Geometric Bottle Cap Prints

We've heard there are endless ways to re-purpose plastic bottle caps so we have been saving them for a while now.....time to put them to re-use!

We were inspired by We Heart Art : Luli Sanchez Dot Paintings to use some of our caps as stamps for a print featuring circles in different colors and sizes.

You will need:
acrylic paint (we tried tempera and the paint just puckers and doesn't leave a smooth print like acrylic)
art paper
plastic bottle caps in various sizes
paint brushes

For younger artists you may want to mark with pencil where the circles will go, if they decide they want a uniform, grid like print. Otherwise, children can place circles wherever they like on the page.

Have children select 4 or 5 different colors.

Apply paint to the top of the bottle cap with a paint brush then press onto the paper.

Re-paint and press again. Repeat until they are satisfied with the results.

Children may want to vary colors in the first layer of circles. We used large circles in the first layer and smaller circles in the second layer, but there is no reason kids couldn't mix sizes as well as colors between each of the layers.

Be sure to have a small and large bottle cap and paint brush for each color so you don't have to wash between colors.

It is best to press the first layer of circles and allow to dry and then move to another layer to avoid smearing colors.

Be sure to wash your brushes while waiting for the painting to dry. Acrylic paint is more difficult to remove from paint brushes than tempera paint.

Apply second layer of circles.

The best part about this project, besides the stunning prints, you can wash off the bottle caps and use them again for another project. 

Mushrooms: Fruit / Vegetable of the Month

September is National Mushroom Month but you will find mushrooms in season all year long, as they are commercially grown in specially designed buildings which are able to regulate the light, temperature, humidity, and ventilation.

Mushrooms are edible macrofungi. They grow from spores, emerging from the 'dirt' after about 12 days. If commercial mushrooms are exposed to ultraviolet light, especially just prior to harvest, the will contain large amounts of vitamin D. Most mushrooms rich in vitamin D will be labeled accordingly. Mushrooms are also a good source of many B vitamins and antioxidants.

There are 250 types of edible mushrooms versus 52 toxic, 32 of which are deadly. It is very difficult to tell poisonous mushrooms from those which are edible as they often look remarkably similar. It is always advisable to discuss mushroom safety with children and discourage gathering wild mushrooms.

While white buttons mushrooms are the most consumed mushroom in the United States, commercially harvested wild edibles are growing in popularity. Pictured above are brown crimini mushrooms a.k.a. baby portabello. Also growing in popularity are shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, porcini, enoki and full size portabello. Children who haven't been exposed to mushrooms may enjoy the mild taste of the white button or the slightly richer brown cremino to start.

When shopping for mushrooms, choose those that are firm, smooth- not slimy, free of dark spots. Store in their original packaging or in a loose paper sack for up to a week. Wash before use by rinsing with a small amount of water or wiping with a wet paper towel. Don't soak mushrooms in water as they will swell. If you want to store mushrooms past a week, they will freeze but only if they have been sauteed first as fresh mushrooms don't freeze well.

Mushrooms add a richness and umami to foods. Umami is now considered the fifth taste, after sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Umami is described as a savory, broth-like, rich or meaty taste sensation. Add mushrooms to nearly any type of savory dish to add nutrients and umami. The texture of mushrooms may be something children may need to become acquainted with if they haven't had any exposure to them in the past. Add them a little at a time to meals children already enjoy, such as pizza, soup, chicken, steak, hamburgers, salad, pastas, eggs/omelets, grilled sandwiches...

If you are child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program.

Recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables varies with age.

Children ages 2-3 need   1- 1.5 cups of fruits and 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Children ages 4-8 need   1-2     cups of fruits and 1.5-2.5 cups of vegetables each day. 

Children ages 9-13 need 1.5-2  cups of fruits and 1.5-3.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Teens ages   14-18 need   1.5 -2.5 cups of fruits and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables each day.

Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum growth and development. Check out  CDC's fruit and vegetable calculator for an more accurate recommendation based upon age, sex, and activity levels.

Remember your plate.......

Magazine Flag Collage

Remembering Patriot Day, we wanted to create some flags to display on September 11. We found our inspiration from Crafts by Amanda and her Magazine Mosaic Flag.

You will need:
White stock card
Glue sticks
Red, White and Blue images from magazines
Scissors

With our first flag, we used the recommended size of 4" x 6 ". A smaller size requires less clippings but does require a great deal of fine motor dexterity.

 With our subsequent flags we just used a letter size piece of white stock card.

To make it easier for kids to pattern the flags correctly, we drew light pencil marks. First we laid the paper as a landscape and drew a horizontal line through the middle. Then we make a box for the blue and stripes.
This is not a true reflection of a US flag so there are less than 13 stripes and no stars on the blue.

Now you have a flag to display in your window on Patriot Day. 

August 2014 Child Care Referral Data

See what kind of child care parents in El Dorado County were looking for in the month of August -based upon data collected when parents contacted us during this time frame.

If total percentages exceed 100% it is because more than one response or category was recorded for some clients. 

Beaded Spiders

This is a great fine motor activity for Halloween with plenty of room for creative input from your children.

You will need:

pipe cleaners 

large and small beads

scissors

puffy fabric paint- optional

For each spider you will need 3 pipe cleaners, 2 large beads and a variety of small beads .

Cut two of the three pipe cleaners in half. You will only need 3 of the 4 halves. 

Thread the long pipe cleaner through both beads and wrap downward and twist into place. 

Thread each of the three halves through the loop between the large bead and the pipe cleaner loop. 

Be sure to place the short pipe cleaner evenly on either side of the loop. 

Twist each half into place after each one is threaded. 

Spread the legs out with 4 on each side. 

Bead each leg leaving space near the end to bend the pipe cleaner up to keep the beads in place. 

Squeeze 8 dots for eyes on one of the large beads for eyes.

You can also use the looped area where you threaded the legs to loop a long clear string and hang your spiders in a doorway or window for Halloween. 

You will find this activity has a place year round by pairing this activity with the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" or the books "The Very Busy Spider", "Anansi the Spider" or "Charlotte's Web". 

Phrases that Nurture Respect & Confidence

Recently, our agency has been learning more about the Five Protective Factors.

Thanks to Emily Plank at Abundant Life Children, we set up a bookmark to give parents and adults who work with children. It contains a list of phrases she typically uses that nurture respect and confidence in children, to help support the social & emotional competence of children (one if the five protective factors). Enjoy!

Printable version available here. 

Matisse Style Window Decals

We developed this activity by accident. We had planned on making etched paintings on a surface of aluminum foil. When it was time to scratch the surface and create a drawing, the dried paint mixture peeled easily into a strip of congealed pigment- perfect for a sunny window. 

You will need:

cardboard, paperboard or other stiff surface

aluminum foil

tempera paint

liquid soap

a sharp stick/scissors and/or a pocket knife (if an adult is using)

We began by wrapping a stiff surface with aluminum foil and taping down in back. We used cardboard and paperboard. Our boards were 8 1/2" x 11". 

Then we mixed about 1 ounce of tempera paint with about 6 drops of concentrated dish liquid (we used concentrated Dawn). 

We applied an even coat to 4 out of 5 of the aluminum boards. Our helper covered one entirely but unevenly. Each board took the entire ounce of paint. You want the layer to be thick enough to peel off without breaking but not so thick is loses it's transparency. 

After we discovered our paint peeled easily, we used a sharp knife to score the surface. Children can then take a pointed object, such as a pencil, scratch stick, etc. to peel each shape up from the foil. The surface which was painted unevenly was a little more difficult to work with, but it provided an interesting visual element to the mix. It reminded us of blue ocean waves. 

The shapes stick easily to the window. (It is summer at the moment and the window is warm so we aren't sure how well the will stick to a cold window during winter.)

Can you see where we got our inspiration?

Featured above is "The Snail" collage by Henri Matisse.

Supporting your Child's Education

The first day of school has come for many children across the country! Parents will have a myriad of feelings as their children settle into another year of school: relief, excitement, nostalgia, concern. Some parents may feel anticipation as they know when the school year gears up, so do parenting responsibilities related to school. Supporting a child's education from a parent's perspective is no easy task. It takes engagement, stamina and farsightedness but it is all worth it in the end.

Decades of research shows that parents who are actively involved in their child's education (regardless of their income or background) are more likely to have a child with:

• higher grades
• higher results on standardized tests
• better attendance
• better social skills, school behavior and adaptability the school environment
• higher graduation rates and continuing education with college

when compared to children who's parents participate less in their education.

The earlier parent involvement begins, the more powerful the effects; and the more intensely parents are involved, the more beneficial the achievement effects. 1

Supporting you Child's Education

Beginning with the basics:

• Ensure your child gets to school on time.
• Ensure your child gets enough sleep. (Ages 3-6 need 10-12 hours, 7-12 years need 10-11 hours, 12-18 years need 8-9 hours)
• Be sure your child eats a healthy breakfast.
• Help them organize what supplies they will need for the school day. 

Your goal as a parent is to grow an independent learner. 

Tips for raising an independent learner:

• Show your child that education is important to you. Exude a positive attitude about learning and school. Expand upon what your child is learning in school, extending their learning on the subject beyond the classroom. 
• Read to your child and later have them read to you...and even later, read the same book and discuss it together. 
• Set high expectations for your child. Share with your child your confidence in them as a learner.
• Begin teaching independence by setting aside a time for homework in a quiet area with the required supplies and monitoring non-educational screen time. 
• Help them with their homework if you able (it can become more challenging as they progress through school). If you are unable to act as a tutor, you can still help monitor that they complete their homework and look into getting tutoring help through the school or other community resource.
• Work on giving them more responsibility over time. Be sure to provide them all the tools and instructions to be successful with new responsibilities. Do it with them at first, fading your help out over time. 

Get involved in your child's school. Show them that the school and home are connected and part of the same community. 

• Attend scheduled Parent-Teacher conferences, Back to School nights and other school functions.
• Keeps lines of communication open with your child's teachers and the school staff. 
• Ask plenty of questions about your child, the class, the materials being covered to get more information about how your child is doing. If they need additional help, you will be able to set it up earlier rather than waiting when there is a noticeably large gap in learning. 
• Volunteer at your child's school if your schedule permits. This is a great way to get to know the staff, help improve your child's school and show your child that you care about their school and value their education. 

And most importantly, stay connected to your child, meeting their five critical emotional needs. 

Homemade Scratch Art Paper

Making scratch art paper is a great opportunity for children to see the process behind the scratch board they may have purchased or received "ready to scratch".

You will need:
white stock card or tag board
oil pastels or crayons
painters tape (optional)
black tempera paint
liquid dish detergent
paint brush- foam preferable
object for etching (toothpicks, forks, sticks....)

Taping the paper down serves several purposes. It is easier to color the entire page when it doesn't continually move. It keeps the paper from puckering when the paint is applied. It provides a stunning visual border to the art.

Have children color the entire surface area of the page with oil pastels or crayons. We used a standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of white card stock. If children are younger, you may consider using a half sheet or postcard sized paper. This will reduce the amount of surface they have to cover with the pastels but keep in mind they will have a smaller surface to scratch which will require smaller strokes and more fine motor control.

Once the entire sheet is colored apply the paint mix. We used 4 oz. black liquid tempera paint and about 5-6 drops of liquid dish soap, mixing well. We also used a foam brush.

We applied 2 coats but found a very thin 3rd layer was needed in a few areas on each sheet. Allow each layer to dry before applying the next coat of paint.

Pluots & Apriums: Fruit / Vegetable of the Month

Pluots are a hybrid of a plum and apricot, with more characteristics of a plum. Generally speaking they are roughly 2/3 to 3/4 plum and 1/3-1/4 apricot. They have the smooth skin of a plum but are sweeter than plums. Pluots aren't genetically modified. The pluot is the result of cross-breeding plums and apricots through hand pollination by Floyd Zainger. The name "pluot" is actually a trademarked term by Zaiger Genetics so you may find plum-apricot hybrids in the store with a different name. There are about 25 varieties of pluots on the market today so the flavors and colors between pluots can vary greatly. Our featured picture is of a "Dinosaur Egg" or Dapple Dandy.

Pluots like most fruits and vegetables are low in calories. One medium pluot contains only 40 calories. Pluots are also a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C in addition to all of the phytonutrients fruits and vegetable contain. 

Select firm, ripe pluots with no cuts or bruises. Ripe pluots are tender so store them without stacking. To hasten ripening, place in a brown sack loosely closed.

Prepare and serve pluots as you would plums or apricots. They taste great in vegetable or fruit salads, in cereal, yogurt and are great all by themselves. Kids naturally love pluots because of their natural sweetness.

Apriums are also a plum-apricot hybrid trademarked by Zaiger Genetics. Apriums are roughly 75% apricot and 25% plum and therefore look more like an apricot than a plum. The variety we enjoyed had reddish skin which smoother than an apricot. The texture and taste of the aprium was juicier and sweeter than an apricot. When comparing the pluots featured above and the apriums on the right, we thought the apriums were much sweeter.

Apriums are also low in calories, 1 cup has only 75 calories. Apriums are an excellent source of vitamins A and C as well as being a good source of fiber.

Apriums have a longer shelf life than apricots and bruise less easily. Prepare and serve apriums as you would plums or apricots. 

If you are child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program.

Recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables varies with age.

Children ages 2-3 need   1- 1.5 cups of fruits and 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Children ages 4-8 need   1-2     cups of fruits and 1.5-2.5 cups of vegetables each day. 

Children ages 9-13 need 1.5-2  cups of fruits and 1.5-3.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Teens ages   14-18 need   1.5 -2.5 cups of fruits and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables each day.

Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum growth and development. Check out  CDC's fruit and vegetable calculator for an more accurate recommendation based upon age, sex, and activity levels.

Remember your plate.......

Homemade Bubbles with Glycerin

Last summer we made bubbles using Dawn dish liquid and corn syrup. This summer we thought we would try a new recipe using glycerin.

You will need:
water
liquid dish soap
glycerin
granulated white sugar

We quadrupled this recipe.....

1 cup water
2 Tablespoons liquid dish soap (we used unconcentrated Dawn)
1 Tablespoon glycerin (we found ours with the first aid supplies at our local drug store)
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar

Then we placed in an empty milk container with a screw on lid.

Blowing bubbles is great for oral motor development and popping uses both gross motor and fine motor coordination.

These bubbles had staying power! Great for our arid climate.

July 2014 Child Care Referral Data

See what kind of child care parents in El Dorado County were looking for in the month of July -based upon data collected when parents contacted us during this time frame.

If total percentages exceed 100% it is because more than one response or category was recorded for some clients.