Where to buy the paper goods...

For those of you who were interested 

The pompoms and paper lanterns were ordered from - http://www.justartifacts.net/

The foam used for the coral and seaweed is called Great Stuff and you can find it at your local hardware store but you can also find the link for it here - Great Stuff

Completed Scene

 

When all of the little pieces come together, they make an awesome scene!! Happy VBS!!

Flute Coral

Supplies -

Pool noodles cut in various heights
Fishing line
Stockings
Scissors


1. Cut the toes out of the stockings and thread on top of the pool noodles. One per noodle

2. Gather up the noodles that have the stockings on them and secure them together with fishing line.

Ombre Backdrop

Ok....If I had to pick a favorite, this is it!! It's not very easy, but I want to make more!!

Supplies -

Coffee filters (I used the economy pack of 1000 I think)
A bottle of blue dye
Clear tape
Fishing line



1. Divide your coffee filters up into 3 sections. The first section will be the darkest, the second a little lighter and the third will be the lightest.

2. Taking care to cover everything you don't want to be blue, dip your filters into the darkest color of dye and then remove to dry. I strung my filters on a fishing line and then once I dipped them, I hung them over the sink to drip dry. Use this same method for the next two colors, just lightening your dye as you go.

 *PSA* - Wear Gloves 

3. I found it easier to string the filters on the backdrop while they were still damp. They laid down a little easier.

4. Hang up however many lines of fishing line you want for your backdrop. Starting at the top, grab the filter in the center so that it makes a little bell when you hold it.

5. Using clear tape, attach the bell shape to the fishing line so that it hangs in a little puff. Repeat this step over and over and over again, starting and taping the next filter in line half way below the one above.

 

6. I worked from side to side so that when I moved to the light blue, I had an even line all the way across

7. Continue taping until your curtain is complete

Reef Cluster

Supplies -

Pool noodles
Box cutter or hot knife
Hot Glue
Fishing line
Duct tape/clear packing tape
Fillers (pompoms, bath sponges, fish tank accessories)


1. Cut the pool noodles into various shapes and sizes. You can cut the tops off of them to have an angle, you can spiral cut them to look like springs or you can chop them up and use the circles in various ways.

2. For this project, really, anything goes!! Just make sure you have a secure foundation and just know that pool noodles are hard to work with!! Be prepared to use a lot of glue, tape and fishing line!!

Foam Coral

This project is a bit more involved that some of the other crafts on this blog, but it is worth it!! This piece turned out so great!!

Supplies -

Wax paper
Great Stuff insulation
Paint


1. Before you get started READ the instructions on the can of Great Stuff. There are many precautions to be taken while using this product. BE SURE TO READ!!!

2. Lay out your wax paper to cover the area that your coral will take up

3. Draw your template for the coral on the wax paper

4. Begin tracing the template you drew on the wax paper with the Great Stuff

5. This stuff is very forgiving!! You can hardly mess it up! But remember....ITS GROWS! It will take a day or so to fully dry and expand, so be patient!

6. After its completely dry - PAINT!

Foam Board Seaweed

Supplies -

Foam board (from the sheeting section of your hardware store)
Marker
Hot knife or box cutter
Great Stuff insulation
Spray paint


1. Using your marker, draw your seaweed out onto the clean side of the foam board

2. Follow the design you just drew with a hot knife or box cutter to cut the shape out of the foam board. A hot knife will make this task so much easier....

3. Once you have cut your shape out, pull off the thin, clear plastic film that covers the shape. This will also remove any marker marks you have left over.

4. You can paint it from here if you like, or you can add some Great Stuff insulation to the spines of the seaweed to give it texture.

5. If you add texture, let it dry for a day or so before you paint

Coke Bottle Flowers

Supplies -

Various sized and shaped soda, water, juice bottles
Box cutter
Scissors
Spray paint


1. Remove all labels and glue from the bottles, and clean out the inside to remove any stickiness.

2. Using a box cutter and/or scissors cut through the center of each bottle. Then continue to use the scissors to cut into each portion of the bottles to open them up and make flower-like shapes. You will have to bend and shape the plastic for the flower to hold its position.

3. Using various shades of spray paint, color your new flowers however you like!

Puffer Fish and Turtle

I will admit... This set of decor might be one of my favorites!!!

Supplies -
Large pompoms
Construction paper
Glue
Fishing line


1. Open the pompom and fluff it all the way out

2. Using construction paper, cut out eyes and fins and limbs to attach to the pompom

3. Poke a tiny hole through multiple layers of the pompom tissue and thread fishing line through to hole to hang the fish

Colorful Urchins

These guys take up space, are bright colors and really fun to make!

Supplies -
Straws (MANY)
Zip ties
Utility scissors or wire cutters
Paint (Unless you get colored straws)

1. Gather a grouping of straws in your hand. I started off counting mine, but soon realized that the 50 straws I was counting out was basically just what could fit in my hand. So its totally fine to eyeball it.

2. Take one of the zip ties and tie around the grouping of straws you have in your hand. Then pull TIGHT!!!

 

3. The tighter you tie the zip tie, the pricklier your urchin will become. Once you have the urchin as spiky as you want, take a pair of wire cutters or utility scissors and trim the zip tie very close to the center of the urchin.

4. If you were like me and used plain straws, then it's time to paint!! If you bought colored straws, then you're done!! 

 

Green SeaWeed Backdrop

Supplies -

Green plastic tablecloths
Scissors


This is one of the EASIEST projects on the blog!! It takes up a lot of space and is super fast to knock out.

1. Leave the table cloth folded and cut into thick strips

2. Then fold the strips you cut into rolled sections. Using your scissors, shred the table cloth on both sides.

3. Unroll and pull the pieces apart.

JellyFish

There are a number of way to go about making a jellyfish. Just as Pinterest!! However, for these little guys I made, here are the instructions -

Supplies:

Paper Lanterns - various sizes
Masking tape
Hot glue gun
Metallic fringe curtain
Plastic table cloths
Spiral decorations
Iridescent ribbon
Wire cutters
Scissors

1. Take a pair of scissors and cut into the center of the round paper lanterns until you come to the wire that connects the two pieces. Take a pair of wire cutters and snip the wire, leaving you with two tops for two jellyfish.

2. After cutting the tops into two separate ones, you can add various decorations to the underside of the jelly fish. I used metallic party curtains, shredded paper table clothes, other hanging party supplies.

LESS IS MORE

     There are 3 little words that will break the heart of every theme loving, early childhood, classroom decorator out there - LESS IS MORE.


   Ugh....Can't you hear the butcher paper ripping and the perfectly coordinated chevron paper lanterns exploding from those words. I mean, really? Less Is More?? Do you not even know what it is that we do?!? We make things pretty!! And by pretty, I mean over the top.

Well, from one excessive theme addict to another - I'm here to tell you - Yes, yes this is true!! LESS IS MORE and that is TOTALLY OKAY! Because once we understand the thoughtfulness and research behind this 'less is more' movement, you will take great care in being intentional in your decorating and it will make such an impact on sharing the love of Jesus with our children.



  Let's begin with a Reality -
   
                The truth is that we over stimulate almost every child we come in contact with. Through early childhood research we have learned the environment plays a large role in the brain development of a growing child. 

Research suggest that -

    * Over - stimulating environments  inhibit cognitive                     functioning.
   
 

So, what do we do with what we know?

We put it into practice -

     * Let the decor reflect thoughtful choices

    * Makes sure the wall space provides a place for the eye to          rest - art, print, instructional materials
   



To really understand why this research is so important, we must change our way of thinking a little bit. Instead of thinking about a child as a 3 year old, think about that child's age in months. That 3 year old child has only been on the earth for 36 months. The brain is wiring rapidly, but that child still has a lot to learn. Information is not only flooding into the brain, but the brain is learning how to filter all that new information.

All information comes in through your 5 senses; Sight, Smell, Touch, Hearing, and Taste. Once the information is received it travels up through the brain stem to the brain and is filtered. We receive between 35,000 and 42,000 bits of information a second. Stop. Read that again.... Yes, it says per second. 

Here is a statistic that will put this "LESS IS MORE" concept into perspective. It sure did for me! 

  Out of all the thousands of bits of information humans receive per SECOND, 85% of that information is coming from your touch, hearing and vision senses. But 95% of the 85% is coming in through your vision. We (adults) filter out a vast majority of the stimuli from which we are bombarded. Our brains are mature and we have had plenty of experience to let us know what to do with the incoming information. Our age in years indicates the amount of experience our brains have had to learn what information to store and what information to filter out. 

    However, a child who has only been on this earth for 36 months, his brain doesn’t have the maturity to know what information to let in and what information to filter out. So when we bombard with too much information, especially in the area of visual stimuli, we overwhelm them. When we hang decorations on the wall, top to bottom, or we hang things from the ceiling, or give the child too many options, we overwhelm them. In early childhood development ‘LESS IS MORE’!

    

Think of DisneyLand - Perfect example! What are the babies and toddlers doing while at the park?? SLEEPING! Because if they open their eyes, they are overwhelmed. 

Then notice the 3 thru 5 year olds. What are they doing? Playing with rocks or sticks and drawing on the ground. They are looking down, because if they look up, it's visual overload and their brains can't process the information. Those who do look up are running crazy through park because they are on over drive.

Knowing this information, we can put new practices in place and  reach our children in a more consistent and intentional way. Helping them hear and see what we are teaching them without overwhelming them. Allowing their brains the time to process the information we are putting into their lives so that they can leave us having a better understanding of the fact that JESUS LOVES THEM!

Let me share examples of what NOT to do.... now, before I show you these pictures, I will say...If I didn't know now and understand this truth that I am sharing with you (this, LESS IS MORE thing) all of my classrooms would look like the ones below. As I've stated, I am an excessive theme addict, and if I didn't know better, I'd make Pinterest cry. But I do know better and because of this, I know that too much decor is hurting, not helping our children. Point and Case....

Look at this Kindergarten class through the eyes of a preschooler. What do you see?? You don't see anything specific. There is too much on the walls, the floor and look at the amount of choices that are on that book shelf. Their little brains don't have anywhere to rest the eyes and the amount of choices will overwhelm them. Before too long, the teacher could have kids bouncing off those awesomely decorated walls or sitting at their desk crying! All of the stimuli is more than the little ones can take.

So, here's the point.... Now that we know better, we must DO BETTER. Less is More and that's TOTALLY OKAY because you are meeting the child where they are, focusing on their needs instead of how pretty you can make your rooms, therefore reaching each child in a more intentionally way.

Here's how we do it - it's simple.

   * Nothing should be on your wall unless it has an                          instructional purpose for that day.

I know changing a certain way of thinking isn't always easy, but, the "LESS IS MORE" concept is vital to the early childhood development of our kiddos!I know we want to be the best and most effective teachers of the Love of Christ to our littles, because thatis why we are all here!! 

 So, let's put away our 27 foot long, 35 foot tall hand painted under the sea mural, complete with glittered, hand print angel fish (with custom names on each, of course) and our motorized jelly fish that we would install to light up and "swim" around our ceiling for the week, and lets focus on what the children need. We can still be inventive, things can still be beautiful, but, we are going to do it in a more intentional way. 

Come with me and I'll show you how!! 

-Kylie

Information on this blog post, along with statistics given were courtesy of Dr. Pam Schiller and her training course - Brain Compatible Strategies. To learn more, please visit her site www.pamschiller.com 

Images in this blog post are courtesy of google images.