Gwen Turns Three!

For a couple years, I've been lusting over these Waldorf Birthday and Advent Rings. Now with all the children I serve, I figured I could invest in one of these beauties.

And with Gwen having just turned 3, she was the first one to have it used in her honor. Seems like she just turned 2 yesterday.

Happy Birthday Gwen!

Happy Birthday and Spring Break

We'll be closed next week for Spring Break for restorative rest.
Wanted to leave you all with a few snippets though.

And Happy Birthday to Ms. Kellyann. We lit the birthday candle, sang her Happy Birthday and she now has a handmade apron, since we get good and messy here, ya know. (A big thank you to Tanya for driving to South Austin in the rain to retrieve it for me!)

Watercolors, Mirrors, and a Birthday!

Phew! What a busy week. Since I was unable to post daily, I'm going to post a weekly synopsis. As you all know, my logo is complete, and the website is now live.

If you haven't seen it, here it is!


Damon's dad is the creator of this awesome logo.

And the here's the website, created by Kiwe of Visual Moxie.
I'm so stinkin' excited about it!

I've been flooded with emails and several phone calls from people inquiring about the future of Terra Luz. I came to the realization that no longer do I WANT an assistant, I NEED one. Alas, I cannot do it all alone anymore. This is a huge step for me since I've been flying solo this entire time, but I am thrilled to have found a good match! For those of you who have children currently at Casa T. you will be meeting her next week. =)

Snippets from last week:

It was Mia's birthday! She is THREE years old now! We lit the birthday candle and sang her Happy Birthday! Just so you all know, I was VERY careful with placing the candle on the floor. It was such a cohesive way for the children to sit around the birthday girl and the candle and sing to her. They LOVED it!! It was so quiet and serene, I almost seemed as if they were meditating! ;)





This birthday-card watercolor-art was a collaborate effort on behalf of the M, W children for Mia.



Art
Our focus this week was liquid watercolors. We carried over the gelatin exploration from last week.



In the past, I've simply given the children a few colors, a brush, water, and paper, and they would begin to watercolor, not noticing that they were mixing up the original colors in the tray. This week, I tried to show them how we can also keep the original colors intact in the trays, while moving the color to the paper, and blending the colors on the paper instead. the concept was a bit hard. So, we'll continue to offer the watercolors freely and when they're ready to

1). dip brush in the color 2). paint on the paper 3).dip brush in water to rinse off color 4).dip brush in new color

then we'll try that again.

Next week, our focus will be on a 3 dimensional media.
CLAY!!

I pulled out some mirrors so the children can build on top of them. They used the Legos this week and also thought it was fun to look at their reflections and make silly faces.





The pink tower was popular this week. Some enjoy ordering it from biggest to smallest, some enjoy their own version.

Che's tower.

Gardening
Currently, the only thing left that is harvesting is broccoli, so the children took turns watering.





Che opted for some water play soon after, and since the weather was so nice and warm, he was able to fully enjoy himself.



The children, especially the boys, really dig this small jet-ski trailor Mike has by the garden and I often find them pretending they're navigating, or just exploring. And they also did some facepainting on Thursday, explaining some painted faces.

We did many other things this week, but just not enought time to post. That's what happens when I get backlogged and don't blog for a week.

Gratitude

Grandfather Twilight was donated to the Casa T., err, I mean Terra Luz library by Mama Melissa. Thank you!

*P.S. Now that I have the business name registered and an official business account, please make tuition checks payable to Terra Luz Progressive Preschool.

Thank you!

Living Peacefully and "Spilt" Milk

What a crazy, busy week its been! Lots of work on this end doing administrative duties and getting all my ducks in a row (and a huge 'honey-do' list for the hubby). It's a lot of work, but very exciting at the same time! I'm getting closer on choosing an official name for my program as well. Still stuck, but close!

I'm also strongly considering transitioning over to providing lunch and snacks for the children. The menu would consist of wholesome, nutritious, preservative-free foods which also invite storytelling, either while preparing, serving, or at the table. I've looked at a winter menu which is a full week of recipes which are meant to be rotated throughout the season. This is done to create a predictable rhythm to mealtime in the home that the children and caregiver can depend upon each day, warming the child physically throughout the season. The same way it is when we bake here at the Casa, the children will be involved in parts of the process of cooking. If this change is done, it won't happen until next semester. Will keep you all posted on that.

And finally, here are some snippets from last week for those needing their Casa T dose.
By this week, I should be back to my regular posting schedule! ;)

What's On Our Shelf This Week
Living Peacefully



Character Education
Even though we do not have this problem at the Casa, the book we focused on last week was Hands Are Not For Hitting. We discussed that hands are for saying hello, and for playing, sharing, clapping, couting, helping, building, being kind, and staying safe. There are so many good things hands can do. The story also focuses on ways to handle strong feelings without hitting. This gentle, encouraging book helps young children understand these important concepts and reinforces two main themes: violence is never ok, and every child is capable of positive, loving actions.

~*~

Snippets























We read It Looked Like Spilt Milk this week, and this book was as HUGE of a hit with the children as it was with my 1st graders when I taught. We pulled out some blue paper and white paint, and the children did their own versions of 'Spilt Milk'. It's always interesting to see what designs come up! Tee hee....

















We also had a little belated birthday celebration for Gwen. Lit the birthday ring candle for her and we sang her Happy Birthday in English and then I followed in Spanish. We also got to enjoy an excerpt from her new Flower Fairies book.


*This was followed up with a very detailed discussed about candles, flames, and adults-only-light-candles type of conversation.

And, more cool surprises found in a lunchbox!



It looks like we have all the supplies needed for our upcoming project on Wind, which should extend through this week.

Thank You!