In between oviparous visitors (5 geckos, 2 turtles and a box of the cutest day old chicks), we made the mental switch to shiny, sparkly Easter eggs.



I found this project last year - probably from The Crafty Crow. (absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE The Crafty Crow)

I cut up a bunch of ribbon from my school ribbon stash.



The kidlets chose the ribbons that caught their eye and arranged them on the precut cardboard eggs.  The red and gold diamond ribbon really gives the eggs a Ukranian Easter egg look!

When the glue was dry, I gave the excess ribbon a "haircut".

And we have beautiful Easter bling to make our classroom sparkle.






last year the eggs decorated our tree

Tell me about your Easter bling.







Oviparous animals - and their eggs -  have taken over the sand table.


Since eggs are seasonal right now, we are chatting about oviparous animals.  

We read a couple of books about animals that hatch from eggs.


Back to the sand table.  I put in the larger size plastic Easter eggs and a bunch of small oviparous animals.


The kidlets have asked that a crocodile, alligator, squid, owl, ladybug, peacock and a snail join the other animals.

The kidlets have been playing with the eggs and the animals.  I always love watching and listening over their shoulders to see (and hear) what life they are bringing to the materials.

playing with the eggs


playing with the oviparous animals

Michelle at Apples and ABCs did a sort with oviparous animals and Easter eggs with her kidlets.  

Sara at the Happy Brown House has free oviparous animal printables.

And there are lots of Eggcelent Easter Ideas at the Linky Party that Mary is hosting at Sharing Kindergarten.

loving my plastic eggs,




We are hoping that Spring shows up here soon.

Spring came in like a lion, and seems to be heading out the same way.

Rubber boots are still the order of the day. Here's what those rubber boots were spotted doing on the playground.











visions of flip flops in my head...



After a two week Spring Break, we are easing into the Easter madness with Spring kites.



Today we made a kite glyph.  I love glyphs.  I tell the kids that we are putting a secret code into our work.   The kids think they are doing a fun craft, but I know that they are doing math  (and today, some language arts skills).


First the kidlets had to choose a kite colour, trace a kite from a cardboard tracer and cut it out.


The first part of our gylph was adding black stripes

 -  the same number of black stripes as letters in their name.
(there are some kidlets with long names!)

Next up was dots 

- the same number of dots as syllables in their names.



Then they added a tail and bows
- the same number of bows as vowels in their names. 


The kites add a bit of Spring colour to our classroom.


What new spring art are you creating?

Look at my Happy Rainbow posted this video this morning.

While we know that play is important, even crucial, for our kidlets' development, it is good to have the scientific information to back up our beliefs.

It's less than 5 minutes, in cartoon, and thought provoking.  Check it out

We are born to learn...


Thanks for sharing Look at my Happy Rainbow.




I figure it's  time for a bit of Spring in the classroom.

Time for a new sensory bin - an Easter sensory bin.




I used dyed rice as a base - green for grass.  I checked out the neon food colouring, but the green was very yellow - too yellow for grass.


So, I used the old traditional food colouring green as well.  


The different greens work well together.



Now to add the bits and pieces.
tie dye plastic Easter eggs
fillable carrots
three cut up Easter bead necklaces
a package of little wooden egg hanging ornaments with the strings cut off
spring coloured pom poms
a pair of bunny scissor for putting eggs in dye cups
some Easter themed erasers
some thrift shop Easter baskets/containers


still needs a bit of "sparkle"

blinged it up with
 a couple of Thai soup spoons
clear glass flat marbles
purple and pink plastic jewels
sparkly flower shaped bracelet links



and found the cutest little duckies - they even light up!



I always enjoy watched the kidlets interact with the sensory bin.  They always think outside my box; it is never a completed project.


I always meander through the blogosphere and check out Pinterest  to see what brilliant ideas are being shared before I make a sensory box for my kidlets.  

And Next Comes L - waterbeads are always fun
Pink and Green Mama - MaryLea is always brilliant
I Heart Crafty Things - adding a little number fun
Juxtapost - love the wooden spoon and basket
Modern Preschool - a bunny tail bin!




            

I love seeing other people’s classroom.  I love seeing how they have chosen to set up their rooms, how they organize their materials, how the rooms invite the children to learn.  
I love stealing their ideas.  Well, it’s not really stealing.  More like sharing.  
Last year a generous colleague let me poke around in her classroom.  Kerry knows her stuff ( an expert on Discipline Without Stress, Punishment or Rewards, fabulous early reading strategies), and is always learning more!
One of the many things that caught my eye was how she organized her coloured scrap paper.  I “shared” her idea.



I used Ikea magazine folders (but any would do the job just fine) and made colour word labels.  (These labels are actually shared from another colleague who saw the boxes in my room and made labels that were way better than mine and shared them back with me).
The kids use the paper all the time in their art projects, it helps them think like artists (what colour do I want, rather than grabbing any paper), clean up is easier, and it looks  like the classroom is a place for creating art.  As it is.  
thanks for sharing, Kerry





As I was driving down the main street of Dundas Ontario, something caught my eye.

There, on the corner of the street, was a fenced area with grass, trees, rocks, logs, wooden chairs and tables and bright, colourful welcoming art.  It beckoned to be explored.



So, Timmie's (Canadian coffee institution) green tea latte in hand, I went exploring.

I found hand carved log chairs

wooden tables and chairs for picnics, projects and deep conversation


movable, create-able obstacle course materials

a hill slide

rocks to climb

and posts for stimulation of imaginative and dramatic play  


What a fabulous space for children to create and build their own play worlds. 

Guess what I want at my school ....

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