We are having a blast building with egg cartons this morning. And knocking them down is even more fun! It has been such a great opportunity for teamwork, negotiating, problem solving, structure/engineering experience, vocabulary building, and more!
 We are having a blast with some more DIY toys today! We used wooden dowels, some fun yarn, and electrical tape to make ours. There are lots of variations that would work great too: sticks instead of dowels, ribbons or streamers instead of (or with) yarn. They are a fun way to get out and get moving!   The kids spent a lot of time this past week creating an obstacle course in the yard! The planning, trial & error, teamwork, and of course, large motor work were amazing to watch! #looseparts   Now a full week into 2015, I have so enjoyed looking back on what an amazing year 2014 was! I was blessed enough to spend MANY special moments with some super special kids, and thankful that some of those moments were even preserved on camera. I have chosen my very favorite photos from the past year, and I hope you all will enjoy getting a glimpse of the joy, learning, friendships, and excitement that we have experienced together. As with all photos, what makes them great is the story behind them, so I've added descriptions to some that explain why they are my favorites. Just click the post link to see all the photos!
 Well, the weather outside today was pretty frightful, but it was a perfect day for some "snow playdough!" We added some buttons, orange pipe-cleaner "carrots", fleece scraps, and twigs and had fun building some great little snowmen!
I am pretty sad that summer is coming to an end, but we are not going to let that stop us from enjoying every last bit of nice weather in our new mud pie kitchen! (Though I think it will make a fun snow pie kitchen, too!) I still hope to add a real kitchen sink on the left side, but it's definitely usable! The kids were so excited to see it ready for play this morning, and they have already spent hours scooping, digging, squeezing (great pre-writing work!), counting, measuring (math concepts), role-playing, planning, communicating, problem solving (VERY important social skills), just rolling in the new dirt patch, and having SO MUCH FUN! 
We were also in the mood for some painting today, so some jumped right into that as well!
 SO much great learning going on in just this photo! :) A couple of the kids asked this morning if they could make a giant spider web with yarn (something we have done here before). Well, they got to work and as I watched and listened, I was once again amazed at all the learning that was going on in their PLAY!
Large motor control and agility practice as they figured out how to maneuver over, under, and through the web... fine motor work too, as they carefully wrapped up little toy bugs in the web for the spider to eat. And the greatest little science lesson as they discussed why they were wrapping up those bugs: Child 1: "We are wrapping them up so the spider can eat them. Actually, they just drink their blood." Child 2: "Gross!" Child 1: "Yeah, but it's healthy for them. And if we drink blood it just goes into our tummy." Me: "Do people drink blood?" Child 2: "No! But we have blood inside us!" This is the way learning is supposed to be...THEY chose the subject, and THEY chose how to go about their learning, which makes what they learn relevant and meaningful! With another cloudy and rainy day came another request for "Clouds In a Jar" today. :) Definitely one of my group's favorites!   Here's a fun rainy day activity we did yesterday: "Clouds In A Jar." A clear jar filled about 3/4 full of water, and topped with shaving cream. Then the kids dripped colored water into their "clouds" until they got full enough to let down some colorful "rain!" A fun science lesson, too. About half of the kids dripped "rain" until their little sky was nearly black, and then asked to do it again, so we dumped them out and started over! :)
 For our last official day of Dr. Seuss week, we read Yertle the Turtle and used a fun idea from Strong Start when we played with these egg carton stacking turtles.  We also had fun painting some of our own turtles!
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Welcome!Welcome to Hilary's Home Daycare & Preschool! Take a look through these pages to get a glimpse of what our days are like! If your child is currently enrolled in Hilary's Home Daycare, be sure to check out the "Look what we did today!" section often to join in our fun! Childcare Openings:Currently, Hilary's Home Daycare has no childcare positions available. If you would like to be added to our waiting list, please submit a message under the "Contact Me" tab. Be sure to include the words "waiting list," your child(ren)'s age(s), and the best way to contact you for an interview, should a spot become available. Thank you! Archives
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