Bringing art to life is one of the things we do best at UDA Creative Arts Preschool. Making art fun is something we do even better! Our preschool theme, “H is for Halloween”, lent itself great to our continued study of Van Gogh.
Dream Big!
As we considered his painting, Starry Night, we discussed how Van Gogh was inspired by the stars. Then, the children shared what inspires them. We concluded that Starry Night might be considered a little spooky, but would make a perfect backdrop for our Halloween Performance.
Our three and four-year-old artists went to work creating their own version!
Giving children different tools for art encourages creativity and ingenuity. And who doesn’t want to jump in and start smearing paint on a mural? However, if your mop goes missing at home, we recommend you do a quick inventory of your paint.
H is for Halloween
In the end, our finished product created a spooky backdrop for our Halloween program. We are grateful for all the wonderful parent and family support received from all who attended! We were excited to share the music and movement we’ve been learning, as well as our displayed art.
Magic Pumpkin Patch
Each child planted a glitter enhanced pumpkin seed on our playground, and surprise! Over night they grew into our magic pumpkin patch. Then, our preschoolers picked out their own pumpkin to bring home. In addition to being fun, we love pretend play because it fosters social, emotional and cognitive development.
Busy Bakers
Look out Better Crocker, we have some new chefs in the house! Our kiddos went crazy over this pumpkin spice play-dough. This multisensory dough filled the whole discovery room with the aroma of pumpkin spice as our inspired culinary artists spent the hour “baking” cookies, muffins, pies, and cupcakes.
Try This at Home-
Good news! This fabulous recipe is too good to keep to ourselves! We hope you will have just as much fun as your sous chef as he goes to town in the kitchen, filling your home with the smells of the holidays.
Pumpkin Spice Play Dough
- 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of cloves
- 1 teaspoon of allspice
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
- OR skip the separate spices and 4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
Add first four ingredients to a large pot and heat on the stove {stirring regularly} until just bubbling. Remove from heat and add in dry ingredients. Stir until combined and dump mixture out on the counter. Allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Knead dough until soft and fully cooled (it may feel sticky in the beginning, but resist the urge to add flour – the stickiness vanished completely once the dough is no longer warm). Store in an airtight bag or container in the fridge when not in use.
Sunny Day, Sweepin’ the Clouds Away-
Halloween is such a fun time for us, as we see all the fun costumes our preschoolers dress in, and as we are able to share what they’ve been learning in our program. While we’re at it, the inner child in each of us couldn’t help dressing up ourselves!
Our staff at UDA Creative Arts Preschool hope you know how much our preschoolers sweep our clouds away. As we give our very best to create a whole child learning experience, we, in return, receive a ray of sunshine with each of their smiling faces everyday.
If you haven’t already received a tour of our preschool facility, we invite you to come visit us by calling (801) 523-5930.
Written by: Elsje Denison