Floor Mural and Mother's Day Gifts

Finally... a full week of warmth and sunshine! I took advantage of this beautiful weather and held our classes outside this week. We began class with a group floor mural, which we painted using some exciting new techniques. I first demonstrated the "bouncy nylon brushes" (hosiery filled with dried beans and rice) that make interesting prints when bounced on the canvas.The children dipped the bouncy nylons onto the plates of paint, then bounced them like a yo-yo to paint the canvas. This was a little tricky for the toddlers, but still a lot of fun!



After introducing the bouncy nylons, I offered the children other tools to use with the paint: Large scrub brushes, whiskers, paint rollers, balls- and trucks of course!



Along with the mural, I placed an easel outside for a different painting experience.




Being outside meant that the sand and water tables were accessible- and therefore very enticing!
To finish our Mother's day projects from last week, I brought out a tub of organic potting soil, the finished pots, and a selection of flowers. Each child retrieved a shovel from the sand box and got started planting their flowers.

After potting, I gave the children a squeeze bottle to water their flowers.



Squeezing the bottles became an extended activity!
Some of the finished flower pots...


Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there!