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Our Remodel Story
As always, it started with an idea. Two years ago when we were looking for a place to live, we saw this big house on almost an acre of land. As soon as we walked out on the deck a mother deer walked into our garden, followed by two little fawns – and they started…
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Melting Cups
We decided to bring some color to our windows. I have always wanted to try the melting-cups-into-suncatchers idea. And yesterday we finally decided to give it a try. It was super easy and the results were amazing. We used colorful sharpies to decorate our plastic cups. I read that plastic #6 is the best one…
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Art Book review: Beautiful Oops!
There is no right or wrong in art. This is a message I try to teach the kids every time we create an art project. Art is not about right and wrong answers; it is about creativity, fun and self-expression. That is why I love this book so much. Barney Saltzberg did an amazing job…
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Matisse & Valentine
Are you ready for Valentine’s Day? This is a little Valentine dancer project that I did last year with my kids. We decided to use Henri Matisse and his art as our inspiration. How can you make it? It is super simple. You need: black, blue and yellow paper, card (or card stock paper of…
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Printing Valentines with Love
Printing Valentine pictures with love (and a lots of ink) Printing is one of my favorite art techniques. And Styrofoam printing is such a great way to let even three-year-olds experience it – with wonderful results. Sometimes we use new Styrofoam plates, sometimes we use recycled ones (I feel much better about using these but…
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Cooking, baking, tasting…
Every week the arTree kids will make their own lunch. They will learn about nutrition and healthy living while they chop, measure and stir. I am putting together fun and balanced menu that the preschoolers may enjoy AND they can do themselves. I have a list of wonderful recipes: from soups, paninis and pizzas to…
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Typing Away…
Olivetti 44 typewriter from 1950s (made in Barcelona) just joined our literacy center. I was so thrilled when I discovered this gem at a local antique store. I had to buy it right away! It is exactly what I was hoping for: amazingly cool piece of 70-year-old technology that can get the kids excited about…
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Pirate week is going to be awesome!
Pirate week is coming to arTree preschool each April during our Station Imagination theme. We learn about pirates, make boats and cool ocean art, go on treasure hunts and decorate our parakeets… BUT today I wanted to give a shout-out to one of the local Buy Nothing Facebook group members who generously donated all of their…
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O’Keeffe and Flowers
Painting flowers with Georgia O’Keeffe is always a big hit. We bring real flowers to the classroom. Kids choose the one that they like the most and explore it with magnifying glass to see all the little details. We talk about Georgia O’Keeffe and how she wanted people to notice flowers-and that is why she…
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What is a Provocation?
arTree preschool takes some of its inspiration from Emilia Reggio, including the provocation station. What is provocation? It may sound unfriendly but it is quite the opposite: it provokes thoughts, discussions, questions, interests, creativity and ideas. How does it look like? In May we talk about flowers and Claude Monet. So, our provocation station may look like…