projects

Science learning with gelatin art

March 8, 2016

ECPC kids enjoyed a super cool science and art project this week. Inspired by Bev Bos and our friends at the Roseville Preschool Cooperative, Teacher Kathy made gelatin molds for the children to poke, prod and just experience the way only kids can.

How to:

Mix gelatin powder with water, using more powder than package directions to create extra-firm gelatin. Pour in a mold — here, we used glass mixing bowls lightly oiled — and chill to firm. Then invert onto trays and put out sturdy drinking straws.

The kids can poke holes and pull out “worms” of gelatin before really getting hands-on. Once they demolish the molds, melt the pieces back down in a large pot and start over. Let the kids see the melting gelatin to understand about the transformation from solid to liquid.

*Bonus activity: Use pipettes to let kids inject streams of color into the gelatin.

Science learning: This activity brought out all kinds of natural curiosity in the students. They were fascinated to hear that gelatin can be heated to a liquid and then cooled into a new shape, just like ice melts to water when it gets warmer and water freezes to ice when it gets very cold.

Kids learn about veterinary medicine

May 31, 2015

Our kids got to learn about veterinary medicine recently when ECPC parent Matt visited to talk about his work. Matt showed the kids x-rays of animals, including before and after pictures of a cat’s broken leg, along with model hearts, bones and joints.

Then, the kids got to practice a little medicine of their own when Matt showed them how to put bandages on stuffed animals. Thanks, Dr. Matt!

Playing preschool pictionary

March 16, 2015

Lately, teacher Par has been playing pictionary with our kids. They sit in a line and take turns drawing while the others guess. It’s sweet and surprising to see how detailed some of the pictures are — and how quickly the kids can guess them.

Check out the drawings below. Any guesses what the first one was? The kids suggested a cucumber with wheels… The second is obviously a sweet bike. And the third was a cloud raining down on the ocean — and one of the kids correctly guessed all of that!

Fun with shaving cream art

January 28, 2015

It was fun with shaving cream in the art area during the AM program recently, with the kids making marbled paper one day and “cloud jars” another.

For the marbled paper, the participating parent smeared shaving cream on a tray and smoothed it. Then the kids dripped food coloring around and swirled it through with sticks.

When they were satisfied, the parent helped them put pieces of paper over the color-filled cream …

and then scraped off the shaving cream, leaving behind marbled paper!

The cloud jars were clear glass jars filled with water and topped with shaving cream. Then the kids put food coloring in with droppers, creating swirling clouds under the water. Lots of fun and messy hands ensued!

Igloo and magical forest welcome kids back to school

January 20, 2015

When ECPC kids returned to school after winter break, they found a surprise waiting for them. An igloo made of milk jugs and a forest of recycled Christmas trees transformed our front-yard sandbox into a wonderland of the imagination.

At a time when midyear doldrums threaten and children have to readjust to school after vacation, changes to the school environment can reignite their excitement and spark new play to entice them back into the routine. (And participating parents might say it helps re-engerize us, too!)

Parents collected rinsed-out gallon milk jugs for months ahead of time — many of them from Peet’s (thanks!) — and families brought in their Christmas trees after the new year. Before school resumed, volunteer parents gathered to prepare the scene. They built the milk jug igloo using hot glue guns (no kids allowed for this one!) and “planted” the trees in the sand.

Check out a video of the building of the igloo and — best of all — the kids’ reaction to it.

Also: Prospective families are invited to explore the igloo and forest at our open house, 10:00-12:00 on Sat., Jan. 24 at 7200 Moeser Lane in El Cerrito. This fun event lets parents and children experience the play-based approach and fun environment at ECPC, which has operated as a Bay Area cooperative preschool since 1940.

Thank you to all the volunteers and jug/tree donors who made our winter wonderland happen! The igloo and forest will eventually come down, but don’t worry — just like Frosty the Snowman, this ECPC tradition will be back again next year (and as long as we have wonderful member families who keep our school the most magical place around…if that sounds like someone you know, they can apply today)!