Silk screen pillows & Graffiti cuffs

Silk screening with little kids is such a hoot. They are so reactionary, and it is always satisfying to see their faces. We had them all do their drawings a week earlier so I could take them home and carefully cut out their designs with and x-acto knife. All of the kids did a great job drawing their designs, though sometimes I think that once they see how it all works it finally makes sense for them. I had them each practice silk screening by pulling the squeegee back and forth to get a sense of how it feels and how much pressure they need to use. Then they each got to silk screen their own design onto their pillowcase. Once the the ink dried they stuffed their pillows, and we sewed up the opening. The children also got a chance to make graffiti cuffs. These are old leather belts we cut up, and used sharpie pens to make our markings on the cuff. We talked to the kids about graffiti and the difference between artistic graffiti and vandalism graffiti. I think it was a bit difficult for the kids to decipher between the two because we tend to generalize it. If you really look at some graffiti it can be really beautiful, but of course as most things there is a lot of yucky graffiti too. Lastly, the kids still coming off of the read-a-thon and getting a new book order many were very excited to read to the class. I can't say no to a child wanting to read. So at the end of class since we finished a bit early we let some of the children who wanted to read get their chance to sit and read to the class. It was really fun to watch.

Sharpie Tie-dye T-shirts

Today was a great day. I didn't think that this project would be such a hit. Our Tie-dye t-shirts done with sharpies was super fun. As you can see from the photos the kids didn't want to stop. We suggested that they at least do three different "circles", and they took that and ran with it. It was great watching them get excited to watch their designs "grow". The project uses sharpies and rubbing alcohol. It is a process based on dispersion. The alcohol disperses the ink outward to make it look like it is bleeding or tie-dyeing. It was pretty funny during the project when the children were done with the drawing portion they would continuosly say, "I need more alcohol! I need more alcohol!" Of course they meant rubbing alcohol. It was one of the best projects so far I think. I certainly have my favorites, but the kids seemed to really connect to this one. We also worked on part one of our project for next week, silk screening. The kids all drew their design this week, and next week we will be silk screening pillows. Silk screening always tends to get a good reaction from the kids. It has that "wow" factor, and I myself never get tired of doing it. We also read "There's a Wocket In My Pocket" by Dr. Seuss since it was the last day of the Read-A-Thon at the school, and the theme was based around the author. Final note: I love the photo of all the kids modeling their shirts, they couldn't wait toput them on, which was extremely satisfying for us.

Celtic Knots and Rainbow Mobiles

Our St. Patrick's Day class was really fun. We showed the kids how to do basic weaving with our Celtic Knot felt coasters. Some had a little trouble getting started but once they got the hang of it they really did well. Teaching children how to weave is a challenge to begin with, but I have found that they really want to figure it out. Even though the concept is really basic, actually doing it is another thing completely. Weaving is a great way to exercise the brain, and it is fun to see the children get the hang of it. We also made Rainbow mobiles, and made bags of gold with the children. It was great fun to talk about leprechauns and all things green. I read a story called "Tim O'Toole and the Wee People". The story was a bit lengthy, but all the children were enthralled. The kids surely enjoyed filling their bags of gold with gold coins filled with chocolate. I also made green kettle corn which seems to be a hit with the children. I like making it as a treat/snack since it has very little sugar, and it seems exciting when you add a bit of color to it.

Vegetarian chili and placemats

March is National Nutrition Month so we wanted to do something based around food. I had thought to make something else, but would have been too time consuming for the kids. Plus we wanted to make something that was nutritional and included most of the food groups, so we decided on chili. At first mention I can say the children were less than excited. In fact, I did get a couple of, "Eeww yuck I don't like chili". I wasn't about to let that get me down. I have learned that if you include them in the process they are more likely to at least be more interested in tasting the food. At least that is how it has worked with my two daughters. Low and behold after all of the children were able to partake in adding the ingredients into the chili they each came over for a sample, and they all............loved it. One of my daughters even told me, "No, I don't like that stuff," and after telling her she had to at least taste it, she disappeared with the sample, came back and said, "I love this chili!" It was such a joy and might I say relief that the children undoubtedly truly liked it. We talked about eating a rainbow of colors for a healthy diet, and I read a book about vegetables. Then for the final project of the day we had all of the kids color in a placemat that had a empty plate in it. The plate needed to include at least two vegetable, one fruit, and a main protein item. Some of the kids had a little difficulty coming up with two vegetables, which is understandable, I don't think I had very many vegetables on my favorite list either. They all came through for us in the end and decorated some beautiful placemats that we then laminated for them also. It was a very satisfying day for me and I think the children as well.

Postcard snowglobes & monogram keyfobs

It is still officially winter, and even though we live in California, I still wanted to somehow bring that experience into the class. It was also inspired by the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, and might I say one of my favorite cities. So even though we don't have snow we thought we would bring the snow to the kids, or so called snow. Today, we made these kind of addictive snowglobe postcards. They were super fun to make and the kids did a great job creating. Though not everyone followed the "snow" theme, and you certainly don't need to, they all did very interesting cards. Below are some snapshots of some of the cards from kids, myself, and other teacher. We also did a fun painting project with wooden initials and circles that we turned into basically keychains that the kids could use for keys or put on their backpack. I also read them one of my favorite books called "Let's Do Nothing". A terrific book about imagination, and doing something. Enjoy!