Nest Obsessed - Five Activities and a Book

It began with a book.  Written and illustrated by my co-worker, Lory Britain, Mama Crow's Gift is about a crow who brings treasures home to her family, making their nest beautiful and cozy.  When disaster strikes and all seems to be lost, Mama Crow's most valuable gift becomes apparent - her optimism and ability to delight in even the smallest beauty. 

After Lory read the book to our preschool class, one of the children picked up on the theme, and played it out day after day, being a Baby Crow while I was the Mama Crow.  

Since then, we have done several nest themed activities with our class, and I have done some others with my son.  Here they are!  Which one is YOUR favorite?

 NEST  #1 - Paper Bag Shred and Glue

 

Run a bag through a paper shredder (or cut it into narrow strips yourself).  Turn a large bowl upside down and cover the bottom with plastic wrap, taping the edges to keep it in place.  Set out the shred and any other materials you want (we used yellow craft feathers and red tinsel).  Also put out a bowl with a generous amount of glue.  With your hand, spread a layer of glue on the bowl.  Then show your child how to dip the nest materials in the glue, coating them fully.  Layer the materials on the bowl.  When it is finished, add another layer of glue.  Let the nest sit for a few days, then gently detach it from the plastic wrap. 

Original idea from The Chocolate Muffin Tree

NEST  #2 - Mud and Grass

Similar process, but this time put the plastic wrap INSIDE the bowl.  Your child will enjoy scooping gloopy mud mixed with grass, flowers, pine needles etc. 

Also from The Chocolate Muffin Tree.  Gotta love that blog!

NEST  #3 -Willow Branches

We didn't make this one.  It is a permanent fixture at our local bird rescue center.  A visit there inspired even more bird-themed dramatic play!  Cascades Raptor Center

NEST #4 - Grass Clippings

My son and I made this after visiting the Raptor Center.

 

NEST  #5 - Pine Boughs with Ribbon and Pipe Cleaner Decorations

This was built by two preschool classes after hearing Lory read her book. 

Do you have a favorite?  Leave a comment and let me know! 

Throwing Paint

As a teacher, I used to be a one-man-show.  I felt that teaching alone allowed me to get into my groove.  When I was hired by the Relief Nursery, I wasn't sure how I would adapt to their team teaching model.  Now, after 6 years, I would never go back to teaching alone.   My teaching partner and assistant offer me encouragement, inspiration, motivation and support.  Not to mention they have awesome activities.  My teaching assistant, Janae, came up with this fun idea.  

Tape a large sheet of paper (or a bed sheet) to a fence or wall.  Give your child some containers of paint and some old wash cloths scrunched into balls and fastened with rubber bands.  Your child can throw the paint-dipped cloth at the paper, or she can walk up to the paper and use the cloth to make prints.  

Variations

Other fun ways to get paint onto a large hanging paper or sheet

Throw paint filled water balloons

Use spray bottles or squeeze bottles filled with liquid water colors

Swat a paint-dipped fly swatter or a pine bough

Mix the paint with some sort of thickener, like flour, and throw globs of it

Fill small paper cups with paint and fling or pour it onto the paper a la Jackson Pollock

Dip a paint brush and then flick your wrist to send the paint flying

Any other ideas?  

What are we learning?

Creative Expression, Gross Motor, Physical Science

Painted Playdough and More

We make our own play dough, and periodically it needs to be tossed and replaced.  If you are about to throw it away anyway, you might as well do something irrevocable (and interesting) with it. Here are a few ideas.

- Paint it.

- Make it into a big ball and play catch with it outside (it will definitely be ready for the trash after hitting the ground multiple times). 

- Also outside, lay it on the ground in a ball and stomp on it with bare feet (sure to be repeated amid many giggles!).  

- Take it to the sand box.

- Put it in a sensory tub with water and enjoy the sliminess. 

- Use it to make a volcano shape for this activity. 

- Make cookies or snakes or sculptures, and then set them in the sun to dry out.  Check them periodically and observe with your child how the dough changes as it sits in the sun.

- Use is as a soup or potion ingredient (along with whatever other materials you can think of).

Any other ideas?

Click here for my favorite no-cook play dough recipe!

Colored Ice Cups with Marbles

My son, Mateo (2 1/2), basically invented this activity, and I have to say, it is truly awesome.  He started by sorting all the marbles from a Chinese Checkers game into some paper cups.  He poured water into them, and then used a paint brush to transfer water color paint to each cup.  He then suggested putting ice into the cups as well.  

We went from that to sticking the cups in the freezer for a couple of hours.  When they were frozen, we ran a bit of warm water over the cups so the ice would come out and we put them on a sheet pan.  They slid and spun and slowly melted, which was great, but the real fun came when I offered Teo a wooden hammer to smash the ice and release all the balls.  When he was done, he immediately suggested we make more, so we did. 

When the second set was done,  Teo got into the bath, and I set up a bath table by turning over a plastic tote and setting it in the tub.  Teo used a toy tea pot to pour warm bath water over the ice to melt them.  He pondered whether they would sink or float and tried that as well.  He was delighted to see the paint making color swirls in his bath water.  

Variations

I am so excited to try freezing other small objects or toys in ice.  I've seen people freeze big blocks of ice with things inside, too.  What fun!

What are we learning?

Physical Science (freezing / melting, floating / sinking, how objects move - sliding, spinning), Problem Solving,  Fine and Gross Motor and Eye-Hand Coordination (hammering, pouring), Sensory, and Color Matching / Sorting / Mixing.