Spring Flowers

  I am wrapping up our spring break, looking out the window watching the rain fall. I am longing for color. Longing for flowers! So, this post from last spring is a feast for my eyes right now. So bright and cheerful. I think it's time to bring the shredder back into the classroom to make these lovelies again!

Don't these look so cheerful on the wall? And soooo easy and fun to make!

Cut slits on the sides of small paper bowls and apply paint. Spring colors, of course!

Add some yellow shredded paper to the center.

We used green packing peanuts for the stem.

Happy Spring!

5 Little Daffodils

I was going back to older posts and found this one from 2 years ago. I just love the daffodils that are growing everywhere right now, and so I was thrilled to find this. I'm definitely going to do it again when we return from spring break!




My 3's have been very interested in daffodils since watching them grow in our planting bed. And so, I was thrilled to find this idea. I changed it just a bit, simply because I had different materials on hand (and I try hard to use what we have), but the result is still so cute!

Some of our favorite books about flowers:

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Providing Small Spaces

When setting up my classroom and outdoor spaces, I am very mindful of creating small spaces where one or two children can work.

Little areas tucked in corners.

Easels, meant for one, but cozy with two.

Our small writing table in our reading corner has 2 chairs. (Often, a 3rd will be pulled up for an extra friend.)

An opportunity to read to a friend.

Even outdoors, cozy spots to explore.

It may last a few moments. Or ten minutes. A moment for some one-on-one conversation. 

Nurturing friendships.

Chalk Art

I love chalk. I especially love chalk on black. 





I tape a large sheet of black paper to the table...

Add some colored chalk....

And let them go as they please. They quickly realize if they run their finger across it, the chalk will smudge, creating a whole new affect. 




And sometimes I will add another medium, such as this shimmer paint, to roll across the top.

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Cloud Jars

Deborah over at Teach Preschool shared a wonderful post about her preschoolers making these cool cloud jars, so we just had to try! 

Not only were the 3's excited to do their own, but they'd stand by and watch when others made them as well. They are sooo neat!

For more detail on how to make them, head on over to Teach Preschool!

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Easter Baskets

I love Easter baskets! And while I adore all those cute crafty ones (and I've done them!), these days I love them to be as open ended as possible. I want each to show the personality of the child. Yes, even in an Easter basket!

We started with a simple white lunch sack. (Good ol' Target!)

This year I set out portion cups and various bottles of watercolors. I let the children choose what colors they wanted their bags to be. I also had a bottle of silver shimmer tempera paint. Most of the 3's decided they wanted a dollop of that mixed in their watercolors. The effects were beautiful!

What I love most is that after they were dry, the 3's knew exactly which bags were theirs, without looking at the names on the bottoms. They remembered the colors they used, the patterns they created. THAT is what I love most about these types of projects. No two look alike. This is not cookie cutter art.

Yesterday we had a parent helper, so I put her to work with the paper shredder. I remembered Kristin over at Preschool Daze had her preschoolers shred their own paper for an activity. This in itself was a hit! 

They chose which color paper they wanted, put it through the shredder, and filled their bags.

They brought their bags to me and I helped them add a sturdy handle.

They are ready for our Easter egg hunt when we return from spring break!

Inspiration: