To explore winter through process art, setting out an invitation to paint a snow collage with mix media materials is a innovative way to explore the season. Experimenting with different medias and varying textures always brings a special spark of interest and engagement because of the open ended process for children. To set this invitation you can place a poster board , bubble wrap, coffee filters, aluminum foil, and another other materials as the canvas. Provide tempera paint , salt, glitter, baking soda, cotton balls, pom poms , liquid water colors, shaving cream mixed with glue , chalk , tempera sticks , and any other materials you thing would be wintry. Simply invite the child to create their own snow collage. Children who engage in process art 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 about what works and what doesn’t on their own, how to mix colors to create new ones, or how to make certain movements to create designs. By creating freely children gain confidence while acquiring so many skills. It gives them a foundation to look at the world with the confidence that they can accomplish any goal. Visual art deeply affects children, for it is one of the most important forms of communication and expression. When children create, they are proud to be unique and take risks, while honoring their innate creative artistic style. ”The basic law of children's creativity is that its value lies not in its results , not in the product of creation, but in the process itself. It is not important what children create, but that they do create, that they exercise and implement their creative imagination.” Vygotsky

These two science experiments are to recreate the New Years tradition of glitter/confetti and fireworks. Since children are fueled by curiosity, science is always a wonderful way to encourage exploring, discovering, and observing. Science is all about making inquiry based observations and figuring out how things work. Simple, hands-on experiments such as these two experiments are great ways to honor a child's curiosity. Fizzing Sparkly New Years Potions: This invitation is your traditional baking soda and vinegar science activity with a creative New Year twist. You will need baking soda, dish soap, glitter /confetti, liquid water color s, vinegar, twisty droppers , Learning Resources Spalshology Water Lab and Primary Science Lab Set , and sensory tray. Place a base of baking soda, dish soap, glitter/confetti into the Learning Resources containers. Place liquid water colors and vinegar into cups and provide droppers. Invite the child to explore and create fizzing sparkly potions. Through this process they learn about color recognition, cause and effect, chemical reactions, and scientific theory all through open-ended inquiry based learning. Oil and Water Fireworks: Some of the best science ingredients can be found in your kitchen. A simple accessible way to create fire works is with oil and water. You will need water, vegetable oil, j umbo droppers , liquid water colors, water, and white/clear tray or clear cup. If you are conducting the experiment in a tray pour a thin layer of oil, if you are doing it in a cup pour enough where the child is able to visibly see a good amount. Place liquid water colors and water into cups and provide droppers. Invite the child to drop the colored water into the oil. Through this they will see how oil remains separate from the water because it lacks polarity and floats because it’s less dense. Understanding density helps children get the most from the experiment. You can explain that when you have two objects that are the same size but different weights, the one that weighs more has more matter packed into it. It is denser. A good way to tell if something is more or less dense than water is to put it in water. If it sinks, it’s denser, if it floats, it’s less dense. As they drop the water into the oil it will make beautiful designs similar to fireworks.

A couple weeks ago I came across this quote that came to life today as I watched my son painting on his easel. "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 What has been a typical simple set up of painting on an easel , evolved into so many layers of creativity that was all self directed by himself and I had the honor of watching it all unfold before my eyes. All I provided was the easel , tempera paint , butcher paper, paint brushes , and classical music. He began his process by freely painting, mixing colors, creating different strokes, using two-four brushes at a time, and as always finger painting that turns into full body painting. Just when I thought he was done, he returned to the easel 10 minutes later dragging his Lily and River Little Surf Balance Board unprompted by me and began to paint while balancing on his board. In that moment I was in true awe of how creative he was to make his own decision and bring this new element to his process. At the same time I said to myself why haven't I ever thought of that?! This is when that quote came full circle and I was reminded by my son of the privilege we have as parents and 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. While process art such as this experience not only supports their intrinsic form of creativity and validates their ideas and work, what happened today reminded me that this isn't just about art it is about the whole child. 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, we have truly honored that "they are their own masterpiece creating themselves."

Magnetic toys are always extremely engaging and inviting to young children. We created this DIY Interactive Magnetic Wall in one of our classrooms so that we could provide a vertical play space to use all of our #gifted Learning Resources magnetic toys. To create this Interactive Magnetic Wall get this Magnetize-It! Magnetic Paint that needs a couple coats on a wall or ply wood that you can drill into the wall. Once the wall is ready, you can store Learning Resources Magnetic Toys in the Magnetic Create-a-Space™ Storage Boxes (Set of 4) . Each day you can provide the children to explore one of the following amazing sets: Magnetic Uppercase & Lowercase Letters , Magnetic Healthy Foods , Tumble Trax® Magnetic Marble Run or Jumbo Magnetic Letters & Numbers Bundle, 116 Pieces. When children are provided with environments where they work on different surfaces and spaces it puts a whole new element of learning in their play. They develop critical-thinking skills and strategize to make in depth decisions about what works and what doesn't work on their own and how to become more innovative and creative in their play. Magnets are one of those magical toys that all children are naturally drawn to that have so many elements of learning. Children love them because they are intriguing, easy to master and they help children develop a variety of skills. As children play with magnets, they can enhance their understanding of numbers, shapes, letters, food groups, building and more since there is so much versatility with magnetic toys. They are able to foster communication skills as they explore the materials as well as enhance gross + fine motor skills. Magnets also have a scientific and mathematical aspect to them because they expose the children to the idea of “cause and effect”, spatial awareness, more/less, on/off, size, shape, & problem solving skills, which are essential for developing early brain connections. An interactive magnetic wall truly honors a child‘s work which is “play.” On the other side of this wall we have a bunch of Lego boards for building!

One of the most amazing things about the Holidays is to see how so many cultures celebrate in different ways. The book A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow Santa's Tasty Trip Around the World by M.E. Furman (Author), Susan Gal (Illustrator) is such a great book for children to see all the treats that await Santa on Christmas Eve and even try to make some of the recipes from around the world. After reading this book to integrate the literacy experience you can either make some of the recipes at the end of the book or invite the children to create some of the cookies with loose parts and play dough. To set this invitation you will need loose parts ( acrylic ice rocks , gem stones , buttons , wood rounds , rocks, geo wood shapes ) play dough, Textured Rolling Pins , and Wooden Sculpting Tools . 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 most powerful props for learning. Adding loose parts to decorate the cookie play dough molds inspires the children to think more creativevly while providing endless opportunities to continuously stimulate their curiosity. After all the best part of baking cookies for Santa is decorating them! Since loose parts are dynamic in nature, it brings about authenticity of formulating ideas and you can see a child's creativity shine in their creations. Since children learn and retain information through their senses integrating a sensory materials and loose parts to represent part of the book will deepen their comprehension and connection to the concepts of the story.

Another amazing holiday to celebrate is Kwanzaa. Beginning December 26 and lasting for seven days, Kwanzaa is a celebration of community, family and culture, established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African roots and heritage. There are 7 principles of Kwanzaa in which the candles symbolize 1.Unity 2. Self-Determination 3. Collective Work and Responsibility 4. Cooperative Economics 5. Purpose 6. Creativity 7. Faith. This invitation to create a Kinara is great way to teach children about the holiday. Before inviting the child to create a Kinara you can read all of these amazing stories to integrate the process by deepening their understanding of the traditions. After reading the story you can invite the child to create a Kinara with loose parts ( wood bits , rocks, wood cubes , acrylic ice rocks ). You can explain to the children that the Kinara is a seven-space candle holder, representing the original stalk from which the African people originated. The mishumaa saba (seven candles) stand for the Seven Principles. There are so many amazing celebrations during the holiday season, and the more children learn and represent all cultures in the classroom and in our homes, the more knowledge and understanding we provide for everyone while making every child feel seen and heard in their community. When integrating the stories to open ended activities such as loose parts play it deepens the connection to all aspects of learning.

After we did our Fizzing Ornament experiment, we used the plastic ornaments for a fine motor skill activity invitation. To set this invitation you will need plastic ornaments, glitter / rainbow Pom Poms, and easy squeeze tweezers . Invite the child to transfer the pom poms into the plastic ornaments by using the tweezers or their hands. Both techniques are just as effective when challenging the child to be able to grasp the objects with their whole hand or with thumb and index finger. When they do this they will refine their fine motor skills for other activities such as lacing beads on a string, writing, cutting, etc. later down the line. Fine motor invitations teach children how to be patient and strategies about how they can start and finish a task. The child is literally using their hands and mind together which takes a lot of cognitive thinking and physical technique. While these invitations may look easy and simple, it does take a bit of planning, problem solving and consistent thought process for the child to succeed. It ultimately teaches a child how to guide and use their hands and fingers so that they can grasp the items effectively and efficiently while using critical thinking in fun creative way. Once the child has filled up the ornaments they can hang them up on their tree.

Picasso Tiles 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 you will need Picasso Tiles: The Picasso Tiles we used are P icassoTiles® 100 Piece Set Magnet Building Tiles. PicassoTiles® Piece Set Magnet Tiles. Now to enhance the process providing different sized bells , led tea lights, and multi colored lights brings a magical Christmas element to the process. Simply invite the children to build and decorate whatever they want to create with bells and lights. First you can build with the bells. The fascination with the bells sticking to the tiles continuously engages the child while letting them experiment and explore strategically with the magnetic elements. Next you can decorate with LED tea lights and/or multicolored lights. Since children are naturally drawn to light this enhances their visual sensory experience. Block play with any building materials has a natural progression. Children have to learn how to move and manipulate various shaped objects, big and small, as well as have the fine motor control to “click” them into place. Building helps children enhance their visual-spatial skills. Encourages thinking and reasoning, these skills are what make children become well-rounded, independent and successful adults. Involves focus and patience, children need to work slowly and carefully to be successful at creating their designs. Using their imagination boosts cognitive, academic, language and social growth. When building, children need to decide what will or won’t work. Through building, children learn to experiment and make new discoveries about how things work. Builds confidence, once that masterpiece is finished, children are so proud of their accomplishments. It increases their belief in themselves.

Santa's Workshop wrapping station has always been a hit in the preschools! This year I set it up the workshop with our Children's Factory WhatsIt . Since the WhatsIt is so versatile, it made for a great wrapping station! To set up Santa's Workshop you will need recycled packaging boxes, wrapping paper, butcher paper , stickers, tape, scissors, ribbon, gift tags, bows, felt letter board , and tempera sticks. Simply invite the child to wrap and decorate the boxes however they want. This instantly turns the child into a magical little elf working on wrapping the presents. While the child is engulfed they are accomplishing so many skills while folding, taping, coloring, and cutting. The right side of their brain is being challenged as they are cutting paper or ribbon to fit around each box. As well as when they are creatively decorating and coloring the wrapping paper. When a child is cutting it allows a child to build up the tiny muscles in the palm of their hand with the continuous open and close of the hand. These muscles are also used for writing, painting, and gripping things. It enhances eye-hand coordination by using vision, processing what is seen, and moving the hand simultaneously to accomplish a task. When they are cutting it encourages the child to use bilateral coordination using both sides of the body at the same time while each hand is performing its own task. This type of play remains an integral part of the developmental learning process by allowing children to develop skills in such areas as abstract thinking, literacy, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, math, and creativity.

The Little Blue Truck series are always an all time favorite for so many children, especially the Christmas one. This invitation recreates the book Little Blue Truck's Christmas through small world play. Small world play accompanied with sensory materials are a great way for extending literacy, language, imaginary play, and tactile play. Through play they can reenact what they see in stories and deepen their understanding to the concepts of the book. For this invitation you will need a sensory tray , insta snow , blue truck , bottle brush trees , farm animals , multi colored lights , cars, and wooden houses. After reading the story invite the child to recreate the story just like the book. This type of play can be defined as where children accept and assign roles, then act them out. When children engage in 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. 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, & social studies, in a timely natural manner. They are able to play and manipulate a variety of materials and textures that stimulate their mind & body while deepening their connection and understanding of the book.

This science experiment explores three different ways to explore fizzing ornaments. I was recently inspired by Tinyn3rds version of this and decided to add some other ways that you can do the experiment. The first is smaller circular ice molds filled with baking soda, liquid water colors , glitter, and water molds. In a bowl mix all of the listed components and place it in the molds followed by freezing it. The second is larger circular ice molds filled with water, liquid water colors, and glitter. You can place all the components and in the molds followed by freezing it. The last is plastic ornaments filled with baking soda, dish soap, glitter, and tempera paint. There is no need to mix just simply place all of the components in the ornaments. When everything is ready place the items in sensory tray . Place a couple of cups filled with vinegar and drops of liquid water colors. Provide twisty droppers and let the child experiment the three different fizzing ornaments. Science provides children with the opportunities to explore their environments as they learn about cause and effect, cycles of nature, comparisons, chemical and physical changes, reactions and properties of matter. As curiosity builds, children learn to be patient with projects that take time and how to make decisions based on the data they gathered. A basic skill for "scientific research" is the ability to observe and realize how things are the same and how they are different. Developing this ability to understand likeness and differences builds a science base as well as a skill for future math and reading skills. This science experiment process teaches wonder, process, and patience – while being a fun while being a magical open ended experience.

There are so many amazing celebrations during the holiday season, and the more children learn and represent all cultures in the classroom and in our homes, the more knowledge and understanding we provide for everyone while making every child feel seen and heard in their community. This invitation to explore is for Shab-e Yalda or Shab-e Chelle also known as Winter Solstice, which is celebrated in the country of Iran. The Iranian festival, which is celebrated every year on the coldest and longest ni ght of December, has a very long history and is among the most important Iranian celebrations. To deepen the understanding or connection to this holiday you can read the bilingual book Yalda Night by Anahita Tamaddon. This tells the story of a girl who celebrates Yalda with her family. After reading the story, you can discuss the symbolic meanings of the Yalda Sofreh along with the traditions by letting the children explore the objects. Here are the traditions of celebration: A sofreh table setting where everything is usually decorated in crimson hues of red to represent dawn and glow of life, along with candles to bring light to the long night. Sweets, pastries, fruits (pomegranate, watermelon, persimmon, oranges) and nuts are eaten all throughout the night. Every family member does a “Divan-e Hafez” where you get a "Fal." This is where you make a wish, ask a question, and when you open the book, the page that appears will be the answer to your question. Preserving and practicing cultures brings us all some kind of meaning and connection to nature and major concepts of life. Whether you are an adult or child, the more we know the stronger cultural diversity we have in our societies. If you would like to learn more about how to integrate Yalda in your classroom or home check out L ittle Persian Learning Materials Learning for Yalda Actvities or 6 Easy Ideas to Share Yalda in Your Child's Classroom.