I would like to sincerely apologize for my lack of consistency with my posting lately. I'm truly trying to get myself back on track, and as of next week, I should have a more regular schedule which will actually have blogging time carved out (yay!)!
Anyways, hope you're all having a fun Sukkos. Although this isn't super preschool related, I'd like to share my latest "Craftcapade". This year is the first year we have our own Sukkah! My husband is super handy, so he went to Lowes, bought the wood for the frame and the canvas, built it in what felt like minutes (ok it was really hours, but who cares?), and then suggested that I paint the Sukkah. At first he was suggesting that I actually use a brush and paints (for those of you who don't know, I'm currently pursuing a BA in Art), but then I thought why not use spray paints? So- I headed over to Michaels, coupons and teacher card in tow (you get %15 your purchase with teacher ID) and chose my paints. I found some great Krylon paints that actually ha a vertical spray hole which was fun for the lulav in particular.
Anyways, I had a blast, and I highly recommend the experience- just prepare appropriately! I wore a pretty heavy apron and vinyl gloves, plus I had a thick newspaper to practice spraying on. Spray paint is extremely permanent so make decisions wisely, and then have fun! I sure did!
Chag Sameach!
Winter is DEFINITELY here! Brr!
What you'll need for this fun board:
White cut outs to spell WINTER
Glue
Silver or iridescent glitter
Thin twigs/branches
Cotton Balls
Staple Gun/Stapler
For the letters spelling WINTER, have the kids squeeze dots of glue and then cover with silver glitter for some fun and sparkle. If you have iridescent glitter, that will look more like snow. I did the letters during free play so only 6 kids did this activity. If you want to include everyone, simply cut extra letters- or Winter words like Snowman, Windy, etc.
For the snow tree, teach the children to tear up the cotton balls bait and wrap around the branches. you may want to reinforce with some glue. Once dry, a stole gun will work better to assemble because the staples are longer, but just staple the twigs to the wall so that you have a tree covered in snow!
Ta-Da!
This is going to be a short and sweet post because I'm not feeling well.
Today in school. we decorated the letters for our bulletin board! First, I cut out the letter spelling "A Freilichen Chanukah"- But you decide what words you'd like to have up on the wall. If you have more kids than letters, cut out duplicates, and either hang them in more than one place, or only use the letters that you need.
I set out the letters on the table with a variety of glitter glues. At circle time, I showed the kids how to make tiny polka dots, and we practiced the refrain "Dot, Dot, Not a Lot". Then we went over to the table and had a ball dotting our letters! They're going to look great up on the walls!
Now that the ceiling's covered, let's move onto the walls.
For this giant Menorah you will need:
2-3 similar colored or painted poster boards for the base
9 sheets of card stock for the flames in either white or yellow
2-3 White or other colored poster boards for the candles
Collage materials
Glue
glitter or glitter glue
scissors
First, cut 9 equal and long vertical strips for the candles- they can be as large as you'd like them to be. Divide your class into groups with either a mix of collage materials and paints or separating them so that each candle reflects its group. With older kids I like to use all white materials (ideas are packing peanuts, cotton balls, white tissue paper, shaving cream and white paint mixed together, scraps of paper, cut border strips, foam, felt, painted macaroni, rice). Next come the flames. If your kids are already cutting basic shapes, or practicing cutting, you can provide them with drawn flames to cut out. If you have more than 9 kids, don't worry- you don't have to use every one, and if you have less, then just do this for more than one day until you have enough flames. But if you teach younger kids, you'll want to be the one to cut out the flames. I like to add a little nick to my flames instead of the classic raindrop shape to give the fire some life. (you can see the difference below in a photo). Use the glitter or glitter glue to decorate the flames. Finally, line up all 9 flames with a couple inches space between them and measure the base length that you need. Cut out a base from the remaining poster boards. I like to just make the base flat without individual candle spaces to make my life easier when hanging the Menorah.
Hang up the menorah and light up the classroom!
ps, you may want to number the flames or candles 1-8 to include a counting lesson in the bulletin board, though this year most schools will be on Winter break for the actual Chag.
Now that we have the background of Fall crafts- don't worry I've got more up my sleeve :), today I had so much fun with my kids as we decorated a sign for our bulletin board proclaiming that it is indeed the Fall. First, I cut out the Letters F A L L, along with 4-5 different Fall leaves. Google images provided me with the ideas for different leaves :) Next, I provided the kids with tissue paper squares that were green, red, orange, yellow, and brown; following the progression of color that the leaves go through. The children had so much fun gluing the tissue paper squares to the letters and leaves, and then shaking off the excess squares, and when it's dry we'll hang the whole ensemble on our wall for all to see!
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