MC + HNY

Christmas Activities with E

Homemade ornaments and gingerbread house delighted E so. E has his own little tree twinkling in the kitchen.

Voila! All Peeled and Ready!!!

Color mixing, cutting exercise (to trim off excess dried glue) and sheer delight from the simple act of peeling and revealing the end product were the added bonuses.

Rubbing Plates and Baby M

E worked on his leaf rubbing plates today and these are what he did and Baby M hung out with us. Would you believe it? She turned 3 mo yesterday! On Dec. 16, she weighed 12 lbs (birthweight was 6lbs 4oz) and 24 1/2" tall (birth length 19 1/2"). Here she is!





Part 1 LANGUAGE ARTS/WRITING/READING/SCIENCE (BOTANY FOR THIS) WITH RUBBING PLATES




Part 2 CRAFT WITH RUBBING PLATES
E squeezed some food coloring into glue bottle - one color was used after each plate was completed to have variety. Provided some additional delight as marble designs emerged when the glue was squeezed out. Going to let these dry completely and then peel them off the plates! Can add glitter dust for added effects.






Part 3 ART WITH RUBBING PLATES
E did leaf rubbings on a piece of art paper with crayons. Then he used watered down acrylic paints to paint over the entire paper and the colors would fill all the white areas thus causing the image to appear. Good contrasting colors between paint and crayon would give best results.






Additionally, can press into clay and make plaques or coasters. Turn them into stamps with washable markers and make cards, etc.

Christmas Delight for E................

This year the theme is building/constructive/creative playthings for E since he has a huge love for them. We have been making purchases, I am afraid to say that I have gotten quite carried away with it since I LOVE THEM TOO! :-) A majority of his gifts come from these:






























































I happened upon them when I was surfing the net and found them on http://www.drtoy.com/toy_history/construction_exhibition_handout.html It felt good to know that I had made selections for E (without having seen this list before) that coincide with this list. Even better that I got them at discounts and free shipping if not at a store near me. Those not purchased are on my list for future gifts. Further details on each item at the site.

The Opposite of Play Is NOT Work

Truth is the opposite of play is depression. No play results in a dulled soul, one that is missing spice-of-life elements while being buried by responsibilities. Play and work are actually mutually supportive. Best thing to do is to play at work. With play comes a sense of newness, flow and being in the moment. True play comes from within and is the sole path to finding pleasure in our work.

Christmas At Home - a visual tour