Funky Funghi Pizzas

The March rains had us inspired to learn all about mushrooms!  We explored several varieties of 'funky' mushrooms: portabella, shiitake, oyster, and crimini.

Then we cleaned them by rubbing them with a paper towel.

This egg slicer came in handy for making some nice thin slices.

Once our mushrooms were prepped we fried them in coconut oil and sea salt until they were fragrant and crispy.

Then we added fresh oregano from the garden.

For our pizzas we spread tomato sauce on an English muffin.

Used tongs to add grated cheese on top.

And used tongs to add the crispy mushrooms on top of the cheese.  Using tongs is an excellent activity to improve fine motor skills and develop the pincer grasp used in writing.

For the final touch we added fresh herbs from the garden.

We baked them in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes and had some super tasty pizzas!

We started to grow our own mushrooms with this fun kit and we have been reading 'Mushroom in the Rain' to learn how water and rain helps mushrooms GROW!

The Spring rains had us dancing and puddle splashing...

we made rain paintings by using washable markers and raindrops...

thunderstorm collages...

and when it stopped raining we made our own rain!

In yoga time we sing "pitter patter pitter patter down came the rain"...

And then the sun shines and we are a beautiful rainbow!  Ask the kids to sing you our rainbow song!

We explored rainbows by making our own with the water wand...

and using this prism to discover that sunlight contains all the colors of the rainbow!

We made rainbow gift cards...

rainbow watercolors...

rainbow sorting and beading...

we mixed primary colors to create rainbow play-dough...

and we made rainbow fruit skewers!

At story time we have been reading about all the different colors of the rainbow and talking about what colors different foods are and how we can try to eat at least 5 colors of the rainbow a day.

Check out this free chart that helps kids try new foods:

http://www.todayiatearainbow.com/resources/free-downloads/

We celebrated Spring by making a cooperative Spring mural.  First we cut out native plants and Monet landscapes, then we arranged them and glued them down, and finally we added baby rabbits and chicks.

Nothing says Spring more in Austin than the sweet scent of the Texas Mountain Laurel blossom...

and the soft wisps of a dandelion.

We also had a blast spring cleaning!  We loved watching our sponges grow while they soaked in water...

and keeping the Children's Garden beautiful!

We learned all about BUNNIES by reading these classics...

Then we went on a field trip and hiked over to Mama Stephanie's house to meet BunBun!!

Mama Stephanie showed us BunBun's hutch and told us all about how to take care of a rabbit and what kinds of foods rabbits like to eat.

The kids picked veggies from the garden and gave BunBun a scrumptious snack.

Back at the Children's Garden we danced the Bunny Hop...

practiced Rabbit Pose...

and practiced Bunny Breath: 

3 quick inhales through the nose and one long exhale through the nose.

Breathing exercises are excellent tools for kids to learn how to calm, empower, and self regulate themselves!

Happy Spring!