cardboard + tape + imagination = airplanes

our preschool was full of women tonight…

these women work with kids already.
some in their homes, some in centers.
we all know the importance of our work.
we all know how hard it can be.
we all know how under-appreciated we can be.

it was fun to visit and share ideas.
i am confident if i was in their space,
i’d walk away with new ideas too.

thanks, jennifer and cloud county community college women!
(hey! i just realized you came during c week…how perfect!)

here is our 2011-2012 version of golden letters…
a piece of wood with hot glue and glitter!

oh, bless those kids whose names start with Z!

i need input:  
keep using these or not?
they are all over the internet.
can be bought in the floral department.
hard little beads that you hydrate in water for several hours.
they are labeled non-toxic but not intended for human consumption.

they are cool indeed.
slippery and colorful.
a great sensory experience.

i can’t help but wonder about the plastic/chemicals.
i’ve looked for cautionary advice,
but other than choking, i don’t see any.

what say you all?

 

as someone told me, “i’m afraid to stand still or you’ll paint me!”…there is a lot of chalkboard paint.

in addition to my original plan of repainting our chalkboard and painting the back of a shelf, i got busy.

and now there is a lot of extra vacuuming.  but worth it.

now we’ve been making shingles and tiles on the roof.

drawing a doorbell or address numbers.

adding a skyline and wild animals to the block rug.

scribbling and sign making.

noticing that crayon crayon and paint still work.

adding windows, doors, signs and people.

remembering to look at ourselves (and smile) in the mirror.

and yes, often these surfaces are simply covered with chalk, layers and layers of chalk so that there is dust falling down.  if one goal of these preschool days is getting used to a writing implement in hand, confidence in making marks on paper, joy in doing something where most of one’s body is still:  chalk dust is worth it!  especially now that children have been schooled on getting a damp (not wet) towel to clean the surfaces off!  that’s fun in and of itself.

one quart of paint went a looooong way…and there is more!