Want to have armloads of fun? Incorporate finger paints and scents in one activity! Wow!!

The Pre-Kindergarteners really loved this activity as they loved being able to get really involved in the set-up and of course the final pieces!

The kids were learning about different habitats and Ms. Evelyn, the kids’ teacher, is native to the south. In the south, they have yellow watermelons which was a crazy concept to our 4 year olds, but in the end and through the giggles, really found this project fun!

Materials:

• Paint (regular tempura paint– red for traditional or yellow for southern watermelons!)
• Paper
• Extracts; our kids used fruit extracts like berries for example. This could also be a great opportunity for you to go through your cupboards!

Mix a bit of the extracts into the paint and have the kids start their next masterpiece!

One way to bring the lesson further is get a watermelon from the store and explore the different textures when tasting it. As something fun you could save the seeds and have the kids try and grow their own watermelons!

Of course that would be just for fun, but long-term experiments are great for teaching patience and sparking questions (like you guys don’t get enough already!)

Thank you for reading! If you’re trying this at home, take pictures and let us see!

The Summer Camp class Safari had a lot going on with their curriculum, and this gem came out of the classroom last week!

With their overall curriculum theme being “Insects” and a side lesson of the kids studying different textures and tastes, our amazing teachers went ahead and incorporated both!

Here are the steps used; this would be a great activity for a camping trip, a night around the camp fire or if you’re just feeling crafty!

Supplies:

• 1 bag of Jumbo marshmallows
• Paint (assorted colors)
• Paint Brushes & Paper

Instead of using the paint brush as you would normally, have your kids put the marshmallows on the other end! Pour paint onto plates or bowls so the kids have access to multiple options. Now to allow creativity to happen we recommend you pull up a picture of a caterpillar or some other insect (if your child wants) and have them create it! They will make it look as they see fit, and that’s the beauty of it all!

Just something super easy and super cute, plus you’ll have more than enough marshmallows so be sure to make s’mores for some S’MORE memories (ha get it?!)

A Big YES To ART EVERY DAY!

At Young Scholars Academy, we incorporate art into our daily curriculum to help facilitate comprehension of the varying ways art can be applied. Did you know a whole curriculum can be centered just on one piece of art?

Although Spring has officially ended, the kids were so interested in all the types of bugs they were finding on the playground and ESPECIALLY the bees they found near the greenhouse we have on the playground!

The Pre-Kindergarten class decided one afternoon to make their own bumblebees, but the teachers ensured it was something just for them, and something they could just do! Crafts, which typically are very teacher-directed, don’t have to be; you can help kids do it all themselves!

Here are the steps to create your very own:

1. Have the kids cut out their own oval. Find an oval shape to help guide them, prepare yourselves for a shape that will look nothing like an oval!
2. (Parent) Place masking tape in rows, leaving enough space in between for noticeable stripes
3. Have children paint over the whole taped area, then allow paint to dry.
4. Have the kids remove the tape (this is great for their fine motor skills!)
5. Additions you could do are googly eyes, wings, pom poms for the bumblebee fuzz effect etc.

Tada! Just goes to show that any everyday experience can turn into a learning lesson for the kids. Let them do it themselves as much as you can; their sideways artwork will one day be something you look back on and get teary eyed!