Browsing other artists work

We began by looking through book upon book of mosaics done by others.  This gave the children ideas and inspiration for how they wanted to create their own mosaics.  They used buttons, stones, crystals and beads.  Here are some of the mosaics the children created.

Making a many patterned mosaic

Inspired by color

Playing around with height

The children did not glue their work down.  This was a simple exploration of mosaics and using a variety of materials.  After more exploring the children will have an opportunity to create more permanent mosaics.

Looking at artists work

Even after they had finished exploring and creating one child continued to look through one of the books and couldn’t help but stop on one page and say “That is just awesome!”  Those are the things we love to hear!

Choosing the oil pastels

After a brief introduction, but not giving too much away about the new art medium in front of them, the children chose 2 colors they wanted to start with.  As they worked they talked about how the oil pastels moved across the paper.  Some were making “bumpy” lines while others who colored more in one spot noticed it was “smooth”.

Blending with our knuckles

Some children without any guidance began using various techniques that can be used with oil pastels; such as blending or etching.  One child didn’t just use her fingers, she used her knuckles!  Then after time with two colors the children were able to choose other colors to add to their artwork.  They continued to discover how the oil pastels worked on the paper as well as with each other.

Adding watercolors

When their artwork was deemed complete we introduced an art medium we were already familiar with; watercolors.  We explained that often artists use two art mediums to make a creation.  Then we left it up to them to see how the watercolors and oil pastels worked with each other.  They began to notice that the watercolors were filling up the space the oil pastels did not and the oil pastel markings “didn’t wash away”.

Take a peek at some of their creations!

These masterpieces will soon find their home in our lobby’s art gallery!  They sure will add some wonderful color!

With Hurricane Sandy coming, I’m quite nervous.  My backyard is lined with trees and the branches and limbs break off quite easily during storms.  My car was damaged from a thunderstorm a month or so back after a giant limb fell on it.  Thank god for insurance. Though I enjoyed driving my rental Suburban, a pretty bad ass black monster, I missed my car.  The hubby and I will be putting our cars on the street during Sandy, out of the way of trees.

After Irene and several other storms that left Lambertville without power for extended periods of time, the hubby and I decided to purchase a generator.  The anticipation is pretty killer and the hype on the TV and in the news only makes the anticipation that much worse.  I truly hope that it isn’t as bad as the “Frankenstorm” they call it, but with most other people, I’m as prepared as one can be for a hurricane.

Be safe my fellow East Coasters.

Sorting by size

We showed the children some items we found in our garden such as leaves in all colors and sizes.  We took some of our leaves and modeled how we could sort them by their size; big and small.

Sorting objects

We found some other items like a pine cone, feather, stick, stone and a small leaf.  The children helped to think of ways we could sort these items.  They came up with pointy and round!

Off into the woods

It took a lot of control for the children to not just run off into the woods alone.  They were so excited to see what was within the tangled tree line that they have been looking at everyday across from our garden!  Once through the trees they found leaves, acorn tops, pine cones, sticks and pine needles.  But rather than reading a bunch of words, take a look at the slew of pictures from our hike to get a sneak peek into all that we saw and did!

Collecting Leaves

Looking for pine cones around the Pine tree

Going a little further in the woods to explore

We found some moss…”It feels like a carpet!”

and a slug…we didn’t put that in our bag!

After all of this exploring we decided to relax and play for a little while in the woods.  Who needs a playground when you have the natural playground of the woods!

Lounging in the grass

Swinging on a vine

After all of this fun we headed back to the classroom to go through what we found!  Each child chose 6 items to sort into groups that had something in common.  Then they drew how they sorted their items in their science journal.

Sorting natural items

One child looked at her items and made a group of leaves and then a group of long pointy items.

Sorting rough and smooth

Another child noticed that when he touched the leaves some felt smooth and others felt rough.

Here are a few of the children’s science journal entries.

Skinny and spiky

Leaves and pine cones

The woods are now a favorite spot of ours.  We plan to visit more often and explore new pathways, find new items, listen to the birds and simply enjoy nature.  There is no better way to learn!

*Don’t forget to visit us at our OPEN HOUSE Thursday, November 8th from 10-11:30am*

Cleaning the garden beds

One job was to clean the leaves out of the garden bed.  There sure was a lot!

Breaking off the kale

Then there was the vegetable garden that needed work.  Some of the children broke off the kale leaves to put in the compost.

Picking the last of the tomatoes

Now we never want to waste food so some children picked the last of our cherry tomatoes that we could eat for snack.  There were many to pick since our tomatoes have been determined to keep growing even though the days are getting colder.

Picking the herbs

We had some of our older children cut the herbs.  Our lemon verbena and lavender were still healthy so we clipped it and collected it in a basket.  We had plans for that later!

Feeling and smelling our herbs

Later in the afternoon we gathered in the garden to go through the herb pickings.  We passed them around so the children could feel the texture and smell the wonderful aromas.  Then it was time for them to choose their favorites to make into bouquets.

Tying up our bouquets

We guided the children (often having to give a helping hand) to tie their herbs together with string.

Proud of our herb bouquets

Everyone was very excited when they succeeded in tying their bouquets.  Now these beautiful and wonderful smelling bouquets are hanging throughout our school.  What a great way to show the children that what grows in our garden can be used in so many ways!

*You can see all the changes that have happened to our garden and our herb bouquets at our OPEN HOUSE Thursday, November 8th from 10-11:30 am.*

Scooping and pouring

We saw a lot of scooping and pouring.  Some worked hard to line their paper towel rolls with the mouth of the jug so the corn would pour through smoothly.

“Making Smoothies”

The use of their imaginations led the corn and bird seed to be ingredients in a smoothie.  This included pouring in the “ingredients”, making a high-pitched “hmmmm” blender noise and viola “a smoothie!”

Chutes and Slides

While the scooping, pouring and smoothie making was fun we decided to add some cut tubes and tape.  These additions turned into chutes and slides!  Now the children began scooping and pouring the corn down the slides seeing how fast it could go down or how far it could go.

Tunnels for the corn and bird seed

They loved seeing what they could “slide” the corn through so tunnels were formed.  Unfortunately, they discovered it didn’t go all the way through the tunnels, but it was fun to experiment!

*We invite you to experience the creative spirit of Painted Oak at our OPEN HOUSE on November 8th from 10-11:30 am*

Displaying our materials

The way we display our materials shows that we value art and creating.  We want the children to truly see what they are going to use and find the beauty in it!  Clear jars, bowls and containers are key.  During our newest art exploration the presentation of materials was particularly important because there was a lot to use.  We had black and white paint, paintbrushes, paper, mixing trays, sticks and spoons!  Whew!

Our focus this week was on the beginning and end of color…black and white!  We allowed the children to freely explore and make observations while they created.

Starting with a line

Some children began by painting a simple line noticing the way the white popped off the page or how the black blended in to their paper.

“A Zebra”

These lines for some became more than just lines.  One child exclaimed “I made a Zebra!”

Big brush strokes

Others created large marks on their page noting how these reminded them of things in their lives…”the night sky”.

“A House”

Making lines and large marks became “A House” for one child.  With the use of different brushes and strokes the children began to see they could create so many things!

Making grey

By painting with the black and white the children observed they could make another color; grey!  A discussion began of how white and black when mixed with other colors affect them.  White will make colors a lighter shade and black will make them darker!  They had lots of fun making various shades of grey.

Using corks to stamp a Fall tree

To usher in fall, we reused corks to stamp leaves the colors we are eager to see.  Each child was given a little bit of red and yellow paint along with a couple of corks.  Since our previous art explorations had a focus on creating secondary colors from primary colors the children knew they could make another color of Fall, orange, by mixing these two colors together.  We taught the children how to use corks as stamps rather than as paintbrushes; “press and pull” was a reminder throughout.

Stamping on the mural wall

The children were very excited to use our mural wall for the first time.  It’s not everyday that you get to paint on the wall!

Stamping our Fall trees

During the creation of our Fall trees many of the children called out “we are making circles”.  Learning is always intertwined in all that we do!

Displaying our artwork

After every child had an opportunity to add leaves to our tree we hung our mural over the couch in our reading area for all to see!  We give all the artwork the children create a special place.

As we transition to the richness of harvest time, remember that comfort comes in many forms.  It might be a tile of sesame toffee bittersweet chocolate (poco dolce, $3.00), or a kind word (free!)…but for a gift of comfort to a cherished friend or family member, take a look at the stunning line of American hardwood handcrafts from the folks at Treestump Woodcrafts in Arizona.

Inspired by the tradition of the Ming Dynasty in which cracks in porcelain are sometimes filled with gold to highlight and celebrate the flaw, Christine and Ron Sisco fill the natural cracks and veins in mesquite wood with turquoise and finish it to withstand rigors of everyday use.  Their pieces are the perfect gift for a housewarming or for a treasured friend at harvest time.

Pair a mesquite bread board with a matching spreader for marmalade or basil butter; add a loaf of artisan bread and you have a gift of comfort to be remembered and shared for years to come.

Mark the days well.  Surround yourself with those you love, and make a gift of comfort.

Cooperation at the sensory table

The first day it was introduced everyone was involved in the play.  You may have called it a slight obsession!  Where previously we had children simply playing next to each other with our rice and beans; we now had them working together to make cakes, snakes, lollipops or even food for their “baby”!

A favorite tool to use…the container!

One unexpected treat was the interest the children had in using the containers the play dough was brought in.  This often became the pan for the cakes they made or a challenge of seeing how much play dough they could fit in the container and then attempting to close it back up again.

Enjoying sensory play

Although the containers were a favorite, we included many other tools for the children to use.  We had cinnamon sticks, cookie cutters, pie pans, measuring cups, a wooden knife and a rolling-pin.  These tools led to the evolution of the kind of play that we observed at the sensory table.

We encourage everyone to try their hands at making scented play dough (the apple pie scented recipe is below).  Giving the children the sensory experience of not only touch (they loved the play dough “squishing” through their hands) but also using their sense of smell was a joy to see!  We can’t wait for the season to change again and new scents to take hold in our sensory table.

Apple Pie Scented Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt (use iodized, not kosher for smoother dough)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• Red food coloring (I used the Wilton gel colors)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Stir ingredients together well in pot.  Over medium heat cook the dough, stirring constantly until it forms a ball.  Turn dough onto a board (or the countertop) and knead until very smooth.  Cool.  Store in a covered plastic container.

Observing nature in our school’s own backyard!

Now that we have been at school for a week we felt it was time to take our first walking field trip.  What better way to start than exploring the small block that surrounds our school!

Reading “If I Were a Tree” by Dar Hosta

To ignite discussion about what we might find on our walk we read “If I Were a Tree” by Dar Hosta during circle time.

Our nature scavenger hunt card

After reading and discussing what we thought we might see we introduced the nature scavenger hunt card.  This card was given to pairs of children to help focus some of our observations on the walk.

Observing a flower

We found many things on our scavenger hunt card like the dandelion growing out of the grass, a hawk flying above, butterflies and dried up worms!

“what’s this?”…a fire hydrant!

We didn’t just observe natural elements around our school.  The fire hydrant had the children very curious with many questions about what it is, what it’s used for and how it works.

A bird’s nest

One of the children’s most exciting moments and also greatly enjoyed by the teachers was the discovery of a fallen bird’s nest.  The children were fascinated so we decided to carefully take it back to the school.  The nest has now found a home on our “I wonder” table for more investigation and learning to take part over the course of the next few days.

Using our science journals

When we made it back to school we circled around with our science journals to write and draw about our favorite thing we saw on the nature walk.  A common favorite was the “squirmy wormy!”  We do love our worms at Painted Oak!

using our fingertips

Some of the children were a little more hesitant to get too messy so they just used their fingertips to dab the paint around the canvas.  We all noticed that the color was brighter using this technique because there were big globs of paint.

using our whole hand

Many of the children chose to use their whole hand to move the paint around.  We observed that by doing this the colors really mixed together!

using our knuckles

By using our knuckles or fingers the children observed that the white of the paper showed through.  One child said “it looks like spaghetti!”

using our elbows

A favorite way to move the finger paints around was using our arms and elbows.  Who wouldn’t love to be covered in paint!  By doing this we saw that the marks we made were thicker than when we just used our fingers.

Understanding the different ways they can move the paint or how their different body parts affect the look or texture of the paint gives the children a broader knowledge of how they can use this medium to depict what they want to paint in the future.

We began by reading “My Five Senses” by Aliki during circle time to begin a discussion of what our senses are, how we can use them and what we may see, hear, feel, smell or taste in the garden.  We then introduced the children’s Science Journals that they will use throughout the year to write down their observations and questions about all they will explore.  By now the children were itching to get into the garden so we were on our way!

Slimy, squiggly worms

One of the first things we found when we went into the garden were some slimy, squiggly worms!  The children loved looking at, feeling and even smelling the worms.  One child did remind the others that they can’t eat the worms!  We heard a lot of discussion amongst the children and we saw a lot of drawings of the worms in our science journals.

Using a magnifying glass to look up close

The children found that sometimes their eyes weren’t giving them a close enough view of all that could be seen in the garden.  We used magnifying glasses to look more closely to something growing on one of our tree stumps.  We’re still not quite sure what it is!

Clang, bang, clink

Don’t forget about the sounds in our garden.  The music wall brought great joy to the children as they banged and clanged the pots and pans.  We also heard a plane fly over, the train zoom by and crickets chirping!

Drawing what we observed in the garden

We had drawings of carrots, apples, worms, plants and tomatoes.  The children were so excited to explore the garden and have their own journal to write down all that they observed.  These journals will be used often at Painted Oak and we look forward to seeing the children’s growth in their documenting!

Lunch: 11:30

Al Fresco

Web site: lambertvillestation.com

Our travel:  17 miles, 30 minutes

Parking: plentiful

Style: American

Music: cabaret

September 2012

Al Fresco

Reisling ($7.25), Bridge St Cabernet ($7.50)

Crab cake sandwich ($15.00)

Fish taco ($11.00)

2 decaf ($3.00)

Server: Sarah

This has happened several times recently and I’m so happy about it. As we’re rolling on toward Fall and the cooler weather, I want to recommend you look at our collection from Amy Brill. You might remember these versatile sweaters from other years. The yummy softness and warm colors are only outdone by the truly unique styles that morph from one look to another with just a couple of pulls. Indescribable – you’ll just have to come in and try them on. And we carried the tailored, oh so chic cloth bags from Material Things for several years too. They’re back!

Some of you might recall the whimsical scrimshaw type jewelry that was made for us by Rachel Badeau of Moosup Valley Designs. These charming pin/necklaces and plaques always made me proud to have her work in the jewelry department. And now – she’s back! You can come in and enjoy them, especially if you are cat lovers or into the natural world of trees and creatures that surround us. If you’re not familiar, come on in and see them. They are little pieces of a better world.

It’s so comforting to be surrounded by old friends, especially these talented and delightful folks. come on back and join us.

Seeing what we can discover about color

Our starting materials were primary colored water, medicine droppers and a paint palette.  The children freely explored what mixing these three colors could do.  Quotes such as “I made purple!” or “look, look when I mixed yellow and blue I made green!” or asking their friends “how did you make your water orange?” were all around us.

Mixing in the cornstarch

After plenty of time exploring with the colored water and the colors we could make we introduced the cornstarch.  This was the children’s favorite part!  As they added more and more cornstarch they noticed how what was once powdery was now goopy!  The change in texture allowed for a great sensory experience and an opportunity to share their observations of the changes the cornstarch made.

Colored goop

This exploration had the children describe their discoveries, pose questions and teach each other what they had found out.  Their new-found knowledge of how colors work and mix together as well as the different textures that are found in the art studio will expand as our year of explorations continue!

Make sure to look back to discover what our explorations are each week and all that the children are learning in our art studio!

This is the view from our brunch table at Lambertville Station last Sunday. No worry about the tracks. They have been abandoned for years and now only serve as a reminder of the Station’s original function.

Here’s a view of our tabletop before brunch was served (and demolished in short order):

EdC.

We cycled down to Lambertville again this Sunday and while Phyl browsed the shops I walked  the back-streets of Lambertville.  This alley is off Coryell Street next to a nicely renovated commercial building.  It’s hard to tell if the signage is restored or newly created but it looks cool in either case.

EdC.