ARTS + CRAFTS: “jurassic world” inspired amber fossil slime

In the spirit of the latest Jurassic Park movie, here is a fossil slime recipe sure to thrill your budding scientist!

Ingredients:

• 2 Teaspoons Borax Detergent Booster
• 1 ½ Cups Water
• Tangerine Essential Oil (optional)
• 1 Bottle Elmer’s Clear School Glue
• Red and Yellow Food Coloring
• 2 Mixing Bowls
• Mixing Spoons
• Plastic Insect Toys

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of Borax. Stir well, then set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup of water with the entire bottle of glue. Mix well.
3. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and 3 drops of yellow food coloring into the water/glue mixture. Mix well.
4. Add 2-3 drops of Tangerine Essential Oil. While this step is optional, it gives the slime a nice smell.
5. Pour your water and Borax mixture into the colored glue mixture. You will see the slime start to form immediately.
6. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients, then remove the slime from the bowl. You will notice some water left over. Pour out the extra water and place the slime back into the bowl. 
   
7. Push plastic toy insects into the slime until covered. Remember that the idea behind this slime is to have fossilized insects like in the original Jurassic Park movie.
8. Allow the slime to set for a few minutes before using.
9. When the kids are done, store in an airtight container, such as Tupperware, for future use.

To view the original recipe, visit TotallyTheBomb.Com: Jurassic World Inspired Amber Fossil Slime!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Recipe and images contributed by Jamie Harrington of TotallyTheBomb.Com 

THE FAIRMONT FIVE: developing fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are essential to human growth and success. Providing your toddler as many resources as possible to train their bodies is incredibly beneficial for kindergarten preparation. In the classroom, children need to hold scissors and writing utensils properly. Creating simple activities and devices for your child to play with at home will aid dramatically in speeding your child’s hand-eye coordination and developing fine motor skills.

1. Playdough - A simple ball of playdough can provide hours of entertainment as toddlers squish, twist, and mold different shapes. An inherently creative medium, children will automatically use their imagination to build a variety of structures. As a bonus, incorporate dry pasta, pebbles, buttons, etc. for added creativity and motor function!
2. Sensory Bins - Create a simple sensory bin for your child using a plastic storage container and layer of sand, rice, oatmeal, or other malleable elements. Mix small toys, shells, pebbles, legos, etc. into the element and encourage your child hunt for the buried items. When your toddler is ready to advance, have them dig for items and pick them up using a spoon.
3. Sensory Boards - Secure a variety of open-close items to a pegboard for your toddler to practice opening and closing. Items such as latches, zippers, door knobs, and wheels help aid critical thinking and strengthen motor skills.
4. Hole in One - Using empty water bottles and small pebbles or craft pompoms, encourage your child to practice picking up small items and placing them through small holes. Another version of this exercise is to provide your toddler with a colander and pipe cleaner to see how many pieces they can thread into the colander.
5. Threading - Develop your child’s concentration and coordination by give them some large beads and string to thread. As a bonus, get them used to seeing patterns by showing them how to thread beads by color or shape.  

Making activities more challenging by using clothespins or tweezers to move small objects will greatly aid in your child’s progression towards kindergarten. Early exposure to writing utensils, safety scissors, and shoe laces will also help to give your toddler a boost in classroom readiness!    

Visit the Fairmont Preschool Pinterest board for more developmental ideas and classroom preparation for your young child!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Hands On As We Grow

CHALK TALK: helping young children be aware of the purpose of advertising

As with television and the internet, young children may innocently embrace advertisements on kid-friendly apps, such as the recently launched YouTube Kids app, as a resource of viable, unbiased information. While adults and older children have a better understanding of the intention of advertising, children eight years and younger are particularly susceptible to the persuasion of ads sharing the screen with educational content and kid-appropriate entertainment.

Children advocacy groups express concerns about the negative influences of advertisements on these age-appropriate apps. They worry that the ads, specifically those targeting vulnerable young children, contribute to reinforcing children’s fixation on soft drinks, junk food, and other unhealthy habits. The issue matches concerns raised in a report published in 2004 by the American Psychological Association entitled “Television Advertising Leads to Unhealthy Habits in Children.”

Dr. Rebecca Osborne, Technology Enhanced Curriculum Specialist for Fairmont Private Schools, encourages parents to monitor what their children are watching and to be vigilant about the kind of advertising that accompanies the programs.  Parents may want to consider streaming programming such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, which do not include ads, as an alternative to broadcast television or ad-supported apps.

When children watch ad-supported programming, parents can help their children identify the difference between a regular show and an advertisement. Parents can point out how the characters are different, the changes in volume or pacing, and how the content of the program and advertisement does not match.  Since this type of distinguishing will not develop until children are around 5-6 years old, parental guidance is essential for helping them see the differences.

Lastly, parents can help their children think critically about the information they are presented. This skill will develop over time, but parents can encourage children to evaluate statements by simply asking "What do you think about that?" or "Do you agree with what they are saying?"

Children have a natural curiosity, and parents should foster this type of thinking in their children to help them identify advertisements and avoid being unduly persuaded by them.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by sheknows

ARTS + CRAFTS: artistic expressions in honor of earth day 2015

In celebration of Earth Day, Fairmont students demonstrate their creativity by re-purposing common recyclables into art. In March, the art pieces were displayed at the MUZEO Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim as part of the museum’s annual "TrashArtist Competition."  

There are no limits to what a child can do with their imagination!

 

Contributed by Marketing Department, Fairmont Private Schools

SNACKTIME: Fun, healthy holiday recipes

Cooking with your children during the holiday season offers opportunities to have fun in the kitchen and build lifelong memories. As an alternative to making only sweet, not so healthy holiday treats, consider preparing healthier versions from scratch with your children using simple substitutions or additions. This will significantly improve the nutritional content without compromising flavor or fun!

Substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose white flour--Use ¾ to one cup of whole wheat flour to replace one cup of all-purpose flour. Since whole wheat flour is slightly denser, you may need to add a bit more liquid to the recipe.

Nutritional Benefit: Whole wheat flour provides more fiber, vitamin E, B vitamins and trace minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc and copper than all-purpose, white flour.

Substitute flaxseed for butter or oil in baked goods--Flaxseed provides a fat substitute in most recipes. Three tablespoons of ground or milled flaxseed can replace one tablespoon of margarine, butter or cooking oil. Grind flaxseed in a coffee grinder or purchase packaged ground flax seed/flax seed meal. Flax has a slightly nutty flavor. Add to baked goods for a nutritional boost.

Nutritional Benefit: Flaxseed contains lignans, a type of fiber and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is an omega-3 fatty acid. Both help prevent inflammation that affects the body’s immune system and may also lower risk for certain types of cancer.

Additional ingredients for baked goods--Add chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts

Nutritional Benefit: Nuts are rich in healthy, monounsaturated fats. They help stabilize blood-sugar levels and improve cholesterol and triglycerides, which may reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Nuts are high in fiber, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B6, which increase protection against cardiovascular disease.
 

Spices such as cinnamon, cloves and all-spice--For generations, traditional herbs and spices have been used as food, flavor enhancers, as well as to treat ailments. There is scientific evidence supporting how these herbs and spices provide medicinal properties that alleviate symptoms or prevent disease.

Nutritional Benefit: Many spices such as cinnamon, cloves and ginger not only add flavor, they are high in antioxidants and other health promoting properties.

Enjoy holiday goodies more by modifying recipes just a bit to create healthier alternatives without sacrificing taste!

Submitted by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, MS RDN
Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services Company
Image credit: Culinary.net