Thrifty Scissors

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Cut and Paste The Yellow School Bus

The yellow school bus project appears to be nothing more than child's play.
But does it serve a purpose more important than mere entertainment?

Earlier this week, our young students experienced their first cut and paste art lesson. During the lesson, we discovered how much dexterity each child possessed. Each student was also observed while given a set of simple tasks:

Could the student remain seated during a ten to fifteen minute project?
Did he or she listen to directions attentively while the teacher was speaking?
Did the student follow the directions to the best of their ability?
How did he or she handle the scissors or glue stick?
Did the student appear to identify the colors easily? (yellow, black, grey, white, and red)
Did the student know and/or name the shapes?
Did the student appear happy or frustrated by the activity?
How much did the students engage with children sitting at the same table?
Did the student loose interest quickly?

This kind of informal assessment helps teachers evaluate how much to expect initially of their students and to what point their learning skills need to progress within a reasonable time frame. It is typical to ask very young children to perform a simple series of tasks at the beginning of a school year in order to make this general analysis. Parents should not be alarmed to learn of it because it is a sign of quality control on the part of the staff. It means that your child's environment with be adjusted to their specific needs. Your son or daughter's growth and welfare will be ensured by those who are trained to meet his or her individual constitution. This is one of the primary differences between childcare/daycare and early learning.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Back To School Books

Our lead teacher has an abundance of books for children to read and explore according to the theme she is teaching. "The first week of school" is our opening theme for preschool this week, and as you can see, there are plenty of books in the classroom based upon this topic:

"First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg
"Little Critter's This Is My School" by Mercer Mayer
"The New Bear at School" by Carrie Weston
"D.W.'S Guide to Preschool" by Marc Brown
"Pooh's First Day of School" by Kathleen Zoshfeld
"If You Take A Mouse To School" by Laura Numeroff
"Tucker's Best School Day" by Susan Winget
"It's the First Day of School!" by Charles M. Schulz
"Class Clown" by Michael Martchenko

Actor and author John Lithgow talks from his own experience about why reading aloud to children is important. Lithgow visited the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library on September 15, 2012, to read from his children's books and visit with Kansas City Symphony conductor Aram Demirjian.

Find out more about the Library's Building a Community of Readers initiative at http://www.kclibrary.org/building-com....

Learn more about Family Read Aloud month and the Turn the Page KC for city-wide literacy at http://turnthepagekc.org/

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Handwashing Must Be Taught in Preschool

Handwashing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, which together are responsible for the majority of child deaths. This behavior is projected to become a significant contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015. October 15 has been appointed to become Global Handwashing Day in accordance with year 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation by the United Nations.

Hands often act as vectors that carry disease-causing pathogens from person to person, either through direct contact or indirectly via surfaces. Humans can spread bacteria by touching other people's hand, hair, nose, and face. Hands that have been in contact with human or animal feces, bodily fluids like nasal excretions, and contaminated foods or water can transport bacteria, viruses and parasites to unwitting hosts. Hand washing with soap works by interrupting the transmission of disease.

Washing hands with water alone is significantly less effective than washing hands with soap in terms of removing germs. Although using soap in hand washing breaks down the grease and dirt that carry most germs, using soap also means additional time consumed during the massaging, rubbing, and friction to dislodge them from fingertips, and between the fingers, in comparison with just using water for handwashing. Effective hand-washing with soap takes 8 – 15 seconds, followed by thorough rinsing with running water.

This video makes hand hygiene fun for young children. Sara tells the story about Germy the Germ and how to wash him away so you dont get sick. The video includes colourful animations and simple sing-along songs.

When is it most important to clean your hands?

Before and after meals and snacks
Before caring for young children
After touching a public surface
Before and after preparing food, especially raw meat, poultry, or seafood
After using the restroom
When hands are dirty
After touching animals
When you or someone around you is ill

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Bake a Pink Elephant Circus Cake

Ella Elephant's easy to make (Of course, you must use Angel Flake.) Her trunk is long for peanut scooping, Her ears are big and always drooping! The pink elephant circus cake design was published by General Foods Corporation in 1959.

Start with two cooled 9-inch round cakes made from the recipe below. Cut a ring 11/2 inches wide from one layer. Cut out a third of the ring for her trunk.
Divide remaining piece of ring into four equal parts. Place uncut layer on a tray for the body. Use small circle for Ella's head. Add legs and a happy trunk.
Spread a fluffy pink frosting over cake and sprinkle Baker's Angle Flake coconut generously over the elephant. Use a big chocolate cookie for her ear . . . a gumdrop for the eye and a twist of licorice for the tail.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups cake flour
2 tsps baking powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄2 cup plus
2 tbsp butter
1 1/3 cups Redpath Granulated Sugar
3 tbsps frozen Pink Lemonade
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 8" round pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter in mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, scraping as needed. Add concentrate, zest and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until smooth. On low alternate adding dry ingredients and milk (start and finish with dry ingredients). Bake cakes about 25mins, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Pink Lemonade Frosting
500g Redpath Icing Sugar
2 cups shortening (can mix 1⁄2 butter, 1⁄2 shortening if you like)
1⁄4 cup Pink Lemonade Concentrate
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp meringue powder

Directions: Water as needed. Whip shortening (and butter, if using). Slowly begin adding icing sugar. Alternate between icing sugar and concentrate to keep frosting light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add water if needed for spreading consistency.

More Ideas for Circus Party Fun:

Teachers At Our School Are Informed About Bloodborne Pathogens

Parents, a bloodborne pathogen is a infectious, disease-causing microorganism that may be transferred through body fluids such as: blood, urine, saliva, semen, vaginal fluids, or sweat. Art teachers and their students can contract a variety of diseases from bloodborne pathogens in the classroom because of the everyday use of sharp instruments like x-acto knifes, needles, and razor blades. Even though we do not use these instruments anywhere near our preschoolers, we have been informed about the risks involved. To be better informed yourself read and watch a video here.

"Jesus Loves The Little Children"

Gary Chapman sings "Jesus Loves the Little Children" from the video series, A Hymn a Week, which he and his wife, Cassie, upload here and to Facebook.

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in his sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Words written by preacher Clare Herbert Woolston (1856–1927)
Sung to the 1864 Civil War tune "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" by George Fredrick Root
Inspired by Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Some versions change Woolston's original words slightly by inserting the color "brown" between "red" and "yellow."
Some modern versions read 'Ev'ry colour, ev'ry race, all are cover'd by His grace' instead of 'Red and yellow, black, and white, all are precious in His sight.'
Alternate lyrics:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Fat and skinny, short and tall,
Jesus loves them one and all,

Jesus died for all the children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in his sight,
Jesus died for all the children of the world.

Nature Inspired Field Trips

Although our preschool has not scheduled a visit to Powder Valley, I thought some of our parents may be interested in visiting this local nature center with their kiddos on weekends.
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood, MO., is a wonderful place to take preschool/kindergarten students to learn about God's world. They have both family and classroom-size self guided tours and classes. Classes specifically designed for Preschool through Kindergarten at the center fill up quickly, call ahead for a reservation at 314-301-1500.

Teachers may wish to design their own lessons and tours; I recommend you visit ahead of time to plan what you will do. There are also trails designated especially for little people and outdoor facilities to meet in if you prefer these to indoor classrooms.

There are many interactive displays, a puppet theater, aquariums and even a giant tree house!

Nature Inspired Art and Activities For Early Learners:

More Related Links:

Friday, August 16, 2013

Pinchers Not Grippers!

Did you know that the way your preschooler holds his or her crayons will affect their handwriting development in the future? Some students experience difficulty in manipulating a pencil when they begin to write in kindergarten. They "grip" their pencils as though they are holding a baseball bat. Ouch, that can cause writer's cramp for certain!

Parents can help their children by training them early without even seeming to pay attention to the problem. That's right! It is an easy fix, but you must be willing to fight the schoolroom taboo. You must break their crayons. Yes, I understand that this is considered transgression across all kiddom but one must make sacrifices for the good of many or maybe just a few, for a limited time only. When little people are forced to hold tiny crayons, they will pinch not grip. This is an automatic result and also an easy way to break bad little habits.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Developing A Seating Chart for A Rug

A giant oval carpet at the center of a spacious preschool depicts a pond full of lily pads, letters, numbers and one frog.

This seating chart is made from simple pocket
envelopes. Frogs are labeled with corrisponding
letters and numbers found on the rug above.

The first day of preschool and children are given assigned seating on the rug! No, the seating is not permanent; it changes every day. As the young students arrive, their homeroom teacher, Jenn, gives them a choice between a letter or a number. She then proceeds to hand them a frog pop-cycle stick with the same number or letter to match their selection. Then each student puts their frog inside a pocket labeled with their name. Not only does this little routine help young students to focus on a place to sit whenever they are called to the rug, it also begins to teach them letter and number identification. This year our classroom is full of three, four and five year olds. Some of them have yet to learn all of their alphabet or to how to count to ten. But they are well on their way with the staff at our small private school!

Creative Circle Time Seating:

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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Paper Lesson Plans Links k-12

The Art of Paper Craft

Paper craft is the collection of art forms employing paper or card as the primary artistic medium for the creation of three-dimensional objects. It is the most widely used material in arts and crafts. It lends itself to a wide range of techniques, as it can for instance be folded, cut, glued, molded, stitched, or layered. Paper making by hand is also an important paper craft. Painting and calligraphy though they are commonly applied as decoration are normally considered as separate arts or crafts.

Paper crafts are known in most societies that use paper, with certain kinds of crafts being particularly associated with specific countries or cultures. In much of the West, the term origami is used synonymously with paper folding, though the term properly only refers to the art of paper folding in Japan. Other forms of paper folding include Zhezhi (Chinese paper folding), Jong-ie-jeop-gi, from Korea, and Western paper folding, such as the traditional paper boats and paper planes.

In addition to the aesthetic value of paper crafts, various forms of paper crafts are used in the education of children. Paper is a relatively inexpensive medium, readily available, and easier to work with than the more complicated media typically used in the creation of three-dimensional artwork, such as ceramics, wood, and metals. It is also neater to work with than paints, dyes, and other coloring materials. Paper crafts may also be used in therapeutic settings, providing children with a safe and uncomplicated creative outlet to express feelings.

The word "paper" derives from papyrus, the name of the ancient material manufactured from beaten reeds in Egypt as far back as the third millennium B.C. Indeed, the earliest known example of "paper folding" is an ancient Egyptian map, drawn on papyrus and folded into rectangular forms like a modern road map. However, it does not appear that intricate paper folding as an art form became possible until the introduction of wood-pulp based papers in China, where its invention is credited to Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the 2nd century B.C. It is not known when the earliest use of folded paper as a medium was made, although it likely began shortly after the development of paper itself. The first Japanese origami is dated from the 6th century A.D.

Origami Artists and Society: Joseph Wu * Stephen O’Hanlon * British Origami Society * OrigamiUSA * Sy’s Designs * Mark Bolitho * Erik Demaine * Geometric Folds from Francis Ow * Mike’s Origami * Mark Leonard’s sculpture * Sebastian Kirsh *
Origami Diagrams & Database: Origami Diagrams * Origami Deutschland * origami database * Origami Basics * Oriland * Star Wars * Brooklyn Origami Center * Envelope and Letter Folding * Exploratorium * Fabric Origami Workshop * Wet Folding from Gilad * Between the Folds * letterfu * Beginner’s Club * Zen of Origami Gallery *
General: flying-pig * Iceberg Bouwplaten *Canon * Cityscapes by Wurlington * Fiddlers Green **

3-D paper toys: Canon 3D Papercraft * Yamaha Motor Papercraft * papercraft space vehicles * Paper robots * 3d Paper Models * *Iceberg Papercrafts*PaperToys.com*Halo 3d Papercraft*Nintendo Papercraft*Paperkraft.net*Papercraft Paradise*www.paper-replika.com *Free Paper Toys**

Science Fiction/Aircraft: Mike Hungerford * Delta 7 Studios * SF Paper Craft * Card Models * Paper Aviation * Albion Rising * Lower Hudson Vally Paper Model E * Yamaha *Card Modeling FAQ * paper trade **
The Finer Art of Cutting Paper: Swoon Exhibition at Black Rat Projects * The First Cut * Fly Like Paper * Geraldine Gonzalez, creatrice * Paper Wars by PostlerFerguson * Typographic Paper Sculpture: Still Life Comes Alive *********

''In India, the Paper-pulp art is a form of traditional & folk art. In rural area many women makes paper-pulp articles at their home, which is used in daily life. In this video you can see the process of paper-pulp art making is more professional than traditional ways.In India, the Paper-pulp art is a form of traditional & folk art. In rural area many women makes paper-pulp articles at their home, which is used in daily life. In this video you can see the process of paper-pulp art making is more professional than traditional ways.''

Paper Folding Craft Links

Paper models, also called card models or papercraft are models constructed mainly from sheet of heavy paper, paperboard, or card stock. This may be considered a broad category that contains origami and card modeling. Origami is the process of making a paper model by folding paper without using glue. Card modeling is making scale models from sheets of cardstock on which the parts were printed, usually in full color. These pieces would be cut out, folded, scored and glued together. They are generally more popular in Europe and Japan than in the United States. Sometimes the model pieces can be punched out. More frequently the printed parts must be cut out. Edges may be scored to aid folding. The parts are usually glued together with polyvinyl acetate glue ("white glue" "PVA"). In this kind of modeling the sections are usually pre-painted, so there is no need to paint the model after completion. Some enthusiasts may enhance the model by painting and detailing. Due to the nature of the paper medium, the model may be sealed with varnish to last longer.

Printed card models became common in magazines in the early part of the 20th century. The popularity of card modeling boomed during World War II, when paper was one of the few items whose use and production was not heavily regulated.

Micromodels, designed and published in England from 1941 were very popular with 100 different models, including architecture, ships, and aircraft. But as plastic model kits became more commonly available, interest in paper decreased.

Since papercraft patterns can be easily printed and assembled, the Internet has become a popular means of exchanging them. Commercial corporations have recently begun using downloadable papercraft for their marketing (examples are Yamaha and Canon).

The availability of numerous models on the Internet at little or no cost, which can then be downloaded and printed on inexpensive inkjet printers has caused its popularity again to increase worldwide. Home printing also allows models to be scaled up or down easily (for example, in order to make two models from different authors, in different scales, match each other in size), although the paper weight might need to be adjusted in the same ratio.

Inexpensive kits are available from dedicated publishers (mostly based in Eastern Europe; examples include Halinski and Maly Modelarz, a portion of the catalog of which date back to 1950. Experienced hobbyists often scratchbuild models, either by first hand drawing or using software such as Adobe Illustrator. CAD and CG software, such as Rhino 3D, 3DS Max, Blender, and specialist software, like Pepakura Designer from Tama Software and Waybe or Dunreeb Cutout or Ultimate Papercraft 3D, may be employed to convert 3D computer models into two-dimensional printable templates for assembly. Because of this, there is a vast number of models available. Ships, automobiles, aircraft, spacecraft, buildings, and animals are all common. In recent years, Japanese subjects, such as Gundams and anime figures, have become common subjects in papercraft.

"Robert Lang describes his Origami designs. He shows slides depicting his work and he illustrates the principles behind problem solving."

Paper model links: Build Your Own Chicago * Canon 3D Papercraft * Card Modelers * Card Models * Carlos N. Molina * Currell Graphics * FreePaperToys * L'Instant Durable * Niels Papermodels * Paper Inside * Paper Kraft * Paper Model Directory * Paper-Toys * Racing Paper Models * Rebuilding The Krakus * RecorteCole * Takahashi ecorun laboratory * YasuTanaka's Paper Model * ZioPrudenzio's paper model page *

Paper toys: Deadly. Furry. Cute. * OmniWing Paper Airplane * Paper Kraft * Paperboxworld * Papertoys.com * Print-n-Play Toys *

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