Chase the Rain Blues Away!

With all the rain lately and more to come our daycare has been mostly indoors. We have had some days that we are all climbing up the walls but with a little creativity we have been trying to keep the rain blues away. Here are some fun ideas to let out some energy on rainy days.

My best advise to keep the kids from getting cabin fever is to let them run around outside every gap in the rain, stomp in puddles, hunt for earth worms, play simon says and get muddy! I normally don't allow movies during daycare hours but I have found some really great kids yoga and dance dvd's that we like to watch to get their wiggles out. Try setting up an indoor obstacle corse, all you need is a safe place for a summersault, a hula hoop to crawl through, some cones to weave in and out of and maybe a rope to jump over. The kids favorite thing to do at my house is a rock and roll dance party. We like to get all dressed up, pull out some scarves and music instruments and rock out!

We are all ready for the sun to come out but hopefully these activities will help you and your children for going stir crazy!

Recipe For Play

Do you want do buy yourself a half an hour of time with out kids in your hair to do laundry, make dinner or I don't know.... read a book? Well, instead of plopping them in front of a screen have some activities plans and prepared you can grab when you need a minute. I have a number of parents who ask me how to do our daycare craft projects at home and I have many fun and easy ideas of how to get more crafty with your kids. One of my very best ideas ever (if I do say so myself) was the craft boxes I made for my kids for Christmas this year. I bought twelve plastic shoe boxes and filled each one with all the supplies they would need to complete one arts and craft project. Some are messier than others so I also bought myself a very pretty oil cloth for my dining room table!

Some Craft Box Ideas:

Rock Painting

Animal noses, (cut out egg cartons, pipe cleaners and string)

Brown paper bag puppets

Box car, (empty juice box, egg carton wheels, straw axels and plastic lid wind shield)

Collage, (old magazine and scissors)

Rain sticks, (paper towel tube, beans, foil and tape to close the ends)

Recipes for Play:

Goo - Is it solid or is it liquid?!

16 ox box of corn starch

About 1 1/2 cups of water

-mix 'till smooth then pour and PLAY!

Ornament Dough

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

-knead until combined, then roll out to 1/4 inch thick (may need extra flour for dusting surface)

-grab some cookie cutters and have the kids help cut out shapes ( make a hole now if you plan on hanging them or stringing them for necklaces, a straw works best)

-place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes

-when hard and cool let the kids paint them!

Play Dough

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup water

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

-mix together then cook in large pan over med heat 'till stiff.

- place on work surface to cool and knead in color.

Color ideas, (instead of food coloring) try beet, spinach or carrot juice. Frozen blue berries work well too, but are a little pricy!

Mix in some texture by adding oatmeal, cornmeal and coffee grounds for a sensory experience!

The possibilities are endless! I know there are parents reading this and they are worried about the mess, but I think this is an opportunity for you to let go a little and to teach your children how to clean up after themselves. Kids are messy, show them how to pick up! And for those of you saying, "My kid won't do that by them-self. They're going to ask me to do it for them!" I think your response to the child should be, "This is your artwork, if I made it then it would be mine, I want you to make one for yourself." Then step back and let them work, it may take a few tries but like everything else in life practice makes perfect and your child will learn independent play.

Gook Luck!

How Glasgow Family Childcare Began

Blogging is a new journey for me but I thought I should start with a little background first. My Name is Alia Glasgow and I was fortunate enough to be raised in beautiful Santa Barbara. I am a former preschool teacher, with a degree in Early Childhood Education and I now provide exceptional home childcare. I have over ten years of professional experience working with children. I have always loved playing with babies, when I was ten I began my "career" in childcare! There were many babies in my neighborhood and I used to go door to door asking if anyone needed a mothers helper. When I started high school I logged all my community service hours as a volunteer in a large preschool. As soon as I turned fourteen I applied for a work permit and got my first real paying job in a home daycare, I thought it was so cool that I got paid to play with kids all day! After high school I went to Santa Barbara City College for an AA in Early Childhood Education and taught at a very traditional preschool for a couple years. While working at the preschool I loved being around the children but I grew tired of the old fashion methods they enforced, so I went back to my roots of working in the home daycare environment. My new employer became my mentor and I learned more about children working for her in those few short years than I did in all my years prior and for that I am very thankful. In fact during the time I worked for her I got married to my husband Matt and became pregnant with my first child, Chase Parker and she talked me into starting my own daycare. That was over five years ago, now we also have a daughter named Payton Lilee. The journey has had its ups and downs but over all I am so glad I took this path. Now I am licensed, CPR and First Aid certified, finger printed, background checked and ready to PLAY! My home and facility are certified green by Green Care for Children, and the daycare is operated from my safe, clean, developmentally rich home in Carpinteria staffed by myself and one assistant. Our daily schedule includes lots of physical activities, free play, one on one time, a sensory table, arts and crafts, singing, story time, phonics for preschool-age, baby signs for infants and much much more! I provide one organic healthy morning snack served family style to teach and encourage healthy eating habits, communication skills and manners. I offer infant, toddler and drop-in care. With this blog I plan to reflect on past experiences and a explore new ideas both for my own personal growth and that of my childcare business. License #426213085

Introducing Glasgow Family Childcare: A GREEN environment

It's official... We are the FIRST childcare providers in Carpinteria, CA to go GREEN!!!

We are excited to incorporate our already green lifestyle into our home based childcare business. Not only do we use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, but all of our toys are safe for both children and the planet. We recycle, compost and continue to reduce our energy use.

We do not use pesticides in or around our facility and have eliminated the use of harsh chemical cleaners. We provide the best air quality possible by eliminating airborne hazards, as well as reducing children's exposure to harmful toxins that may have been found in plastic toys and arts and crafts supplies.

We are excited to use this opportunity to be an example of green stewardship by having frequent discussions and encouraging parents and their children to adopt these green standards at home.

We look forward to sharing more with you as we continue to learn and grow each day!

-Alia Glasgow

{Image borrowed from: philspector.wordpress.com}