Apple *Star* Stamping
I was really bummed that the “stars” in the center of the apples didn’t show up in our prints, but maybe it will work for you. I’m sure everyone has seen this idea before…but I couldn’t do an apple unit…
Apple Theme Sensory Tub
We had a great time with this sensory tub this morning. The oatmeal is a great texture! Big Brother, who typically flitters from one thing to another every 5 minutes, spent 40 minutes just playing with the sensory tub! And the only reason…
Family Handprint Apple Tree
At the beginning of every school year, my student’s first “homework” was always to make a family tree out of each of their family member’s handprints as the leaves. We thought we’d make our own family apple tree using our…
Apple Graphing
Sorting and classifying objects are important skills for preschoolers–and this simple activity does that and much more. I didn’t really tell Big Brother that we were “graphing”…I just asked him to put the apples on top of the corresponding apple…
Dinosaurumpus!
We had our very own “Dinosaurumpus” today! Combining gross-motor with pretend play, we had ourselves a grand-ol’ time! And the best part is…the only thing you need is your imagination. T-Rex Caleb A dinosaur who walks on four legs…(a Stegosaurus…
S is for Sunflower
Sunflowers are in full-bloom here. So yesterday I took the boys out to a nearby field to take some pictures! My mom came along to help pry some smiles and she suggested we pick several sunflowers to make a “Sunflower…
Paint Sample Rainbow Fan
I love looking at paint colors! It seems like every time I go to Lowe’s I end up coming home with a stack of paint samples (good thing I don’t go very often). :) Here’s a fun little activity to…
Interactive Counting
This activity is so simple and yet Big Brother loved it! All you need is an empty egg carton and some stickers (I used the Melissa & Doug Alphabet & Numbers Sticker from Amazon). I cut our egg carton in half…
Bathtub Painting
Turn your bathtub into an artist’s canvas AND practice color recognition! Here’s what you’ll need: shaving cream (I would suggest using the Sensitive Men’s Shaving Cream–I just used what I had gotten for free with coupons a while back and…
Sensory Tub with Shredded Paper
I recently had a reader e-mail me with the question, “What exactly is a sensory tub?” I don’t have an actual definition but from my experience, a sensory tub is simply a tool for children to learn about the world…
Pedicure Stegosaurus
I don’t consider myself a high-maintenance girl. I’ve never colored my hair and, come to think of it, I went 10 months between my last two haircuts. There is one indulgence that I absolutely love from time to time–getting a…
Make It: Mini Chalkboard
Handwriting was one of my LEAST favorite things to teach when I taught first grade! With all of the standards and benchmarks I was expected to cover, I had a really hard time finding the time to squeeze handwriting practice…
Biggest to Smallest with Dinosaurs (and Footprints too)
Ordering items based on their size can be a tricky skill for a little one. Before children can do this, they need to understand the concept of “big” and “little”. A modification of this activity is appropriate for children as…
Sorting a Snack with "Dinosaur Teeth"
This simple activity lets your preschooler work on 2 skills at once- fine motor control and sorting. And with a little imagination…a chip clip becomes dinosaur teeth! The small muscles in the hands are always much slower to develop than larger…
Measuring with Dinosaur Feet
Guess what!?!? We had a dinosaur visit our house last night! How do we know, you ask…well because he left footprints. Really REALLY big footprints! See? We thought we’d have a little fun comparing the big dinosaur foot to Big Brother’s…
Dinosaur D
Alphabet crafts are so much fun…especially when they are based upon your child’s current interests. This “Dinosaur D” craft adds an extra element of texture–true to a dinosaur’s skin! My nephews and niece (who are triplets) came over this morning…
A Net Full of Fish!
As part of the tie-in with our thematic unit on oceans and beaches, we have been learning about the story of Jesus helping his disciples fish. “‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go…
Learning Walk
Sometimes the simplest things can be the most meaningful… The weather has been much nicer lately, which means it is cool enough in the mornings to actually go for walks! I just started pointing out numbers and shapes on our…