Playing with colored rice
The Spark Station and The Spark Station Mastery Course really work!
I just had to share my experience with all of you. I finished lesson 5 of the Spark Station Mastery course yesterday. I went through my home to see what I could find. I cleaned out the entertainment center (that is what we are using for our Spark Station). I was excited but nervous.
I found sand in the garage that I forgot we had, rice, material, art supplies, wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs, math wrap-ups, and the list goes on. I filled totes with the items I wanted to start with. The kids saw me doing this and were anxious to know when they could use all that cool stuff.
I dyed the sand, I dyed the rice and I put the stuff in the Spark Station this morning. We did our devotional and then we talked about how the Spark Station would work. I was really nervous.
The kids immediately went to the fabric and wanted to make capes, unfortunately the pieces we had were rather small so we talked about using those pieces for other things and talked about how much fabric we will need to make a cape (it will appear in the Spark Station soon).
Colored sand art
Then they found the colored sand, mason jars, and lids that I had in there. They used the funnel that was in the box to help pour sand into the jars and made beautiful designs with different colored layers of sand.
While the older 3 were working with the sand I pulled out the tub of rice and set if up on a blanket. I had spoons, cups, bowls, etc. in with the rice. I just let it sit there and as soon as my 18 month old saw it he was occupied until Structed Family Learning Time was over. The older kids went to play with him when they had finished their sand project.
When they bored of the rice my older son pulled out the art box. He found cupcake liners in the box. Immediately the girls wanted some too. They asked me what they could use them for and I told them anything they wanted. They seemed unsure, I told them I could see one making a pretty flower. My son immediately said he wasn’t going to make a flower, he thought his would make a great head for a lion. They glued their cupcake liners to the paper and used the chalk in the box to draw the rest of their pictures.
I just sat there and grinned the entire time. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Why was I so afraid of this, it’s not scary, it’s incredible. I now have a learning tool at my fingertips that gives me the perfect way to ‘Inspire, not require’. I can’t wait for tomorrow and neither can my children. Stacey S.
Colored Rice picture, Image Courtesy : Storybleed.com
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
very cool, thanks for sharing this!