Page 17 – Playful Learning

Lino Block Printing for Kids

By Mariah Bruehl, 1st August 2014

Kate from An Everyday Story is with us today to share a great DIY on block printing with the budding young artists in our lives.

Lino block printing is a challenging and engaging experience for children. If your child enjoys monoprinting, lino block printing will give them the opportunity to apply their understanding of printmaking to a new technique; encouraging them to grow in their creative expression.

When we introduce our children to a new art technique, it is important for them to discover the process. As we guide them through the steps, we allow our child to make the experience their own. They will have their own questions as they discover the possibilities of a new medium and a new technique:

“How hard do I have to press?” “How can I make my mark?” “How much paint do I need?” or “How can I make my print better?”

Getting Started with Lino Printing:

You’ll need the following materials:

Lino printing block: Art supply stores sell easy-carve flexible blocks which are soft and smooth to carve; creating deep lines

Printing Ink: You can buy water-based and oil-based printing inks. Water-based inks dry quickly but will run with water. Oil-based inks take longer to dry but once dried, you can introduce watercolor paints to add to the print

Paint: We prefer to use paint. It’s cheaper than ink and while your child is still learning how to make prints, you can allow them to explore without worrying about wasted resources

Lino carving tools: You can purchase a range of lino carving tools however, while your child is still learning how to carve, it is better to offer one wide carving tool which will allow them to make bold lines easily

Paper: No special paper is required for lino printing

Roller: A hard roller called a brayer is used to roll the paint on to the print block. You could also use a soft foam roller

Paint tray: A small tray to spread your paint or ink

Step 1: Have your child draw their design on the lino block

We have been exploring shapes and patterns lately in Japanese architecture and so inspired by these elements, using a permanent marker, my son (5 years old) marked out his design. The lines will be the portion of the print that will remain white.

Step 2: Carve your design

Allow your child to explore the carving tool. Encourage them to press the tool gently on their skin to feel the sharpness. Demonstrate how to carve away from you, making sure to keep your other hand behind the lino block and out of the way of the carving tool.

As their skills improve and they become more familiar with using the carving tool, you can introduce a finer tool for more detailed carving.

Step 3: Get your ink or paint ready

For this I let my children experiment with how much paint they need to make an effective print. Only a very small amount of paint is needed but I think this can be a very valuable learning experience for your child. Too much paint and the roller will push paint into the carved portions of the block.

The photo below shows my son’s first attempt at filling the roller. He soon learned that less paint would produce a better result. He was able to learn this through experience.

Step 4: Roll your paint or ink

Once your child has learned how much paint is needed (and it is only a very small amount), roll your paint on the lino block. It will take a few rolls to get a nice even coverage

Step 5: Make your print

Have your child gently place their paper on the block. With their hands or a dry soft sponge, gentle push the paper flat. Carefully pull back the paper to reveal your print and leave to dry.

With each new print your child’s skills will become more refined. They will learn how much paint to apply, they will learn how deeply to cut the lino print and they will learn how to apply multiple layers of color as they cut more detailed designs from their blocks.

Their knowledge of printmaking will grow. They might like to try their hand at lino block printing on fabric next; creating their own individual designs for t-shirts or fabric which they will later sew into a small handkerchief.

Introducing Poetry to Children

By Mariah Bruehl, 31st July 2014

Poetry is such a delightful way to introduce children to the beauty that is a collection of words. Poetry in itself is not always about telling a story, but capturing a moment, as a photographer might when seeing an amazing landscape in front of them.

Through exposure to poetry we can then slowly introduce children to writing their own pieces and developing a collection of words which can express what they see with their eyes and feel with their hearts.

I don’t often share poetry with my children, but I am determined to do so. As part of this new daily provocation I have gathered a few of my favorite poetry anthologies and plan on creating a little space to keep this collection so we can touch on it daily. My children often enjoy listening to a chapter books in the car as we wait for friends or before school and I may introduce one of these books to our audio book listening adventures.

Below is my small collection so far…

1. If Poems is available as a book and as an app. The application is just beautiful as it has the ability to listen to a reading of the poem, as well as recording your own version. With over 200 classic poems at your fingertips, this is the perfect starting point for those who have yet to build their poetry collection. Helena Bonham Carter is the most perfect voice for this application.

Below is a little link to see Helena discuss the application….

2. When We Were Very Young | A.A. Milne

3. The Puffin Book of Modern Children’s Verse | Edited by Brian Patten

4. A Light in the Attic | Shel Silverstein

5. Falling Up | Shel Silverstein

6. Runny Babbit | Shel Silverstein

7. Random House Book of Poetry

I am also considering the Magnetic Poetry Kit to encourage my eldest son to create a flow of words he likes to look of and the sound of together.

Making a Family Tree

By Mariah Bruehl, 29th July 2014

Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share some great tips and resources for creating family trees.

Making a family tree is a great way to help children understand how they are related to the individuals that are referred to as “family”.

With Summer being a time of year when families commonly visit, these opportunities allow your child to make in-person connections.

To help your child further understand how they are included in this community of family, you can compile a simple family tree in a variety of ways.

For non-readers start with a photo-only family tree; later you can add personal information such as names, dates of birth, birthplaces, marriages, etc.

Older children may wish to see how far back they can complete their family tree using Genealogy websites and local records.

While looking through old photos of family members, remember to take some time to tell your children the stories behind the photos. Include as much detail as you recall – who the people are in the photos, when and where the photo was taken. Children love to hear “true” stories especially when they know the characters personally!

I searched the internet and found lots of interesting ways to make simple “beginner” family trees, both handmade or using a computer. Here are few of my favorites…

Story books to read with your little ones:

The Kids’ Family Tree Book – Caroline Leavitt

Me and My Family Tree – Joan Sweeney

What a family! – Rachel Isadora

SaveSave

6 Games to Play With Your Child at the Museum

By Mariah Bruehl, 28th July 2014

Nuria from the The Adventures Archive is here today to share some great ideas for learning through play at art museums.

Are you visiting an art museum with your children this summer? Here you have some ideas to make the most of the visit.

1. Start the visit in the souvenir shop. Let him choose a few postcards of the museum’s collection and then invite him to find them around the museum. Once he has found them all, ask him which one is his favorite and why. Tell him to write those reasons to the artist on the back of the postcard. Pretend to post the card. A few days later you may surprise him with a reply postcard written “by the artist”.

2. Bring props: Look at the paintings through a kaleidoscope, a fly eye pair of glasses or a magnifying glass and have a laugh together.

3. Mixing art: At home, draw lines on an A4 drawing paper to divide it into squares (if your child is very young start with just 4 squares, for 6+ children try at least 9). Once you are in the museum, let your child copy the top left part of the first painting in the top left square of the paper. Move to another painting and let him copy the top right one. Continue the visit, filling a square with each painting. You’ll end up with a fun and quirky mixed work of art.

4. Continue the story: Choose a painting and let your child look at the scene for a few moments. Then start “Once upon a time there was…” and describe the scene. Then, turn it over to your child and ask him to continue the story. If you have more than one kid they can take turns so they come up with a long story.

5. If you visit a museum of abstract art, ask your children to guess the title of the paintings. My daughters come up with the funniest titles like “Super Dot” or “The Clumsy Squares”. They marvel when I tell them that the real title is something like “Sunset” or “The Cow and the Moon”.

6. Create a character: Choose a portrait and let your child imagine who this person was: What was his name? What did he do? Where did he live? Back home, if it was a portrait of a historical figure, do some research with your child so he can learn the real story and compare it to the one he had imagined.

Picture Book Projects: Extra Yarn

By Mariah Bruehl, 23rd July 2014

Randi from Swoon is with us today to share a fun project to compliment the inspiring book, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett.

Being displaced and living with family this summer has made doing activities with my children especially difficult. This week they reminded me that the best projects don’t have to require a lot of skill, time, or materials and preparations.

While reading one of our favorite picture books, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, my daughters expressed an interest in making something with yarn. They love this story of a young girl with a generous heart who fills her village with color. If you haven’t read this book, look for it on your next trip to the library. You’re in for a real treat!

We chose to make God’s Eyes as a simple introduction to working with yarn. We gathered up some sturdy sticks, a pair of scissors, and some yarn. We were also able to invite a friend over to share in the fun, which was a lot of fun!

Want to make a few of your own? Start with two sticks, roughly the same size.

1. Lay two sticks across one another, forming a cross. Take the end of a piece of yarn (approx. two feet long) and tie it around the middle, fastening the sticks together. Wrap yarn diagonally across the middle of the sticks a few times in each direction to secure. Do this until you cover the middle completely. Don’t clip the end, as this will become your working string.

2. Working counter-clockwise, wrap the end of yarn over a single stick. As you pull the yarn up and around, bring it directly over the top of the next stick, pulling tightly and turning cross as you go. Continue around and around until you have about two inches left of yarn.

3. Attach another color by tying a new piece of string to the working string and trimming the ends. Continue working your way around.

When you’ve added all the colors and rows you want, it’s time to finish. If you have glue, you can glue the end of your yarn to the back of your design. Or, you can tie it to the strings in the back, like we did. We also added some fun tassels to ours after they were done, as well as tying on a small loop of yarn for hanging.

I hope this week you are able to get down on the floor with your kids and do something creative, perhaps inspired by a favorite book, or just your wild imaginations!

Flip 10! A fun math game…

By Mariah Bruehl, 21st July 2014

Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share a fun game to play with our developing mathematicians.

This is a simple card game for early learners to help them learn the combinations of numbers that when added, equal 10.

This game can be played with 2 or 3 players.

Here are the rules:

1) Remove all of the 10’s, J’s, Q’s, and K’s from a deck of cards. This will leave you with 36 cards from A (which we use as the 1 card) to 9.

2) Lay 18 of the cards face down.

3) Deal the remaining cards to the players. 2 players – deal 9 cards each, 3 players – deal 6 cards each. Sorry, the game does not work with 4 or more players.

4) To start the game the first player flips over one of the overturned cards. Let’s use a 7 as an example…if the player has a 3 in their hand then they may put it down next to the 7 to complete their turn. If the player does not have a 3 then they cannot make a move and their turn is done. When a player does not play a card, the next player now has an additional opportunity to play a card if they have it in their hand.

5) The second player then turns over another card. If they have the number that would make the total ten then they may play their card to complete their turn.

6) If during the game two single cards have been overturned and they add up to ten (in this case 6 and 4), then a player can move one of the cards over and place down one card from their hand into the empty spot(in this case an A).

If the player is really thinking and has two cards in their hand that add up to ten, then they will play both those cards (A and 9) and play 3 cards in one turn!

7) The first person to put down all of their cards is the winner of the game, however, everyone is a winner when they learn these valuable number combinations!

Enjoy!

Skin Care for Pre-Teens: Raising Natural + Confident Girls

By Mariah Bruehl, 17th July 2014

Monique of Green Acorns is with us today with to share some inspiring natural skin care recipes for the growing girls in our lives.

As our children grow and enter different stages of development, we as parents are provided many amazing opportunities to teach, guide, and nurture them. Every age brings unique joys and challenges and at every age playful learning experiences can continue to promote a sense of wonder, deeper exploration, and connectedness. They can also be a support for our growing children as they enter a stage that is often confusing and exciting for everyone – adolescence.

One topic at the forefront for adolescents is their changing skin. They can often feel unsure and embarrassed. Helping them learn about proper skin care will support not only a healthy lifestyle but a healthy self-image and sense of confidence.

It is important for pre-teens to develop good skin care habits that include cleansing once or twice a day, keeping hands off to minimize irritation and the spread of bacteria, healthy nutrition, and proper hydration. To keep skin balanced, moisturizing and exfoliation are also beneficial. Most importantly, perhaps, is to be gentle! Use gentle products and have a light touch to avoid damage to the skin.

As my daughter enters her adolescent years and notices her skin going through changes, we have been learning more about skin care together. We prefer to use as natural products as we can and often start with the simplest – those which come right from nature or have very few ingredients. Some of our favorites are raw honey, aloe, and witch hazel. We’ve also been know to slather a little of our yogurt on to our faces!

It’s fun for children this age to explore new things with their friends too. Because these natural options are gentle and do not often cause adverse effects, they are safe for many skin types. Why not set up a mini spa day for your daughter and some of her friends and let them explore some DIY skin care options? My daughter and a friend recently experimented with creating a gentle exfoliant of dried milk, fine cornmeal, and ground chamomile buds. They had a blast while learning healthy habits and supporting each other being natural, confident girls.

Note: Before using any product on your skin, natural or otherwise, do your research or speak to a skin care professional.Want to learn more about what’s in store-bought products so that you can make informed purchase choices? Visit Skin Deep for information and safety ratings on products and their ingredients.

Graphic Novel Booklist

By Mariah Bruehl, 14th July 2014

Rebecca from Thirteen Red Shoes is with us today to share a great list of graphic novels to enjoy with the young readers in our lives.

We adore picture books in our home and believe that you can never have too many! Recently we have become interested in a new genre—the graphic novel. My son loves the fact that there is a chronological tale told though visual images and that the text that accompanies is fast yet detailed and often tells just snippets of the tale. You really must use the visual cues to also gain an in-depth understanding of the story.

Here are three different graphic novel series worth exploring…

Tintin has become a firm favorite and we have gathered a collection from our local library to explore.

I do believe however that this series might need to go on the birthday list as he has spend hours pouring over each edition, each time finding new and interesting components which relate to other editions. The more you explore the more there is to find.

There are also three in one compact editions, which look delightful and perfect for a family traveling.

For those littles who then fall in love with Tintin there is a website dedicated to information about the characters, stories and behind the scene information such as how to draw tin tin yourself!

If your budding readers decide to try their hand at writing graphic novels, be sure to check out our comic strip templates.

Designing Spaces for Children: Movement and Flow

By Mariah Bruehl, 10th July 2014

“From a child’s perspective, everything is an interactive surface with the potential to be sculpted, painted, draped, or molded artistically…. Their play is often a response to subtle variations in the places and sensations that surround them.” – Anita Rui Olds

Have you ever noticed the way children move through a space? Imagine a hallway – at the doctor’s office, the grocery store, or even a typical public school. It’s almost as if a long corridor silently screams to children, “Run”. And, what do they do? Run, of course! Children take cues from the environment and the way space is arranged can have a significant impact on their learning experience. Whether you are designing a classroom or simply creating a corner within your home, you’ll want to consider how the layout encourages movement and creates a natural flow among different areas.

The design of your space will likely be determined by the amount of space you have, the location of doors and windows, furniture, and the type of flooring available to you. Carpet and area rugs provide softness and help define areas while hard surfaces like linoleum or tile are great for “messy” play, like art projects and sensory exploration. A combination of both is ideal. Most classrooms are organized by learning centers, such as areas for block play, art, and science. Determining the type of play that will occur in your space will help you design a floor plan that optimizes learning.

Here are some tips for considering movement and flow:

o Think about the functionality of each space. What furniture best suits each area? Seek out flexible furnishings that can grow with your children and accommodate their emerging interests.

o Avoid setting out materials on the perimeter of the room and instead create small areas that are enclosed on 2 or 3 sides. Children are naturally drawn to small spaces where they can be alone or with one or two others. Small areas encourage focus and attention and appear more manageable.

o Create clearly defined areas using low shelves and other furniture but take care not to overcrowd the space. You might experiment with hanging plants, artwork, or beaded curtains to create a visual divider between areas.

o Arrange quiet areas (like reading) apart from louder areas (like block play) to minimize distractions and disruptions.

o Create wide pathways that allow children to move freely without bumping into one another.

o Some areas of your space may hold multiple functions, like a kitchen table, so creating a storage system is essential. You might roll out a drop cloth to protect the floor or a table surface.

o Use baskets and bins to organize and store materials in an attractive way. Check out the following posts for great tips on minimizing clutter and Toy Organization.

Every child is different and our spaces should reflect their growing interests and needs. How does your child move through space? How do you account for movement when creating your spaces for children?

Summer Acrostic Poetry

By Mariah Bruehl, 8th July 2014

This is a seasonal activity that I started when my kids were very young. The beauty of this particular style of poetry is that even young children can successfully compose a poem as they don’t need to know about proper grammar and sentence structure.

What is an acrostic poem?

An acrostic poem is a poem that uses the letters in the word to begin each line of the poem. The letters are written in capital letters down, rather than across, like this:

S –

U –

M –

E –

R –

Each line of the poem must start with the capitalized letter, for instance:

S – sunny days

U – under the trees

M – making music,

M – milkshakes and memories

E – everyone together

R – refreshed and relaxed

Here are some easy tips for creating acrostic poems:

Have your child brainstorm some ideas (one or two words is fine) about what summer means to them or objects that remind them of summer.

Encourage your child to use their own handwriting and try not to jump in and correct their spelling as it adds to the charm of the finished poem!

Sign and date the poem on the back so that you can remember which child wrote it and when.

Have the entire family participate and read aloud each others poems.

We like to do this activity at the beginning of every season but it could be done any time of year with any word that has meaning to your child. (Star Wars, Cupcakes, Grandma, Seashore, etc…)

It has been fun to look back on my children’s poems and remember what was most important to them at the time and how their thoughts, interpretations and spelling have matured over the years.

You are welcome to use my printable template here to get your child started or allow them to decide how they want to publish their poem – hand written, computer typed, with or without drawings, etc.

Some links to websites that talk about acrostic poetry:

Some books about writing poems with children:

Writing Poetry with children
Writing poetry (includes other poetry styles)

Storybooks about poets:

My favorite books of poetry when I was a little girl!

When we were very young / Now we are Six – A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard