Little Skipper Day Care and Preschool

Happy Mother's Day I hope today is a day to celebrate all the moments, big or small.

I have a wall hanging with this quote in the Day Care. It is a constant reminder of the need to be thankful and to have gratitude. Gratitude is a mindset and a game changer. It focuses on what we have and does not take us down a backward road to what could have been or what is not or even what was that has negatively influenced our lives. We can't go there. Forward is the only direction we can go unless we sit down and do not go anywhere. The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace. It is grace to ourselves and grace to others. It is acknowledging the good and the positive in our lives, the gifts we receive through interaction with others and it changes our focus from ourselves to a larger 'we'. If we are having trouble being thankful a good solution is to go volunteer somewhere. It is an attitude changer and has immediate effects on our sense of well being. I heard a quote that went something like "we are as happy as we want to be". You can put almost any word in there. We are as joyful as we want to be...we are as thankful as we want to be...we are ... you fill in the blank. In other words, we choose our state of well being a lot of the time. It is a journey. If life has taught me anything it is that I don't want to be dragging baggage from the past. I can and have just let it go. It leaves my hands free to grab onto the blessings of today. Here is another cliche. It might even be my own because I don't recall reading it anywhere but it is something I tell myself frequently. "Bitterness is a root that poisons your own well" So, if this resonates with you, be good to yourself and let yourself feel very grateful and very thankful for every blessing in your life. I'm enjoying the rain today :)

A few weeks ago, we practiced making rice paper out of napkins. We followed this up with painting on paper towels. We are using these skills and new techniques in art projects that will take us through the summer. I practiced before I brought the children into this exploration. Below is a book that I didn't particularly like and the process of turning it into an interactive book for the children to use. It has an insect theme. I love pockets in books and cards so that is what I have done with this one. It is not finished but it is coming along well. The cover is napkins and the pages have a paint technique that we used today. Thank you to Clara from Home Hardware for the magazines. We are putting them to good use.

I have discovered junk journaling and is spilling over into our art. Every piece of paper or cardboard, ribbon, twine....makes my mind spark with ideas. Today's art came from noticing how paint looked on paper towel. I was using it to avoid spill overs we have a very special plan for these paintings.

We ordered our butterflies later this year, in order to raise them outside. Raising them outside is essential for them to learn to migrate. We are learning all the time! It is always an exciting time for us.

One of my favorite weeks is when the birds start building their nests. The littles love it too.

Today we made winter trees in art. We did a tape resist. I find it easier to use a rotary cutter instead of ripping the paint. The favorite part for the children is pulling the tape off.

Cant wait for the littles to arrive!

I am getting ready for fall illnesses. We are practicing with the allergy season symptoms. I read 'The Flea's Sneeze' by Lynn Downey and Karla Firehammer, to the children. It has now become my go-to book for teaching children to cover their sneezes and coughs. During the reading, we mimic what the Flea should have done, and by the end of the book, we clearly see what happens when we share our virus with others. This is a fun book that will engage your child in a practical lesson. By the way...we teach the children to pull their shirts up over their nose before coughing or sneezing. Most preschool children tend to sneeze and cough right over their arms. It is difficult for them to get that right! So if they cover with the top of their shirt, they know they have contained the sneeze and cough.

We have been spending a lot of time outside lately and this week, the weather is in our favor. But, before we went out today, we created a little magic in the art room. I have been playing around with an ocean theme, probably because I had to cancel my holiday and I'm missing my beachcombing. I had two unlovely canvasses that I thrifted and I wanted to make them over. I wanted to paint them and imitate the sun-bleached seaweed that covers the beaches. I will post the results soon but today's art was inspired by this project. I love how they turned out and I think the children are proud of them too.