We are excited to announce our Summer Playdate Series!  Everyone loves a playdate, but the kids want to have them more than parents like to host them. Let us play host this summer . . . that means no mess, no noise, no cleanup and no negotiations about who gets to come over. We have decided that summertime at Creative Tots should be more about what the kids want. The kids want to play.  The kids want to see their friends. The kids have spoken and we have listened. They think that anything to do with “camp” might just be a little too much like school. Let your kids explore they way they are built to explore . . . through playing in the summertime with their friends. So, grab a friend and join us!

Click Here for 2016 Registration 

Running Deer and Dancing Moon visited our classroom today to teach us about the Native Americans of the Southwest.  We have been talking about the pilgrims traveling to America and meeting the Native Americans that already lived there.  This was a great connection to what we have been learning about the first Thanksgiving.  We had the opportunity to visit four learning centers during their visit as well as hear a old Native American Cautionary Tale.  We learned about a variety of hunting tools they used to survive and how they made them out of items found in nature in around where they lived.  We also learned about the importance of corn.  We shelled corn and ground it into cornmeal using a mano and matate.  In the jewelry center we discovered the different types of items they used to create their jewelry, then tried our hand at making our own piece of jewelry to take home using duck feathers.  Lastly, we shucked our own corn and ate right off the cob for a snack.

As Thanksgiving nears, it is that time of year to learn about Native Americans.  Ms. Penny and Mr. Ron joined our class today to teach us all about the Native American culture.  The children rotated between four centers: crushing corn to make corn meal, jewelry making, learning about weapons used to hunt, and corn shucking & eating.

In the first center, the children learned how to pick the corn off of the cob, gather it onto a rock (similar to a mortar) then using another rock (similar to a pestle), crush the corn into cornmeal.  The children learned how to work together towards a common goal by helping each other pick of the corn and crush it.

In the second center, the children learned Native American traditions when it comes to jewelry.  The boys and girls were able to try on different pieces, learn about the different textures, then make a necklace of their very own!

In the third center, the children were able to discover bows and arrows, arrow heads, different animal skins & furs, and real bear claws.  The children enjoyed learning about the need for Native Americans to hunt and gather their food.  Holding a bow the proper way showed the children just how difficult hunting can be!

In the fourth center, the children were able to shuck the corn, just like the Native Americans did, and eat it right off the cob.  This was our most delicious center!

Dancing Moon and Running Deer came to visit us today to teach us all about the Southwest Native Americans.  We had the opportunity to pop the dry corn kernals off the cob and grind them on a matate.  A matate is the large stone on which the grain is placed. A mano is a smaller stone used to grind corn or other grains. It is rolled over the matate to break down the grains into a powder.  The powder is then used to cook many different things with.  We talked about all the different uses the native americans had for corn then we husked our own piece of cooked corn and enjoyed it as a snack.

Running Deer showed us all of the different types of tools and weapons that were used to hunt and provide food for the native american families.  We also got to see and feel a real deer fur and antlers along with a fox fur and skunk fur!  We explored and dressed up in native american jewelry and clothing and had a chance to make our very own piece of jewelry.  We learned that native americans would have used many different things to make their jewelry including shells, feathers, animal claws other things they would find in the area where they lived.

We learned that native americans did not have books like we do, they had “storytellers,” or people in their tribe that told stories to the young children.  These stories always had a lesson that the children could learn.  Dancing moon told us the story about “How Chipmunk Got His Stripes.”  It was an exciting story that taught us that we should not tease others or to brag about ourselves.  We will be reading other Native American Folk tales later in the week, including How Jackrabbit Got His Long Ears and Kissing Coyotes.  The preK children got to listen to a story on tape about another native american legend…The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.