Hello! Some of you know me from the Parent's Association, and still others of you may know me as Ovi or Lio's mom. I am now teaching Practical Life for the Sunflower kids (3-5 years) as Ms. Jessi is moving to Helena. During the month of May, I work with Ms. Lindsay's class on Mondays, Ms. Indima's class on Tuesdays, and Ms. Sam's class on Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition to Ovi, who is almost 7, and Lio, who is almost 5, I also have baby Mo who just turned 1.
While "Practical Life" frequently translates to arts and crafts projects, the chief objective is not to teach art, but instead to give the children ample opportunity to find their way toward independently completing common day-to-day activities. This week, for example, I am working with the children to make sidewalk chalk. But the two skills we are focussing on are stirring (not too fast! not too full!) and pouring (steady with the spout down.) We are also working on our clean-up skills (as I expect we will do every week!) Last week we made Mother's Day cards*, but focused on learning the practical steps you need to take to mail a letter. You can extend our Practical Life activities at home by asking questions which draw your child's attention to the process behind the product, such as:
1) What did you do first to create this project?
2) What was the most difficult part of this project for you?
3) Could you teach me how to do this project?
The recipe for the chalk, by the way, is:
1 cup plaster of paris, available at hardware stores (much more expensive at craft stores)
3/4 cup water with about a Tbsp of tempura paint mixed in
Mix until the mixture resembles a milkshake, pour into molds (silicon baking cups work great!) and allow to set for at least 1 hour. (Note that plaster of paris dust is not great to inhale- I did the initial mixing of 1/2 of the water into the plaster to calm the dust. There is still ample amounts of stirring to do after the rest of the water is added, and it's a dust-free experience.)
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at melodiestenger@gmail.com. Next week we will be working on making a "Summer Bucket List."
Warmly,
Melodie Stenger
*Ms. Sam's class- we didn't get to make Mother's Day cards last week because I had a sick kid at home. So sorry!
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