Work!

Good news. I seem to be finding work. First, there is the Monday and Friday art classes for kids at the community center. Those begin October 20 and if there is sufficient enrollment (2 kids or more) I'll be doing them. I will post the plans if that happens! First Art for toddlers and Storybook Art for the preschool crowd. Parks and Rec is not allowed to offer classes for homeschoolers during the time that the public schools are in session so my plans for Global Art, Math Art, and Science Art (MaryAnn Kohl's fantastic books) were squashed.

Tidewater is going to move ahead with a Toddler Time (storytelling and hands on activities) on Wednesday mornings. We have no space to meet except the library which means they must be free and open to the public ie. I don't get paid but I don't mind volunteering at something which 1) I love and 2) may turn into a job later on.

The library is hiring for a part time staff person which would be 1 to 9 pm on Monday and Wednesday plus 9 to 5 on Saturday and I am hoping to get that job! That would be my only steady income. It comes with benefits and $19 an hour so I am excited!

Anyway, I was just about to apply for food stamps again this morning when I heard about this job and so I am going to wait and see if I get it. It will be nice to be able to support myself without government help. Education is such a good field to find work, since teachers are dropping like flies, but since the kind of work I want to do is so specialized (storytelling, art, etc) I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find a niche without having to sell my soul.


Toddler Time Plans for upcoming sessions:

Caps for Sale & free play with silks -- we can act out the story with each child putting a silk on his or her head and pretending to be the monkey

Autumn Bear (story from Suzanne Down's Autumn Tales with my wooden bear) and crayon leaf resists
I have seen this done very successfully and never knew the trick to it until now. CONTACT PAPER! You lay the autumn leaves down on a board and put contact paper on them. The kids take the block crayons and paper and can color to their heart's content without the leaves tearing.

The Sea Garden (story from Living Crafts magazine with felt finger puppets) and the craft project Suzanne Down suggests to accompany -- sprinkling Kool Aid powder on wet wool felt to dye it and then cutting out a fish shape to make the finger puppet

Owl Babies & chalk on dark paper