All posts tagged kids

After creating our painted fireworks, origami 4th of July themed boats, and crafty sea monsters we decided to put it all together and make a 4th of July Diorama.

4th of July Scene

We used a black tri-fold school presentation board to create it into a night scene. We taped our painted fireworks to the sky area, used blue felt scraps to make our ocean scene and placed our origami boats and sea monsters on top of the water area. Note the monsters are attacking and eating the boats! We finished it off by creating a 4th of July canvas and felt banner.  And a final touch of silver, glitter, star stickers everywhere.

 

HAPPY 4th OF JULY! Be safe.

girls

 

 

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After creating our painted fireworks and origami 4th of July themed boats, we hated to waste the leftovers so we painted the outside of the TP rolls we had used as brushes. We cut up an old pillow case into 8 x 8 inch squares, filled the center with cotton batting, wrapped a rubber band around the outside making a ghost like shape. Then we painted the ‘head’ and added facial features. We tucked the ‘heads’ into the top of the TP tube and glued it in place.

 

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We called them sea monsters over octopus because they had many more tentacle legs then eight! Some had two eyes and some, like this one shown in the picture was a cyclops.

 

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Firworks

This 4th of July we took a clue from Pinterest and made painted fire works.

The first step is to gather used toilet paper rolls.

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Next, cut one end like a fringe, don’t cut all the way to the other end – leave a good inch or two so you have something to hold on to.

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Once the fringe is cut all the way around, flatten it out in preparation for using it like a brush to dip into paint.

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Now, lay out several paper plates and pour different colors onto each plate. Dip the TP brushes into the colors, leaving one ‘tp brush’ assigned to each color so as not to mix them.

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Stamp the ‘tp brush’ dipped in paint onto black construction paper. in fireworks patterns.

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Now make as many as you have sheets of black construction paper.

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Unsupervised play in nature – Leave them alone!

Why have kids play and explore in nature? Because they already know what to do there – not instructions required. Kids are hard wired to know how to play outside, it is only we adults who interrupt their potential while they are explore. We do this out of our own fears but what if we allow these young explores to take over and investigate all on their own? Just think of what they might come up with. Beyond playing out in a natural environment what if you are interested in building a playground in the back yard for the kids? consider building one out of natural materials. You can keep it simple and put up a few tree stumps to offer space for imaginative play.

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You could create structures that are more complex and offer a fort like set ups so kids feel like they are in their own land and are able to invent new games with new rules. They can build characters and use their imaginations to create whole new worlds.

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Mix nature with richer character development and storytelling by creating an outdoor structure that is a puppet theater combined with a beverage stand or Lucy from Peanut’s Advise stall. Let kids decide how they want to incorporate nature into the story they tell and how they see the world.

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Next time you think “should I let the kids play an hour more on their tech or should I take them to a nearby playground?” consider how healthy it is for kids to have unsupervised, creative outdoor play. Leave them alone because they know what to do out there, just like you did when you where a kid.

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SUMMER SOLSTICE

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Celebrating Summer Solstice is a great way to connect kids with nature as Solstice highlights the transitions in nature. Crops are starting to grow, daylight is at its peak and the weather in most locations is inviting.

Ideas to celebrate the MidSummer Solstice:

FEAST – Eat local and seasonal foods - Visit a farmers market

FLOWERS  – Pick some fresh outside, visit a florist, Research legends about flowers

FIRE – Have a Bonfire - According to old pagan traditions, the bonfires would to scare off witches and other evil creatures during the Solstice.

SCIENCE – Learn more about Phenology - the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life.

ART and CRAFT – Make Solstice Slime, Fire Flies in a Jar, Hair flower wreath, A Sun Wheel

June Solstice: Longest and Shortest Day of the Year

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Solstice is Monday, June 20, 2016 

A solstice happens when the sun’s zenith is at its furthest point from the equator. On the June solstice, it reaches its northernmost point and the Earth’s North Pole tilts directly towards the sun, at about 23.4 degrees. It’s also known as the northern solstice because it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Meaning of Solstice

‘Solstice’ (Latin: ‘solstitium’) means ‘sun-stopping’. The point on the horizon where the sun appears to rise and set, stops and reverses direction after this day. On the solstice, the sun does not rise precisely in the east, but rises to the north of east and sets to the north of west, meaning it’s visible in the sky for a longer period of time.

Although the June solstice marks the first day of astronomical summer, it’s more common to use meteorological definitions of seasons, making the solstice midsummer.

Illustration image

Stonehenge in England. ©bigstockphoto.com/dubassy

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