water color

Yes! You may make tons of pretty water color leaves!

I stopped by Lakeshore a few days ago to get some water color paper and found water color paper leaves too!! Graham and Parker LOVED this activity. They wanted to make LOTS of water color paper leaves! They really loved the water color paper too. This is the first time we have tried water color paper. It is definitely worth trying, so fun!!! They love watching the colors blend and spread, especiall once you put the water color paper on a light table. We used our DIY light box for this, because of using liquid water colors. We have no way to protect the light panel's from liquid. I am not handy enough yet to make a protective cover.

Seed trees & water color on canvas

Last week I dyed some pumpkin seeds with food coloring and rubbing alcohol. I got the seeds out today for a little art project! Graham and Parker had a lot of fun with this project. It was challenging for them though. I made one for example and then they made theirs. Basically we put clear glue down on the canvas in the shape of a tree, added the seeds, a little more glue on top the seeds, and then liquid water colors! I gave them paint brushes to move the water colors around and create a pretty background blend. We used turquoise, purple, and magenta liquid water colors. I let them dry outside until dark, them moved them inside t finish drying. I will be hanging them up tomorrow!

Mine is on the left, Parker's in the middle, and Graham's is on the right. I think they turned out really nicely!

Parker, adding some water color

Graham, contemplating his next move

Parker's tree

Graham's tree

I did a little changing up of some things in their room. I swapped out the smaller table that the light panels were on for a larger table. The table we had the light panels on was too small. I had to place the panels on them vertically. I hated them being on their vertically because they couldn't use all of the space on the light panels. With the bigger table, the light panels can be placed horizontally, and all of the space can be utilized. The tables I am using are the lifetime adjustable tables. They are used for preschools as well as for any other use you would need a table for.  I really liked this table because it is adjustable and it is a fraction of the cost of traditional school tables. I wanted a nice large table that they could do any of our learning activities, art projects, playdough, as well as building with their blocks and such. These tables are awesome. They are very sturdy and so nice! I use duct tape to tape the panels and mirrors  securely to the table and voila! It works perfectly!  I have an IKEA pocket organized fastened to the front of the table, filled with some of their small light table accessories. The rest are on the shelving to the left. You can see the tables HERE.

I switched the block play area with the book nook, they love it!! It is working out really well!!

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action - reaction

Graham and Parker decided that they wanted to do volcanoes(baking soda and vinegar with food coloring or liquid watercolors) on the new DIY light box I made for them. I usually only let them do this type of activity in our backyard play area because we don't have a protective cover on our light table panels. This is the reason I made the DIY light box, to be able to use liquid on it to have messy light table fun, do preschool science experiments, etc. I have let them do water transfer, volcanoes, water beads, etc on the light table panels before but it started to leave a little damage, so we stopped. I really would love to build a cover for the light table but I am not very handy with wood. Especially when there is plexiglass or acrylic panels involved.  

Making volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar

spray bottle with vinegar in it

using a cup inside the box to make more volcano fun

They decided to put the baby wipes they were using to wipe off with inside the box too. They like how the wipes changed to yellow from the yellow  liquid watercolors

Sorting and playing with geometric shapes, plastic gems, and plastic cocktail drink animals

gems inside and under the shapes

these are plastic cocktail drink hanger animals from wal mart, they are meant to hang off the side of a wine or cocktail glass but we are using them as light table animals ;)

Playing with magformers magnetic building "blocks" on acrylic mirrors and our magnetic play tray

building on acrylic mirrors I got from Discount school supply a while back. They are so useful for so many things! 

on our magnetic play tray

Sorting and playing with red, white, and blue glass gems and acrylic culinary pinch bowls on the DIY light box

using his pirates on the light box

various creatures on acrylic mirrors

Scooping popcorn kernels into bowls, culinary pinch bowls, and wedding favor cups on a clear plastic tray.