Kleas

leaf baubles

This was a fun project we did at the preschool last week.  On our daily walks the children are constantly picking up their very favorite leaves so I thought, let have fun with them!  We gathered a beautiful bounty of color and brought them back to the preschool.  With the leaves and some previously gathered pine cones and a yard of fish line, the kids got busy stringing their leaf baubles.  The pine cone was used as the end piece (or knot) to keep the leaves from sliding off the other end.  I just tied the pine cone on to a piece of line and the children began working on their project.  It was great for fine motor skill practice as the string passed easily though the leaf, no needle required.

I imagine a dozen or so of these hanging from a tree would look lovely blowing in the wind...maybe I'll remember to do that next year...

acorn gems

Acorn gems are my version of the popular Acorn Cap Jewels as seen on Kiwi Crate.  I fell in love with this idea when I first came across it.  My mom, boys and I tried making them at the cabin this summer but ours did not impress me nearly as much as those I saw at Kiwi Crate.  I think for us, while it was so fascinating to watch the color seep into the glue as it dried, in the end when the caps we ready to touch, they had lost some of the magic.

So...I tried making them with glitter glue and immediately knew that is what I would introduce to the kids at the preschool.  They were great fun to make (I followed the basic instructions found at the link above).  I had plenty of my favorite trays to use, setting the caps in rice so the glue would dry without dripping out.  The children used their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination to carefully fill the acorn caps.  They did require a full 48 hours to dry completely.  The kids then hand stamped a pouch with an acorn image to carry their new treasures in.  They were delighted to play with them and what fun these little "gems" add to the nature table at the preschool.

joyful autumn

A few random shots off my phone as I experience autumn on my daily walks around the lake by my house.  After our rough spring, I think we had no hope of such an enjoyable October, but it has been just that with our perfect autumn weather.

big leaf printing at the preschool this week

Always a favorite project of mine to do with the kids at the preschool.  The children show pure delight at their giant print, erupting with squeals of joy at the explosion of colors.  It is a great project to do reflecting our season of autumn as mother nature's fierce colors rapidly change the landscape around us.

Looking back, the first time I documented this project here was exactly four years ago to the day!  (So hard to believe!)  Click here to see the original post. The photos from that post have been all over the web, found quite frequently on Pinterest here.  Those photos, MY photos have been reblogged, reposted, renamed.  Oh well.  And so it goes.

Once the children were done making their prints, I had quite a tray full of paint and just couldn't let it go to waste.  Using some craft paper I had on hand I mopped up the rest of the paint and stamped away Dahlia Printing style.  I'll come up with a use for it.

We have a super long weekend here due to parent/teacher conferences at school and the weather has thus far been spectacular.  Fingers crossed for more of the same.  xx

Michaelmas / Harvest Festival at the preschool

 

I'm short on words today so will let the photos do most of the talking.  

It was such a pleasure to have a friend and former mother from the preschool take on the role of Mother Earth this year.  I loved what she said to me later...it was such a peaceful and joyful experience, all those little faces looking to me and singing for me, I felt as relaxed after the experience as when I do after a yoga class...

The children made crowns from their water color paintings and simple dragons out of paper tubes.  A gentle blow through the tube sends the "fire" shooting out, so sweet how delighted the kids were with this project.

Past celebrations can be found here, 2011, 2012, 2013

I leave you with this lovely Michaelmas poem (click on the photo to link to the original post)

Happy Monday friends.  xx