Getting “messy” plays a huge roll in the creative process. You start getting “lost” and really become oblivious to everything around you.
I purposely choose projects that “The Little Peeps” can enjoy the thrill of making messes.

We are inside today making bird feeders for the overwintering birds.
1. Cut an orange in 1/2 & scoop out the inside.
(Saved for our snack & served with homemade meringues.)
2. Make a hole in each 1/2 of the orange & put string through. This will enable you to hang the bird feeder from a tree branch.
3. In a dish, have the kids mix bird seed with Crisco. Oh my gosh, what a MESS!!
4. Have the kids stuff the orange halves with the mixture.
5. Take toothpicks & have the kids pierce cranberries @ one end of the toothpicks & with the other end, pierce the orange .

……..WE HAD A BALL !!….
PS.. If your child has peanut allergies, READ THE BIRD SEED LABEL PLEASE

Giving, sharing and joy! That is the theme for the entire month of DECEMBER.

“The Little Peeps” are so eager to make & create so away we go! The majority of the children this semester are 3 years old which requires a bit of thought when developing an activity for that age group. Plus, keeping the project simple.
Before starting ANY project, we talk about it and I have them draw it on an eraser board.
December Project is Candy Canes
Supplies:
1. white styrofoam meat trays
2. elmer’s glue
3. GLITTER
4. newspaper, q-tips

ADULTS: create a template of a candy cane & using an exacto-knife, cut out the required amount
Children: with q-tip in hand, apply glue to the candy cane . THEN PRESS THE CANDY CANE INTO GLITTER, GLUE SIDE DOWN!
At this point, the entire room is filled with EXCITEMENT…”DITTY, I DID IT!”
The CANDY CANES will be used to decorate our outside wreaths.
P.S. The MAGIC of THE SEASON IS STILL ALIVE….
Just HANG-OUT WITH the “little Peeps”❤️❤️

Too cold to venture outdoors with 3 year olds!
After having our weekly discussion group, I dashed outside to gather some leaves to CREATE with. I had brought a roll of wax paper today. The daycare had colored tissue paper so….???
Tear the tissue paper, place on 1/2 of a sheet of wax paper, place the leaves on top & fold the other 1/2 of wax paper on top.. with a heated iron apply heat & voila’!  We created “on the spot” using stuff “hanging around” and easy Pee-z for 3 year olds.
NEXT- Making pretzels for a crowd… The kids love the cooking /eating segment. Each got a hunk of dough to roll into a pretzel. For a 3 year old it turns out to be a bread stick.
AND A FUN TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!!

I have ” lived in nature” for 72 years now. When you visit in nature; look around, smell the air, touch, listen and JUST BE…. It is very satisfying.
This week we took a GIANT WALK! On the look-out for grasshoppers and just about anything we are able to catch in a net. We are not very good at stalking our prey…just about everything scatters. We sound like a herd of roaming elephants let loose upon the plains!
THAT IS THE POINT: Learn at a very young age the joy of being outdoors!
“IT STARTS AS A WALK AND BECOMES A JOURNEY FOR A LIFETIME.”

I am a “True Believer” in the outdoors. SO…
Outside we head in spite of a “glaze of gray ” overhead. We all sprayed our legs with an organic repellent I picked up at Connelly’s Pharmacy in Ipswich. (All parents had been informed.) A gentleman in Newburyport came up with the product by the way.
First, to the garden to pick green beans. Yummmm! Afterwards, we walked the Wildflower Meadow path, then we ran and ran through the soccer field and ended up at the Stone Bridge. The Quest: Find turtles, frogs or Ducks.. WHAT?
Apparently ALL LIVING CREATURES ENJOY A SUNNY DAY.. It was wonderful exercise for all of us, as not one “LITTLE PEEP” made a peep!!!

Today started the same as always, EARLY!!
Grandpa caught a baby skunk in his Have-A-Heart trap and YES I adore skunks!! The little skunk was rather perturbed and when grandpa released him, he ran up onto the terrace where I
THOUGHT I was out of harms way and he was actually about 3 ft. from me. He didn’t spray me so I thought I was in the clear. I went into the sunroom , closed the door, sat down and I was assaulted with”Eau-de- Skunk”!

The story made its way to “Story Telling” today. We talked about animals foraging for food, their habitats, means of protection etc. Then, out we went to collect grasshoppers, butterflies, a frog and just about ANYTHING in our way.  We have a very strict catch and release policy.
We picked ALL our beets and checked out the garden.
All in all one of those DELICIOUS summer days!
…………… KEEP SUMMERING ON !!!…………….

Well, we are expecting rain so……… Out to the garden to gather parsley, kale and pull beets.  EVERYONE gets a bag to bring home.

We then went down to visit with “The Rhinoceros.” Oh, doesn’t EVERYONE have a rhinoceros? Afterward, off we went to pick wildflowers and then stroll among the flower beds. We made sure to get back to the daycare before the rain. We enjoyed a snack, wrote in our journals and I read 2 books to “The Little Peeps.” Almost EVERYONE is still going “full steam ahead”.
P.S. Have a great weekend y’all and YES I did nap when I got home.