RainbowsWithinReach Launches 17th Year!!

Let the new year begin!!! 

Oh happy day. 

My annual trip to Concordia University in Chicago. 

Workshop presentations. 

Old friends. New friends. 

Lots of hugs!

[Each year we stay at 'Miss Carole's' home and have Chicago-style DEEP dish birthday pizza.... 

this time it was ACTUALLY Allen's birthday dinner.] 

"Miss Carole" of Sticky Bubble Gum + Macaroni Soup Fame

Before I could set-up my workshop space I was able to tour their brand new, state-of-the-art, Early Childhood building and gather some inspiration to share. The day was filled with rainbows in the sky and in the paint!

NOW. Look at this master-piece!

 

This amazing 'bulletin-board-banner' was outside the infant-toddler room. 

What an incredible piece!

Let the children paint to their open-ended heart's desire:
browns, blues, greens.  

Then have happy artistic teacher tear paintings into appropriate pieces to make a glorious assembled cooperative finished masterpiece! 
BRILLIANT!! 

Remember the old camp song? 

"My God is So Big" 

The song lyrics were on the corner of the finished banner. 

Here are some more goodies from toddler town. 

In each of these above examples the children have been 'left' to their own devices to explore the media, in this case paint. It is only after their exploration that the adults in their lives (teachers) have taken their innocent process-filled finger painted canvas and then turned their explorations into a finished product for ultimate display purposes.

This is a win-win.  

The children explore freely.

Their work is *TRANSFORMED* into a permanent display.

Click back to this article to see how a 'similar' approach was used as a concept in Reggio Emilia ITALY with toddlers exploring paint and ultimately Italian teachers creating a mural. [YES!!! I got to have a day in Reggio to perform for the Italian children. To see all 18 of my articles about that ultimate field trip click here.]

Now its time to get over to 'my' corner of the day. 

LUV LUV LUV these next photos!

 We were in the campus 'black-box' theater. 

Welcome to my morning workshop: 

"Fine Arts and Fine Motor."

*Hey! That's the title of my ongoing Friday blog series!

Click right here for 25 blog articles on this very same topic.  

These enthusiastic teachers are 'Sky-Writing' 

--which is the title track from: 

"Debbie's Ditties 6: The Handwriting Mix." 

Look what I just learned how to do with Picassa. Just save the energy and enthusiasm of the presentation! 

My afternoon workshop was entitled 

"Stemming the Tide of Childhood Obesity: Let's Get MOVING!" 

Alas, my camera's batteries were worn out. 

There are no afternoon participant photos.  

I'd taken several hundred photos of the children's artwork on display (which will be sprinkled in here over the days and weeks ahead.) 

So no 'moving' participants. AKKKK. 

And we had fun!

The song that made us all literally huff and puff with knowing smiles of how out-of-shape we are as adults is my dittie entitled, "Ride my Bike." 

So I leave you with my genuine bike's portrait

as painted by the sun. 

Let's get up and get mooooooving! 

Get this new year launched with a whole new attitude and commitment to healthy choices. 

-- Debbie -- 

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