Parkland Players

Our post today is in support of those affected by BC Wildfires. Well wishes to the many communities and families across the province dealing with evacuations and displacements.

This is an article from the Red Cross (image above also taken from this source): http://www.redcross.ca/blog/2017/7/how-parents-and-caregivers-can-help-children-during-and-after-disasters#.WXD6icAwSbM.facebook

Jackson Pollock was an artist in the first half of the 20^th century who was famous for his method of painting. He would place large canvases on the floor and drip paint on them and then swirl the paint around with sticks, mallets, paintbrushes, and even other tools like bricks and broken glass.

In our Summer Camps program we like to spend some art time looking at the work of famous artists and creating our own masterpieces inspired by those artists. Jackson Pollock’s method is a great art project for the summer because, its messy and therefore great to do outside! So here is how to make your own Jackson Pollock inspired creations at home this summer!

Materials Needed

1. Paint
2. Large piece of paper
3. Sticks, paintbrushes, mallets, and other tools (pretty much anything goes, just keep safety in mind!)
4. Smocks or old clothes

Instructions

1. First of all talk about Jackson Pollock and his artistic style. A quick search online will bring up a lot of information about how he painted and what his creations looked like.
2. Then, head outside with a large piece of paper, paint and tools. Let children drip paint onto the canvas and paint like Jackson Pollock. If there are multiple children working on this activity have them all work on the same canvas, and make sure it is large enough for them all to have space.
3. Note: you may need to weigh your canvas down with rocks if it is windy.
4. Make sure they are wearing protective smocks or old clothes as this may get messy.

Step back and admire your work! Keep in mind that this art project is more about the process and less about the end result. Children typically really enjoy creating the art.

Source: http://www.learningandexploringthroughplay.com/2016/05/jackson-pollock-preschool-art.html

Image of Jackson Pollock source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock (visit this link for more information on the painter)

Hope everyone is having a lovely start to the summer! Our Summer Camps and Pre-K programs have started this week and the weather has been so great, we are having a lot of fun and definitely taking advantage of this sunshine.

For our post today we are sharing an article about “Mommy Brain”. Has anyone felt like after having their children they are forgetful? Maybe you feel like your brain just isn’t firing as fast as it did before kids! The exhaustion, and stress and not to mention the hormones! Well, this article takes a look at “Mommy Brain” as an actual phenomenon and the scientific evidence to support its function.

Give a read here: https://www.parent.co/theres-good-reason-mommy-brain/

For our post today we are sharing this article. Summer Camps at Parkland Players are coming up next week and we are super excited! If you haven’t already registered visit the Summer Camps page on our website to sign up.

Check out the article here: https://psychcentral.com/lib/whats-so-great-about-summer-camp/

This is our newsletter for the month of July. Please refer to it for important information regarding upcoming events and schedules.

At Parkland Players we have a lot of children and staff who speak two or more languages and we think that is great! So today for our post we thought we would share this video on the benefits of multilingualism for the brain. We like this video because it discusses how the bilingual brain can develop in different ways and also how their are various approaches to acquiring a second language. At Parkland Players we like to support language development in many ways, including multilingualism. In this regard we offer specialized French Classes in our PM Preschool program.

Check out the video from Ted Ed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMmOLN5zBLY

And if you are interested in our PM Preschool Program: http://parklandplayers.com/programs/preschool-care-coquitlam-childcare-early-learning-reggio-emila/

This is an activity we recently did at the centre and it turned out great! The photo above are creations from our own Out of School Care group. Check out the instructions below! This is a super simple craft, and it is great for the warmer weather when you are spending a lot of time outside anyways. What other animals do you think can be made from leaves?

Materials

• Paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Markers
• Leaves (and other items collected from nature if appropriate)

Instructions

1. First, go on a nature walk and collect some leaves and other small natural objects! Maple leaves make a great shape for the wolves face but use what you can find.
2. Bring the leaves back and use them to collage a wolf’s face with different leaves for the face itself, the ears, and the nose.
3. Cut out small circles of black and white paper for the eyes OR find some small rocks and glue those down.
4. Draw on eyebrows and whiskers with a marker OR find some small twigs and glue those down.
5. Let the glue dry and then your creations is complete!

Source: http://www.kidactivities.net/post/Leaf-Leaves-Theme.aspx

Ever wonder how your child decides on certain activities when they play? Or why they do the same activities multiple times? A potential answer is Schema Theory as it is applied to Early Childhood Education. This article from “Nature Play” gives a great overview of Schema Theory and how it relates to children’s play and development. It also offers suggestions for how Schema Theory can help adults facilitate play. Therefore, this is our post for the day. Take a look!

http://www.nature-play.co.uk/blog/schemas-in-childrens-play

Today for our post we are sharing a list of new books great for summer reading. This list is from The Guardian and you can check it out here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/30/best-new-childrens-book-summer . We love how they have shared books for various age groups. Take a look, maybe you will find something you like for you and your children!

The weather this month is getting warmer and sunnier. We can feel that summer is approaching fast! So for today we thought we would share some fun, and healthy, summer snacks for kids. These are great treats to beat the heat! They are refreshing and pretty healthy compared to their common summer alternatives.

This is the third post in a series of posts on recipes for healthy summer snacks for kids. One recipe will be featured per post. Here is one of our favourites, for the full list check out the source at the bottom. Note: if your child has any allergies be sure to thoroughly read all instructions and ingredients lists before trying any of these recipes.

FAVA BEAN AND MINT CROSTINI from: http://flavorthemoments.com/fava-bean-burrata-mint-crostini/

Ingredients

• 1 lb fava beans, unshelled
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• toasted baguette slices
• burrata cheese, sliced

Instructions

1. fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat, and fill a medium bowl with ice water. Add the fava beans to the boiling water and cook about 3-4 minutes, depending on the size of the beans. Drain the beans and pour into the ice water to stop the cooking process.
2. Gently squeeze the beans out of the outer skin.
3. Place the beans in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Add lemon juice, mint, salt, and pepper.
5. With the processor on low, add the oil through the chute and process until combined. Taste and correct the seasonings until the desired flavours are achieved.
6. Place about a tablespoon of spread on each slice of bread. Top with a small slice of Burrata.

Check out the full list from (source): http://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/healthy-summertime-snacks/