Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Posted by Cindy on June 10, 2007
This week’s art center focuses on Mary Cassatt. I’ve only put out pastels and watercolors this week to encourage them to really use each medium. I found that putting out more than a couple of choices last time didn’t give them much practice with any one thing. As a side note, if you need to buy watercolors, I’ve found the Prang brand to be the best (of the cheapo kids brands, that is.)
Posted by Cindy on May 31, 2007
Whether it’s a unit, a special holiday, someone’s birthday or just something you want to do to peak your children’s interest in a certain subject, think about creating a special place of learning in your home to create a buzz of inquisitiveness in your children. We call them learning centers, but you call them whatever you like.
Insects Anyone?
Since we’re not really “schooling” right now, I’m using this table as more of an exploration center for the time being. I’ll probably change a few of the current items out in a couple of days.Maybe adding the Cootie game, some play dough for bug sculpting, some insect coloring/labeling sheets and a self-explanatory experiment.
In two days’ time, my children have LOVED this display and have soaked up every book and goody I’ve put out. I’m off to plan more displays………..
Posted by Cindy on May 29, 2007
If you’re anything like me, art tends to take somewhat of a back seat to other subjects during the school year. So, I’ve decided to make an art center that will stay around all summer long!
I plan to fill it with all sorts of goodies, but only a few at a time. I’ll change out the supplies every week or two to keep the center fresh and exciting. I’ll also check out a couple of books on a new artist every couple of weeks to put in the center, too.
The center is in my kitchen (where we spend a lot of time!), with an old sheet underneath. There’s plenty of wall space for the artists to display their work, too!
Here’s what the first week’s table looks like - a Picasso book, colorful clay, tie-dye kit, oil pastels and plenty of paper. I picked really colorful supplies because Picasso used lots of bright color in his art.
I don’t know what other artists I’ll spotlight, but here’s a list of supplies I have on hand to use throughout the summer: watercolors, acrylic paints, sponges, food coloring, paint pens, marbling kit, markers, crayons, colored pencils, toothbrushes, pastels, charcoal, face paints, craft scissors, foam shapes, foam sheets, glitter glues, fabric, scrapbook paper, construction paper, pipe cleaners, wood shapes, wood scraps, beads, yarn, brayers, colored sand, sequins, feathers, old cards, old magazines, sculpey clay, glitter, goodly eyes, pom poms, stickers, tissue paper, ribbon, styrofoam…….
Remember to keep an eye out for some of these things at yard sales and Goodwill! I stock up on many things in July at the Back-to-School sales. I also use a lot of recyclables.
Whether young or old, I think all ages can benefit from an art center. Even if you school year ’round, you could easily incorporate this sort of center into your regular schedule. Personally, a summer’s worth of art in my kitchen will be enough! Until next summer, that is.
Related Tags: homeschool, summer, art, crafts, artists
Posted by Cindy on May 7, 2007
On a recent blog, I posted some of the things I do to keep my kids busy and learning during our summer break. One of the things was creating a 100 Things To Do If Bored List. I just recently came up with this summer’s list and thought it might be useful as a Tip Of The Day. Feel free to copy it and change it to suit your family! (It may be a little more or less than 100. I stopped counting in the 80′s.)
100 Things To Do If I’m Bored
read
ride a bike
take a nature walk
do an experiment
play an instrument
draw
play a board game
clean your room
wash windows
do a craft
play a card game
organize a book shelf
make a recipe
do a devotional
call a friend
write a letter
play dress up
do a puzzle
make a mask
listen to music
weed the flowers
water the flowers
make up a story
act out a story
make up asong
listen to a book on tape
exercise
bird watch
do leaf rubbings
graph the number of bugs you see in an hour
collect seeds
actually play with your toys
do origami
create a Bible lesson to teach to a younger child
play a computer game
organize the refrigerator
read a magazine
dig in the garden
look up a word you don’t know in the dictionary and try to use it throughout the day
collect rocks
paint rocks
write a Christmas wish list
make bubbles
jump rope
play in water
mop a bathroom
organize a drawer in your room
paint a picture
dance
watch the clouds go by
pray
make a prayer journal
teach your dogs a trick
experiment with new hairstyles
make some beaded jewelry
sew
knit
crochet
take a treat to a neighbor
wash the car
build something from wood scraps
plant seeds
practice a play to put on for your parents
skip
do jumping jacks
wash dishes
play hide and go seek
build with legos
play cowboys and indians
pull out your spy journals
sort shells
play with pattern blocks
set up a picture studio
make play dough
make a healthy snack
plan a party
write a grocery list for Mom
memorize a poem and tell it to someone
play school
design an outfit
set up a store for your family to shop
help an elderly neighbor with a job around their house
make an instrument
take a nap
take a long bubble bath
vacuum the van
make clay boats to sail
make your own 100 things to do list
do a crossword puzzle
write and illustrate a story
study an artist and try one of his or her pieces
make silly faces in the mirror
swing
jump on the trampoline
make puppets
organize pictures
go through toys and choose some to give away
go through clothes and bag up the ones that are too small
make cards for you family or friends
try a new recipe
write down some of your hopes and dreams
Posted by Cindy on February 28, 2007
Have you ever heard of Preschool In A Bag activities? Basically, they are learning activities stored in a ziplock that can be given to preschoolers to keep them busily learning while Mom works with other children. I loved the idea, but don’t have a preschooler right now. But, there are times when I need to keep Caleb (1st grade) busy when he finishes school before Mahayla, so I put together some “Busy Boxes” for him. It’s been a hit, so I thought I’d share the idea.
I bought several (12, I think) plastic shoeboxes at WalMart. Then, I went through my school room, kitchen, office, art supply box, and card & game shelf. I gathered things that were:
1. small enough to fit in the boxes.
2. easy enough for him to do without explanation or help.
3. fun, yet educational.
Then I put several different activities in each of the boxes.
All the boxes contain activities in several subject areas – math, language, science/history/geography, art…. For example, one box might contain addition flashcards, rubber stamps & ink, magnetic letters and a bird memory game. Another box might contain plastic coins, word tiles, a fabric map and stickers.
When he’s finished with his work, but I’m not quite ready to “set him free”, I’ll ask him to choose a busy box. He pulls one off the shelf and decides what activities he’d like to do from the box. My only rule is: ONLY ONE BOX. When one comes off the shelf, that’s the one he works with. Otherwise, he’d pull every one of them down looking for “just the right activity. He’d spend so long looking, that no activities would actually be done!
What can you put in a busy box?
*manipulatives – coins, pattern blocks, attribute blocks, buttons to sort, clock, magnetic numbers, tangrams, base ten blocks, linking cubes, calculator, dominoes, anything!
*building blocks
*easy puzzles
*handheld electronic games
*language manipulatives – magnetic letters, word tiles, I’m drawing a blank here!
*art supplies – stickers, glitter glue, special markers/crayons, fun scissors, pom poms, google eyes, popsicle sticks, paper punches, rubber stamps & ink, stencils, anything!
*flashcards – math, presidents, geography, any type!
*cool pens and small pads of paper
*maps to explore
*matching games
*science manipulatives – magnets, measuring cups & rice, magnifying glasses, plastic bugs/dinosaurs, small food scale, small microscope & slides, shells, life cycle cards
*history manipulatives – plastic cowboys & indians, timelines to put in order
*games that can be done by self – like Jenga, Blockhead, Rush Hour Jr., SET, Brick By Brick
*little craft packages like you might get from Oriental Trading or the Dollar Store
*playdough
Please leave a comment if you have other ideas to add to the Busy Box list!!!
