During the Lunar New Year lanterns provide illumination, are said to be lucky charms, & a wish for the bright future. Lunar New Year, which includes many Asian Countries, is filled with festivities, customs, & plenty of feasts where the arrival of spring & the start of a fresh year is based. We read the book Amy Wu & the Lantern Festival by by   Kat Zhang   (Author),  Charlene Chua   (Illustrator) which is the 5th installment of the picture book series. In the story Amy’s favorite tradition is carrying her family’s lantern on Lantern Festival Day.  After reading the story & looking at real images of lanterns from around the world we invited the children to gravity drip paint lanterns for our upcoming annual Lunar New Year Parade. We provided white lanterns as their canvas, Colorations Liquid WaterColors, & Learning Resources Twisty Droppers. The children were invited to paint the lanterns! All aspects of this process, from painting on different media (3-D Object) to trying to manage the movement of the lantern, exploring gravity as they see colors dripping downward, while using their fine motor skills with the droppers, enhances & challenges a child's way of thinking creatively. Every time we provide children with the opportunity to create art all on their own & in a variety of ways, we are reminded of how engaging & important process art is. Art gives the child an opportunity to be completely immersed in the process of creating in a unique way! Here are three other ways to paint lanterns that we have done in the past: One,   Two ,  Three .

Do Ho Suh is one of our artists that we are exploring this month. He is a Korean artist who works primarily in sculpture, installation, & drawing. He is best known for his intricate sculptures that defy conventional notions of scale & site-specificity, which draws attention to the ways viewers occupy and inhabit public space. Do Ho Suh’s work reveals a highly developed awareness of the different ways architecture mediates our experience of space. Architecture has been a key reference for the artist so his work pays attention to the site-specificity and sensorial experience of the viewer engaging with his pieces while moving in the exhibition space. We invited the children to create a collaborative collage that is inspired by his art. We took Colorations Poster Pape r, cut them into different shapes to construct a similar structure as the base. In a tinker tray we provided cellophane pre-cut into different shapes along with clear glue & brushes from Discount School Supply. The children were invited to create a collaborative collage. Every time we provide the children with the opportunity to create art we are reminded of how engaging & important art is. Art has a beautiful way of transforming and has many facets to it and exploring artists such as Do Ho Suh and interpreting their creativity in different ways is so much fun! Here are two other invitaitons to Explore the Artist through Resist Painting and Invitation to Create.

The 12 Lunar New Year zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year in a 12-year cycle is assigned an animal & each animal is associated with a personality that typifies the year & those born during that year.  This year the Snake, which is the 6th animal in the zodiac, embodies traits such as intuition, strategy, & elegance. The snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, personal growth, renewal, & transformation.  We read the book Year Of The Snake by Zhango Jink Yo is about Sami, a curious & determined young boy, who discovers the wonders of the zodiac &  the significance. This book also introduces children to Lunar New Year traditions, the symbolism of the zodiac, & the importance of embracing challenges. Which is perfect for  inspiring tales of friendship, determination, & cultural celebration.  After reading the book we invited the children to create a collaborative  dragon snake & snake for our upcoming parade.  The dragon dance is a traditional dance performed during Lunar New Year to bring good luck, prosperity, & blessings to the community.  The dragon is a symbol of power, wisdom, & fertility.  We made everything out of recycled cardboard, rolls, & packaging. We invited the children to paint it with Colorations tempera paint. Next we provided a tinker tray filled with recycled bottle caps, pom poms, repurposed art, stickers galore & let them glue away!

Wintry Science and Small World Play Arctic Magic in one! First we froze penguins in a mixture of water and baking soda in different ice molds. Then in our tuff tray we mixed vinegar with Colorations Fluorescent Turquoise BioColor paint. We also provided styrofoam as glaciers along with penguin figurines galore.  The children were invited to place the baking soda molds into the vinegar and see a magical chemical reaction unfold.  Scientific opportunities such as this let children learn and explore their environments through a multi layer hands on approach. As they learn about cause & effect, cycles of nature, comparisons, chemical and physical changes, reactions & properties of matter, their curiosity about how the world works continues to form. Small worlds are great for many areas of development, including language, imaginary play, & sensory play. The tactile elements create endless possibilities with materials that heightens a new depth of sensory play. This type of play is an integral part of the developmental learning process by allowing children to develop skills in such areas as abstract thinking, literacy, math, and social studies, in a timely natural manner. They are able to play & manipulate a variety of materials and textures which stimulate their mind and body. It encourages language development, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, focus and concentration all through the power of PLAY.

Winter time is the perfect time to paint on ice! In trays we provided different shapes and sizes of ice blocks, Colorations fluorescent paint + paint brushes, liquid watercolors + pipettes all from Discount School Supply. The children were invited to create, observe, & explore ice + different colors. Painting on interesting surfaces such as ice blocks is quite a different process from using paper. They are cognitively challenged and engaged while they are creating, exploring, and experimenting. Through this type of STEAM process art they  will make predictions, observations, & theories throughout this whole invitation. As they paint they will explore color theory as well as enhance their color recognition/language skills through mixing colors, as the ice melts the children will see a solid turning into a liquid, by using a pipettes/paint brushes they will enhance their fine motor skills as well as hand eye coordination, and through using their senses, this sensory experience allows for the child to freely retain or gain new skills/information.  So, whenever a child is hands-on learning, they are developing & enhancing multiple layers of skill sets that will provide the continuous stimulus children need to confidently continue to ignite their creativity & curiosity throughout their entire life long learning journey.

Three Snow Bears is author J an Brett's #1  New York Times  bestseller. The snowiest retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This version has an Inuit girl, Aloo-ki, who meets a polar bear family. When Aloo-ki's sled dogs float away on an ice floe, she goes looking for them. She comes upon an igloo with no one home and goes inside. In the meantime, Mama, Papa and Baby Bear swim out and rescue Aloo-ki's dogs. They all go home for breakfast to find a surprise visitor curled up in Baby Bear's bed for a nap. After reading this story we set out a small world play recreated scenes from the story.  We covered our tuff tray with aluminum foil to create a more icy wintry feel, as well as ice and foam blocks, bottle brush trees, igloos, polar bears galore, and tons of different shaped/colored ice. The children were invited to play!

We celebrated ringing in the New Year with these fun filled invitations on NYE.  1. New Years Slime Station: In a sensory bin we placed Nicole Jacklyn’s Crystal Slime, confetti, &  plastic storage kitchen shelves. The children were invited to mix, create, & explore slime!  2. NYE Fireworks Glitter/Confetti Potions: In our tuff tray we placed our TTS clear plastic potion bottles +  Packed Party "Pop The Champagne Clear Plastic Champagne Coupe Set  with a base of baking soda, confetti, & dish soap. In graduated cylinders +  beakers placed vinegar along with providing jumbo droppers & pipettes. The children were invited to create fizzing sparkly potions. 3. NYE Fine Motor Ball Drop: In a sensory bin we placed the  learning resources graduated beakers ,  cylinders ,  handy scoopers , Colorations® Pom-Poms, & a plush disco ball. The children were invited to scoop/pick up the pom poms & transfer them into the different sized containers.

This invitation is 2 ways for little ones to enhance & develop their fine motor skills.  1. Snowball Transfer: To set this up p lace different sized containers, these are  learning resources graduated beakers ,  cylinders .  Place   Colorations® Pom-Poms in a tray, this is the Inspire Me Play Trays. Provide easy squeeze tweezers  + help ha nds fine motor tools all on a  tuff tray  or in a sensory bin. Invite the children to tweeze the pom poms & transfer them into the different sized containers.  2. Snowball Squeeze: To set this up, place water in a large bowl or tray. You can add Colorations metallic watercolors into the water. Place different sized pom-poms in the water. Provide handy scoopers or hand held lemon squeezer. Invite the children to scoop & squeeze the water out of the pom-poms.  As they transfer & squeeze the pom poms with all the different tools, it provides opportunities for the refinement of hand-eye coordination & fine motor control. It allows a subtle & indirect preparation for writing by gently encouraging the hand to curl into the 'pincer grip' used for writing. Working with fine motor tools provides an engaging exercise which captures a child's attention & promotes attention to detail & sustained concentration. Transferring the pom poms requires precise movement & helps in hand-eye coordination. Through hands-on learning they are developing & enhancing multiple layers of skill sets that will provide the stimulus children need to confidently continue to ignite their curiosity through their learning journey. And for the grand finale of this invitation they can make snowball pom pom potions.

Art inspired by nature can display the beauty of the natural world around us, let children make their own scientific observations in an environment, or open a child's minds to be creative, full of imagination all while providing the freedom of expression through art. To set this invitation we created "snow" sculptures with foam, stuck them into a foam block with icicle looking branches, placed pine cones in plates, & provided Colorations tempera paint + brushes + 6 paint jar strips from Discount School Supply. The children were invited to paint, explore, and create 3-D Snow Sculptures. Using unique 3-D elements in art s parks creativity & imagination, provides a sensory rich experience, connecting children with nature & environments, developing fine motor skills, promoting emotional well-being, exploring science & math. Through the magic of fun the children experienced SNOW much fun!

Tis' the season to still get crafting with all of the products that bring so much creativity during the holidays. Discount School Supply sent over so many wonderful winter art projects to keep us busy during winter break. Here are the crafts that was set up in our versatile Tuff Tray : 1. Colorations Real Rolling Wooden Cars : Painted the cars with a set of 6 simply washable tempera paint and assorted paint brushes  + round paint brushes.  2. Colorations Easy-Build Wooden Trees: Painted the trees with a set of set of 6 simply washable tempera paint in our round palettes , and assorted paint brushes  + round paint brushes. 3. Colorations Easy-Build Gingerbread Houses : We set out a tinker tray with glitter pom poms , sequins & spangles , sparkle pipe cleaners , & washable glue.   4. Colorations Natural Wood Slices with Twine : We colored the wood rounds with tempera paint sticks in classic , metallic & neon. Then squeezed rainbow glitter glue & added some extra sparkle with the EZ shake glitter.

#PicassoTiles  are magnetic shaped blocks that are quite possibly the most versatile STEM learning tool for children. Whether you simply let children play with the tiles all by themselves or add elements to enhance the experience there are many benefits to a child's development through block play. To set this invitation we provided our @PicassoTiles, different sized bells, multi colored string lights, and pipe cleaners to bring a magical holiday element to the process. The children were invited to build and decorate whatever they wanted with the tiles, magnetic loose parts, and lights. The fascination with the bells and pipe cleaners sticking to the tiles continuously engages the child while letting them experiment and explore strategically with the magnetic elements. Since children are naturally drawn to light the multicolored string lights enhanced their visual sensory input experience. So many other skills were also used through building: fine motor, visual-spatial skills, thinking & reasoning, focus, patience, cognitive, critical thinking, language, and social growth. All of this through the power of play!

For lovers of the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Series this Lift-the-Flap Book by by  Sherri Duskey Rinker  (Author),  AG Ford  (Illustrator)  is great for the holidays. In the story the trucks are getting their construction site ready for a festive night of fun. Each truck brings something special to the celebration and in the end they realize the best Christmas present of all is the gift of being together. To make the story come to life through a Small World Tuff Tray in a bed of Steve Splanger Insta Snow, placed all the trucks, bottle brush trees, city building blocks, cones, traffic signs, fake rocks, tea lights, presents, and way to play roads. The children were invited to explore and play.