Capturing my love of whole foods, combined with the activity of a bustling kitchen.

A weekly collection of photos from the center of my home. 

http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/this-week-in-my-kitchen-blog-hop/



The Week in my Kitchen has been a fun way to check out what others are doing.
 Heres' a view from where I do dishes and what it looks like on a daily basis while I create my boys lunches.

Since this is only Monday, I feel like I am ahead of the game with at least one thing in my life, my kitchen blog post.
At the Gunnison Public Library, I have my dream job as a childrens and family service's librarian, as summer approaches  I am focusing on:
creating a party for the library with a Corduroy the Bear theme for family fun day.

I am also working on crafting a type of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) experience for summer reading. Maybe I will introduce it during the school year and call it Tinkering Thursdays?
I am looking closely at http://tinkerlab.com/



for inspiration...I am thinking about creating a tinkering Tool Box that kids can enjoy at their leisure.  A type of passive programming. That is programming that does not need a leader.  This will allow children to develop their own imagination and allow time for constructive and imaginative play.  I would also provide access to books that highlight these themes...Tinkering is defined as a hands on experience that encourages learning from failures and UNOBSTRUCTED time to create, explore and invent.
I read about some libraries offering science stations around their libraries as well.  I really need to focus on 5 or 6 topics or else I will plan forever and never get anything accomplished.  I think I will give myself a deadline of 4 hours of research and thats it. I like the idea of offering Mad Scienctist tea Party as either a kick-off or as a conclusion to summer reading.


I also think I am going to create a sketching basket filled with Ed Emberley books, pencils, erasers, paper etc
a Math Basket filled with Math related items and ????

Personally, I am excited to be planning a birthday party for my sweet 3 year old boy...my baby.

When Thomas came to us he was 6 weeks old, he had spent 3 weeks in the NICU and 2 weeks at home with his birth parents.  I remember getting the call to foster him, after that my mind can't really put together the way the events feel into place that day he came into our lives. It was love at first sight but as with any good foster parent the goal is always reunification even if I don"t believe that is always the best goal for the child.
But thats another post, right now I am happy to be planning his third birthday.  I purchased some balloon themed plates and cups at the DOLLAR STORE-WOW I love that place....I live in a small town and the nearest dollar store is an hour away along with a super Walmart.
So I finally went into a DOLLAR store and it was amazing!!!! Can't wait to return to purchase supplies for work and some storage containers for my never ending quest in organization.  I had to be thoughtful about purchases for the boys for their Easter baskets as I have been trying to offer "meaningful toys" and not a bunch of crap for them to play with...but I did stay in control and focused and purchased some art supplies (chalk, highlighters, preschool crayons, construction paper and word search), two bug catcher kits, some bubble bath, and of course some candy.

I have includes  some random lines of inspiration to help guide me in planning activities for the children of my community and for my own kiddos...this way I can keep track of thoughts without having a million sticky notes all over the place.
Beauty promotes concentration of thought
inviting environments create independence and sustained focus and encourage thoughtful learning
learn explore read
the environment is the third teacher
create story labs or investigation boxes
light box to purchase or create to be used with panels, magnetic chips, magnatiles, sea glass, transparent blocks and plexiglass bugs
acrylic mirror trays-create a more engaging experience because of the beauty of reflections
I want my Storytimess to develop imagination and curiosity
to include sensory exploration... lets move to music, play with water, paint messy pictures...read touch and feel books focus on social interaction, eye hand coordination and development of fine and gross motor skills,

Whats on this weeks reading list-magazines.  I want to read the Over Proteced Kid in the Atlantic, an interview with Phil Lesh in the Rolling Stone and Real Simple just cause its great and the article on walking works seems right up my alley since I feel this winter was not kind to me or maybe it was to kind!
I am listening to 
The book my husband and I both are reading is:



With Blessings, KYM