Workin' in the MUD Kitchen!

Thanks to one of our wonderful parents (J. Covington), we have this awesome new mud kitchen in our outdoor classroom!  We have been enjoying "cooking" with sand, water, mud, snow, and even ice!

Check out the oven!  It's the perfect size for all the birthday cakes and cupcakes we make.

This day we made lemonade and floated tree biscuit "lemons" in it.  They looked just like real lemons!

Sometimes we make hot chocolate.  You have to measure everything JUST right.

This has been a fantastic addition in the few weeks we've had it!  Spring will only bring more fun to the MUD Kitchen!

Christmas Elves Give from the Heart

The school friends at Harmony's House know what Christmas is all about: bringing joy to those around you, and sharing in it too!  These are the ways our "Christmas Elves" gave from the heart this season:

Each school friend made ornaments for their families, from helping to roll out the dough, selecting cookie cutters, and painting them with glitter when dry.

They hung ornaments on the trees with great precision and care.  

Some friends reverently arranged the stable to create a Christmas scene, reflecting on who was there, what happened so long ago on a very special night, and what this means for us today.

Some friends made festive decorations to ready the house for a big Christmas party!

The "bakery" was busy with little elves making Christmas cookies and cinnamon toast, and other yummy treats!

And finally, we celebrated all together with songs of joy, yummy Christmas tree snacks, and fellowship.

 Merry Christmas to you from us at Harmony's House!  We'll see you back in the new year!

Fun on the Playground

The weather has been wild this month, but we've made the most of it anyways!  Did you know that for young children, 90% of verbs are learned while actively participating in action?  This is only one benefit of outdoor play.

We received a donation of these wonderful log stumps that have been used to make climbing structures, gates barring the "big bad wolf," drum sets, and even a campfire.  It's likely the imaginative plans will continue to grow as the children use their big muscle groups and their creativity together.

The large stumps have been fun, but small tree biscuits and small logs have also been used endlessly this month as well.

The playground is also a fantastic place for artistic expression.  Children love to color on walls, and with chalk outside, they CAN!

Probably the best part of the playground is the muddy puddles that form with heavy rain!

No matter the weather, get outside and have some fun.  The vitamin D from the sun will do the body and the mind some good!

Remember, there's no such thing as wrong weather... just wrong clothes.  :)  

PERFECT No Cook Play-doh

After making sugar cookies on Monday, reading about Gingerbread boys, and practicing with cookie cutters, we were ready for a fresh batch of play-doh so the school friends could "make cookies" and tell stories all on their own.

This is not a new recipe, but it is hands down, the BEST and EASIEST play-doh to make in minutes. It's soft, easily moldable, and cheap.

Recipe and Instructions:

• Put 2 cups of water in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.  Get it boiling.
• Put 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
• Add 1 cup of salt.
• Add 2 tbsp of Cream of Tarter and mix all the dry ingredients.
• Form a well in the flour mixture.
• Drop 2 tbsp of oil into the well, along with any desired food color or glitter.
• Add boiling water and stir all ingredients.
• Let sit for a few minutes and continue to knead until you have a well formed ball.
• When the temperature has come down a bit, PLAY!

During Work Time, the school friends continued to explore with cookie cutters, rolling pins, cut up straw pieces, pipe cleaners and more.  Irresistible, sensory fun!

Tis the Season to be Jolly

We welcomed December with festive new work in the Explore Table and House Area.  In addition to singing "Jingle Bells" on repeat, this new table filler encouraged lots of conversation about shapes, sizes, textures, materials, colors, quantities, and sounds.

We have one unsolved mystery as of now.  Not one jingle bell could be found that would fit in the smallest circle Christmas box.  We are on a mission to find a bell small enough to fit inside with the lid on tight.  :)

We also filled the boxes and pretended to exchange Christmas gifts, and it was SO hard to wait to open them up!  We would shake the boxes and listen to see if we could figure out what was inside!  Super exciting!  ;)

We had a cookie party today with the new Christmas cookies!  Snuffy even got in on the action.  We "fed" him so many cookies he got a tummy ache!

Poor Snuffy.  He had to lay down and take some medicine.  That's what happens when you eat too many cookies at Christmas!