Trying to Keep Up!

Mouse Paint and Color Kittens

The PreK is studying about all kinds of change and transformation. We read two books about color mixing – an old favorite, Mouse Paint and an old story by Margaret Wise Brown, The Color Kittens.

Then we did a color science experiment. We stretched white fabric over plastic cups. The children drew on the fabric with permanent markers, then dripped rubbing alcohol on their drawings.

We watched the colors disperse, mix and spread. The rubber bands that held the fabric on the cups created a boundary that keeps the ink in a circle pattern. It was really exciting to see the result.

Although I didn’t read the stories to the Third Graders, I repeated the experiment with them. Then I asked them to use books and the internet to research to figure out what was happening and why!

Through Georgia’s Eyes

We read a book about a woman artist today. Georgia O’Keeffe was not familiar to the children, but I’m certain that they will become exposed to her work at some point in their lives…

I put out skulls and shells for the children to observe and draw.

Here are a few of the PreK’s drawings.

The Scraps Book -Notes From a Colorful Life

The PreK read a story about a woman artist to acknowledge International Women’s Day. Many of the children are familiar with the author, Lois Ehlert, who has written and illustrated quite a few of the Co-op children’s favorite books.

There is a photo of a cat mask in the book made by the author, so we made our own using collage materials and lots of lovely washi tape!

The Watcher

Since today is the beginning of Women’s history Month, the PreK read a short biography of Jane Goodall. We had a long and existential talk about animals, extinction, and why people might not take care of another creature’s habitat. We also looked at the photographs of Goodall and her chimpanzee society in The Chimpanzees I Love, a book she authored herself.

I put out a selection of women’s biographies and picture books that have girls and women as their main characters.

Fox Tales!

Two weeks ago, the PreK read Buying Mittens, a beautiful story about a fox child who needs mittens to keep his paws warm. As his mother is fearful of humans and of entering the town, she sends him off by himself. He finds that people are kind and returns with his mittens, safely to his mother. The children loved the magical part of the story when the mother fox turns her child’s paw into a human hand!

Last week, we read One Fine Day, in which a fox has his tail chopped off by an old woman when she becomes angry after he drinks up all of her milk! The fox has to go from person to field to stream to person to get the different things he needs to win his tail back. The children loved the story, then asked to play with the vintage plastic animals I have displayed in baskets in the library. I heard quite a bit of the story being replayed with the varied animals!

TODAY, we read Hattie and the Fox, a repetitive tale that has a concerned hen trying to warn her yard mates about the nose, eyes, body,….FOX…. that she sees lurking in the bushes. We finally got to fold our origami foxes – which was a bit challenging for some!

Happy Year of the Rooster!!