kids activities

How To Make Play Dough In The Microwave

October 5, 2019 Leave a Comment

A blast from the past: every elementary school teacher and mom needs to know that making play dough is super easy when you do it in a microwave. That is why I am re-posting the microwave play dough recipe for you here today!

I love making play dough. In fact, I am making some today! There is something fun about developing this colorful toy by yourself, knowing that a child you love will have hours of play ahead of him. Making microwave play dough is by far the easiest way!

Microwave Play Dough Recipe #kids #preschool

The classic playdough recipe, cooked on the stove, works great but it takes a lot of elbow-grease stirring and stirring. So, when I came across a recipe for MICROWAVE play dough, I had to give it a try.

Oh my goodness, is this so easy and the play dough turns out just as pliable and deeply colorful as ever. I won’t be making the old recipe again!

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Great tools for cutting, rolling and sculpting homemade play dough from Melissa & Doug! #Ad

Microwave Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 generous T cooking oil

10-20 drops Neon food coloring**

2 tsp. cream of tartar***

1/3 cup salt

1 cup bleached flour*

*Bleached flour is whiter and gives you a truer color.

**Neon food coloring is the most vivid.

***TIP: f you do not have cream of tartar, use 3 tsp. baking powder instead.

Alex Toys wooden modeling clay tool set #ad

Alex wooden dough tool set makes homemade play dough so much fun! #Ad

Directions

Use a microwave-safe mixing bowl. This process takes about 5 minutes including prep.

Combine water, oil, food coloring and stir.

Add cream of tartar, and stir again.

Add salt, stir.

Gradually add flour and stir as you go along to prevent lumps.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds.*

Stir.

Another 30 seconds.

Stir.

A third time, 30 seconds.

Stir.

A fourth time, 30 seconds.

Stir.

It will now be in a ball.

Let sit for 2 minutes.

*Tip: Cooking time may vary depending upon microwave ovens and/or the bowls you use. I have found that sometimes I have to add another 30-60 seconds. So, consider total cooking time to be between 2 – 3 minutes at 30 minute intervals.

Remove from bowl and put the play dough ball on a dinner plate to cool.*

Wrap cooled play dough in plastic wrap or a zippered plastic food storage bag and store at room temperature.

*I spray the plate with cooking spray to make it easily removable from the plate.

Microwave playdough recipe - so easy you will want to make every color in the rainbow! #DIY #crafts #kids Click To Tweet

Enjoy!

Letter U is for Under the Sea Fizzing Sensory Activity for Preschool

April 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

Every year our preschool class learns about ocean life. Sometimes I teach the topic using the letter “O is for Ocean.” Other years, I build the day around the letter U and teach it as “U is for Under The Sea.” Either way, it is so much fun – especially with this under the sea fizzing sensory activity!

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This preschool lesson includes an Ocean Paper Plate Craft that little children just love to make, teamed up with this ocean fizzing activity. As we are winding down at the end of school, I read them the adorable story “The Pout Pout Fish [A Pout Pout Fish Adventure]” It makes for a perfect day.

You know how children love surprises? Well, there definitely are surprises built into this sensory experience. The children will each discover a hidden treasure inside their own baking soda ball [how-to make them below] that you have placed in the sensory bin. Just give each student a squirt bottle filled with white vinegar, tinted blue with food coloring. Have them squirt their baking soda ball until it dissolves, revealing a little plastic undersea animal toy, which they can keep.

Think about it. This under the sea fizzing experience introduces them to basic chemistry – vinegar, when it meets baking soda, FIZZES! Of course, before you are finished, add water to the bin to let them play. Kids LOVE to play with the toys in the bin.

How To Create Your Under The Sea Experience

Now, don’t be overwhelmed by all the parts to this activity. It is so easy to put together and worth every bit of the effort. Your kids will love it!

Overview: you will build an “oceanscape” with sea creatures for your students to observe, touch and play with. They will also discover what happens when vinegar mixes with baking soda (FIZZ!!!)

FUN Letter O is for Ocean fizzing sensory experience for kids! #kidsactivities #preschool #sensoryplay Can also be used for Letter U is for Under the Sea Click To Tweet

O is for Ocean preschool fizzing fun #preschool #sensory

Supplies

large clear plastic clothing storage bin

drop cloth for underneath the bin

small plastic toy sea creatures

sea shells

glass aquarium gems

river rocks

baking soda “rocks” that you will make

plastic squeeze condiment bottles

white vinegar

blue food coloring

baking soda (large box)

towels

smocks

dish pan

The bin that we previously used for a colored rice sensory table was perfect for this activity. It is actually a garment storage container that has wheels (wheels are NOT necessary but it just has them) and a lid.

You’ll want to protect your floor. We purchased and inexpensive plastic table cloth meant for a sea themed birthday party. It was a beautiful drop cloth for this activity. A plastic shower curtain liner would work just as well.

How To Make Baking Soda “Rocks”

Scoop dry baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

NOTE: One 8 oz. baking soda box will yield approximately 3 baking soda balls.

Gradually add water till it is a consistency that can be molded into balls.

Place a plastic sea creature toy or small sea shell inside the baking soda ball and mold it with your hands like you would a snow ball.

Gently place it on a tray to dry.

For effect, you may want to use a sea shell to imprint the outside of the damp baking soda rock.

Allow them to dry for at least 24 hours till hard.

Note that you still will want to handle them gently.

Vinegar Squirt Bottles

These plastic condiment bottles will be filled with white vinegar and a couple of drops of blue food coloring.

O is for Ocean fizzing experience for #preschool #ece #STEM

How To Set Up Your Ocean Scene

Spread the table cloth/drop cloth on the floor.

Put the empty plastic bin on top of it.

Arrange river rocks, glass gems and sea shells around the bin.

Stage plastic sea animals all around.

Time for your children to come in and see!

*To keep the vinegar smell off their clothes, cover them in a big t-shirt or smock with sleeves.

** Be sure to use full strength white vinegar. Cleaning vinegar is diluted and will not give the fizz effect that you are looking for.

Kids sensory bin for teaching about under the sea life #oceans

Now, gently place baking soda rocks in the dry bin.

Give a blue tinted, vinegar filled condiment bottle to each child.

Have them squirt a rock and see what happens.

This is the science part! Baking soda + vinegar = fizz

Watch it fizz and see the look of delight on their faces!

After a while, the plastic sea creature will “emerge” from the rock.

Now fill the dish pan with cool water and gently pour it into the bin.

Let them play and have fun!

Letter U is for Under the Sea sensory activity for #preschool and #kindergarten! #kids Click To Tweet

Adorable under the sea preschool craft with blue paper plates, bottle caps and fish crackers. #preschool #kidscrafts #kindergarten

O is for Ocean Paper Plate – Bottle Cap Craft for Kids

Enjoy!

Colored Shaving Cream Is Really Fun To Paint With!

March 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

Use foaming shaving cream and food coloring to make paints and PAINT wit them! #painting #preschool #kidsactivities

Isn’t this pretty?

The artist: a four year old.

The medium: shaving cream!

For a new experience and a very fun time, let your preschooler paint with foamy shaving cream. You can’t go wrong.

Tip #1: be sure that your little artist has at least 3 or more pieces of blank card stock to paint on. It goes fast but, if you keep ’em coming, this will keep your little one happily busy for some time!

Tip #2: if you are doing this project with a group of children, write their names on their papers before they start. Doing it first will protect the delicate artwork as it dries. Otherwise, you may accidentally touch the page while trying to write on it.

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Mixing food coloring into shaving cream for homemade paints #preschool #kidsactivities

Use a muffin tin for your “paints.”

Squirt each one full of white shaving cream from the can.

Add some drops of food coloring to each.

Using a different craft stick for each color, mix the color through.

Paint with colored shaving cream for preschool fun #preschool

Ideally, it makes sense to have a different paint brush for each color but we don’t live in an ideal world. My students each had just one brush and they made it work fine! Even their “pallets” looked pretty.

Here is some real fun for young children >> give them colored shaving cream to PAINT with! #preschool #kindergarten #kidsactivities Click To Tweet

Shaving Cream Painting Activity

Supplies
Foil Muffin Tins
Food Coloring
Foamy Shaving Cream
Small craft sticks for stirrers
Small paint brushes
Card or Cover Stock Paper
Smocks or old shirts to wear as protective gear

Directions
Spray shaving cream into each depression on the muffin tin.
Add several drops of food coloring to each.
Stir with a different stirrer for each color.
Using a paint brush, children “free-paint” on their page.
Lay the page(s) out to dry.

*If there are several artists in the room, pre-label each page in advance so that you can identify whose work of art is whose.

Click here for LOTS of preschool craft ideas!

Enjoy!

Love This D is for Dog Preschool Craft!

August 23, 2018 Leave a Comment

This adorable D is for Dog kids craft is perfect for preschool and kindergarten. Use it as a fun activity as you teach little ones all about dogs, dog houses – and the letter D!

I first saw this craft on Crystal & Company. It has always been one of my favorite blogs and I get lots of super ideas there for preschool lessons and crafts.

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥

Take a look at this adorable toy=>☑️ Puppy Dog House Carrier With 5 soft cuddly plush toy dogs It would be such a cute addition to this D is for Dog lesson, don’t you think?

It has been a few years since I taught D is for Dog. Why? Well, D is for Dinosaur is a BIG favorite and my class only meets one day a week. I have to make a choice each year. One day per week = one letter per week. Doing it that way gets us through the alphabet just in time for summer break. So, I never got around to teaching the dog lesson to my preschoolers again.

This year, though, I have several children coming back for a second year and I prefer to not repeat themes. That is why I went back in the archives to look for this lesson. I forgot how fun it is! I can hardly wait to teach it again.

Aren’t those stuffed animals cute? The kids all brought one to school that day.

This letter D craft uses a big letter D template with paw prints all around it. The center of the D is precut – by the teacher – with the straight part left attached. That is so that you can fold it back to be the door to a letter D doghouse!

D is for Dog Preschool Craft

Supplies

Dog pictures

Free Dog Craft Printables

Letter D printable with paw prints on it.

Letter D is for Doghouse printable to print on white card-stock paper.

Little pictures of dogs to cut out and glue inside the dog house.

Directions

Print the Letter D printable on colored copy paper (I used blue.)

Print the D is for Dog printable page to glue the D onto. Use white card-stock.

Print the dog pictures onto white card-stock and cut them out. [I laminated this page before cutting them out. My thought was that little hands with glue sticks can get sticky and the ink on the image might smudge. It is totally optional.]

Cut the blue letter D out.*

Cut the curved part of the center of the blue D, leaving the long side attached.*

Glue the D onto the white paper [Do NOT glue the center. It needs to fold open for the door of the “dog house.”]

Using a bingo marker (or a large marshmallow dipped in tempera paint) to put a big dot on every paw print.

Fold back the center of the D. Inside it, glue a picture of a dog. Your doghouse now has its furry occupant!

* Older children can do the cutting themselves. It is a great way to develop their cutting skills. The center part of the letter D is definitely the harder part to cut out and you may need to help them.

My class is a very young one – 3 year olds. Since the letter D lesson comes in the first part of the school year, I do a lot of the cutting for them in advance.

Letter D is for Dog doghouse craft project for #preschool - so much FUN! #kids #doglovers Click To Tweet

Enjoy!

Have an Awesome Birthday Party For Your Kids

August 9, 2018 4 Comments

Having a tough time coming up with something new for your child’s birthday party? Princesses and pirates are only two of many great themes around which to build a kids party. The possibilities are endless! So, let’s get busy here and throw a great birthday party for your child.

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First, select a theme. Start by asking the birthday boy or girl what he or she likes. Bugs, dinosaurs, trucks, teddy bears? Of course, princesses and pirates are an obvious choice. Sometimes you just can’t avoid it! LOL Point it, your child’s interests are the perfect place to start when picking a theme.

✔️Kids Party Theme Ideas

“It Is Alive” Parties: Bugs, dinosaurs, jungle animals, pet parade, and zoo animals all make great party “living things” party themes. Parties centered on insects or animals can have names and faces for each game or activity. How about “Duck Egg Ball Pit” “Puppy Face Painting” or #Rhino Ring Toss?” You can even name the food! For example, Green Slime Frog Punch, Dinosaur Donuts, Paw Patrol and Little Kitty Kat Birthday Cake.

“Cat in the Hat”: Everything at this party will be based on Dr. Seuss and his marvelous books. Get the birthday boy or girl a Dr. Seuss hat to wear!

Chef Themed Party: Chef hats and aprons for everyone! Bake and eat the product – like homemade PIZZA – right at the party. Try making a Minions Pizza for some real fun!

Color Party: Everyone dresses in your child’s favorite color. The food, decorations, balloons and all party décor will include that color.

Construction Party: Bob the Builder is a great construction character to build your party on. Your little birthday boy (or girl) who loves building just may get the building toys of their dreams for gifts, too.

“Happily Ever After” Party:

Little girls love pretty and sparkly. Fantasy characters from movies and books make great party themes.
Try “Moana” “Frozen” “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan” or “Beauty and the Beast.”

Unicorns are very popular with little ones and there are plenty of party supplies to help you. You know which one is right for your little princess.

Outer Space Birthday Party: Rocket ships, planets, even space creatures can make an entertaining theme for a party.

Little Boys’ Birthday Party Themes

Sports Enthusiasts: Mix ’em up or pick the one sport that is your child’s favorite. Don’t forget about the possibility of an Olympics party, especially if the Olympics are right around the corner!

Have a Superheroes Party! Superman? Batman? Spiderman? Iron Man? Include them all or celebrate with that one special character your child likes most.

✔️Avengers Kids Birthday Party Theme

As soon as you settle on a theme, jot down some ideas, weaving that theme through everything you do. That will include the invitations, paper goods, decorations and banners, goodie bags, games and food.

It can be great fun to have the party-goers dress in kind, as well. Ask them to come dressed in costume or offer a prop when they arrive at the door.

For instance, if your little one is enamored with Dr. Seuss’s “Cat in the Hat” and you opt for a “Cat in the Hat” party, make red and white striped Dr. Seuss hats just like the one in the storyfor everyone to wear. If you go for a construction party, get plastic hard hats from the local party store for your child and his friends. Is Tinkerbell the centerpiece? How about a fairy wand for everyone!

✔️Princess Birthday Party Theme for Little Girls

Speaking of hats, hats are fun to decorate. Buy some cheap party hats and make it a craft project as part of the party activities. Kids can decorate their hats and take them home when they leave.

Now that you have the theme set, time to plan games and activities: Kids Party Activities

Host an adorable theme party for #kids - many fun ideas! https://wp.me/p97qqh-2pf #birthday #familyfun via @SineaPies Click To Tweet

Enjoy!

9 Fun Shaving Cream Activities That Preschoolers Love

January 15, 2018 Leave a Comment

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Last week my preschool class had loads of fun free-playing with shaving cream! I wanted each one of them to have their own pile of fluff to play in so I bought lightweight 12″ round plastic serving trays, one for each of them.

The trays so light, though, that they would have moved all around the table and the predictable mess could have become a catastrophe! Can you imagine sliding trays full of foam in motion? There goes the floor!

So, before the children came into the classroom, I took packing tape and made a big loop for each tray. I stuck it to the bottom of each tray and stuck the tray to the top of the table in front of each seat. It was perfect! They played to their hearts’ content and nothing moved. I love it when a plan comes together!

9 Fun Ways For Kids To Play With Shaving Cream

Do your children enjoy playing with shaving cream? There are so many things you can do with it. Here are 9 great ideas they will love:

DIY Puffy Paint For Kids – Artful Parent

DIY Toy Car Wash – Paging Fun Mums

Fake Snow – Playtivities

Free Play with Shaving Cream – Ducks ‘n a Row

Marbled Eggs – Ducks ‘n a Row

Shaving Cream on a Window – Simple Fun For Kids

Shaving Cream Paint – Ducks ‘n a Row

Shaving Cream Rain Clouds – One Little Project

Shaving Cream Wrapping Paper – Mess For Less

What fun activities have your kids done lately with shaving cream?

9 fun activities for #kids using shaving cream! #preschool #tips Click To Tweet

Enjoy!

Simple Bottle Cap Bugs Activity For Preschool Fun

October 19, 2017 Leave a Comment

Bottle cap bugs are just a silly fun way to occupy little ones’ time for a while and spark their imaginations. The bottle caps are kept loose – not fastened to a page – so that they can be manuevered and rearranged at will. This activity is strictly a fun way to experiment with making designs and patterns. Your children can make them look like caterpillars or anything their hearts desire.

I prepared my bottle cap faces ahead of time and we used them as part of our B is for Butterfly day at preschool. The schedule that day had a short unplanned period of time that I wanted to fill up with something new but it wasn’t going to be long enough for an elaborate activity. The kids really had fun with this but it would not have held their attention for more than 10-15 minutes. Lesson plan idea: this activity can also be used for I is for Insect or C is for Caterpillar.

Tip: do not get overly attached to those bug faces, if you are working with children younger than four years old. The 3 year olds in my class couldn’t help themselves. Attennaes got broken off. It was almost like they were calling to my little kiddos “Break me!” LOL My 4 year olds did not do that. Every bug face was safe with them. As I was planning this activity, I determined not to interfere with their fun. I planned on some breakage.

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How To Make A Bottle Cap Bug Face

Supplies

Bottle caps – saved from soda bottles

Glue gun or Tacky Glue

Googly Eyes

Pipe Cleaners

Cardstock

Sharpie (for the smile)

Washable marker or crayons

Directions

Take a colorful soda bottle cap and glue two googly eyes to it.

Cut 1 – 2 inch pieces from pipe cleaners

Glue 2 pipecleaners to the top of the cap, above the eyes.

Add a smile made with a Sharpie permanent marker.

You will need at least one bug face bottle cap and many plain bottle caps per child to play with. I gave each child a piece of cardstock as a base that they were welcome to write or draw on with a washable marker or crayons. The example I made has little black legs for a caterpillar but they will come up with all sorts of ideas that you never thought off! Little imaginations are amazing to behold!

Fun little Bottle Cap Bugs activity for #preschool #kids Click To Tweet

All little children adore imaginative play. My preschool class looks forward to dress up time every time we have it on the schedule.

Now, this is hard to find but teachers and parents absolutely love quality dress up clothes that ..

look great
are simple for the child to get into and out of ON THEIR OWN (right moms and dads?)
are comfortable (no scratchy seams inside) and
are WASHABLE!!!

Thought that wasn’t possible? These little kid costumes do exist! #affiliate Check out the adorable dress ups at Little Adventures. Hint: They make excellent gifts.

Enjoy!

How To Make Homemade Sidewalk Chalk In A Bottle

May 9, 2017 Leave a Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #allessentials #allsulfatefree #CollectiveBias

Summer is almost here – yippee! Aren’t you excited to finally get outside those four walls and, better yet, get your KIDS outside? Fresh air and lots of run-around play is so good for them.

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Our little kiddos love to bring their artistic skills outdoors with them. Forget paper and crayons. They really get into using chalk on the driveway. Hopscotch – tic tac toe – drawings everywhere. As a mom and preschool teacher, it makes me feel happy knowing that they are using perfectly safe materials in their artsy play.

This recipe is for homemade sidewalk chalk in a bottle. Yep! Your kids can squirt decorations all over the driveway and it simply washes away in the next rain. Each ingredient is a gentle household item found right in your kitchen cupboard – nothing harsh. And, when it comes to cleanup, you can simply wash their clothes with NEW sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS®. NEW sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS® delivers a powerful clean without harshness.

family fun, DIY, summer fun, kids, playtime

Here is how you make …

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk In A Bottle

Supplies

Empty plastic squeeze condiment bottles

Large mixing bowl

Fork / Spoon

NEW sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS® – for clean up

Towels – for clean up

Ingredients

1/3 cup Cornstarch

1/3 cup Baking Soda

1 1/3 cup Water

Food Coloring

family fun, DIY, summer fun, kids, playtime, how to

Directions

This recipe is for one squeeze bottle. You will want to repeat it for as many bottles as you use.

Put cornstarch in the mixing bowl.

Add baking soda and stir to mix.

Add water, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture into a clean squeeze condiment bottle.

Add a few drops of food coloring.

Secure the lid.

Shake till mixed well.

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Tip 1: Sediment from the mixture will settle to the bottom of the bottles. They will need to be reshaken occasionally. The kids will figure that out!

Tip 2: Expect this day of fun to produce a mess. It comes with the territory! I just want you to be prepared for food coloring stains. Have your children wear old clothes and old shoes or flip flops. Have some towels ready for clean up – along with your NEW sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS® waiting in the wings for you to launder them back to cleanness!

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Try it! Go to Walmart and use this coupon to get $1.50 off on one bottle off New Sulfate Free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS®. Hurry. Offer is good from May 1 to July 31, 2017 – while supplies last.

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Enjoy some more sidewalk chalk “driveway art” …

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How to make homemade chalk in a bottle!

Click to Tweet

family fun, DIY, summer fun, kids, playtime, tic tac toe

Have you ever made sidewalk chalk?

Enjoy!

Shaving Cream Fun for Kids!

May 13, 2016 Leave a Comment

The simplest activities are often the most entertaining in preschool. Free play with shaving cream is one of them. Little children love it 🙂

Shaving Cream Play: All of my kiddos tried it. Most of them loved it. The couple of children who didn’t enjoy it were “so-so” about it – not total rejection. They are my neatniks! This little gal, Miss A, is NOT a neatnik. She dug into the activity with gusto. It was so much fun watching her having fun!

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Expect a mess. It’s only natural.

Preschoolers + shaving cream = messy!

Free Play With Shaving Cream

Supplies

Cans of shaving cream (1 per 4-6 children)

Clean baking pans or trays (1 per child)

Bath towels

Paper Towels

Dish pan

Smocks or old t-shirts

Tips from the teacher:

If you are not near a real sink, have a dish pan of warm water ready and lots of dry bath towels to clean up your kids afterward. You will also want paper toweling and baby wipes on hand.
Cover the children with smocks. We used old, adult sized t-shirts.
Bring an empty plastic kitchen bag to put the messy towels and smocks in for transport. You will have laundry to do!
One can of shaving cream for each 4-6 kids is about right.
After covering them with a t-shirt, give each child their own baking pan full of shaving cream and watch them have fun!

Give your kid a pile of SHAVING CREAM to play with - it's fun! #preschool #kidsactivities Click To Tweet

Did you know that tinted shaving cream is great to PAINT with? Oh, it is- take a look!

Preschool Painting – Try It With Shaving Cream!

Enjoy!