When I look out my window here in Pennsylvania, I see bare trees with snow on their branches. They are barren, yet beautiful. My children have come to learn that “the trees are sleeping for the winter”. As spring approaches, the trees will “wake up”, and buds will fill the branches until soft, new leaves emerge. In the summer, these leaves collect the sunlight and rain. They shake and whisper in the breezes. With fall, comes a beautiful array of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns that sweep across entire hillsides and valleys alike.
These changes in the trees are not only beautiful to look at, but they also signify the changing seasons. They are an excellent visual representation children can comprehend and use to learn about the four seasons and the changes they bring.
The book, The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree, by Gail Gibbons, offers a wonderful introduction to the seasons. Throughout the story, children are taken through the life of an apple tree as it changes during one year.
Have your child create their own tree using four copies of a bare tree (either hand drawn or photocopied off of the internet), white, green, pink, red, yellow, and orange tissue paper, and some glue. As you reread the story, help your child rip the tissue paper into small pieces roughly 2 x 2 inches square. She can then crumple each piece into a small ball, dip it in the glue, and press it onto her bare tree in order to create four different trees, one for each season of the apple tree.
If your child gets tired, it is okay to stop and come back to the activity later. You may even want to stretch out the activity over four days as little fingers may get tired quickly.
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Written by Laura on January 23, 2012
I wasn’t sure how my four-year-old would react to seeing The Nutcracker performed on stage. Although this was actually his second viewing of the production, I don’t think that at two-years-old he really understood what he was seeing. As it turns out, my preschooler was able to understand much of the story in Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
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Written by Laura on December 16, 2011
When my oldest son was three-years-old, he attended a preschool two mornings each week. Although the teacher would encourage him to visit the art center which was filled with every supply and accessory you could possibly need to create a piece of artwork, my son would have rather played with the trains and cars for the entire two-and-a-half hours. The only artwork I received during that year wer
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Written by Laura on August 11, 2011
I like to dabble in paints. I can paint a little bit of scenery with watercolors or acrylics, but I have never felt any of my work is good enough to show off. I have never had any formal training so perhaps I feel a bit intimidated by “professional” artists. Apparently, the lesson I need to take, is one offered by Max in David Wiesner’s most recent book.
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Written by Laura on June 3, 2011
Last week, I was feeling very “Martha-Stewarty”, and I decided to hand-craft some table place-holders for use at our Easter dinner. (Actually, I found the craft instructions in a parenting magazine, and it was intended for completion with your children. This is my maximum level of craftiness.) The first step of the craft involved painting coffee filters by dipping them in egg dye.
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Written by Laura on April 27, 2011
“Air” can be a very difficult concept for children to grasp. You can’t see it, and even when you can feel it children may still have a hard time understanding what it is that is blowing against their face. In my experience, I have found the best way to help little ones learn about the air and wind is to give them experiences that let them see its effects.
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Written by Laura on December 29, 2010
You don’t have to wait until nighttime and turn out the lights for this activity. Simply find a piece of material to use as a blindfold. Give your child a few crayons and a piece paper. Have her sit safely in a chair, and then place the blindfold on her eyes. Now have her draw. She doesn’t have to draw any particular picture, and scribbling is fine. The idea is to simply give her
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Written by BRWI Staff on December 8, 2010
Symmetry can be a tough concept to teach to small children because there are only so many words you can use to explain it. How many ways can you say, “middle”, “half”, or “same on both side”? This is especially true given that many young children don’t fully grasp the ideas of “middle” and “half”. Here is an activity that can hel
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Written by BRWI Staff on November 15, 2010
Painting is most often thought of as a visual activity. Children are able to select from an array of vibrant colors that are stimulating to the eye. However, painting can also be invigorating to the senses of smell and touch as well. The next time you prepare to let your child paint, try using corn starch, sand, spices, powdered drink mix, coffee grounds, salt or liquid starch to the paint. All
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Written by BRWI Staff on November 12, 2010
One of my favorite aspects of creating pictures with watercolors is the blending that occurs as the pigments touch each other on the paper. New colors are sometimes formed as the paints blend together. At other times, the paints simply swirl and form a beautiful rainbow effect. These are experiences I have had simply by engaging myself in the use of artistic materials. As a parent, you can pro
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Written by Laura on July 14, 2010
Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence to teach your preschooler the joy of reading and writing.
Sponsored by Bridges Reading & Writing Institute -- teaching the JOY of reading and writing to students in preschool through 12th grade.
