Mittens and Paint

Today was a great day.  The kids played so nicely and enjoyed the new spaces.  It seems that the flow (that I am endlessly looking for) may have been found :)  The kids don't seem bunched up or on top of each other.  They spread out and use the spaces correctly.  I am happy.

When I taught in a "classroom" so many years ago, I always had my materials planned out and at my fingertips each week.  I had a little basket with that weeks books, another box with art materials, etc... well, now that my "classroom" is in my home I can never seem to find what I know I have.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with my 4 children, especially the younger 2, who seem to think anything I put out is for them to use, move, or confiscate.  This is my round about way of saying... "I CAN'T FIND MY JAN BRETT BOOK, THE MITTEN!!!"   I know I had it 2 weeks ago, my littlest guy and I read it.  I know I set it on the shelf in the playroom... but is it there??  NO!!!  So we had to YouTube it instead.  We found a nice, condensed telling of the book and we were all happy.  I am sure I will find my book on Saturday, when our mitten theme is over :)  but I'll read it anyway, theme or not!!!

After our little video I got our my magic bag and we guessed what could be inside.  We listened for clues, does it make noise (we had some yes & some no's), does it smell (again... yes & no's).  We shook it, we felt the outside, we squeezed it.  Finally, I let them put their hands inside and feel what was in there.  Was it soft? Hard? Before looking inside, we took another guess... the first guess, Socks?? and every guess after, Socks!!!  So, finally I let them take one out....

MITTENS!!!!

We sang some mitten songs...

And played "Match the Mitten"
We LOVE mittens!!!

Around the room we had some BLUE paint out for the kids to explore.  One was even sparkly... sparkles make everything more fun!!!

There was all sorts of tools to try

This is how Lil Bit looked when she started....

Um... if you look at those arms you can tell how much fun she had!!!

Yup, he tasted it!!!

Scamp loved the paint, but hated the smock.

The sand table was open today

Scamp had fun emptying this box of cars and putting them back in again...

Books are always a favorite

I moved things around a little over the weekend.  These photos aren't the best, and I can't believe I don't have any before photos.  

I bought the leaf awning from IKEA... the kids love it, but they try to grab at it and pull it down.
Why do kids have to do that???

This is the house keeping area.  I want to purchase a bigger kitchen set.   I know they would love to have a refrigerator, we'll save for that.  The kids have been busy moving everything around and they love to take the baskets from the shelf and use them to transport their creations all over the room.

 The sand/sensory area

This is a view from my front door.  The housekeeping and book nook are  behind me to the left.   The little table is for markers and coloring right now.  It will also serve for writing and manipulatives.  Behind the post is the art area.  Sorry, no photo of that one, I must have gotten distracted by something (or more likely someone).

The "classroom" is still a work in progress.  More organizing and rotation of the toys.  We will get there one day.  Hopefully before June :)

Slime Revisited

We started our morning with lots of free-play. On Mondays I like for the kids to get reacquainted by having a nice block of time for free play. We start all of our mornings off with free play, but usually we start our circle time at around 9 or 9:30... but Monday's we don't start until 10 or so. I also decided to change up our week a little. I was going to read The Mitten by Jan Brett and focus on the letter Oo... but I changed it up to do the letter Gg for Groundhog, and read some of the Groundhog books I have. It fits into the Winter/Animal theme we have for the month... so I ran with it. (Which I love that I can do!!!)



We have calendar, introduction of our Theme for the week, letter, shape, etc... then we break up into our Quiet Work Time (which is really Center Time... using the word Quiet helps with the noise level). We read Groundhog Day by Margaret McNamara to understand what Groundhog Day is all about. This book also helped us with the concept of Pretend, as they use a Hamster to be the Groundhog, and Shadow. We also went outside and played with all our riding toys with the School Aged Kids, who were home from school due to a Teacher Work Day. (I need some of those :) ) While outside we ran after our Shadow's and wondered what it meant if WE saw our Shadows.



During Free Play we took the Slime our of the fridge again and had a grand time... We started off on the table. We love how cold it is when you first take it out of the fridge and how it doesn't stick to your hands to much.






The kids then decided that the Sensory Table looked lonely without any flour in it and moved the Slime there. We then added some animals.

The animals were a great hit and got some of the more apprehensive kids involved, since they didn't really need to touch it. They just moved it around with their animal.

Though Mr A decided to try it. "It's COLD Shell!!!" We only got him to play with it with that 1 finger and his animals... but he did and that is great!!!

The kids also loved the suction noise the Slime would make when they would press one of the animals into it and then take it out. (The School Agers taught them that) It was also interesting that when they took the toy out of the Slime the Slime didn't stick to the bottom of the animal, just to the top. HUM....

So, even though we wanted to focus on the Groundhog today, Slime was the hands down winner of the morning. Fun was had by all!!! Tomorrow is a new day :)


Yesterday I posted about my dismal organization skills. Thank you Bev and Ms Debbie... It is nice to know I am not alone!!! I did get to that area next to the fridge. OK, I know it doesn't look perfect and I haven't really addressed the issue of the pile (that keeps piling up) yet, but I will get there. Baby Steps :) I think I may follow Bev's advice and put up a couple of those plastic magazine rack kinda things on the wall over there, that will at least help make the counter stay clean. I also will look into where I can put some sort of desk/Armoire thingy to hold my "office." IKEA might be a good place for that.

Before After :)

Organize My Space

I have been reading a lot about office space for the Family Daycare Provider. This usually happens around Tax time since we need to get everyones invoice together and out to the appropriate people... and usually we have to look for it under a huge pile of "stuff" that has accumulated throughout the year.

Having our business in our home we have to carve out a space for the paper part of it. Important Files, Applications, Extra Applications, Supplies, Printers, Computers, etc... you get it!! Yet, when your in your home you don't want to give over every piece of it to your business, especially since you need it for the kids. I am finding that I don't want to take anything away from anyone else (the kids, the family, the household) so what to do. I have been watching Bev, at A Part of Our Day, working in her home office and making it use able again. I just wish I had a big enough space like that.

Yup, like Bev I can't believe I am showing my mess... but I need some ideas. I haven't even showed you the actual computer/printer area upstairs since I am not allowed to go on the second level of the house while daycare is in session. I hate that because during nap I would like to get some of my printing done while the kids sleep I just don't know where to put it so it doesn't take up kitchen space and the kids can't get at it.

I have all my supplies for the kids in the garage on large shelves my husband built for me. It is great until we have to clean out the playroom and I put it all in the garage with the intention to sort through it immediately (yeah right). I have stuffed my papers in a cupboard near the stove and than anything I kinda use on a daily basis or don't want to put away yet because I MIGHT use it is located in a jumbled pile on a kitchen counter next to the fridge. ARGH!!! I need to get organized.

(yes, my parents see this pile... I try to organize it every weekend... but it lasts a few days)

OK, Friends who stop by... what do you do?? Do you have a small space for yourself that you keep relatively neat and organized?? I want to make the business end of my Childcare Home easy so I can just spend time with the kids, I won't need to worry that when my Consultant comes, "Do I have everything she needs??"

I know I am not alone... I belong to a forum of Childcare Providers and I read the threads about organization. There are a lot of us in this situation, I am going to begin today sorting through that jumbled pile of mess on the counter... and maybe repurpose that area?? I'll keep you updated.