Mountaintop Family Childcare

05/27/2026

What looks like a mess in a play based classroom is so much more.

This kind of open ended art experience supports development across nearly every learning domain.

The children are making choices about colors, textures, tools, and designs. Open ended art encourages creativity, originality, and confidence in expressing ideas without a “right” or “wrong” outcome.

Holding paintbrushes, squeezing paint bottles, rotating rocks, and controlling brush strokes strengthens the small muscles in the hands and fingers needed for writing, cutting, buttoning, and self-help skills.

The children are experiencing different textures, temperatures, weights, and consistencies:

smooth rocks
thick paint
wet surfaces
slippery brushes

Sensory play helps build brain connections and supports regulation and body awareness.

They are experimenting and making discoveries:

What happens when colors mix?
How does paint stick to different surfaces?
What happens if the paint is thick or thin?
Which tools work best?
This is early scientific thinking through hands-on exploration.

Problem Solving & Critical Thinking are also at play!

Children are planning, adapting, and revising: deciding where to paint, figuring out how to hold the rock, changing strategies when colors blend unexpectedly, and working around limited space or materials.

This activity also supports social emotional learning too! Sharing materials, waiting for turns, observing peers, collaborating, developing patience, and building confidence and independence.

Creative experiences also provide emotional expression and stress release.

During activities like this, children naturally develop vocabulary related to: colors, textures, shapes, process words (“mix,” “cover,” “drip,” “swirl”), storytelling and conversation with peers.

Sustained art experiences help children practice concentration, persistence, and task engagement which are important foundations for later academic learning.

What started as one child choosing to paint a rock became a whole morning of learning just by following the children's lead.

We may not have anything to send home today (other than paint stains) but we have spent our day learning SO much through play!

05/27/2026

Sometimes curriculum sounds like this. 💙

05/26/2026

We made some signs for our veggie garden today. 💚

05/22/2026

MFC friends and families: Its that time of year again for Thomas Walshs charity hike!

Tom is Poppa to two of our kids here at Mountaintop Family Childcare! 😍

He raises money for Otsego Outdoors, and as a cancer survivor himself, half of the funds raised also goes to the Bassett Cancer Institute.

There are pledge sheets on the children's cubby in the mud room if anyone would like to support him and donate! ❤️

If you are a MFC friend from afar, you can send donations directly to Tom through venmo at .

Thank you! 💙

05/08/2026

To all of our childcare provider friends, HAPPY CHILDCARE PROVIDER APPRECIATION DAY! Thank you for all that you do for the children and families in your programs! 💚

05/08/2026

Painting on a vertical surface like an easel, wall-mounted paper, fence, or window offers powerful developmental benefits that are different from horizontal work. In many ways, vertical painting challenges the body more, which helps strengthen skills children need for everyday tasks and school readiness.

Builds Shoulder and Core Strength
When children paint vertically, their arms are lifted away from the body.

This strengthens:
💪shoulders
💪upper arms
💪back muscles
💪core stability

These muscles are essential for endurance during writing and other fine motor tasks.

Occupational therapists often call this building “proximal stability for distal control”. Strong big muscles support precise hand movements.

⭐️Develops Wrist Position for Writing⭐️

Vertical surfaces naturally encourage the wrist to bend slightly backward into a more functional position for handwriting. This helps children develop

better pencil grasp
improved hand control
stronger finger isolation
It mimics the positioning needed later for writing on paper at a desk.

⭐️Encourages Crossing Midline⭐️

Large movements across a vertical surface invite children to reach across their body, supporting:

bilateral coordination
brain integration
visual tracking skills

These skills are important for reading, writing, and coordinated movement.

⭐️Strengthens Visual and Spatial Skills⭐️

Working upright helps children better understand:

top to bottom
left to right
directional movement
spatial organization
These are foundational pre-literacy and pre-writing concepts.

⭐️Promotes Larger Movement Patterns⭐️

Vertical painting naturally encourages big arm motions and whole-body movement. This supports:

gross motor development
body awareness
motor planning
coordination

Children often engage their entire body while painting at an easel.

⭐️Supports Attention and Engagement⭐️

Many children remain engaged longer at vertical surfaces because standing allows movement and flexibility. It can feel more dynamic and physically satisfying, especially for highly active children.

⭐️Sensory Input and Regulation⭐️

Vertical work provides heavy work to the shoulders and arms, which can be regulating for some children. The resistance of painting upright gives proprioceptive input that helps some children feel more organized in their bodies.

⭐️Encourages Confidence and Expression⭐️

Large vertical spaces often inspire bigger, bolder artwork. Children may:

experiment more freely
use broader strokes
create murals or collaborative art
express movement and emotion more physically

In early childhood settings, vertical and horizontal painting complement one another beautifully. Horizontal work supports stability, precision, and early control while vertical work strengthens posture, endurance, and large-motor integration.

Both are valuable parts of a well-rounded art environment. ❤️

🏁MOST IMPORTANTLY🏁

While you may not see a lot of stuff come home in a backpack from a play based program (we call "receipts for learning"), be assured that as providers we are always implementing ample opportunities for learning and exploring in a hands on developmentally appropriate way.

The proof of the learning is IN your child. 😍

04/29/2026

Spring has finally sprung here at MFC! 💚

04/28/2026

04/23/2026

There has been some confusion about an open house we were going to host this weekend that had been canceled, I'm sure glad a few people reached out and asked about it before showing up Sunday dissapointed. 🤣🫣

But be sure to mark your calendars for July 11th, we are having a friends and family potluck to celebrate my 25 years as a family childcare provider and all friends, family, neighbors, past MFC alumni, and anyone interested in coming to see our program are all invited! ❤️

04/13/2026

Mountaintop Families, alumni, and neighbors! Save the date!

Come join us in celebrating Melinda's 25th year as a family childcare provider!

We look forward to seeing everyone who has helped make MFC great! 💚