I had this great idea last year. I bought a pegboard, waterproofed it so it would last outdoors, and then hung various peg hooks off of it. I imagined something like this- When in reality, even though it was ‘waterproofed’ the pegboard started to bend without a frame to keep it stable. I could have […]
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Author Archives: Matt
Bees and Wasps
Wasps or yellow jackets kept bugging the kids while they were eating outside. The kids kept thinking they were bees, but I explained that they were yellow jackets or wasps and they were attracted to their lunch meat. Bees usually are attracted to sweet things and bright colors. Later that day I was able to […]
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Polyurethane
I was at home depot and I asked them about the best way to waterproof wood and I described the signs I was making and I was told I needed “polyurethane” or ‘spar varnish’. Then I learned there were many types. Oil based, water based, interior, exterior.. Since I wanted it for outdoor use I had […]
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Weathered Wood
I noticed that if I hadn’t gotten around to protecting certain types of wood it would start to look really old. It would turn silver/gray and start to look terrible. I tried finding solutions, and I found three options: replace the wood and coat it with polyurethane or some sort of protectant next time. pressure […]
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Goggles
In addition to eye protection when using tools, I have also picked up a pair of chemical splash goggles. I use these when I am coating polyurethane or other fume types of things. However, they keep steaming up. they have the little holes for venting, but they aren’t enough. I read that if you are […]
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There are lots of issues, or problems that I’ve identified and have been trying to research solutions. Sometimes the issues are big, sometimes they are small. Sometimes they fail, sometimes I succeed! If you have any suggestions, I’d greatly appreciate them!
Continue ReadingLarge Wood Xylophone
I saw the following on Pinterest, and I was inspired. I tried attaching three boards to the pallet in the Music Area. I drilled holes and put in bolts and nuts, but it didn’t work well. Only one of the boards created a resonate sound, and I have some theories: Hole Spacing. I noticed that […]
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Mind map
Back in college, I learned the ‘mind map‘ technique for brainstorming. I think the context then was to gather all the interests of the children and map out different avenues of thought. I used SimpleMind Lite to create the following map of ideas for the Preschool Outdoor Classroom. This is just a small sampling […]
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I love the internet! I have discovered so many great ideas and blogs and books. There are all sort of great websites to explore too! And of course, my Pinterest page
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Last year our music area was pretty much neglected, so I wanted to update it and add elements to make it more dynamic. Here were my considerations: Noise. Since our preschool is connected to elementary classes, and there are apartments across the street, there had to be care in selecting the instruments that were out […]
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