This story is a clever adaptation of the old folk song Old McDonald had a farm where it gets revved up by  Steve Goetz   (Author),  Eda Kaban   (Illustrator). Vehicle enthusiasts will see and sing about beloved machines—the excavator, dump truck, bulldozer, trucks, and more!  Since it has become an all time favorite, we grabbed our vehicles + farm figurines, headed to our dig pit to recreate the story. Our outdoor dig pit always has gravel, construction toys, way to play roads, and large loose parts (cones, ramps, pvc pipes, crates, gutters, wheels). An area that is often overlooked within outdoor play is integrating loose parts within the space. If you think about it, loose parts play essentially has always been an integral part of outdoor play since nature (rocks, pine cones, sticks, flowers, logs, etc.) provides so many open ended materials. Open-ended materials on the playground such as gutters, pool noodles, cans, bottles, tires, crates, boxes, buckets, cones, pipes, and more provide children with never ending ways to transform things into whatever they can imagine. They allow the freedom to be messy, make noise, move, tote and construct. When loose parts are added, children can create or change a structure to manipulate it in order to meet their play needs. Complexity holds children’s interest and adds to their development as well as their enjoyment. Therefore outdoor loose parts serve as springboards for play and provide essential elements for intense, child-centered play. There is endless imaginative play that occurs with outdoor loose parts. When children are role playing by creating a car to drive, building skyscraper cities, construction sites, farms, they are acting out various experiences they may have had or something that is of some interest to them. They are experimenting with decision making on how to behave and are also practicing their social skills. Children learn from experience: from what happens around them, from what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. To absorb those experiences and make sense of the world, they need to be engaged in play. The small worlds, cars, robots, ramps, animals, spaceships created with loose parts provide limitless imaginative play while building their brains.

During the weekend we headed out to an adventure in Half Moon Bay to explore Tidepools. A tide pool is an isolated pocket of seawater found in the ocean's interdial zone where the ocean meets the land. These small basins at the ocean’s edge typically range from mere inches to a few feet deep and a few feet across, they are packed with sturdy sea life such as snails, barnacles, mussels, anemones, urchins, sea stars, crustaceans, seaweed, and small fish. After exploring the tidepools we collected so many cool shells. My oldest son wanted to sort through his collection when we got home, and suddenly the idea came about of making a Tidepool Small World Play. In our Discount School Supply Tuff Tray we mixed corn starch with water + Colorations liquid colors, placed rocks & moss (to be seaweed) from our yard, grabbed some of our sea life figurines, aquarium rocks, and all of the shells we collected.  Through this type of play, exploration they were able to recall & reflect about what they saw during our adventure, deepen their understanding about the environments in the world, engage in sensory play with the variety of materials & textures that stimulate their mind & body, and expand their language. When children engage in this type of play they break through the walls of reality, use their imagination, pretend to be someone or something different from themselves, explore different worlds, and have actions to go along with the roles they have chosen to play.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a period for the duration of the month of May for recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. The book The Perfect Sushi is about a girl named Miko who likes things to be perfect. When she makes lopsided sushi for her grandmother’s birthday, she replaces it with perfectly formed sushi created by a restaurant robot. Upon delivering her gift, Miko discovers that kokoro (heart) – not impeccability – is the key ingredient to the perfect present. Sprinkled with engaging onomatopoeia, this unique title is infused with Japanese culture and delivers a universal message about the value of intention.  Food plays an integral role in our lives. The food we eat is intertwined with culture/traditions and many of our favorite memories are associated with gathering during special celebrations to enjoy food. By exploring and learning about different or familiar foods from around the world children can learn a lot about a particular culture or feel empowered by being represented.  To integrate the literacy experience we set out an invitation to play with our Sushi play sets and after words had sushi for dinner!

Outdoor Interactive Painting Gallery// Two years ago we opened our outdoor interactive painting gallery, it was finally time for a magical upgrade! Since a lot of our time is spent outdoors, creating an outdoor interactive painting gallery was the perfect solution to create a permanent art space where children could freely paint everyday on sculptures, canvases, statues, textures, figurines and more. We built a U-Shape Gallery to place frames, canvases, and wall decor along with mounting outdoor garden sculptures/statues/figurines. We provided Discount School Supply  paint, paint cups, and paintbrushes and invited the children to paint. "Your children are not a masterpiece that you create. They are their own masterpiece creating themselves, and you have been given the privilege of watching them be the artist."J Warren Welch. As educators, to see the evolution of a child fostering their own curiosity, making choices independently, and having the confidence and independence to become their own masterpieces is truly magical. Process art experiences such as these not only support their intrinsic form of creativity it validates their ideas and work. From all developmental aspects of a child when we let children learn to make their own decisions, solve their own problems, create so freely they feel empowered + confident, and ultimately we have truly honored that "they are their own masterpiece creating themselves."

Somewhere along the way, many of us (parents, teachers, caregivers) lost the meaning of childhood. Somewhere along the way, we were pulled away from the core of early childhood passions and directed toward something practical, something useful, something you must know in the  real world , & in the long run something that’s going to be on the test. Children need a chance to have a childhood. But instead, they are all too often having their childhoods interrupted by academic pressures starting in early childhood. There can be a balance of giving them a childhood while exposing them to learning.    The early years are all about setting the foundation for the rest of a child’s learning journey. Creating inviting and intentional ways for children to mentally, physically, creatively,  and “academically” prepare for writing, literacy, math, etc. in open-ended + play based ways helps get them ready through developmentally appropriate practices and engaging manner that ignites their curiosity and wonder for learning.  When a child is invited to explore and play in an environment with open ended materials they are interested in, it ignites their curiosity and gives them opportunities with no pressure to become genuinely ready to retain new information which will in turn make skills like writing, counting, reading, etc. at ease because THEY are ready.   Now, this doesn’t mean letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. won’t be within their environment, it just means we will intentionally set invitations in play-based ways to make them curious about symbols. As they are continuously exposed to the symbols within their environment then they will show interest, and we will be ready to support and foster it more. When they are intrinsically motivated to learn or master symbols, they will learn it way better and their mind and body will be ready.   While all of our centers (dramatic play, art, building, sensory, etc.) are open for a child to choose where they want to play, we have open-ended invitations that further ignite the child's curiosity or play. Here are some intentional invitations that provide exposure and experiences to letters, numbers, shapes, and colors that are developmentally appropriate in early childhood.  1. Sensory Bin Dig: In a sensory bin place any materials (rice, sand, beans, etc.) Place any type of puzzle (shapes, letters, #s, colors) within the materials. Provide tweezers. Invite the child to sort through the materials and match the puzzle to the correct space.  2. Sorting Cups: In bin place letters, numbers, shapes, colors (wooden, acrylic. etc.). Provide tweezers and invite the children to sort the materials according to the colored/numbered/lettered dishware.  3. Molding Materials: Provide laminated sheets, cards, place mats that have numbers, shapes, letters, etc. on it. Provide playdough, foam dough, wikki stix, loose parts etc. and invite the child to mold the materials to the designs.  5. Tracing in Sand: Provide a tray with sand. Place cards with letters, numbers, or shapes and have them trace it in the sand with their finger, brush, tool, etc.  6. Sort and Match: On laminated cards, dry erase boards,etc. have them sort through loose parts with (letters, numbers, shapes, or colors) and match it to the symbols on the card.  7. Writing Tablet: Provide letters, numbers, shapes, cards, loose parts and have them practice writing on the tablet.  5. Butcher Paper: On butcher paper draw letters, numbers, shapes, lines, colors. Provide loose parts (flat marbles, pom poms, stickers, etc.) or paint. Invite the child to trace the symbols with the materials.  6. Excavate Ice: Freeze letters, numbers, shapes, or colors with water. In a sensory bin provide droppers and water. Invite the children to release the materials.

The Amazing Mud Cake by Elizabeth Reid is a book about a child Ollee who was in the mud kitchen cooking something yummy....a huge, delicious mud cake! The rhyming story about an optimistic, wide-eyed child who sources items from nature to create an amazing mud cake. This inspiring story was an inspiration to invite the children to create in our mud kitchens!  Mud, marvelous MUD was the key ingredient. We also provided flowers from our garden & some gifted from teacher appreciation week, chalk, pots, pans, smashers, mortars, rollers, ladles, cooking tins, & water for the children to create! Mixing soil, water, & other natural materials provides children endless possibilities for learning through play as well as enhancing so many areas of developmental (cognitive & physical).  Research has shown that dirt contains microscopic bacteria called Mycobacterium Vaccae which stimulates the immune system & increases the levels of serotonin in our brains, an endorphin that soothes, calms, & helps us to relax. Scientists say regular exposure to the bacteria may help reduce a child’s vulnerability to depression because it encourages children to spend time outdoors, which not only connects them to nature but promotes physical activity. The rich, engaging sensory play children partake in while playing with mud allows them to engage in all their senses which promotes their sensory development. While they are manipulating the materials through mixing, pouring, & carrying they are strengthening their fine + gross motor skills. The open-ended nature of mud & natural materials encourages creative thinking & allows children to freely create without fear of making mistakes. This also contributes to a child’s sense of self, helping to build a strong inner sense of competency.  Children practice social skills such as cooperation, negotiation, communication, & sharing as they work together.  While they engage in this pretend play the social interactions fosters language development & communication skills. Emergent math +science skills + problem solving/critical thinking are practiced as children experiment, make comparisons, solve problems, test theories, make mixtures/recipes, observe different concepts, measure & count ingredients for their mud pies. This is the scientific process in action! Mud play is inclusive of all children. It allows children to play at their own developmental level. Mud is an open ended material that meets the diverse needs & interests of all children.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a period for the duration of the month of May for recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. We read the story A Garden in My Hands by  Meera Sriram   (Author) and  Sandhya Prabhat   (Illustrator) which celebrates the custom of applying henna for special occasions.  The art of Henna—called mehndi in Hindi and Urdu—has been practiced in Pakistan, India, Africa, and the Middle East for over 5000 years. In the book a mother  shares her family memories and stories about weddings, monsoons, and ancestors while the  little girl sits patiently and listens while her mother tenderly applies intricate, delicate henna designs on her hands.   After reading the story we invited the children to get "henna" applied with face paint brushes to recreate the vibrant illustrations that connect us to our roots in the garden of love we curate with those closest to us.  The more we are inclusive about celebrating and exposing cultures in classrooms or our homes from a young age, the more understanding, respect, acceptance we provide for everyone within our communities. There is so much beauty in the traditions of cultures from around the world and children deserve to experience it.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a period for the duration of the month of May for recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.We the story The Good Song: A Story Inspired by "Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" by   Penelope Dullaghan  &  Alexandria Giardino   is about the classic songs that are aloha—love coming to life in Hawaii. After reading the story, talking about Hawaii, we extended the literacy experience by making the story come to life through a small world play invitation in our tuff tray. We placed sand, shells, sea life figurines, greenery, volcano, rocks,wooden rainbow, and a water mixture (corn starch, colorations liquid watercolors +bio color paint) and invited the children to play. Exploring these materials through open-ended play is a great way for extending literacy, language, imaginary & sensory play. Through this play they can reenact what they see/hear in the story, & environments around them to deepen their understanding of the world. They are able to play & manipulate a variety of materials & textures that stimulate their mind & body while deepening their connection & understanding of the world. All through the magic of books and play. When children engage in this type of play they break through the walls of reality, use their imagination, pretend to be someone or something different from themselves, explore different worlds, and have actions to go along with the roles they have chosen to play.   Play is an integral part of the developmental learning process by allowing children to develop skills in such areas as abstract thinking, literacy, math, & social studies, in a timely natural manner. They are able to play and manipulate a variety of materials and textures that stimulate their mind and body while deepening their connection and understanding of the world.

If you already haven't caught on my love for Frida Kahlo runs deep. Five years ago I was lucky enough to go with two of my best friends to Mexico City and we made it out to the museum. I still can't believe I got to see it in person. The Art The Kitchen Bedroom For severals years I have been dressing up as her when she is the artist of the month at the centers I do administration for. During the month of May we do invitations and provactions inspired by books about her as well as her art. Art Studio Garden Frida's Clothes Here are the books we read during circle or story time: Here are the ways we have explored the artist through invitations + provocations: Invitation to Create Frida Kahlo Nature Portraits with Loose Parts Frida Goes to Preschool Invitation to Paint Casa Azul Invitation to Create Frida Kahlo's Clothes Still Life Paintings Framing or Painting Frida's Self Portraits Frida's Butterfly Prints 8. Casa Azul STEM Small World Play on the Light Table 9. Invitation to Paint on Frida's Cast/Corset 10. Invitation to Create Frida Kahlo Portraits with Natural Loose Parts

Inspiration for making art can sometimes strike unexpectedly and in unusual places. Who would have thought that a place mat can turn into a canvas for creating beautiful nature portraits of the famous artist Frida Kahlo? To set this invitation we placed images of the artist (paintings & photos), books, foraged flowers/leaves from our garden, flat marbles, mosaic tiles, branches, wood cookies, and place mats as her face. The children were invited to create Frida Kahlo Portraits with all these natural loose parts. This provocation is all about the unique style and beauty of Frida and to invite the child to create their own interpretations of her. A provocation is a technique used to stimulate children's thinking, to inspire them artistically, to empower them to take control over their learning, to open their minds, to create an environment for reflection, to challenge children, to encourage creativity.  This type of exploration with loose parts lets the child truly shape and create according to their own vision. Loose parts also provides unique inspiration, challenges them to think, & encourages them to be creative with unusual things. This is not only a creative way to create from an artistic point of view, it is a way that encourages brain development, scientific experimenting, mathematical thought, risk taking, & trial/error learning. Through this kind of creating, children are really creating: using what they have and what they already know, and combining that to create a whole that’s greater than the parts.

Frida Kahlo is a late female Mexican painter who discovered her talent while confined to a hospital bed after shattering her spine in a bus accident. Frida found her path & mission in life as a prolific modern artist. Not just her art, but also her life journey represents overcoming struggle & finding your power as an individual. After her life changing accident during her teenage years Kahlo wore plaster casts/corsets for most of her life because her spine was too weak to support itself. When she was in the casts/corsets she painted & covered them with pasted scraps of fabric, drawings of tigers, butterflies, monkeys, plumed birds, & streetcars like the one whose handrail rammed through her body when she was in the accidents.  A lot of the books we have been reading show images of her in a body cast or corset which the children have been curious about. We set out an invitation to paint on a cast/corset by dressing a mannequin with a corset + texas coffee filters, tempera paint, & paint brushes and invited the children to transform it into something beautiful just like Frida did.  All mediums & canvases of art support creativity to come naturally to all children because they encourage freedom of art expression. When it comes to young children art is much more about the process than the end result. When young children are given opportunities to experiment with art on different canvases such as this, there are endless benefits. They have the freedom to decide on their own techniques, create whatever they want, it’s a sensory process with the paint + textures, learn about colors/mixing + creating new colors, helps with the development of hand-eye coordination, helps strengthen the finger & hand muscles, allows children to develop self-expression, can be therapeutic, allowing expression without using words, works wonders for the imagination, allows them to explore different techniques without any worry of failure or particular end product in mind, & painting this way will also help children gain confidence by allowing them freedom to create art with no guidelines.  While Kahlo was confined in terrible corsets/casts most of her life, through painting them she transformed them & turned them into something beautiful, expressive; she turned them into art. " Dolor, placer y muerte no son más que el proceso de la existencia. La lucha revolucionaria en este proceso es una puerta abierta a la inteligencia."  Pain, pleasure and death are nothing more than the process of existence. The revolutionary struggle in this process is an open door to intelligence.  In other words, it is what it is, make the best of it.

This month we have been learning about the artist Frida Kahlo. We have been looking at her famous self portraits, still life, paintings, & reading many stories about her. In the books about Frida Kahlo we have seen her beautiful and unique blue house "Casa Azul." Frida Kahlo spent most of her life here, and after she passed it became a museum for everyone to see her personal objects, paintings, sculptures, photos, documents, books, & furnishings that was a huge part of what inspired her to create. While children’s books open children’s eyes to differences, actual experiences have the most profound influence on what children think & believe. The integration of literacy & open ended intentional experiences such as inviting the children to build and create the house strengthens literacy skills, provides a deeper connection to the context, & fosters creative thinking.  To set this invitation we used blue translucent building materials (Picasso Tiles, 3-D Geometric Shapes, & Interlox Discs), flat marbles, fake cacti/succulents/flowers, animal figurines, Frida Peg Doll, and images of her house. The children were invited to create Frida's blue house on the light table. Experiences such as this will empower them to be creative and innovative, develop a sense of culture, and become aware of the beauty in the world around them.