pine cones, pebbles in a glass jar, or flowers dried by hanging upside-down.
• Preserve leaves by pressing between wax paper (cereal and cracker boxes have super wax bag liners) or use a placemat-size piece.  Place gathered “treasures” on one piece of wax paper.  You could shave crayon pieces with a grater, cut out magazine letters to create a name or add magazine pictures for added interest.  Place another piece of wax paper on top and iron gently (no steam) to melt together.
• Press leaves between sheets of wax paper placed under a heavy book.  Preserve leaves permanently by covering with clear MacTac.  Cut around leaves leaving 1/16” MacTac around edges.  Hang these in a window to twirl and sparkle in the sunlight.
• Place a leaf or two under paper, rub the top of the paper with a crayon to see the leaves appear magically.
• Create an apple face with miniature marshmallows or raisins.
• Use apple chunks to add to muffins or pancakes.  Share a cooking experience!
• Use apple pieces dipped in paint or pudding to make apple prints.

The colder weather of early winter brings out mittens and scarves.  The changing textures of clothes and dropping temperatures can be discovered.

• The ground is hard.
• We see our breath.
• We hope for snow.
• Watch the grey sky, and move quickly when outdoors to stay warm.  Play FREEZE! – then HOP – FREEZE, JUMP-FREEZE and so on.  Let the children take turns calling freeze.

Child Care Design

“Children are miracles.  Believing that every child is a miracle transforms the way we design for children’s care.  When we invite a miracle into our lives, we prepare ourselves and the environment around us.  We may set out flowers or special offerings.  We may cleanse ourselves, the space, or our thoughts of everything but the love inside us.  We make it our job to create with reverence and gratitude, a space that is worthy of a miracle.  Actions follow thoughts.  We can choose to change.  We can choose to design spaces for miracles, not minimums.”

- Anita Rui Olds, author of Child Care Design Guide

Hands-On Cooking: Making Applesauce

3-4 sweet apples
½ cup water
½ tsp cinnamon 

Combine in a saucepan and cook on stovetop until mushy.  Cool a little and enjoy!

Apple Poems

I’m a Little Apple (to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)

I’m a little apple
Short and round
I make a crunchy
Munchy sound
If you bite into me
You will see
I’m delicious
As can be

Two Green Apples

Way up high
In an apple tree
Two green apples
Smiled at me.

So I shook that tree
As hard as I could
And down fell the apples
Mmm, mmm, good.

Serve with apples.

Long Lasting Bubbles

• 1 bottle liquid detergent
• 1 small bottle of glycerine
• Water (amount will vary depending on number of children)
• Wire loops

Mix 1 cup of detergent with 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of glycerine.  Mixture should be smooth.  Test by dipping in the bubble wand and blowing.