It will allow my child to have quality childcare in a safe environment at an affordable price. Without the assistance, my daughter would not be able to enjoy being with caring staff while I'm at work.
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
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?
Healthy Journey for Two educational Baby Showers: Explore the do’s and don’ts of a healthy pregnancy in a fun setting. Pregnant women will receive a diaper bag and baby items!!! Chances to win more prizes such as layette set(s), bottle sets, etc.!!! FREE!!! Any pregnant woman eligible to attend.
August 4th 2010 (Wed.), 9:30 – 10:30am: Park DuValle Community Health Center 3015 Wilson Avenue–Louisville KY 40210 ***RSVP required to Deanna Felts @ 502/4399462***
August 5th 2010 (Thurs), 12noon – 2pm: Louisville Free Public Library – Newburg Branch 4800 Exeter Avenue – Louisville KY 40218 ***RSVP required to Jackie Engle @ 502/4394591***
August 10th 2010 (Tues), 2:00 – 4:00pm: Louisville Free Public Library – Bon Air Branch 2816 Del Rio Place – Louisville KY 40218 ***RSVP required to Jackie Engle @ 502/4394591***
August 11th 2010 (Wed), 12:30 – 3:00pm: (2nd ½ of the prenatal class) Family Health Center – East Broadway 914 East Broadway – Louisville Ky 40204 **RSVP required to Jackie Engle @ 502/4394591 or Kristin Monro Leighton 7728588**
August 12th 2010 (Thurs), 9:30 – 10:30am: Park DuValle Community Health Center 3015 Wilson Avenue–Louisville KY 40210. ***RSVP required to Deanna Felts @ 502/4399462***
August 31st 2010 (Tues), 6:00 – 8:00pm: Baptist Hospital Northeast (Conf. Rm B – 2nd Floor) 1025 New Moody Lane LaGrange KY 40031 ***RSVP required*** ***NEW (FREE) Online registration available at https://www.baptistnortheast.com/portal/site/baptistnortheast/prenatalclassesor via phone to Sunny Cain @ 2223397 or Deanna Felts @ 502/4399462***
“A Healthy Journey for Two” program is made possible by a grant from the Kentucky Division of Substance Abuse. This program is coordinated by Seven Counties Services, Inc. and KIDSNow Plus. Dates/times/locations are subject to change. Please call to confirm details.
Have questions? Contact Jackie Engle, Kidsnow Plus Coordinator, at 439-4591 or jengle@sevencounties.org.
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.
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:
Cut the bottom out of a shoe box leaving a small edge.
Place paper over the opening and tape it down around the perimeter.
Place a small block in the middle to be the stage and aim a flashlight at the top of the block.
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.
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?
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 :
State of the economy
Rising cost of health insurance
Children with challenging behaviors
Decreases in public subsidies
Lack of affordable space to expand
Lack of subsidies for middle class parents
Shortage of qualified teachers
State quality rating systems
Changes to state licensing/regulations
Lack of work ethic of younger hires
What do you see as the biggest threats to your program?
Looking for adventure this summer and opportunities to explore with your child right in your own back yard? There are tons of ideas and suggestions on the internet. Here are just a few of my favorite sites.
TryScience (www.tryscience.org) is a collaboration between science and technology centers. Try out suggested experiments at home, play online games, or view live feeds from webcams in science centers all over the world. Under the “Parents” section, download free family guides to science and nature destinations in your own city and state!
Peep and the Big Wide World™ (www.peepandthebigwideworld.com) is a preschool science cartoon based on a curious little bird named Peep. The website contains a different cartoon episode each day, games, recommended books, a free downloadable “Explorer’s Guide” and loads of fun, easy “Anywhere Science and Math Activities” that give you ideas based on themes or location.
Kids Gardening (www.kidsgardening.org), created by the National Gardening Association, offers everything you need to know to start gardening with your child. Here you can find what kind of gardening activities you can expect your child to accomplish at various ages, how to design and build a garden, tips on gardening safety, and recommendations on which plants are easy for children to grow.
Nature Rocks (www.naturerocks.org) provides local destinations for exploring nature as well as activity suggestions based on your location, age of child and how much time you have available.
Looking for an activity that is both fascinating and easy to make with the ingredients in your kitchen? Then Oobleck is the goo for you! It is basically just cornstarch and water, but at just the right mixture, it is a liquid while sitting still but turns into a solid the moment you squeeze it. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself! Also, Oobleck is easy to clean up. It rinses away from hands and clothes with water, or if you let it dry, it turns into a powder and can be brushed off. Just don’t pour a glob of it down your drain!
Recipe
1 cup of water
1 ½ – 2 cups of cornstarch
food coloring
Add food coloring to your water and slowly start adding the cornstarch. Start out with a cup and a half of cornstarch and continue to add more until the goo looks like a liquid, but the moment you try to stir, it cracks around the spoon and gets stiff. If it gets too stiff and turns completely into a solid, just add a little more water. Refrigerate Oobleck in a baggie if you are going to play with it more than one day.
Now the real fun begins. Try poking it hard with your finger. What happened? Now try easing your finger into it. Did it react the same way? Put your hand in and try to pick some up. Can you roll it into a ball? What happens when you stop rolling it? Try pouring some from a cup, or put some in a tray and tilt. What do you notice? Try using a funnel. As the stream comes out the bottom, can you break it in two as if it were solid? Make another color of Oobleck and let the children mix the two. What other tools can you try with Oobleck? How do you think the Oobleck will react?
The science behind it:
Cornstarch doesn’t dissolve in water like sugar or salt does. Instead, the tiny particles are suspended in the water, floating next to each other. When Oobleck is sitting still or gentle pressure is applied (such as easing your finger into it), the particles are able to move around each other and make way for things moving through it (like a liquid would act). When greater pressure is applied to Oobleck (such as poking it with your finger or squeezing it in your hand), the particles are forced closer together creating a “traffic jam”. When they don’t have space to move, the particles bunch up and behave like a solid. As soon as the pressure is released, the particles are free to move around again and will flow like a liquid.
Did you know?
Oobleck is used in games show challenges. If you had a swimming pool of Oobleck, you could run across it. Just don’t stand still!
What have you tried?
What are your Oobleck experiences or do you have other concoctions that you make with children? Share your ideas!
