How hard is art with nature?

sourced from http://www.racheous.com/reggio-inspired/rocks-provocations/

This is so stunning. I always admire artwork inspired by nature. This is such a simple yet effective way of looking at patterns / design / shapes and nature in a creative way. 

Sunshine created by 5 year old

 Smiling cat designed by 4 year old. 

Construction - Learning???

 

sourced from pinterest

Mmmmmmm! What could you possibly learn with this??? 

 form 

structure

strength in design

shapes

social communities

collaborative design 

oral language

story writing

Mmmmmm!

Demonstrating the thinking!

 Kids demonstrating their thinking supports so much learning

Pride in their presentation of their thinking
clarifies their thinking
demonstrates different models for solving a problem
Inspires others
Opens doors for peer tutoring within the class

The best way I have found this to work is using edu-creations app on the ipad and making a movie using their voice as well as their drawings to show their thinking. Very powerful for parents to see steps to achieve the end result. Post it on your blog creating a wider audience. Inspires students to help other students across the world in learning math.

Sail Boats

    Click on the image to get full instructions.

Labels in the Garden

What a cool way to get them writing and practicing their spelling. Labels are a huge part of our environment. Exploring how to do them in a fun and purposeful way has to be a good thing! Which one to start with!

Flying Science

We could do a whole term on this one. Great for measurement in maths also. I will be using it as a morphed kind of commonwealth games event.

Sprout House

 What a great idea for a present or a start to growing your own little garden. Loads of other ideas at the link below to check out.

Thanks to this link for the inspiration:  http://pattiesclassroom.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/plants-and-seeds-and-jack-and-beanstalk.html

Matariki

With Matariki just around the corner this just look like too much fun to try.

Many thanks to this site for the inspiration:
http://deceptivelyeducational.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/if-i-was-constellation.html?showComment=1312820037452#c9039932426696150297





Android star chart app. Lets you see the constellation even on a sunny day!

Lego Fossil - Iceman!

Science investigation with lego! What could be more fun. With winter making its presence known and ice everywhere this is a great way to explore and understand more about how ice works.




Thanks to this site for the inspiration: http://lemonlimeadventures.com/lego-science-ice-excavation-experiment/

Wind Harps

 Wind harps for the garden. What a fun way to recycle.

Instructions plus sound link to hear what they sound like.

Cool Science

Very cool science experiments for kids including
snow paint

frost paint

Make your own mini greenhouse

http://www.homemademamas.net/search/label/Kid%20Crafts?updated-max=2010-03-04T00:37:00-08:00&max-results=20

This site does maths and science - like raisin math!!

Moon Sand

Moon sand is made from 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil. Very soft to use. Discovered through pinterest. Have you been there lately?

Soap Clouds

WOW! Awesome science at work here. I'd love to see the kids faces when you do this one! I love how there is no waste either. Awesome website. Check out full description and ideas at this link...
http://www.mypinterestreality.com/2012/08/ivory-soap-clouds.html