With a creative bunch of school age girls I made sure the art supply closet is ready to explore.

I have been gathering ideas for quick inspiration on Pinterest. When the girls are looking for ideas they browse the board, then gather supplies and off they go.

That’s how this morning started. What caught the eye were pipe cleaner people from Parents.

Then of course there is just personal inspiration for one that really enjoys drawing………

and the first morning of summer break starts………….

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With the need to construct a new climbing structure, I considered what I wanted the outside space to provide for play exploration. Not so many young ones in the group now. Its always been an active group and one that enjoys challenging themselves.

A big item was balancing opportunities. With a son who slacklines between classes at college, and seeing what other bloggers were posting on ziplines, and short lengths of ropes between poles, I knew we could come up with an option for between the trees here. It’s an area that is not highly used in the normal play pattern, but still a part of the backyard area and very easy to monitor. I also knew I wanted something I could put up and take down easily. Now the question was cost.
Just happened to be a sale at Eastern Mountain sports, so I got a ratchet slackline by Gibbon for under $60. The only problem here was no guide line to help the kids initially. Oh well, we’ll figure that out.

As you can see from the movie, this was an immediate hit. Kids didn’t want to go home at pick-up and first thing the next day was “Can we go out?”
Not having a guide line didn’t hinder the exploration. (But I’m thinking of surprising my son with this one, for his help on demoing the old climbing structure. I found a unit at LLBean which includes what they call a teaching line for $80.)
This activity is a great example of all the learning that occurs during play and how the learning varies according to the individual developmental needs of the children.

Such as:

• the youngest just wanted to be involved – getting the idea of bending knees, pushing off with legs, and the language
• middle ages – not comfortable walking on without helping hands, so adapt – tumble, cartwheels, etc
• older – needing to meet the walking across challenge, trying different foot directions, starting off with helping hands, checking out Youtube, and listening to suggestions from an adult that has done this.
• older – willingly helping the younger ones to succeed

Today when we headed out to play we saw lots of pick-ups and men climbing on the tractors and equipment. It was a perfect time to go explore and answer our question.

What we found out is that different parts of the tractor and the equipment had been breaking and the farmers were working hard to fix it. Today they were working on the equipment that gathers the cut grasses and chops it up into really little pieces. We were told that it’s easier for cows to eat little pieces.

Our research on “How a cow eats grass” told us that:

• Cows have fewer teeth than other animals
• In the front of the mouth, teeth are only located on the bottom jaw.
• Their upper lip doesn’t really move.
•  A cow uses its tongue to grasp a clump of grass and then bite it off.
• Teeth in the back of the mouth  (top and bottom ) shred the grass as the cow chews side-to-side.
• Small pieces are more easily digested.

While checking out the tractor we talked to one of the farmers about how much we enjoy watching them. We told them we didn’t know what the big orange grass holder was called. We’ve called it a “hopper”.
He told us it was a”Dump Wagon” and it even says so on the back side.
We learned a few new things today. All because the tractors were just sitting in the field.

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Love how the kids didn’t wait for the whole structure to be completed before they started to play in it.

I love our local library and use it on a very regular basis, but like so many others I seem to use the materials I’m familiar with. Time to learn some new things.

Exploring the Fiction Section

The first of the library challenges has been designed to not only encourage one to learn about the fiction section, but also to learn some tricks for finding new awesome books on every trip.

We’re going to attempt to do all the challenges, so we should be good and busy. Now we will not be going to the library as a group, as the program is designed to do, but I’ll being the purpose into our readings and discussions.

#1 – Utilize your librarian’s recommendations

#2 – Find a popular book (plus the advanced challenge)

#3 – Discover a popular author

#4 – Introduce Your Kids to a Classic (plus the advanced challenge)

#5 – Find new fiction books on a favorite topic

#6 – Explore different reading levels of the children’s fiction section: picture books, early readers, and chapter books/middle grade novels.

What I did not expect was the help in shelling and then……….

Love how when you let a child’s natural curiosity and thought process lead the way learning occurs.

Not worried about hands or beans on the floor. These are all totally dried and will be washed before using. The sensory experience was worth the trade-off.

We have fun with puppets and finger plays and I knew this project would work out fine as a finger puppet to use at story time.

So our Glitter Bugs were born!

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Painting the bodies and muscling the glue

This project took us 2 days as the glue was so well applied that it took longer than expected to dry.

I ended up helping more than expected, as it took two hands to push through the holes and 1 to hold in place. We also found that thinner pipe cleaners bent easily and didn’t push through the holes as easily. It didn’t matter. Everyone stayed involved and 6 Glitter Bugs went home with happy kids.

A copy of cute finger plays to use with the puppets:

There’s a Bug……. (Sing to: “Farmer in the Dell”)adapted by us

There’s a bug is on my toe,
There’s a bug is on my toe,
Hi-ho, just watch it go.
There’s a bug is on my toe.

Other verses: A bug is on my nose ,my head, my ear, my elbow, my knee,
etc..

———————–

Hunting Bugs (Original Author Unknown) Sing to: “A- Hunting we will go”

A-hunting we will go
A -hunting we will go
We’ll catch a (insert any insect here)
and put it in a box
(loudly) and then we’ll let it go!

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Bugs (Original Author Unknown) Sing to: ”Frere Jacques”

Big bugs, small bugs,
Big bugs, small bugs,
See them crawl
On the wall?

Creepy, creepy, crawly,
Never, never falling.
Bugs, bugs, bugs,
Bugs, bugs, bugs.

We began construction today by setting 4 – 12′ telephone poles donated by one of the families.

This will give us an eight foot square area to build the platform (4 ft above ground), place the tube slide and fireman’s pole. 3 sides will be fenced.

The area underneath will be sandbox, so all the sod needs to come out. Thinking will rent a sod cutter for the larger area.

The new play area will include balance beams, stepping walls, area for a see saw and hanging bar.

Who knows what else we’ll manage to add?

Thought you might like to observe with me.

Now you can see why our space can get really messy at times.

I also know that you saw all the learning happening – fine motor, gross motor, social interaction, language, problem-solving, imagination, exploration.

We picked up before lunch and story time. Wonder what it will look like for evening pick-up?