Category: All posts

Children as Philosophers: Exploring Loving and Giving

By Mariah Bruehl, 5th November 2013

Monique of Green Acorns is with us today to share some thoughtful tips on helping our children to ponder life’s big questions.

As we approach this holiday season, many of us may be having conversations about what it means to give and why it’s important. We will be seated with family and friends discussing what we are thankful for. We will be sharing ourselves and what we have to offer with those we love.

Giving, love, thankfulness: These are significant topics that we should all explore, especially with our children. They are also topics that are deep and involved, yet children possess the skills that enable them to think about the issues. Children naturally wonder about the world around them, are great at asking questions and therefore, are natural philosophers. Have you ever been stumped by a question from a child like “does the universe go on forever and is that really possible” or “is it wrong to steal food if you are starving”?

Life’s big questions are complex and may not have clear right or wrong answers. Whether or not they do, isn’t it more meaningful to let children come to their own conclusions? It’s okay that we don’t have all the answers. It’s okay, and even helpful, to ask your child more questions in return. In fact, helping your child explore the issues for themselves demonstrates that we value their questions, their opinions, and what they have to offer.

Two books that many children know that touch upon the topics mentioned above are The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. I enjoy reading these books with children for the purpose of opening a dialogue about the nature of giving, sharing, friendship, and love. For example, should the rainbow fish give away something that is so central to who he is just to gain friends? Are those fish seeking his special scales truly his friends? What does it mean to be a friend to another?

This fairly short video is a good introduction to why practicing philosophy with children is beneficial. The Teaching Children Philosophy website provides a list of books, the philosophical issues raised by each book, and guides for initiating philosophical discussions with children about those issues. Don’t be hesitant to pick one up and give it a go with your elementary school age child. Remain open and be okay with not providing answers. I’m sure the conversation will be enlightening for both you and your children!

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11 Math Apps for the Little Ones (part two)

By Mariah Bruehl, 1st November 2013

It has been a while since I shared some learning apps, so over the coming months I hope to bring you a new collection from all areas of the curriculum to download for the new iPad you may be getting for Christmas! Some apps are free, but others have a cost incurred. There is something for everyone, even a few for Android users!

You might remember my earlier post about Math applications, here are a few more to add to the list:

Counting to 10 – Based around the concept of one to one correspondence, this app teaches using little penguins, moles, elephants, manta rays. It involves a lot of repetition with both visual counting aids, as well as a little narrator counting aloud for you as you go (available for Android as well)!
Fiete Match – An adorable app based around a seafarers theme. A lighthouse provides the base for this app and the different activities are stored within it. You can choose an activity by tapping on the porthole. I adore that the memory game has the user playing against the lighthouse keeper. The illustrations are beautiful-I adore this application for the illustrations alone!
Geo Board – This application explores the world of shapes and the possibilities which are presented when given a peg board and a rubber band. We have had fun creating our names, as well as various shape patterns. This application is aimed for those with some experience in using a tablet device (Little F, age 3, found it hard to use). It does not allow you to save your creations, however a quick screen grab by holding down the power button in the top right hand corner and the home key (on an iPad) will save an image to your camera roll.
KaleioDraw – A beautiful kaleidoscope of colors. Perfect for learning about symmetry and pattern.
Rush Hour – This is the same as the popular game created by Think Fun. Problem solving at its best! (available on android as well)
Montessori Numbers – Another app based on the foundations of Montessori created by L’Escapadou. This app is a delightful starting spot for introducing numbers, as well as for those moving into the hundreds. It uses tracing numbers, base ten, number stories, and one to one correspondence to help children learn. There are a number of difficulty levels going up to 999.
My First Tangram (iPad only) – An absolutely delightful shape application with so many adorable creations using the basic tangram shapes. A and R Entertainment have created a lot of apps, find them here on their website.
Tally Tots – created by Spin Light and available across all devises including Nook, Amazon and Google Play. This app focuses on counting patterns, has 20 different numbers with an activity for each, and includes audio and visual cues for each activity. A sing along number song as well as one to one counting patterns make this app adorable for the littles. Spin Light has created a huge number of applications, so have a look at their site for additional apps in the area of mathematics.
Tam and Tao in Numberland created by Les Trois Elles Interactive – Adorable in every way. This company create some delightful applications and Numberland is one of them.
Maths Tree by Bellamon – This application is the perfect visual introduction to addition, subtraction and number equations. The graphics are bright and cheerful perfect for a school set of iPads. You can add and subtract owls, doves, or peaches. The clear visual link between the the graphics and the algorithm makes the learning process very clear. Bellamon has created some delightful applications and their website is well worth a visit.
Cutie Monsters (iPad only) – This application is aimed at those learning base 10 and one to one correspondence. It is divided into two sections: a counting section and a jigsaw section. The graphics are adorable, and this is a lovely application to introduce to littles who are first time app users. See a you tube preview of the app here.

Color Theory for Little Ones

By Mariah Bruehl, 25th October 2013

Randi from Swoon is with us today to share some fun tips for exploring color with children. Don’t forget to watch the video with your aspiring artists for a does of inspiration…

Whether we recognize it or not, color plays an important part in each of our lives. It can excite us, inspire us, or remind us of something important. Understanding how color works is both fun and useful. My girls and I have talked about color theory and mixing before, mostly in the midst of afternoon painting sessions, but recently we decided to get messy and play around with it a bit. We started with a nice sized piece of butcher paper and three bottles of finger paints: red, blue, and yellow.

The Basics:

Most adults know and take for granted the fact that all colors stem from the three primary colors-red, blue, and yellow. This fact alone is fascinating for children, especially when they can see the colors being “made” right in front of them! Mixing the primary colors to make the secondary colors of violet, green, and orange is a great activity and starting point, especially for young children. I placed a portion of each primary color in a triangle shape to start with, and then my daughter used her fingers to carefully mix each color with the one next to it to make up the secondary colors: red+blue=violet, red+yellow=orange, yellow+blue=green.

This transformation was not a surprise to my daughter, as she already knew these simple concepts, but she was delighted to make the process happen herself using her hands. We recreated this scenario many times before moving on! In fact, we made a fun little video…

Color Theory for Little Ones from Randi Edwards on Vimeo.

If you have older children, or a young child with an excellent attention span, here are a few more things to explore:

Advanced Concepts:

Tertiary Colors: Mix each primary color with the secondary color next to it to create the tertiary colors, which are: blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, and blue-violet. Talk about the differences in these colors.
Make a Color Wheel with all 12 of the colors you’ve created. Talk about which colors seem warm, and which seem cool (see an example here).
Complementary Colors: Two colors directly across the wheel from one another are said to be complementary colors. Because of their opposite natures, they have a striking appearance when placed near one another. Spend time playing with these colors next to each other. Mix them together to create gray/black.
Shading and Tinting: Mix white with a color to create a lighter tint (for example: make pink out of red), or add black to make a darker shade. You can also add a small amount of the colors complement to darken the shade.
Color Harmony: Experiment with placing and playing with different color combinations. Which ones seem to work well together? Which combinations are your favorites? What do different colors and color combinations mean to you or remind you of? How do they make you feel?

*A note about materials: My daughter and I used finger paint, which was a lot of fun, but does not carry a lot of pigment. To make a bigger impact, or to explore some of the more advanced concepts, you may want to switch to acrylic paint as it is more pigmented and heavy bodied. You can still use your hands!

A few of our favorite books about color:

1. Color Dance by Ann Jonas

2. The Game of Red, Yellow, and Blue by Herve Tullet

3. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

New Classics for Children

By Mariah Bruehl, 17th October 2013

Rebecca from Thirteen Red Shoes is with us to share some lovely classic board books for the youngest readers in our lives…

Over the last 18 months a few delightful books have come on the market aimed at littles but based on classics we are exposed to a school. I adore this notion as some of my favourite stories have been recreated by two different publishing houses and i can share them with my boys at an early age.Gibbs Smith have created a Baby Lit Series with art work by Alison Oliver and text Jen Adams. The primers created are just adorable and range from Dracula to Sense and Sensibility to the new titles Sherlock Holmes and Anna Karenina! It is a delightful way to introduce little to the world of classic literature and she an abridged version of the longer stories by the likes of Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll and William Shakespeare. My favourite Wuthering Heights is available! Brooding and dark but still appropriate to share. There are also the most adorable totes to be used as library bags and prints which would look perfect in a library or reading nook space.

Cozy Classics are the other publishing house recreating classics for children. The style of Holman and jack Wang is very unique and ever so delightful. Each classic picture book in the series is condensed to 12 pages and 12 words which highlight the theme of the story in words which littles can relate to. The books present as word primers with beautiful needle felted illustrations. I think the needle felted creations making these books stand out in the ever producing children literature market and I believe that these will become classics in their own right. Here is a video of the process and behind the scenes of creating the pieces.

Crafts for Kids: Painted Stick Mobiles

By Mariah Bruehl, 9th October 2013

Monique of Green Acorns is with us today to share a lovely craft that puts all of the cool sticks we find on our nature expeditions to good use!

Today I thought I would share a craft that my kids and I recently enjoyed: painting sticks and stringing them into a mobile. I think I have mentioned before that my children love to collect things, especially bits of nature found during our walks and hikes. Well, that includes twigs and sticks. For whatever reason they find some attractive and must bring them home. I do try to respect their collections but must balance that with some guidelines. Some items get displayed on our nature table. Others, like their sticks, get used in a craft that they can proudly display and enjoy.

Here’s what you’ll need for supplies if your children also have a collection of sticks that need a purpose (or if you would just like to make a lovely mobile from bits of nature with your children).

We chose to paint our sticks “as is” but you can also give them a brief sanding before painting. Each child painted three, which is a good amount for young ones, and we found that acrylic paints worked well.

Since there has been a lot of talk about patterns found in nature around our house lately, my children wanted to paint representations of some of those patterns on their sticks. It turned out to be a wonderful activity for looking at patterns in more detail and inspired some interesting observations. This post provided some lovely inspiration. Of course, you can just enjoy the process of painting on some pretty colors. Aren’t these lovely?

Once the painting is done and dry, it’s time to string them together. Lay out your sticks in an order that you find attractive and space them as you like. You can then estimate how much yarn or string you’ll need, making sure to have extra for tying around each stick. We used yarn and embellished with beads so I added a piece of tape at the ends to make threading beads easy and to prevent fraying as we did so (this is a great fine-motor activity for little ones). The process looks something like this:

At this point you have a finished mobile but feel free to hang decorations off the lowest stick like pressed leaves, dried flowers, tassels, etc. Now you can hang and enjoy your lovely mobile!

DIY Math Beads

By Mariah Bruehl, 8th October 2013

These math beads are inspired by the Montessori Bead Material. The idea of the Bead Material is to help children understand numbers (particularly units, tens, hundreds and thousands), to quantify, to create complex numbers (3, 4, 5- digit numbers), as well as understand that each category is ten times larger than the previous; 10 is ten times larger than one, 100 is ten times larger than 10 and so on.

These math beads were really easy to make. All you need is:

some small beads – ok a lot of small beads
wire – I used 3 inch headpins but you can use any wire. 3 inches fits ten small beads nicely
beading pliers – or a pair of small pliers

Then simply thread your beads, twist the ends and trim. Easy.

I wanted my son Jack to be able to create 2 and 3-digit numbers, add and do simple multiplication so in our set I made:

2 sets of 1-9 beads
30 sets of 10 beads

Montessori Bead Materials also have 100-bead boards and 1000-bead cubes. That’s a lot more work, but the 10-bead strings are really simple and meet our needs for now.

These wonderful math manipulatives have so many opportunities for learning. You can:

Use them for addition.

Work on multiplication.

Skip count by twos or threes or…

tens.

And create complex numbers.

You could also use the math beads for working on fractions; so many possibilities. So why not make a set. They are really simple. You can pick up beads fairly cheaply at the dollar store and before you know it you’ll have a beautiful set of math manipulatives that you can continue to add to as your child’s understanding grows..

Homemade Apple Pumpkin Fruit Roll-Ups

By Mariah Bruehl, 7th October 2013

Heather of Poppy Haus is with us today to share a delicious recipe for autumn inspired fruit roll-ups…

We recently started making our own all fruit roll-ups using summer berries and mango. My boys (and their friends) are crazy for them, and they’ve become a staple in their lunchbox. With the season changing and Halloween on it’s way, I mixed up an autumnal version using pumpkin, apple and a little cinnamon spice. Here’s the recipe…

Ingredients:

1 12.5 oz can pumpkin puree
2 cups unsweetened apple sauce
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Cooking tools:

2 sheet pans
2 silicone pan liners
A smoothing tool (I use a pie server)

Preheat oven to its lowest temperature (170 degrees). Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl, dividing mixture onto the sheet pans. Spread until about 1/4” thick, uniform at the edges. Place in the oven and allow to dehydrate over the course of 5-7 hours, until the center is set completely. Turn off the oven and cool to room temperature before peeling back. Trim the crispy edges, and cut the fruit leather into 6″ squares. Roll up in wax paper, securing with a piece of tape.

Enjoy!

Crafts for Kids: Needle Felted Acorns

By Mariah Bruehl, 4th October 2013

Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share an inspiring fall craft activity, needle felted acorns. I am already picturing a big bowl of these little lovelies on our coffee table!

Needle felting is a fun handwork activity that is suitable for most children 7+.* Taught in Waldorf Schools all over the world, needle felting has become popular with many fiber artists as a form of sculpting with wool.

*Note: In order to be successful with this craft, children should have the maturity to respectfully use the required tools. This craft must be supervised by an adult until the child has mastered the technique.

A highly tactile experience, needle felting uses carded sheep’s wool called roving, a special needle felting needle and a foam pad to work on. For this beginner project you will also need a clean acorn cap, and white glue or hot glue.

To start you will need a piece of roving about the size of a child’s palm. Avoid cutting roving with scissors, instead gently pull the wool apart piece by piece separating the natural fibers until you have the amount that you need. Have the child roll the roving between their hands into a loose ball shape.

Place the ball on to the foam mat and help your child hold the barbed needle and gently poke the ball repeatedly in an up and down motion until the fibers start to tangle and hold together on their own. Start off slowly and take care not to twist the needle as they are somewhat delicate and will snap off. Continue poking the fiber until it gradually becomes firmer and less “hairy”. Roll the ball in your hands periodically to maintain the round shape. Repeat these steps until you and your child have formed a fairly tight round ball.

Once your child is happy with their needle felted ball, apply some glue to the inside of the acorn cap and press the wool ball up into the acorn cap. Hold in place for a minute and leave to dry for a couple of hours if using white glue.

Needle felted acorns can be:

:: used in nature table displays

:: used as counters for learning games

:: gathered in bowls or vases

:: drilled and made into a bunting to decorate your child’s room

:: made into necklaces

:: tied onto packages

:: made in any color to suit the season

To see more examples of needle felted fiber art check out my Pinterest board.

Some of my favorite needle felting books:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

This is a great activity to do with your child on a chilly Autumn day or when you want to make a small gift for someone special. Put on some soothing music, take it slowly and have fun with this wool sculpting craft, the possibilities are endless for what you can create together!

DIY Tear Off Notepads

By Mariah Bruehl, 3rd October 2013

Around here we are pretty serious about paper. It seems as if we never have enough! Like most families, we love to have notepads handy to make lists, doodle, and to jot down ideas. Although my children are just beginning to write, they love to practice their letters and are constantly asking for page after page. I recently learned how simple it is to make your own bound notepads with easy to tear off sheets. I decided it was time to add a few to our art and writing center so my girls would always have the tools they need when inspiration strikes.

These notepads can be made in any size and it only takes about an hour to make a whole batch of them. The best part though, is the option to customize the cover, especially for little ones.

To make one notepad you will need to gather:

25 pieces of card stock cut to desired size (we used two sizes: standard letter 8 1/2″ x 11″ and A2 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ which you can buy without the need to cut)
1 piece of chipboard cut to the same size
1 piece of watercolor paper in same size
Watercolor paints/paintbrush
Paintbrush or Foam Applicator
PVA Glue or Padding Compound
Rubber band or binder clips
A heavy book

Step One: Make a beautiful cover for your notepad. Use watercolor paints to decorate your piece of water color paper. Allow your design to dry fully before moving to the next step.

Step Two: Stack your notepad. Chipboard goes on the bottom, then your card stock, then the cover. Line edges up by tapping the top edges on a hard surface. Use a rubber band to hold pages in line (for larger designs, you may need a binder clip instead).

Step Three: Line the top of your notepad up with the edge of a table or other hard surface and hang slightly over the edge so your notepad will not stick to your table (we learned our lesson after this photo was taken!). Stack a heavy book on top of notepad to ensure the pages stay in place. Paint a coat of PVA or Padding Compound along the edge of notepad, making sure to cover the entire surface. Allow to dry and apply 1-2 more coats. Once your final coat is dry, you are ready to use your notepad! If you’ve done a good job gluing and are careful when tearing pages out, your cover should stay in place.

Now that we’ve made a nice stack of these, I’ve been thinking of all the ways you could use them. I think they would make a lovely gift for a teacher or a Grandparent. You could also personalize each page by choosing to print a monogram or message on each piece of card stock before binding the notepad. You could even use this idea to make fun flip books with your children.

Peaceable Home: 8 Stories for the Heart

By Mariah Bruehl, 27th September 2013

Today Emma from 95 Acres of Sky is with us to share a lovely list of children’s books that we can turn to when we need to explore some of life’s big lessons…

As the weather begins to turn crisp and fresh, pinching cheeks and tugging hair out of hats, so we turn our thoughts more than ever to the fireside. Cozy afternoons snuggled up with a huge pile of books is one of my most treasured treats of the colder months. Though we’re not quite in hibernation season yet I love to plan a booklist that will return us to old favorites and introduce some new friends.

The list of wonderful children’s books is endless, there are more than it is possible to name, but I want to narrow down my list to a few that I feel speak more to the child’s heart than their head. I’ve chosen a few books that I reach for when I want to explore some of the more complex moments that might rear up in a child’s life and that offer a little guidance and encouragement when things don’t always go as planned.

Friendship – Hoot and Holler – This is one of my all time favorite picture books. It is beautifully drawn and is perfect for the autumnal season featuring as it does two lovely owls. The story explores what it means to be a friend, how to trust your heart and to never be afraid to express love. I adore everything about it.

Sharing and Consideration – Five Little Fiends – This unusual book takes us into a more mythical landscape occupied by the five little fiends, each one of which takes an element of the world away with them so that only they can enjoy it. Of course they quickly realize the interconnectedness of all the world’s wonders and are finally able to appreciate it together.

Dream the Dream – Sam Who Went to Sea – This is an uplifting story of a river rat who dreams of the wide ocean. Despite the lack of encouragement he experiences by those around him he builds his boat and finally achieves his dream. The thing I like most about this book is that his friends and neighbors never really understand his passion for the sea but he finds peace and satisfaction none the less.

Making Mistakes – Katie Morag Delivers the Mail – This is one of a series of books set on the remote Isle of Struay off the coast of Scotland. In this book Katie makes a mistake when she is delivering parcels and gets them all mixed up. With the help of her grandmother she is able to sort it all out and return home happy. The simple but vividly accurate depictions of home life, the significant power of a mistake in a child’s life and the importance of honesty and courage in resolving matters, is beautifully rendered in this soothing story. A lovely fireside read.

Life’s Journey – The North Star – In this extraordinary and very moving allegory a little boy makes his way along a path, trying to find his way. He gets lost in the woods, misdirected and confused and must eventually find his way back to his true course. It is clear that what is right for him, isn’t right for everyone and vice versa, but this story reinforces that we must choose our own path and stick to it, no matter the outside pressures. A great story for a child dealing with peer pressure at a young age.

Spirituality – All I See Is Part Of Me and Soul Bird – Both these books help to answer some of the questions even very young children can have about their place in the world and what it means to be alive. All I See Is Part Of Me explores the connections between all things and stresses the light that is within us all. Soul Bird is suitable for older children (8+) and examines the true essence of a person and how our inner self can affect our outer actions. A great resource to help children make the connection between inner pain and behavior.

Grief – The Blue Pearls – Finding a vocabulary to discuss loss and grief with children can be incredibly difficult and yet couldn’t be more crucial. This book tells the story of angels who are preparing to welcome a little girl to heaven. This book was a gift to me when my mother died and is a wonderful resource for explaining death to a child while emphasizing the unending nature of life. I would caution you to read it alone first though as tears are inevitable!

The common thread that runs through all of these wonderful books is that none of us is alone in our struggles through life. Other people have made mistakes, lost friends, asked questions about existence and felt deep sadness. To know that these experiences are not unique, that they are part of being human and can be resolved and overcome, is a wonderful gift. In the end all of us, whether adult or child, old or young, simply want to know that even when our hearts are filled with sadness, we are not alone.

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