Pouring stations have limitless options and endless engagement. Whether you provide colored water, rice, water beads, sand, dried beans, and so on, it is simple set up that is packed with so much learning. To set this invitation you will need a sensory bin, Learning Resources Gallon Measuring Set , Graduated Beakers , Graduated Cylinders , Liquid Measures #gifted, water, liquid water colors or food coloring. Invite the child to pour, scoop, measure , and mix, in the sensory bin. Invitation such as these provide "life skills" that they will carry on the rest of their life. As they twist open the containers and pour from one to another they will refine skill sets that will help in other aspects of their life. Pouring through water play aides children to understand capacity & investigate with ideas such as more/less, same/different, many/few, empty/full, before/after, greater than/less than. Not to mention cognitive skills through cause and effect as well has hand eye coordination when pouring the water. Throughout the whole process a child will also build upon their language skills as they speak throughout the process whether they state observations or ask more questions. This type of learning through play by doing the work, helps their brain engage and create and expand their neural pathways since so many of their skill sets are being used and further developed. Hence why play builds brains. The more children are given opportunities of opened ended play such as this the higher their level of thinking will grow and develop along with continuing to build life skills.

If you ever have any left over balloons from a party and don’t know what to do with them, this invitation is the perfect way to get more use out of them while letting the child paint. To set this invitation you will need balloons, cooling rack or weights to tie the balloons down to, a tray, tempera paint, and paint brushes . Invite the child to paint on the balloons. This type of art with children is Action Art. It involves hands on and fully body use 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. Every time we provide children with the opportunity to create art all on their own, we are reminded of how engaging and important process art is. The process with this type of invitation involves a lot of beneficial development. The child will have to figure out how to manipulate the balloon to stay in place in order to paint. They began to notice and ask questions to strategize to effectively paint the balloons. With the canvas being out of the norm, the child will explore and create art in a unique way while challenging their thought process. All aspects of the process, from painting on different media, standing upright and using small and large muscles, trying to manage the movement of the ballon, gives the child an opportunity to be completely immersed in the process of creating! Exploring art, color, gravity, movement, media, will only enhance a child‘s way of thinking creatively. And if you have any left over paint don't let it go to waist and let your child paint on paper!

In less than a week another afternoon activity with Grow Maple is set for 8/19 @ 4pm. Join us as we make a Recycled Wall Collage Painting. With your littles collect recycled materials for the week from items you use up in the house. Here's what you'll need: Recycled cardboard, bottle caps, packaging, containers, egg cartons, take out boxes, bubble wrap, tubes, plates, cds, paper, or anything else you can think of. Glue, Paint, Paint Brushes, Tape. Invite the child to glue or tape the recycled materials to the base (cardboard, butcher paper, poster paper). Once everything is securely placed onto the base you can hang the collage on a fence/wall or let them paint on the ground. Process art such as this lets a child experiment and interact with art materials through an enhanced sensory exploration. With a variety of textures, children began to discover that by using different techniques with the paint on top of the textured surface will produce varying outcomes and a different perspective of art. This is definitely a process-not-product activity, it is very exploratory, creative, and open-ended. Creating art boosts children's ability to analyze and problem-solve in many ways. As they manipulate a paintbrush in all the different grooves and surfaces, their fine motor skills improve. By mixing paint colors, they explore the concepts of math. When children experiment with materials, they dabble in science. Art provides for limitless creativity while instilling curiosity and wonder in the process.

The book Too Much Slime by Frances Gilbert and illustrated by Vin Vogel is all about sticky gloopy gunky SLIME. In the story slime is everywhere in town and it took everyone to get it back into a lunchbox. Since slime is a favorite with children, this book is perfect to read and then extend the literacy experience with a hands-on interactive invitation to explore the main character of the book SLIME! To set this invitation you will need: slime , clear tray, stacking shelf rack , light table . Simply invite the child to explore the slime on the light table. This slime is reusable, cleans easily, safe and allergy-free. By exploring new processes and textures, children can enjoy play while learning at the same time. The gorgeous ribbons of slime are so visually appealing, children love watching the slime oozing its way through the rack. Slime has the strangest characteristics in that it flows somewhat like a liquid, spilling out, but is very obviously a solid. It is ooey and gooey and cold to the touch as it flows between your fingers. It is such a unique substance that young children need time to process such a strange sensory material. When children explore with their senses they are playing with a variety of materials and textures which stimulate the mind and body through the tactile experience. By giving children the opportunity to investigate materials we are helping them develop and refine their cognitive, social and emotional, physical, creative and linguistic skills. Choosing to go the multi-sensory route due to the fact that children learn best and retain the most information when they engage their senses. By adding the light table it provides for a source of visual sensory input and which enhances the tactile sensory experience! Children are naturally drawn to the glow of the table and are often calmed by the visual stimulation as they explore a the center, which makes for an all around win with this invitation.

Have you seen the new products at @discountschoolsupply? They have so many new and innovative products such as the Children's Factory Whatsit. #gifted This is perfect for any playroom or classroom that lets a child creatively use it as a fort, tunnel, boat, car, castle, obstacle course, read a book, or simply relax. The possibilities are 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 while building. With all that brain boosting play they can also utilize wind down and use it as a comfy spot to relax, read, nap, and regroup. The material is durable, stain-repellant and easy to clean. The covers can be unzipped and placed in a washing machine. The best part is that is can be moved and stored in so many different ways without taking up a lot of space.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) invitations such as this are a great way to expose a child to both process art and science all together. Scientists, mathematicians, engineers and artists all use the same critical thinking skills to find new and innovative solutions. Through the process of experimenting and exploring the child is using creative and critical thinking skills. To set this invitation you can use Colorations Liquid Water Colors or Dilute Tempera Paint with water from Discount School Supply, Learning Resources Jumbo Droppers or pipettes , construction paper or butcher paper . Tape the paper on the ledge of a stool or table, easel, or ramp. Before inviting the child you can have a discussion of what gravity is. Explain that gravity keeps people and objects on the ground and causes the objects to fall toward the earth. Next explain that they will experiment with the paint to use the Earth's gravitational pull to direct the paint by using the tools to drop the paint on the paper as they create. STEAM invitations provide for limitless learning and benefits. They became creative as it encourages the children to think outside the box while instilling wonder and curiosity throughout the process. Children learn and retain the most information with hands-on learning, as they work with their hands it develops a unique way of thinking. With all this critical thinking they are able to problem solve which uses different parts of the brain. The more opportunities and exposure to invitations such as this instills innovation which provides for a stronger cognitive foundation that will support them to adulthood in all aspects of their life.

Discount School Supply has so many innovative social-emotional learning tools for children. Since the Social-Emotional aspect of a child is the foundation that supports all areas of development, the stronger awareness that surrounds this pillar the more equipped the child will be. Social-Emotional development heavily influences the child, therefore using as many tools possible will only benefit the child. The social-emotional develop­ment domain consists of the following three strands: 1. Self, which includes self-aware­ness and self-regulation, social and emotional understanding, empathy and caring, and initiative in learning. 2. Social Interaction, which focuses on interactions with familiar adults, interactions with peers, group participation, and coopera­tion and responsibility. 3. Relationships, which addresses attachments to parents, close relationships with teachers and caregivers, and friendships. Young children acquire social and emotional competencies in ways that are often different from how they acquire competence in the naming of letters or numbers. Social-emotional skills emerge through children’s experience in close relationships and the var­ied exposures that occur in relational experience, such as shared conversa­tion, warm nurturance, and intentional guided learning capacities for sociability, responsibility, and self- control. Just as with anything in the learning process of a child, the more you provide language + literacy along with hands on experiences that explores social emotional development, the stronger the foundation you establish for the child. The Color Monster book by Anna Llenas is such an amazing story that associates colors with emotions. After reading a book such as this providing intentional tools such as Environments® Emotion Puzzles for Toddlers and Environments® Plush Emotions Dolls Set #gifted to extend the literacy and language provided in the story will aide in the child further comprehending the concepts of emotions.

With the new school year approaching, how to help parents and children have the smoothest transition possible for the start of the school year can be overwhelming with so much information out there. Every child and family unit is unique and even though we keep that in mind, the reality of any group settings is that it takes time. Some children take one day, a week, a month, or more to adjust. As community whether your are teacher or parent our main goal is to provide a safe and loving environment that child can thrive in. As a community we must work together to be the village to help raise the child. The biggest tool I can suggest is preparing the child by exposing them to as much language, literacy, and role play as much as possible to establish a foundation of understanding. As with anything in young children, the more exposure a child receives the more a child is able to retain and process any sort of information or new experience. Therefore reading books, communicating at any opportunity (car rides, meal times, play), and acting out through role play what school is going to be like are great opportunities to connect and establish with your child about this new transition. Here are some basic tips of getting your child prepared for preschool: 1. Schedule a couple of visits at the center in the AM and PM times so your child can see how the school operates before hand. Think of them of them as play dates to help acclimate the child. 2. If the center allows you to take pictures, snap a couple of shots and turn it into a book or photo album to read or within reach for them to open and look at. Pictures of the front of the school, their classroom, friends, outdoor space, and a family picture so they can grasp the environment and become even more familiar with the setting. You can even organize the photos in the book to show the routine of entering the school, playing, snack time, outside time, lunch, nap, story time, outdoor play, and when they get picked up by their family. Children thrive on routine and consistency. The more they can foresee and predict what happens next the easier it is for them to process and transition during this time. 3. Buy the supplies you need before hand: Nap Mat , Lunchbox , Water bottle , Backpack , Masks , Hat, Shoes, and anything else that is required by the center. If your child is old enough, go shopping with them and let them pick out what they want. This empowers them to feel like they are a part of the process. Let your child role play school and explore the materials as much as possible so they feel ownership and a sense of pride that these are my special items just for school. 3. Read books! Books are a uniquely portable magic that helps children understand the world around them. The more they are provided with the language and content that deepens their connection to what they experience the stronger the foundation is established for them. Here are a couple favorites: Maisy Goes to Preschool , Preschool, Here I Come !, The Night Before Preschool , Rosie Goes to Preschool , School's First Day of School , The Pigeon Has to Go to School! , Daniel Goes to School!, Bye Bye Time! , and A Letter From Your Teacher on the First Day of School. 5. Talk as much as you can at any opportunity! The more language and communication that a child is provided no matter the age, it will be within the child. Whether it is driving, eating a meal together, reading a story, or when you are playing, talking about all the range of emotions they are experiencing, what school is going to be like, how happy parents are for them to make new friends, will provide a sense of security. While I could write so many other tips here are more resources that I believe are amazing: NAEYC-13 Tips for Starting Preschool Zero-Three Preschool Prep: How to Prepare Your Toddler for Preschool Parents- 18 Tips for Overcoming Separation Anxiety

The story Many Shapes of Clay: A Story of Healing Kenesha Sneed is about a young girl who goes through the ups and downs of the creative process. Her mother is a cermaic artist who helps her make a special shape that makes her feel connected to different aspects of her life. Through the bold colors and imagery of the story we see the young girl overcome by healing when creating. To extend this story providing a child to create with clay is a wonderful opportunity to make the book come to life. You will need clay, tools, water, rag, and tray. You can cut out and laminate similar shapes from the story to provoke the child to mold just like they did in the book. Clay is one medium that promotes creativity. The importance of using clay in early childhood is deeply rooted in the endless benefits. While the child is manipulating the clay it helps develop the child’s large and small muscles, fosters eye-hand coordisntion, and their ability to focus/build attention span. The tactial experience of exploring the texture while creating can build their vocabulary and understanding of math. Clay is such an interesting and compelling tool to ignite a child’s creative process.

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 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. As they learn to ride you will see a child beam with confidence as they master finding the way to tackle the challenges of obtaining the skills to ride. With that confidence comes independence to navigate from one area to another on their own, which also will make them more aware of different modes of transportation. While riding the bike, comes falls, bumps, bruises, and scraps. Believe it or not this will instill more safety and self awareness of themselves and those around them, as they will become more spatially aware while building their instincts. With more risk taking (riding faster, over bumps, downhill, uphill, etc.) provides for new skill sets that will lead them to be more open to try new adventures. Riding a tricycle essentially paves the way for more adventures such as riding a bike on their own! Our centers were lucky enough to be #gifted the Children's Factory Angeles Classic Riders that come in various sizes ( ClassicRider® 8″ , 10" , 12" , 14" ). We have always used these bikes at our preschools and they last forever. Along with the bikes we were also gifted these awesome Traffic Signs for our transportation areas. The children are able to create realistic roadways, building language + recognition of the meaning of the signs when they see it around where they live! The children as usual were elated to get to riding right away!

This past weekend we celebrayed Cyrus’s second birthday. The obsession with cars is still going strong so naturally the theme of his party was all things cars. A lot of the items we already had, so the set up just came together. A lot of the items we already had from @discountschoolsupply mini traffic sings , @waytoplaytoys road maps , @candylabtoys cars , @gathre road map , & @childrensfactory traffic signs , so the set up just came together. Pippa and Co . did our balloons again this year along with some decor from Momo Kids Party . For the Birthday Party Favor, I wanted to throw in a bag full of materials that will encourage creativity and play. Inside the bag: Play-dough , Rolling Pins , Dough Scissors , Canvas Totes , Fabric Paint , Scratch Art Stickers + Shapes + Sticks , Drawing Pad , Crayons , Watercolors , and Coasters .

Engaging children with a combination of art, science, and action while learning about the artist Jackson Pollock is a dynamic way to teach and expose them to a style of painting where there are no mistakes. Jackson Pollock, was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was well known for his unique style of drip painting. "It doesn't matter how the paint is put on as long as something is said." Jackson Pollock is such an amazing artist to highlight how it’s the process not the product when creating art. Reading the book Action Jackson opens a child’s mind to his world and the process of his art. Letting the children paint like Pollock extends the literacy experience while creating enhancing their understanding of his technique. When children learn about artists the more well rounded and creative they become. Art is a fundamental component of early childhood therefore continuous exposure leads to seeing the world in different ways. To set this invitation set out similar tools Pollock used himself: string, sticks, spatulas, spoon, chopsticks, pipettes , and syringes along with paint + butcher paper. Invite the child to paint using these materials to create the splatter like effect. When children use various 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 movements which enhances both their fine and gross motor skills. Developing a skill like painting provides the stimulus children need to be successful in all aspects of life. "Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is." Jackson Pollock