The Write Start

Young Scientist

We performed an impromptu science experiment when Jack asked, "What are stems?" Luckily we had some daisies on the dining room table and some food coloring in the cabinet...

After quite a bit of waiting, the results were subtle (not as vibrant as I had hoped), but still interesting.

I think we'll try this experiment with celery next to see if the effect is more dramatic. But Jack saw enough to figure it out anyway. He observed, "So stems are like pipes that carry water!" He related it back to his construction frame of reference all by himself. I LOVE that he made that connection!

Who knew science could be so fun?   

This End Up

One of my very favorite books is Not a Box by Antionette Portis. Have you read it? It's simply a story about creativity. And it reveals an indisputable truth about childhood: there are few things in life better than playing with a cardboard box. The possibilities are endless!

So after a recent package was delivered, my son spent a day in the sunshine with his new boat, rocket ship, truck, (fill in the blank). First he painted it:

And then he "signed" his work with a hand print.

Not a Box inspires children (and reminds parents) that the most basic things are often the best vehicles for the imagination. Activities like transforming a cardboard box help children to think like a writer does -- making something out of nothing.

A few days after playing with this box, my son turned a couple of other boxes into a pickup truck. He added controls and a tailgate and spent many happy hours loading and unloading it with a variety of stuff. Then he did "demolition," ripping it apart bit by bit. (I reminded myself that ripping cardboard is excellent for strengthening the hands as I helped pick up a thousand tiny bits....)

Coincidentally, at the end of the week of the cardboard box we went to a local show that my Dad had gotten us tickets for (Thanks Papa!). It was put on by The Paperbag Players. Imagine my delight to see that all of the costumes, scenery, and props were fashioned out of some combination of paper bags and cardboard boxes. Enormous paper towel rolls came to life and were hysterical. They even had a wonderful part where they painted scenes on huge sheets of paper right in front of the audience. It was delightful and Jack was riveted. What a wonderful way to reinforce what he was learning through his own innovativeness. I couldn't have planned it better myself!

When was the last time you played with a cardboard box with your favorite little inventor? What did it become?

Morning Glories and Moonflowers

On an early spring day we got to work on our very own Moonflower Tent, a project we found in the beautiful and inspiring gardening book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy.

We did the project one step at a time. First we bought the supplies. Then we constructed the tent. That was fun! (Anything that involves construction is a big hit around here.) Then we planted the seeds. We couldn't find Moonflower seeds so we decided to plant Morning Glories instead.

We poked shallow holes in the dirt with the back of a screwdriver. And then Jack put the seeds in. Planting tiny seeds is actually a great activity for excercising the pincer grasp. Picking up the tiny seeds and carefully placing them in the holes requires small, refined hand movements and eye-hand coordination. It is a great way to give the little muscles that will one day be responsible for holding a pencil a workout.

Easier said than done. Sometimes fine motor activities present a greater challenge than expected. I initially presented the seeds in a small dish. But they were super small and slightly wet (we had soaked them overnight to help them germinate) and very difficult (and frustrating) for Jack to get a grip on. So I quickly separated the seeds into the compartments of a mini ice cube tray to help him pick them up one at a time. Much better!

Backfilling the holes was Jack's favorite part. We LOVE dirt around here. Oh, and watering with the garden hose (another great hand strengthening activity, by the way) is always a delight.

A couple of days after we spotted our first Morning Glory seedling, we found Moonflower seeds at the store. So we decided to plant them too. Those seeds were much bigger and easier for Jack to handle. Maybe we'll have a 24-hour flower tent when we finally get the climbing blooms we are hoping for. I will keep you updated as we grow!

We have been up to our elbows in dirt with all of our gardening projects so far this spring. I will post about more of them soon.

Has anyone else caught the gardening bug?

A Little Sunshine

What else do you do on a cold and gloomy Spring day? Plant a little sunshine on the front porch, that's what.

 

The Little Dig

Thanks to Write, Mama. Write for the inspiration for this idea. My son could dig all day and all night if left to his own devices. And sometimes we do. But lately we've had a string of rainy days. So I've been looking for an indoor digging activity. Yesterday we put together this little "Box of Rocks" (really white canellini beans and garbanzo beans) and put some of his littlest diggers in. It's a hit!

Digging is great for hand strengthening. And working with materials like sand, dirt, rice, or beans really helps to wake up the tactile receptors in the hands. So after a good digging session, kids are actually able to "feel" their hands a little better. It kind of makes all of that mess easier to put up with when you think of it that way.

What are your favorite rainy day activities?

Letter Love

My son is really into talking about letter sounds, although he was never officially "taught" his letters. I first introduced letters by scattering them about the house, putting them as our table centerpiece, for example. For a while our dining room table held a crystal bowl filled with alphabet blocks. What child wouldn't be curious? (And what else would I do with a crystal bowl? Yet another wedding gift I had never put to good use...)

 

So he started with stacking, building, and lining them up which led to "What's this say?" and "duh (the sound of the letter D) is for Daddy" and grew from there. Letter blocks are a great place to start because, if you think of it, learning the alphabet is so much like building. Letters are the building blocks of words, and can be arranged in all different ways to construct different meanings.

Our letter blocks are out on the back deck now, and some colorful wood lowercase letters have found their way to the dining room table. A moveable alphabet of sorts, Jack is combining them to make words from the sounds he knows whenever they catch his eye. Sometimes the light from the window hits them just right -- it seems to illuminate them and *spark* his interest.

Has your child ever discovered something you left scattered about your house?

The Muffin Man

I can't say that every day in our house begins with muffin-making, but I can honestly say that the best ones do. There's nothing like a little cooperative baking to feed all of your senses in the morning. I know when my son has had a hand in making his food (touching all the ingredients, smelling the smells, seeing the transformation) he seems more eager to eat and more satisfied by the meal.

And, of course, from my perspective, kitchen activities are another great way to develop hand skills. Even on the mornings when a full-scale cooking project isn't an option, I try to incorporate some "hands-on" into our breakfast. Squeezing an orange for juice, spreading softened butter or cream cheese onto toast, cutting a banana with a butter knife, and pouring from a pitcher are some of our favorite easy, kid-friendly, meal prep activities. And the added bonus of taking the few extra seconds to set this up? He eats heartily and happily anything he's made with his own two hands.

How do you make your morning mealtime a hands-on activity?

Let's Grow!

 

I couldn't be more excited about all of the signs of Spring popping up everywhere we look. I can't wait to move some of our indoor activities outside. One of our first projects will be to transplant a lima bean plant that Jack has nurtured through the fall and winter. He waters it carefully each day with his spray bottle.

We love spray bottles! Jack just thinks they're fun. I know they're a GREAT tool for hand strengthening. We put some water in and use them to clean the dining room table, "wash" windows, freshen-up the chalkboard, or squirt the walls of the bathtub. But once spring comes, we'll start spraying outdoors to water the garden, wash the house, or make sidewalk chalk disappear.

I leave a bottle on the front porch and one in the backyard for handy spritzing whenever the urge strikes. And then there are the hottest of summer days, when you can't resist spraying yourself or your buddies!

Ahhh... but I'm getting ahead of myself. For right now, I'm just happy the ground is starting to thaw.

More on Easels

There is a great discussion on The Artful Parent, a blog I find to be so inspiring, regarding easels. It seems that kids may "tune out" the easel, like wallpaper or a piece of furniture, after a while. I've learned a great trick for addressing this from preschool teachers. Just leave something ever-so-slightly new at the easel every day, and kids will inevitably stop by to check it out. And hopefully, they'll stay a while to create something too.

Sometimes it's as simple as leaving out a new paint color or two. Or cutting the easel paper in a slightly different shape. Or leaving out some different tools for painting or printing like little sponges, a potato masher, or a small paint roller. Here's a view of a preschool easel that sees A LOT of use:

Other preschool teacher tricks I love include hanging a marker from a string on the easel so children get into the habit of "signing" their work (this needs to be demonstrated quite a bit at first). Also, simple strategies like keeping a smock on a hook nearby, keeping a box of wipes next to the easel, and putting an empty bucket underneath for soiled paintbrushes help children learn to participate in the clean-up.

I also wanted to include a picture of the table-top easel we have on Jack's desk (a gift from BaBa - thanks!). Right now we use it primarily with chalk (sidewalk chalk and regular chalk). And we use water with paint brushes, little sponges, and a tiny cloth to make things disappear.

I'm brainstorming about other ways to spice up an easel too... I'm thinking about other things I can "leave out" to spark some interest: stampers, colored masking tape, and shape stencils jump to my mind.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

Little Scavengers

I set up a super-simple scavenger hunt for Jack this weekend to introduce him to the concept. I made a list of three things for him to find in the backyard and told him to check them off as he collected them. (He's familiar with the list concept -- we're BIG list-makers). We attached a little pencil to his clipboard with string and tape and off he went. He loved the whole adventure. And the simple act of scribbling in the box (or making a check mark, or an "X" if your child's up to that) is a great pre-writing activity. I think this will be the first of many scavenger hunts for us.

I tried a similar idea with an older (kindergarten) child that I work/play with yesterday. On his list I made some letters of the alphabet and he had to hunt for objects in his playroom that began with each letter. He also loved hunting about.

There's something about clipboards that children find so grown-up and appealing. Have you noticed? (I have to admit I have a thing for clipboards myself!) I hung a clipboard on the shelf alongside my son's desk using a little cup hook, so it is at the ready when inspiration strikes.