Ducks 'n a Row

preschool crafts

Paint With Q-Tips – Letter Q Preschool Activity

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Painting dots with  Q-tips is a simple fine motor skill activity for 3 and 4 year olds to do and, guess what, children and adults of ALL ages love it, too!

Q painting for kids #preschool
Our letter Q day in preschool this year was Q is for Queen. We made a really cute queen paper bag puppet as our craft. Since there really wasn’t enough about queens to fill up the day, we branched out to more Q words: Quick, Quack, Quail, Quarter, Quilt and Q-tip. Painting dots with q-tips is a fun fine motor skill activity for 3 and 4 year olds.

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ♥

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Tip: Happily, this painting exercise is neat enough that we could skip the smocks however I would advise having plenty of baby wipes on hand to get those cute little painted fingers clean!
Q tip painting for kids

Q is for Q-tip and Quilt Preschool Painting Activity

Supplies

Q is for Q-Tips and Quilts Printable*
preschool craft, preschool painting, preschool activity, kids painting activity, Letter Q

 

preschool craft, preschool painting, preschool activity, kids painting activity, Letter Q

 

Kids painting their craft with q tips and tempera paint

kids painting set

Print the FREE PRINTABLE (here) onto cardstock.
Put “blobs” of paint on a plate to dip in.
Give each child enough cotton swabs for a clean side for every color.
i.e.  four colors of paint = 2 q-tips
Child dots paint inside of the letter Q.
Tip: If you are aiming for it to look like a quilt, help them think it through. They should concentrate colors in groups. I found that my 3 year olds really didn’t do that and some even rubbed the paint on instead of dotting it. No problem!   EVERYONE had FUN! 

 

Every craft time comes with cleanup!  LOL  

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Stitchin and Pullin storybook about quilting #ad

 

Enjoy!

signed from SInea

 

 

 

ESSENSON Modeling Clay Kit – 62 Colors Air Dry Magic Clay, Best Gift for Boys & Girls Age 3-12 Year Old, DIY Molding Kids, with Sculpting Tools, Decoration Accessories, Kids Art Crafts

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Letter Q is for Queen Preschool Lesson and Paper Bag Puppet Craft

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Letter Q preschool lesson is not as easy to pull together as it may seem. I was thrilled when I found a free printable for a queen paper bag puppet. It was the perfect craft for letter Q! So Q is for Queen became the theme of the day.
Paper bag hand puppet Letter Q is for Queen #preschool lesson

As I sat down with my little class to talk about the mysteries of the letter Q, we began by talking about what it looks like. As I only had one day to discuss this wondrous letter, we concentrated on capital letter Q.

First, I wrote the letter C on the board and asked them “what letter is this?” They all chimed in “C”  Then I closed it up and they yelled “O”  Then I showed them the squiggly that makes an O turn into a Q.

Finally, we talked about words that start with the letter Q. We touched upon Quail, Quarter, Quick, Quack, one of my favorites “Quiet” and Q-Tip. We eventually made our way to our topic of the day – Queen.

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I asked them “What is a queen?”

“Princess.”
“King, but a girl.”
We even discussed the concept of authority.
Queens (in theory) have authority. “They tell you what to do and you have to do it!”
I printed out photos of the most famous queen alive today: Queen Elizabeth 
Letter Q is for Queen preschool lesson, paper bag puppet craft
My smart little kiddos were quick to answer my “queen” questions:
“What is a queen’s house called?” Castle
“What is her chair called?” Throne
“What does she ride in?” Carriage
“What does she usually wear on her head?” Crown
“Who protects and fights for her?” Knights
I printed out photos of each for visual aids.

Finally, we made our paper bag puppets!

Paper Bag Puppet Craft

This craft is very easy and fun to do.

Supplies

FREE Queen printable
Crayons
Glue stick

kids crafts, puppets

Directions

  • Print the Q is for Queen printable on white card stock.
  • Color the queen.
  • Cut out the queen into two parts.
  • Glue a jewel to the top of the crown using white school glue.
  • Place the paper bag, flap up, on a hard surface.
  • Lift the flap and glue stick liberally.
  • Press the chin/mouth part of the queen’s face on the glue. Take care not to glue the bag shut. You want the mouth to open and close.
  • Now close the flap and glue-stick the brown square on the bag like crazy!
  • Press the top of her head on that part, aim it so that the upper part of her lip covers the tongue. You should only see the tongue when the puppet’s mouth moves.
  • Done!
As I said, the letter Q has lots of possibilities but I was stretched to find enough material for any given Q word. As a result we read books on more than one Q topic:

That very same day,  we did a great Q-tip painting activity using the letter Q.  The kids had lots of fun. I love painting other ways than just paint and paint brush. So far we have used plastic forks, marshmallows, shaving cream, sponges and now q-tips.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 


H is for Helicopter Preschool Craft

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 Letter H is for Helicopter craft made with craft sticks, cotton balls, colored paper and lots of glue! This craft works very well for H is for Help, too!

H is for helicopter preschool craft #kids #helicopter

The Letter H lesson in my preschool class last week was based on the word HELP. We learned about all sorts of ways people can get and give help. We studied first responders as well: firemen, police officers, life guards, crossing guards, doctors, nurses … we really worked H is for Help up one side and down the other.

I got a great book about helicopters – High Flying Helicopters (Amazing Machines) –  to read to my little students. We learned that helicopters are often used to rescue people and animals.  And, over the years I have read a great little story book to my kiddos called Elecopter!  It tells of an ELEPHANT HELICOPTER who rescues (helps) others.  Totally fun!

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ♥

 

Elecopter childrens book

I always read this book to my little ones on HELICOPTER day!  

 

 

Green toys helicopter toy #kids #ad

Quite by accident, I discovered that one of our classroom dads is an Army Chaplain. When she saw the photo of a big military helicopter carrying a heavy vehicle, little Miss E cried out “My daddy does that!”  That was a fun moment 🙂

To fill out the lesson we learned the simpler parts of the aircraft: cockpit, tail boom, tail fin, rotors and landing skids. And then we made this simple craft!

Lesson for children about helicopters with simple craft #preschool

H is for Helicopter Preschool Craft

Supplies

Light blue card stock

Colored paper: white, goldenrod or orange, red
Craft sticks
Cotton balls
Black marker
Glue sticks
White glue
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Lego helicopter set #toys #LEGO #ad
Directions
Label the blue card stock “H is for Helicopter” – optional
Print templates for the helicopter
Goldenrod or yellow paper for tail boom and body
White paper for the cockpit
Red paper for the tail fin
Cut out the parts
Glue the helicopter parts onto the blue card stock using glue stick.
Take two or three cotton balls and stretch them a little.
Glue stick them on for clouds.
Using white glue, paste one craft stick on for the first rotor blade.
Add a big blob of glue into the middle of that stick, making an “X”
Draw in the line connecting the rotor blade to the body of the helicopter.
Draw in the landing skids.
Done!
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Free Helicopter Craft Printables

Helicopter 1 – Tail Boom and Body

Helicopter 2 – Cockpit

Helicopter 3 – Tail Fin

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popsicle stick craft, kids crafts, Letter H lesson, H is for Help, preschool crafts
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Letter D is for Dinosaur Preschool Craft

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One of my favorite letter lessons is Letter D is for Dinosaur. Fun craft, excellent hands-on activity and loads of learning fun!

Letter D is for Dinosaur paper plate craft - so cute!

This craft was one of the highlights of our D is for Dinosaur day in our preschool class, along with the ever-popular DIY Dinosaur Egg Learning Activity.

 

D is for Dinosaur Paper Plate Craft for Kids

The key to the success of this paper plate craft is two-fold.

  • ONE:  Mark each plate with a pattern prior to class.
  • TWO: Plan the painting portion for early morning and the construction phase for afternoon when the paint has dried.
  • Tip #1: for a large group of children, write their names on the plate BEFORE painting so that you can tell them apart.
  • Tip #2: have at least one extra plate pattern handy in case someone makes a “boo boo.”
D is for Dinosaur paper plate craft pattern for cutting out the pieces.
Supplies
Scissors
Step by step visuals of the whole process of making a dinosaur paper plate craft.
Step 1 Prepare. Gather your supplies – draw the pattern onto the BACK of the plates – cut the sponges into smaller rectangles for easy use.
Step 2 Have the children sponge-paint the foundation color on the FRONT of the plate.
Step 3 Using marshmallows, dot contrasting colored dots on it. Let dry.
Step 4 Cut the lines on the back of the dry plate.
Step 5 Assemble using clear tape or brass brads.
NOTE: start this project in the morning to allow plenty of drying time. Resume later in the day for steps 4 & 5.
TIP:  before doing anything else, put the child’s name on the BACK of the plate where the pattern is drawn.
Paper plate dinosaur crafts
Wait till you see the various styles your little ones come up with!
I was tickled to see the personality that showed up in each and every dinosaur.
FUN NOTE>>  The dinosaur with the white body is an example of a rescue operation.  Miss E had a scissor-happy time and, when she was done,  her dinosaur body was destroyed. So the teachers grabbed a white plate to cut a new dinosaur body for her to start over again and she actually made a very attractive, “designer” version that we all loved!  She was one happy little 4 year old!
dinosaur preschool activity
Be sure to check out How To Make A Dinosaur Egg. FUN!
Dinosaur book for kids

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Z is for Zoo Preschool Craft

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Z is for Zoo #preschool #craft

Our final day of preschool was filled with “last day” activities but, to my delight, we did manage to make room for this very fun activity for the Letter Z is for Zoo.

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This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ♥

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This book is a favorite of teachers – big fascinating ANIMAL book! 

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The day started out with a guessing game where everyone volunteered kinds of animals that THEY had seen in a zoo. I printed many photos of the likely candidates and, as the children shared, we displayed the corresponding picture.
Later that day, during craft time, we made our own little “zoo” with animals that can be seen through the bars of the cage. I wanted them to have something memorable for the letter Z to take home.

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Preschool Zoo Craft

 

zoo; zoo animals; jungle animals, preschool craft; kids crafts

 

Supplies

Zoo cage template* 
-free printable below-
Crayons
Scissors
Glue stick
Tape

Single Hole Punch
Pointy knife*
Laminator (optional)

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Letter Z is for Zoo

*PARENTS: for safety please do the cutting of the window for the zoo yourselves…or at least start it… for your little one. I started in the corner of the window.  You can do all of the cutting or make that first cut and turn it over to your child, who should use the round-tipped child safe scissors, to complete it

 

Zoo animals?  Safari animals?  They come with a play mat.

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Directions

  1. Print the template onto a piece of cardstock.
  2. Fold the cardstock in half with the “zoo” side showing.
  3. Cut out the square in the middle.
  4. Punch holes where the circles are.
  5. Glue pictures or stickers of animals on the part that you can see through the window.
  6. Color the outside of the zoo.
  7. String pipe cleaners from hole to holeacross the opening to make bars for the zoo cage.
  8. Scotch tape the zoo “closed” using small pieces of tape on each side.

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preschool, kids crafts, zoo, jungle animals, zoo animals
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Tip:  I had some animal stickers on hand. What I lacked were enough jungle animals to make this craft special. So, I made a page using clipart of tigers and elephants, plenty so that each student would have them for their zoo cage as well. I printed the animals on cardstock for durability and laminated them but laminating is not necessary for the success of the craft.

Tip: If you do not have animal stickers, you can use animal crackers!

 

animal crackers

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Z is for Zoo preschool craft

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Free Printables:
Zoo Cage
Zoo Animals

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Safari Buddies Hand Puppets from Melissa and Doug

Safari Buddies Hand Puppets from Melissa & Doug     

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

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Preschool Painting – Try It With Shaving Cream!

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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 shaving cream.
You can’t go wrong.
Tip #1: be sure that your little artist has at least 3 or more pieces of blank cardstock 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.

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ♥

Use a disposable aluminum foil 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.

Ideally, it makes sense to have a different 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.

shaving cream painting

 

Shaving Cream Painting Activity


Supplies
Foil Muffin Tins
Food Coloring
Shaving Cream
Small craft sticks for stirrers
Small paint brushes
Card or Cover Stock Paper
Smocksor 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.

Other great preschool painting ideas:

Paint With Rolling Pins

Fork Painting 

Colorations set of tempera paints

 

Colorations – SWT16 Simply Washable Tempera Paints, 16 fl oz, Set of 11 Colors, Non Toxic, Vibrant, Bold, Kids Paint, Craft, Hobby, Arts & Crafts, Fun, Art Supplies

 

 

paint with water for kids

 

L is for Lion – Preschool Fun!

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preschool lesson and craft about lions and the letter L
The King of the Jungle is a perfect subject when teaching preschoolers about the letter L. He is so regal. So fascinating. Captivating! One of my favorite Bible stories is Daniel in the Lion’s Den. When going to the zoo or the circus, lions are one of the first attractions that I think of, how about you?
So, for my first year teaching preschool (children ages 3 & 4), we focused on lions. We learned about their habits and habitat. We did read Daniel’s close encounter with powerful, hungry lions and we made this wonderful craft. I took the same crinkled tissue paper technique that we used in the Thanksgiving Turkey craft and applied it to the mane. Personally, i think it turned out looking really nice.
Note: this author is an Amazon affiliate. Anything you purchase from Amazon through Ducks ‘n a Row will result in a small commission for me. In advance, “thank you.”  …Sinea
Letter L is for Lion #preschool
First, we colored the picture of the lion. Then, ripping tissue paper, crinkling small pieces with our fingers, we glued  (glue stuck?) it to the mane. Voila! The King of the Jungle!
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L is for Lion Tissue Craft Supplies List

Lion coloring page printed on white card or cover stock paper
Crayons
Tissue paper: orange and yellow
Brown paper lunch bags
Glue Stick(s)
preschool and kindergarten crafts
Here are some of the wonderful lions made by my preschool class.
The next time we do the lion lesson, I plan on making this cute Lion Cake for my class as a special treat!
special lion cake snack to accompany preschool L is for Lion lesson

 

book on lions

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Enjoy!

author SInea