Always loving. Always learning.

March Brought Lots of Rainbows, Green, and the Irish!

As a class project at the beginning of March, we made a melted crayon rainbow on canvas! First we mapped out where we wanted the crayons and then we hot-glued the crayons to the canvas. Next we took turns holding a hair dryer up to the crayons until the wax started to melt. This was such a fun, experimental art creation! And now we have beautiful art for the school!

More St. Patrick's Day Crafts

In March, we took the liberty to test out a variety of art techniques!

We painted with our finger-prints to make rainbows.

We clamped together oil-pastels for an amazing rainbow creator.

We used toilet paper rolls and bottle corks as stamps to make clovers.

And we tested painting with a stencil!

Our Shamrock Clipboard!

A Science Experiment

We turned white carnations green!

The children helped trim the flowers and arrange them into vases filled with green water.

We kept one on each table for a couple weeks so we could observe the transformation.

What we realized was, the petals were turning green at the tips,

because the stem was submerged in the green water.

This is a good activity to try at home.

The children love to have real flowers around them as they work, play, and eat!

Rainbow Themed Snack

A parent brought in this beautiful fruit tray as a snack on St. Patrick's Day!

I like to think it brought us good fortune, but I know for sure it brought good health!

And a mini rainbow fruit tray for the Toddlers too!

Green Food Tasting

The Green Food Tasting has been one of my favorite activities all year. The collaborative effort from the whole school, to bring a diverse sampling, was stupendous. We are grateful for the parents and staff who provided these green foods to present to the children. There were over 20 green foods to try! (Check out the list below) This gave us the opportunity to learn from tasting, feeling, smelling, and looking at a large variety of naturally green foods.

We passed out one green food at a time so we could identify it, and discuss a little more about how and where it grows, nutrition facts, and other fun ways to prepare it. This also allowed time for the children to make observations and discoveries. We heard statements from the children like, "This is sweet!", "This is sour…", "It's squishy", and "It smells strange", haha. Then the teachers did their best to document what the children were at least willing to try, and also what they tried and liked. This way, the Parents could see their child's willingness and preferences. I was happy that some children tasted every last green food and lots found new foods they enjoy. But even if they didn't, this was such a good learning experience all around!

Learning About the "Emerald Isle"

It only seemed fitting to facilitate learning about Ireland in the month of March,

surrounding the celebration of St. Patrick's Day!

This simple poster I made really seemed to inspire the children as I introduced this country and it's unique culture to them. Even after just seeing theses pictures, many said they wanted to visit Ireland or live there! I can't say I blame them, all that lush green grass is really tantalizing.

We also utilized literature and a short video from the library, to explain more about Ireland's landscapes, cities, history, culture, and habits.

The older children grouped together one day to do some writing in their journals. They used the library books for research and each wrote about facts or "tales" they found interesting. Much to my surprise, they all chose to write about something different...

An Irish Visitor

One of the children's Grandmother came in to discus her experiences living and growing up in Ireland. She brought in pictures and sang us an Irish tune. She even taught us a little Irish jig! This visitor was just such a blessing! The children still remember the Irish dance she taught!

"Swing 'round,

1, 2, 3, 4

Swing' round,

1, 2, 3, 4

Out,

Back,

1, 2, 3, 4"