Clean Mud

Clean Mud

• 1 Roll of Toilet Paper
• 1 Bar of Ivory Soap 
• Vegetable Peeler 
• Water 
• Large Bowl

1. Take the roll of toilet paper and tear the sheets in to small pieces.
2. Place the pieces of paper in a large bowl.
3. Use the vegetable peeler and shave about a quarter (1/4) of the bar of soap into the bowl filled with the paper.
4. Add warm water to the mixture. Start out with just enough water to dampen the paper.
5. Have the child mix the ingredients, working the “clean mud” in between her fingers.
6. Slowly add more and more water to the mixture to create a slimier feeling.

 Less Mess: Place the mixture into a Ziploc bag and allow the child to feel the “clean mud” from the outside of the bag.

 More Mess: Mix small items (such as coins or small plastic beads) into the mixture and have the child find the hidden objects.

Education A Two Way Street

I was taken with a comment made during a reception we had for our Spanish speaking child care providers the other night. Edouardo, a very eloquent gentleman who used to be a professor in Cuba, was talking about helping his wife with the children in their family child care home.

He said that although he hopes the children learn from him during the day, he always learns something from them too. I hadn’t thought about that for a long time but I sure do agree with him. Among other things kids have taught me: not to take life too seriously, a hug goes a long way, you should always be comfortable when reading, friends are really important, the artistic process is more important than the product. Dancing is a good thing.

4-C Invites you to attend the annual Step Up for Kids Conference on October 5th.

On October 5th, 2010, advocates from across the state of Kentucky will gather for the
 
Step Up For Kids Conference
 
to celebrate National Step Up For Kids Week and to prepare for the 7th Annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, to be held on February 17th, 2011.
 
Where:        The Gheens Academy
                  4425 Preston Highway
                  Louisville, KY, 40213
 
When:         Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
                  8:30 am – 4:00 pm
 
Cost:           Free! Includes Lunch.
 
Register here.

Karo Syrup Color Mixing

At a recent training with teachers involved in the PNC Grow Up Great with Science grant, we explored the properties of liquids and some unconventional ways to experiment with color mixing. Karo syrup provides a unique experience, because the colors don’t mix immediately but instead slide over one another creating a variety of shades and patterns and sometimes allowing the primary colors to re-emerge. If you are looking for an activity that is mesmerizing, try this one out. Just look how transfixed these teachers are!

Materials: Karo Syrup, Food Coloring, Large Waxed Paper Plate

Instructions:

• Put a large drop of Karo Syrup in the middle of a paper plate.
• Add one drop of yellow, one of red, and one of blue food coloring on opposite edges of the syrup. 
• As the child holds the plate vertically and lets the syrup run, the colors begin to mix and make other colors. 
• Keep turning the plate so that the syrup does not drip off. 
• What colors do you see? Can you make any new colors?
• Turn it again. Do you see any of the colors you started with?

A Healthy Journey for Two Educational Baby Showers

Noticing the Details

I don’t know about your life, but mine seems to get busier and busier every day juggling work, home, family and friends. There always seems to be reasons to do things faster, just to get them done, to have time to do more things in the limited hours of the day. But the issue with faster and more is that there is little time to appreciate the details in life. Noticing details is a hallmark of a good scientist. Up close is where the discoveries are waiting, the ones that spark curiosity, make you wonder why or how or what and invite you to take another look, examine closer, or read more.  

Life can be full of these moments of wonder, but you have to slow down to find them. Have you ever noticed that drops of water cling to your fingers before falling off or examined salt to that see each individual crystal is a cube? Have you ever wondered why little rays of light seem to dance on the table when shining through a glass of water or why cream swirls in a cup of coffee? These are the types of observations that invite your mind to question and ponder how the world works, which is exactly what we want our children to be doing. What do you notice? How does it feel? How does it smell? Does it remind you of anything? What do you think would happen if…? The right question at the right time can help children focus on details, make connections and lead them to deeper learning.

One thing you should know about me is that I carry a pocket microscope in my purse, and I use it all the time. Just today I was showing my coworker, Brenda, an insect I found outside our door. It was some type of beetle I had never seen before, but the colors were amazing; lines of emerald green running down its wing edged with magenta, iridescent blues, purples and copper on its back, silver eyes made of hundreds of tiny lenses. Noticing these things myself makes me a curious person, but sharing what I am curious about with others is when the magic happens; when Brenda gets curious and calls to another coworker inviting her to look closer. We wondered together what kind of insect it might be, why its eyes have so many lenses and what the world must look like through them. You don’t have to wait for rainbows to feel the wonder of living, and the more you can model wonder for children, the more children will appreciate the world around them and want to know more about it.

Why we do the work we do.

Susan Vessels

Shoe Box Shadow Theater

Children are fascinated by shadows. From playing in the sunlight chasing their shadows to quiet moments waving their hands over the tops of flashlights, shadows spark curiosity in children and can seem almost magical as the shadows change shape, grow in size or “disappear” when you walk under a bigger shadow. There are numerous ways to encourage light and shadow play. Hang a sheet in front of a window and make shadows with your whole body.  Cut figures out of thick paper and make a shadow puppet play. Turn off all the lights and use flashlights to go on a scavenger hunt. Play shadow tag on the playground. Trace shadows on the sidewalk at different times of the day and see how your shadow changes. Put your shadow with a friend’s and make a three legged, two headed shadow monster! Below you will find directions for one of my favorite shadow activities, a Shoe Box Shadow Theater.

 What you need:

• Shoe Box
• Tape
• Parchment Paper or Plain White Paper
• Small Objects
• Block
• Flashlight  (Clip lights in photo purchased at the Dollar Tree)

What you do:

1. Cut the bottom out of a shoe box leaving a small edge.
2. Place paper over the opening and tape it down around the perimeter.
3. Place a small block in the middle to be the stage and aim a flashlight at the top of the block.
4. Play a guessing game with a friend. Chose a small object to put on the block and have a friend try to guess what the object is by looking at its shadow on the other side.
5. Try small plastic animals, letters, numbers, or shapes. Use your theater to tell a story or a nursery rhyme. Cut your own shapes and characters out of thick paper. Experiment with the placement of the object. How does the shadow change? Can you make it bigger? Can you make it smaller? What else can you make the shadow do?

Threats to non-profit child care organizations

The latest issue of Exchange magazine reports on a study recently conducted with North America’s largest non-profit child care organizations. When asked about the events threatening non-profit organizations in 2010, they listed the following :

1. State of the economy
2. Rising cost of health insurance
3. Children with challenging behaviors
4. Decreases in public subsidies
5. Lack of affordable space to expand
6. Lack of subsidies for middle class parents
7. Shortage of qualified teachers
8. State quality rating systems
9. Changes to state licensing/regulations
10. Lack of work ethic of younger hires

What do you see as the biggest threats to your program?

To read more about the survey, go to www.ChildCareExchange.com

Poll