Juneteenth, is a holiday that celebrates the freedom of enslaved African Americans in the United States. Today we read the story A Flag for Juneteenth by Kim Taylor which is about a community of African Americans on a plantation in Texas as they process the news of their freedom and celebrate together by creating a community freedom flag. After reading the story we invited the children to create a collaborative quilt freedom flag. We provided poster paper, wash tape, cellophane, tissue paper, scissors, and glue. A little fun fact, the author applied her skills as an expert quilter by creating each of the illustrations by hand! Educating children from a young age about the many achievements of Black History and how it has shaped cultures worldwide, provides for concrete learning experiences that permit children to build an understanding that will impact their learning, attitudes, and beliefs about diversity, inclusivity, and a multicultural education. Here are more invitations to teach children about Black History .

Did you know that riding a tricycle is a rite of passage for most children in the early years? When young children ride a tricycle they learn, develop, and benefit from so many skills. When a child rides a tricycle it improves their coordination and balance moving various muscle groups, promotes development of hand-eye coordination, and enhances their arm and leg coordination as they maneuver getting on and off the bike. All these gross motor movements are great for promoting continuous physical movement and development. Today we combined riding our trikes with some Action Art. After placing butcher paper on the cement, a good amount of tempera paint, we invited the children to ride their tricycles through the paint! Action process art involves art activities that are hands-on active movements where the focus is on the process rather than the finished product. “Action Art projects result in products to be enjoyed and admired, but it is the process of exploration and experimenting that stimulates the child’s learning from discovering and creating…” from Action Art . Engaging children with a combination of art, science, and gross motor action is a dynamic way to teach and expose them to a style of painting where there are no mistakes or boundaries. When children use out of the norm tools to paint they become more thoughtful and creative about the techniques they use as they experiment. They flick, splat, drip, swift, squirt, and move through so many different ways which enhances both their fine and gross motor skills. Exploring art, color, gravity, movement, and different techniques of creating, will only enhance and open a child‘s way of thinking creatively while helping them cover so many domains of learning.

With the weather getting warmer, an all time favorite around here is workin' at the car wash! This has been a staple at our centers and the children LOVE to do this practical life activity. To set this up all you need is dish soap, water, sponges, brushes, rags, and buckets. This time we added the colorful translucent buckets #gifted from Discount School Supply. Simply invite the children to wash all of the cars and bikes on the playground. Practical life activities such as this are not only enticing, they are important for young children. Activities for care of their environment are both fun and great for developing order, concentration, coordination, and independence. There are a series of steps that children will go through for a practical life activity that is wonderful for developing concentration, organization, and the ability to follow directions. Washing anything is essentially attractive to children because they love anything that involves water and they are also able to model/mimic what they see adults doing everyday around them. This also provides great opportunities for teamwork as they communicate and collaborate with getting the vehicles clean!

Andy Warhol was one of the most prolific and popular artists of his time. He ventured into a wide variety of art forms, including performance art, filmmaking, video installations, and controversially blurred the lines between fine art and mainstream aesthetics. Most of us know that art is important for children. But beyond why it is important for them to create art it is just vital to expose children to famous artists. Art connects us all. It can take us through history, introduce us to other cultures, the world around us, and to ourselves. Therefore the more a child is exposed to the arts, the more techniques they are aware of, the more they can problem solve to think critically, the more they can creatively express themselves, the more accepting they are, and the more beauty they can see in the world around them. Art is one of the fundamental components of what makes us ALL uniquely human. Invitation to Create Andy Warhol's Happy Bug Day, 1950s. After reading the Andy Warhol Happy Bug Day Board Book we invited the children to create their very own bugs inspired by his work created in the 1950s. We provided recycled bottle caps, pipe cleaners, google eyes, poster paper, and glue. 2. Invitation to Create Andy Warhol's Flowers, 1964. Instead of observing flowers in nature, Andy Warhol found his botanical inspiration in a 1964 issue of Modern Photography. He transformed a photograph of hibiscus blossoms into a technicolor series of silkscreens, simply titled Flowers. We invited the children to spray green fluorescent tempera paint that was mixed with water into spray bottles onto black butcher paper. After it dried we invited them to make sponge prints of flowers all over the butcher paper. 3. Invitation to Create Andy Warhol's Pop Art Bill Posting Andy Warhol was obsessed with consumerist culture, including magazine advertisements, celebrities & fashion. This interest came to play out in his best-known works of art, most notably hand-painted Campbell's Soup Cans. We made copies from the Andy Warhol coloring book, did bill posting of his art on our fence, & invited the children to paint with fluorescent tempera paint.

Ever since we added the #gifted Whatsit to our playroom, the possibilities have been endless. With the ability to be rearranged in so many different ways, it provides for boosting a child's imagination as well as enhancing their cognitive and gross motor skills by building a fort, tunnel, boat, car, castle, obstacle course, or book nook. It can also be utilized it to wind down as a comfy spot to relax, read, nap, and regroup. Now thanks to Discount School Supply we have used the What's It to create another inviting play space such as exploring on a light table. We set up two invitations on the #gifted Excellerations® Large Sleek Light Panel. 1) Exploring Sensory Liquid Shapes 2) Building with Linking Discs. Light tables provide for an excellent resource for sensory input. Children are often calmed by the glow of the table and the visual stimulation enhances their experience as they explore. Light and colors are all around us and from birth and children pay a great deal of attention to them due to its ever evolving magical nature. The presence of light and color instantly makes a child curious and deeply engaged whether they are chasing a shadow, using a flash light, exploring materials, building, and so on, due to the fact that they are always drawn to light. When children are left to explore, build, play in an inviting space, they are engaged and intrigued by the many interesting possibilities with the materials.Through playing and exploring open ended materials, they are able to explore a whole range of theories and enhance so much of their development and understanding of the world. They are fascinated and deeply engaged/enamored by the interplay of the materials, lights, colors, and textures. Check out all the wonderful ways we've played with the Whats It: Double the Whatsit Fun , Santa's WhatsIt Workshop Wrapping Station , & Invitation to Create with the Whatsit.

In today’s classrooms, continuing to make changes that will create the best learning environment in order for children to feel welcomed, safe, excited, and comfortable will not only meet their needs to create an inclusive classroom it will play into their success in learning anything they put their mind to. Whether it is the design of the classroom, how the walls are decorated, the seating options, the materials within the centers, being able to create the best learning space is the key to the environment being the "third teacher." Have you ever heard that the classroom environment is the third teacher? This concept is part of the world acclaimed Reggio Emilia Approach which was founded by Italian Early Childhood Educator Loris Malaguzzi. What does Environment as the Third Teacher Mean? “There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.” Loris Malaguzzi. Malaguzzi emphasized that the environment plays a central role in the process of making learning meaningful. He defined the environment as the third teacher which is a flexible environment, responsive to the need for teachers and children to create learning together. In order to set up the third teacher you need to design your environment with purpose and intent. When you intentionally and purposefully design the learning environment, the third teacher becomes a flexible, engaging environment, responsive to the need for teachers and children to create learning together. In order to promote the hunger for learning, we should create environments that reflect the environment as the third teacher. The world is constantly changing and evolving. Being able to have a better understanding of how to create the best learning environment for the students will be beneficial in student success. Fexible learning environments are most conducive to children's engagement, security, ownership, and achievement. Transitioning to providing flexible-seating design in the environment allows children to wobble, rock, bounce, lean or stand, which increases oxygen flow to the brain, blood flow and core strength. This aids in keeping young minds more alert and focused. The benefits of providing flexible seating within the classroom, will promote choice, physical health, comfort, community, collaboration, commitment to learning, communication, sensory input, and fun. We recently added the #gifted Children's Factory Ottoman Sets (5-Piece and 3-Piece) to our centers. We have used the ottomans as seats, tables, and in our reading nooks. As you can see the children have built blocks, explored sensory materials, read books, engaged in dramatic play, and enhanced their gross motor skills.

Last week our dreams came true seeing Disney's live action Little Mermaid movie in the theatre. My older son was begging to create a small world play of the Little Mermaid, so naturally my inner child screamed at the opportunity to set this up. In our Discount School Supply Tuff Tray I placed iridescent cellophane as the based, poured water and splashes of Colorations teal liquid watercolors. Next on acrylic iridescent display stands I placed Ariel and her sisters. To the side of it I created Ariel's secret grotto which is where her vast treasure trove of human objects, antiques, artifacts, and other stuff that she has collected. Life under the sea is better with sea animals, figurines, coral, and seashells. And, lastly for a special splash effect a solar fountain pump. To say this was one of my favorite small world plays to create is an understatement. This is a peak example of the magic of small world play. When children see movies, read books, experience environments, or spark an interest in a subject matter, being able to PLAY with intentional materials honors their interest, imagination, curiosities, and wonder. Play comes in all different forms, and our core memories are associated with play that was meaningful to us. To this day I distinctly remember staying in the pool or bathtub imagining I was Ariel, always wearing my Ariel costume, and PLAYING with my Ariel doll. Childhood can quite possibly be some of the most magical years with such wondrous films like the Little Mermaid, so why not spread more magic with PLAY and create memories that will stay with a child forever!

Continuing to explore the country of Iran with my children is truly an incredible to experience to provide. While I have created many invitations about Nowruz , I felt a pull to explore other aspects of the country. In Iran's Persian Gulf an otherworldly island of intrigue Hormuz, also referred to as Rainbow Island, is a technicolor dreamscape of captivating colors and curiosities. To create a small world play of Hormuz is a great way to learn about the unbelievable island through hands on sensory exploration. Before setting the small world play, you can talk about the amazing aspects of the island, watch a video exploring the island, or simple print out images of the landscape too look at. In tuff tray provide sand, flat marbles, and loose parts. Simply let the children explore all the materials and learn about the unique place! Here are some fun facts about the island. The most shocking aspect of the island is the coloring is the red that encapsulates many parts of landscape. The cause of this is due to high concentration of iron oxide. The red soil has been used as a key contributor to various production processes, such as dyeing: fabrics & ceramics, food colorings, & even cosmetics. The red coloring is not the only shocking part of the landscape. Within the geological structure there are a variety of elements in play such as: volcanic ash, salt, clay, and shale which makes for all of the beautiful colors. One of the other fascinating aspects of the island is the ‘ Presence in Hormuz ’ by ZAV Architects, who constructed a series of multipurpose urban developments in the village. The various colors of the domes mimic the hues of the island soil. Can't wait to explore and learn more about Iran in so many new ways.

The Illumibugs booked ignited us to explore the world of mini beasts with the magic of light and color. In the book we discovered in detail over 180 minibeasts from every continent, under the sea, and even from prehistoric times. Since the book highlighted the magic of light and color to extend the literacy experiences about all things insects we invited the children to explore on a light table with cellophane, translucent loose parts, x-ray images, pressed insects, and resin specimens. We simply invited the children to explore, create, and play with the materials. The best part of all these open ended materials is that it is such an ideal way to let young children explore concepts, color, nature, science, and more through light. Hands-on invitations such as this are truly tangible to young children. Light and colors are all around us and from birth and children pay a great deal of attention to them due to its ever evolving magical nature. The presence of light and color instantly makes a child curious whether they are chasing a shadow, using a flash light, exploring with blocks, due to the fact that they are always drawn to light and their imagination truly becomes limitless in this type of play where a child's creativity is ignited and honored. When children are left to explore, they are engaged and intrigued by the many interesting possibilities with the materials.Through playing and exploring open ended materials, they are able to explore a whole range of theories and enhance so much of their development and understanding of the world. They are fascinated and deeply engaged/enamored by the interplay of the materials.

To continue our exploration about insects we invited the children to learn about all things bees. First we read the perfect introduction to learn all about the beautiful world of bees. Bees are brilliant at building super social creatures, and are responsible for a third of every mouthful of food we eat. We talked about the different types of bees, beehives, beekeeping, how they pollinate plants and make honey. After reading The Bee Book and talking about bees we invited the children to explore on Tuff Tray. We provided play dough, loose parts, different kinds of bee figurines, flowers, bee hives, real honeycomb, and an insect house to let the children reenact or create similar environments or habitats of the bees. Play-dough is a staple in early childhood. It is a powerful way to let a child use their imagination, strengthen the small muscles in their fingers, and encourage a child's language + literacy, science, math and sensory skills. It is quite possibly one of the most powerful props for learning. Adding loose parts to decorate the play dough molds inspires the children to think more creatively while providing endless opportunities to continuously stimulate their curiosity. Since loose parts are dynamic in nature, it brings about the authenticity of formulating ideas and you can see a child's creativity shine in their creations. Children learn and retain information through their senses, integrating sensory materials and loose parts to represent part of the book will deepen their comprehension and connection to the concepts of the story.

This is the second go for us doing the Friends Art Lab inspired water play invitation! Typically my go to is Colorations liquid watercolors or food dye but she swears by using BioColor® Fluorescent Paint to make it more vibrant and opaque. Let me tell you this did not disappoint! To level up this sensory play, I added floral arrangements from my birthday and mother's day to get the last use of them. This is great during spring time where we learn more about flowers. To set this invitation we provided beakers,beakers,cylinders, ladles, whisks, pots, and a variety of clear containers. Provide water and BioColor® and let them mix. You can do this in a large sensory bin, outside on a table with large clear bins, or in a mud kitchen. Pictured here is our Excellerations® Toddler Outdoor Set and Outdoor Kitchen Set , Tuff Tray, and Cascade Water Table. Water play is a staple in early childhood education. It comes so naturally to children to play and explore with water. Through water play children begin to understand & investigate with ideas such as more/less, same/different, many/few, empty/full, before/after, greater than/less than. With all that math and science happening in an open ended way there is plenty of language development when a child discusses the ingredients, how they will create their mixtures, & collaboration when creating together. The social learnings from open ended water play include teamwork, concentration, turn taking, problem solving, perseverance, self-regulation, & more. Here is the original post along with other flower soup inspirations: love flower soup , flower soup, simple flower soup .

Frida Kahlo was one of the greatest Mexican artists of the 20th. She grew up during the Mexican Revolution, which was an event that heavily influenced her life & art. At the age of 6 Frida caught polio, which left her with a slightly deformed & shorter leg. When she was only 18, Frida suffered a bus accident that would affect her health throughout her life. While recovering in hospital over many months, Frida started to paint. Her parents set her up an easel & – as she was the subject to which she had the greatest access – rigged up a mirror above her hospital bed. Within a year of her accident, Frida had painted her first mature painting. Due to these two incidents Frida turned to fashion to conceal her differences. Her one of a kind vibrant colors, exquisite floral, & geometric embroidery, set her apart as she paid tribute to her origin while expressing her Mexican pride. We read about Frida Kahlo's life, looked at a book that is dedicated to Frida's wardrobe, and saw images of her in a lot of the same outfits. Afterwards, we invited the children to create dresses like Frida with fabric scraps, ribbons, flowers, foam shapes, pom poms, glue, and butcher paper. Experimenting with different media and varying textures always brings a special spark of interest and engagement because of the open ended process for children. Children who engage in process art such as this learn to think with an open mind, to look at situations creatively, and empower their talents. They develop critical-thinking skills through making self-directed decisions, how to use different materials, or how to work with one another to make a collaborative piece. By creating freely children gain confidence while acquiring the foundation to look at the world with the confidence that they can accomplish any goal. When children create art, they are proud to be unique and take risks, while honoring their innate creative artistic style. Here are other ways to explore Frida Kahlo: Invitation to Create Frida Kahlo Nature Portraits with Loose Parts Frida Goes to Preschool