NeedleReads: T-shirt Scarves

Abandoned T-shirts find new life as cute scarves!

Sewing Project: T-shirt Scarves
Supplies:
T-shirts for cutting up
Scissors and/or rotary knives
cutting mats & rulers

WonderWorks: Magnets

A concept that incorporates Science, Technology (tools), and Engineering (all sorts of fun "problems" to solve!):  magnets are also great fun!

Today's Topic: Magnets
Supplies:
--lots of metal "stuff"  (we used:  paperclips, small bits of pipe cleaner, metal paper fasteners, keys, coins,  thumbtacks, an old (fairly clean) bicycle chain, juice concentrate lids, metal washers, bolts and screws, a metal hole punch, and probably a few more things I've forgotten)
--plastic containers with tight lids to put some of the more dangerous loose bits into (thumbtacks, I'm looking at you!).  Empty water bottles would work well, I used deli-type containers since that's what I had on hand.
--some non-metal stuff  (we had glass marbles, bouncy balls, plain wooden building blocks, metal (but not iron) coins and keys, and some metallic confetti)
--a few special things (all optional, of course):  plastic cases with iron filings, test tubes with ferrofluid, magnetic Tegu blocks, magnetic marbles, magnetic putty (you can theoretically make your own if you prefer)
--magnetic wands, horseshoe magnets, magnetic pincushions, "donut" magnets... as large a variety of (preferably non-choking hazard sized) magnets as you can collect.

Book:
  Magnets : pulling together, pushing apart / Rosinsky, Natalie M. 
Note:  I'm not particularly crazy about this book for a read-aloud-to-young-children option, but it was the best I could find after much searching. Anyone know of any picture books that deal with magnets or magnetism?

WonderWorks: Patterns

Patterns are early algebra, plus they give us the power to predict what's going to happen next--strong stuff for preschoolers!

Today's Topic: Patterns
Supplies:
small sticky notes in a variety of colors
buttons, beads, lids from drink bottles, colored pasta or anything else that could be made into a pattern
rubber stamps and stamp pads
egg cartons
chenille stems


Book:
   Pattern fish / Harris, Trudy
(This book was perfect for today's topic!  It had rhythmic patterns, color and shape visual patterns, built in the "what comes next" concept seamlessly and even had a bit of a plotline!)