The Art Center

MCP Art Center

The beginning of August means school is just around the corner and I begin to get very excited.  It also means I have to head back to the classroom.


Over the summer, I love to search for treasures for preschool at thrift stores and garage sales. We don't operate on a shoestring budget, we operate on half a shoestring. Garages sales and thrift stores keep our tuition costs down (don't you wish universities could say the same thing?  Believe me, I do!)

Because I am on summer break, I  just plop the bags in the classroom and leave. Sometimes I turn on the light and check phone messages but I try not to stay too long.  The piles of found treasures and  recycled items grow on table tops, chairs and the floor.  I was going to take a before and after picture of the classroom but it was too scary and just too embarrassing. :-)

I've spent the last few days in the classroom. I've been putting all the treasures in their proper places, planning lessons and getting our centers organized for the new school year.

One of  the centers your child will experience is our Art Center.  There are a ba-zillion ways to present an art center in a classroom.  This works for us because of our limited space.  The bins hold stickers, crayons, markers, colored pencils, stencils, glue, construction paper and collage items plus there is paper, cardboard and rulers. The Art Center plus our easel provide the children with unlimited opportunities for creative expression in our classroom.

The bulletin board is called "The Garden".  The Garden changes as the seasons change.  The tree remains the same but the children provide the rest.  Our bulletin boards are created by the children. I provide a basic background and the kids provide the rest. Look under the "Bulletin Board" label on our blog for ideas and inspiration. Check out these past blogs about the garden for some more ideas---

AUTUMN-
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/10/our-fall-garden.html

SPRING-
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-spring-garden.html

Holidays-August 2012

Need more ideas to fill your days until school starts?  Here is a link to all the holidays and celebrations for the month of August.  I am thinking about combining National Waffle Day with National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, National Banana Split Day and National Chocolate Chip Day.  You gotta love it!  Mark them on your calendar, make some memories and enjoy these fun filled holidays with your child!!!

http://familycrafts.about.com/library/spdays/blaugdayslong.htm

Out Wit, Out Last, Out Play

Need some ideas to survive the rest of  summer vacation?

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2010/07/survivor.html

Olympic Fever!

Olympic Art-MCP 2012

The Olympic opening ceremonies are just hours away.  I am psyched! My house is decorated. Food is prepped and company is coming.  If you didn't see these posts, here are some gold medal ideas for you and your child to do the next seventeen days. GO TEAM USA!

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/07/wacky-olympics.html

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/07/summer-olympics-london-2012.html

One Man Show

Color Cubes-Greg DePauw

Greg DePauw is a well known artist who lives locally.  I met Greg and his brother, Doug, while teaching at the Sun Foundation Art and Science in the Woods summer camp (more on ASIW another time.)  We took our campers, the Little Explorers, for an afternoon of creativity, drawing,  painting, and lots and lots of color.  I have enjoyed knowing them ever since and they have been a huge inspiration to me personally and professionally.

For the last several years, our preK students have had a sculpture unit (search 'sculpture' on this blog to see more). During this unit, I always encourage families to drive past Greg's house to see the pieces that are displayed outdoors (if you haven't...you should).

Recently the Peoria Journal Star had a feature on Greg's work which will be on display at the  Peoria Contemporary Art Center
through Friday, August 24th. What a great local family field trip!   After your visit, have your child use their imagination and write about the pieces (or dictate depending on their skill level).  At home, you and your child can create your own art and sculptures.  Look around your home for things you can reuse (like paper tubes and cardboard), cut pieces of cardboard into abstract shapes---Open up your imagination and gather materials for your sculpture and start gluing and painting!

If you are unfamiliar with Greg DePauw and his story, you can read about his "Can Do Attitude" and The Art Rod Foundation he established to share his story and  his art.

Remember...you and your child 'can do' anything when you do it together!

Wacky Olympics

Family Fun June/July 2012

 

 

Family Fun June/July 2012

In the June/July 2012 issue of Family Fun magazine, there were lots of gold medal ideas for an Olympic themed party!  The opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London is only a week away.  Have you started planning for some Olympic fun yet?  You still have time!  If you have started, you will need some fun wacky games.  You can have teams, individuals,  keep score or not...just have fun with it!

From Family Fun magazine---

*Remove the plastic film from opening of a tissue box. Cut slits on back of  box.  Thread a belt through the slits. Put some ping-pong balls in the box.  Wear the box/belt as shown in above photo.  Set time (30 seconds) and each player shake, shake, shakes to get the balls out of the box.  1 point each ball out

*I am definitely doing this one at the next  family reunion! This looks like so much fun. Two players per team each have a shower cap, shaving cream and cheese puff snacks.  One team member puts on the shower cap. Teammate  covers cap with shaving cream. Teammate without cap gets behind a predesignated line a couple feet away and tosses the cheese puffs onto the shaving creamed cap.  One point per puff.

Here is a list of classic games we have played at birthday parties, family reunions and holidays---
*Toss a hula hoop around a small chair
*Everyone put their shoes in a large pile.  Sit in circle.  At 'GO', everyone finds their shoes and put back on feet.
*Band-aid relay...Have band-aids at end of relay. Each team member runs, opens band-aid, put one on each knee and return.
*Unwrap stick of gum with mittens on hands.
*Folding chair relay...Have a folding chair at end of relay on ground folded.  Each team member runs, opens chair, sits on chair, fold up and return.
*The classic water balloon toss!
*Carry an egg on spoon.
*Dribble a basketball backwards.
*Check out past MCP summer blog posts (June, July, August) for some water relays.
*The Family Fun website has lots and lots of fun family game ideas for inside and out. 


Go for the gold with this Olympic garland (also from Family Fun). Family Fun suggests painting but here's one better---buy colored paper plates at your local party store!  How easy is that--Cut out the inside to create a ring. Cut open alternating plates and tape closed.  Use string or ribbon to hang.

Enjoy the Olympics with your friends and family!

Family Fun June/July 2012

Are We There Yet?

Are you heading out on a family vacation in the next few weeks?  Are you driving?  Bravo! My parents packed five kids in a station wagon every summer.  We drove to California (twice), South Dakota, Washington D.C., and northern Minnesota.  How did they do it?  I am not exactly sure but leaving at an ungodly hour in the morning so the kids would sleep helped. My siblings and I have many fond memories of our family vacations. I was a lucky girl.

Today it is a little easier to travel with children.  Watching movies and playing video games helps pass the time in the car but  it can be about family game time, too. Car games reinforce letter and number recognition, math skills, reading skills and more!

This article will get you started but  Family Fun magazine has lots of ideas help you on the road.
http://familyfun.go.com/playtime/road-trip-car-games-911118/

More websites and articles... 
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/plan-road-trip-kids-1960.html

http://www.momsminivan.com/

http://www.wejustgotback.com/default.aspx?mod=tips_road

Lots of road trip books at your local bookstore, too.
Make some summer memories with your child in the car!