Mr. Seahorse

"Mr. Seahorse"


 I have been very inspired this year by Eric Carle.  We recently did an Ocean Unit as the children were showing  a great deal of interest in the topic.  

I bought Eric Carle's book, "Mr. Seahorse" and read it to the children when we were learning about Seahorses.

We then created our own Mr. Seahorse....

We started by painting a Seahorse that I traced onto tag board for each child (I used the same shape as the seahorse on the cover of the book).  We also painted our 'background' paper with blue and yellow 'swishes' and dots.  

Once these were dry, the kids cut out the seahorse, glued on fins then glued the seahorse onto the background paper.  I also gave them some blue and green glitter glue and an eye sticker to finish him off.  

* I gave the children the choice of 'crumpling' their seahorse before glueing it onto their paper. I quite liked the effect of the crumpling :)

Painting in the style of Eric Carle

"The Tiny Seed"

A few weeks ago our K classes planted some seeds in our sensory table.  We have watched many of the seeds (not all) sprout and grow into healthy bean, pea, cucumber and sunflower plants.  

We have made many wonderful observations while our plants have grown and read many books about seeds, flowers and plants.  

One of my favourites is "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle.  I especially love the artwork.  So, after reading the book, some of the children and I began painting white paper with various colours.  We added textures with various tools (rollers, sponges, steel wool, popsicle sticks and the wrong end of paintbrushes).  The kids also began mixing white into their colours which added even more dimension.  They had such a great time!

The next day, I cut the painted papers into smaller squares, and sorted them by colour.  I gave the kids various petal and leaf tracers and pre-cut stems from green, painted paper.  

Just like the flower in the book, we cut the shapes and glued them onto white paper.  We then had a 'spatter station' to add the background spatter.  The results were impressive!  I was so proud of their work and the time they spent to complete their project.  

Valentine's Day.... Yes, I know it's April

 So this year, I found some crafts on Pinterest and they turned out great!  The first one was a heart painting project using a toilet roll.  We bent the toilet roll and used it as a stamper.  Voila!  Hearts!







We also did a craft from www.marthastewart.com and the kids loved it.  I had a little group that made several hearts and actually really enjoyed peeling and sorting the crayons too.
We peeled and sorted the crayons into cups.  I used a pencil sharpener to get shavings from the crayons. The kids were then able to choose their colours and sprinkle shavings between large sheets of wax paper.  I then ironed the wax paper (teacher only!) and the kids watched the crayon colours melt together.  There were many 'ooooo's and 'aaaaah's and 'cooooool's.
Once cool, we traced and cut out heart shapes and hung in the window.
Very pretty :)



On Valentine's Day each member of the class brought a piece of cut up fruit to contribute to our Friendship Fruit Salad.  We talked about how each fruit is different but when mixed together, they make a wonderful, tasty treat.  This is just like our class!  We are all very different/unique but together we can do wonderful things!

Why a Blog?

I think I'll start my blog with a bit of info about me.

I am a Kindergarten teacher and mother of two small children (3 and 1). I have been teaching since 2005 and everyday I learn something new. Actually, I learn many new things each day! I would like a way to document them and share them with other teachers . Hence, the blog!

I am a bit of a perfectionist. I like to do things 'right'. This year, I have been struggling a bit with my job. I have just returned from a Maternity Leave and am now teaching Full Day Kindergarten (it used to be half day). The program is also changing. We are now beginning to teach a more play-based program, which is fantastic. I love the idea of learning through play but have had a hard time letting go of some of the structure I was used to.

I have gradually released some of my 'things'. I have taken the names off of centers so the children can choose their activities more freely, allowing for more 'self regulation'. I have taken a step back and am encouraging the children to do more problem solving on their own before I intervene to help. I am also getting much messier!!!

Now that I have let some things go, and have settled in to our new, more play-based classroom, I am having HEAPS of fun! I want to share some of the things I have been trying and learning. They may not be new to you, but they are 'new' to me.

I am learning an so very much about teaching, learning and about myself this year! What fun!

MM