Putting the Pretty In Preschool - Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

Earth Day Craft

April 24, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1970 and is now observed all over the world every year on April 22. It is a day to appreciate animals, plants, and earth’s majestic landscapes. It is also a time to do activities that show care for our beautiful planet. This beaded earth day craft was our activity of choice this year to recognize earth day. It works well as a cooperative activity at home or in the classroom.

Supplies To Collect

pony beads in shades of blue and green

thin green yarn

scotch tape

8 ½ x 11-inch green cardstock

12 x 12-inch cardstock

8 or 9-inch circular lid or flat disc with an edge

glue gun or white glue

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Making the Beaded Earth Day Craft

Tie a pony bead onto one end of a long piece of yarn. Wrap a thin piece of scotch tape around the other end to prevent fraying.

Set the rest of the pony beads on a tray along with the yarn. Have students or family members take turns stringing beads. Or have one child string beads over time.

Invitation to string blue and green pony beads for an earth day craft.

Next, cut a green cardstock circle to fit just inside a circular cookie tin lid or item with a similar shape. A disc-shaped dog toy turned out to be the perfect size in my stash of supplies!

Fit the circle into the mold. Then starting on the edge, glue down the strung beads in a tight spiral shape with white glue or a glue gun.

After the rim of the circle is beaded, take the cardstock shape out of the mold and tack down the rest of the beads. Trim off extra beaded yarn if necessary.

Steps to complete a beaded earth day craft with green and blue pony beads.

Mount the bead project onto 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock and display.

An attractive classroom or family earth day craft project with green and blue pony beads.

You might choose to use the mold as a frame.

Stunning, super easy beaded earth day craft. This piece is framed and ready for display.

TIPS:

Be on the lookout for packages of beads in various shades of one color.

If the string of beads isn’t long enough to completely fill in the circle, carefully attach a new piece of yarn with a small piece of scotch tape. Then add more beads.

A smaller or thinner bead can be used for the center if a bigger one doesn’t fit.

Exquisite earth day craft with green and blue pony beads. This easy-to-do activity works well as a classroom or family creative project.

This earth day craft is inspired by the exquisite bead art of Canadian Métis artist Katherine Boyer. Her beautiful art can be viewed on her website @katherineboyerart.com.

Earth Day Craft Video Tutorial

25 Earth Day Activities

Doing an earth day craft is just one way to help little learners or your family honor the conservation-minded special day. Here is a list of 25 activities to choose from:

Clean up a park or playground.
Pick up litter at the beach.
Bike to work or school.
Plant a tree.
Start a vegetable or flower garden.
Compost fruit and vegetable scraps.
Plant wildflowers and native plants.
Grow plants that attract butterflies, bees, and birds.
Learn more about an animal you are afraid of.
Read books about animal care.
Go on a bug safari.
Take care of animals.
Invite in an animal specialist guest.
Take a field trip to a farm or zoo.
Go on a nature walk.
Have a nature scavenger hunt.
Read books about planet earth.
Study a globe or map.
Do a science experiment.
Discuss the four Rs: reduce, reuse, repair, recycle.
Put recyclables in a bin.
Visit a recycling center.
Create earth crafts using recycled materials.
Give away gently used toys.
Donate money to a conservation group.

Of course, earth day activities are appropriate any time of the year. And the beaded earth craft also works beautifully as part of a Night And Day or Space theme.

Easy to do, eye-catching earth craft with green and blue pony beads. The activity works well as a classroom or family creative project.

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Unicorn Puppet Craft

April 8, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

An easy-to-make neutral-toned paper unicorn craft. Free pattern to download. A craft project the whole family can do.

Unicorns are very popular in children’s clothing. As time goes on, I see this theme popping up more and more. After swooning over many a piece of clothing my preschoolers have worn, I decided to introduce a full-fledged unicorn theme. This unicorn puppet craft is one of the activities we will do.

The color scheme is neutral with a dose of gold. Over the past year, I collected a little treasure trove of unicorn toys and craft supplies. Most of them are in pink and pastel colors. The natural hues in this project will add variety.

You can have a go at making the craft too! There is a downloadable unicorn pattern further in the post to make it easy.

Supplies To Collect

craft, beige, and winter white 8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock paper

gold cardstock paper

twine string

paint mixing stick

wiggly eyes

gold star shaped confetti

scissors

white glue, glues stick, and glue gun

single-hole punch

pencil

black felt pen

unicorn pattern (downloadable below)

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Making The Unicorn Puppet Craft

Trace and cut out a unicorn head and ears from cardstock. Feel free to download this pattern:

Pattern to download for making a paper unicorn puppet,

Unicorn Puppet PatternDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

Punch holes along the neck.

Cut a horn and teardrop shape from gold cardstock.

Cut the twine string into 9-inch/23 cm strips.

Steps to assemble an adorable unicorn puppet craft.

Loop twine pieces through the holes to create a unicorn mane.

Glue on a wiggly eye, golden horn, and ear shapes.

Draw a mouth.

Glue a paint stick handle on the back of the unicorn.

Add a few star confetti shapes for extra pizzazz.

An easy-to-make, neutral-hued unicorn puppet with gold accents.

Craft more unicorn puppets in other neutral hues!

These gold-accented unicorn puppets in neutral tones balance crafts completed in dainty color hues.

Tip: Check a Dollar Store for the paint sticks. I got my sticks at one, and they are much smoother than any I could have gotten from a hardware store. They didn’t require any sanding and came ready to use.

Unicorn Puppet Craft Video Tutorial

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Spring Basket Cupcakes

April 4, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

These spring basket cupcakes are a fancier version of treats served at my preschool Easter parties at the end of March.

This Easter I was short on time to fit in all the activities, which needed to be completed before schools were off for spring break. Putting together ready-made treats to make our Easter party snack feel a little more festive and fun felt like a good choice.

The children loved the fancied-up cupcake snacks, and I know these will go over well in any group.

Supplies To Collect

Supplies to gather in order to make festive and fun spring basket cupcakes.

cupcakes with icing and sprinkles

chocolate bunnies and other animal characters

candy eggs

jelly beans

festive candies

Making The Spring Basket Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate animal-topped Easter basket cupcakes.

The featured cupcakes are store-bought. If you have time to bake your own, you could use them for this snack idea.

When you’ve bought or made the cupcakes, just add chocolate bunnies or other spring animal figurines as decorations. We ate all our bunny-topped treats at our parties, so I went looking for more decorative sweets for this post. I lucked out to find bunnies and a set of confectioneries with hens, ducks, and lambs.

Add a pipe cleaner basket handle to each cupcake.

Set the cupcakes on a plate with a few candies and other sweets sprinkled around. Featured are candy-covered chocolate eggs, colorful licorice candies, and spring-colored jellybeans.

Delicious chocolate animal-topped spring basket cupcakes.

View as a Spring Basket Cupcake Video Tutorial.

The eye-catching cupcake treats are fun to put together. And the exquisite chocolate animal characters take the party snack beyond Easter into the rest of the Spring season.

Sweet chocolate bunny-topped spring basket cupcake.

Adorable chocolate lamb-topped sping basket cupcake.

Tasty chocolate hen-topped spring basket cupcake.

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Easter Bunny Sensory Bins

March 28, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

These simple, no-fuss Easter bunny sensory bins feature the same accessories added to different bases. The result is two unique sensory play experiences your early learners will embrace.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Split-Pea Based Easter Bunny Sensory Bin

This naturally colored split-pea-based bunny sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed.

Green split peas are the base for this first bin. Included in the bin are:

Easter baskets

bendable bunny

pink and orange plastic eggs

carrot eggs

Easter bunny eggs

carrot eraser

bunny erasers

bunny tongs

This naturally colored split-pea-based Easter bunny and egg sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed.

Head to your local Target or dollar store to gather accessories for this bin. Just a few items will give your early learners a delightful sensory play opportunity.

Red Lentil-Based Sensory Bin

This naturally colored split-lentil-based bunny sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed.

One thing about preparing sensory bins is that you can create any color scheme you like. I wanted to combine pink, orange, and white hues for this one. The accessories in the bin are the same as above. The split red lentils making the base are actually orange-colored.

The split peas and split lentils used for the bases naturally come in rich, vibrant colors. And so a bonus in preparing these activities is that no dyeing ingredients are needed.

This naturally colored split-lentil-based Easter bunny sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed

The two different hues give each of the Easter bunny sensory bins a unique feel. Pick one base to add the accessories to and then set the bin out for play. After a few days, switch the accessories over to a bin with the other base. Your early learners will enjoy the new color scheme.

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Silhouette Bunny Art

March 27, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Easter kind of snuck up on me this year. I didn’t realize until mid-March how early the holiday dates are. I often have time to do Easter activities with my preschoolers in the first part of April, but this year we needed to complete them by March 26 (before Spring Break week.) And so this quick and showy silhouette bunny art project was perfect for our busy time. It is easy to make at home too.

Supplies To Collect

7-inch x 9-inch canvas panel

dot markers in bright spring colors

cardstock paper

bunny template

white pompom

white glue

Making The Silhouette Bunny Art

Select a canvas or use sturdy art paper for this project. (I purchased canvases at a dollar store for an economical price.) Then cut a bunny shape out of same-sized cardstock.

Feel free to download this bunny template for the art project.

Template for silhouette bunny art or another spring craft project.

Bunny PrintableDownload

This bunny template is for individual or one classroom use only.

Carefully center the cardstock with bunny shape removed on the canvas.

Have your little learner pick a dot marker in a favorite color and dab dots all over the bunny shape, holding the template steady. You may want to help do this, as the cardstock design has a tendency to slip around. And this way you both can practice teamwork and co-operation.

Your early learner can glue on a pompom tail with a dab of white glue when the bunny is dry.

Pink silhouette bunny art made by dabbing dot markers on a canvas. This quick and showy art project displays well.

You may wish to invite your little learner to create this art project in a few different spring colors or have family members each make one. The colorful bunnies display well together.

Or you can ask your little learner to do the silhouette bunny art in two different ways. Then mount the canvasses side by side.

Silhouette bunny art made in two ways by dabbing spring-colored dot markers on a canvas. Free template included.

Tag me on Instagram if you make this art project. I will share your bunny art in my stories!

Adorable silhouette bunny art made by dabbing spring-colored dot markers on a canvas. Free template included. An art project for the whole family.

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Bunny Rolling Pin Art

March 21, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

It was so much fun making shamrock rolling pin art I decided to try the technique in different color schemes with oversized bunnies. The large size of the paper bunnies accommodates longer rolling pins and allows for a unique art experience. This bunny rolling pin art project displays well.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Supplies To Collect

sturdy 12-inch x 18-inch paper

large bunny template

orange, pink, black, and white tempera paints

rolling pins

scissors

pencil

wiggly eyes

large cotton balls

Making The Bunny Rolling Pin Art

Trace and cut out large bunnies from 12-inch x 18-inch sturdy paper. I use manilla paper for this activity…it holds paint well and stays pretty flat while drying. It is also inexpensive to buy.

Allow participants to spatter black and white paint over a bunny, and use a rolling pin to move the paint around in all directions.

A spatter-painted paper bunny ready to be finished with a rolling pin painting technique.

When dry, have everyone glue on a wiggly eye and cotton ball tail to their hoppy art.

Striking black and white painted bunny using a rolling pin painting technique.

Black and white painted bunny using a rolling pin painting technique.

For an entirely different and much softer color scheme, offer orange, pink, and white paints. Invite participants to decorate their bunny the same way.

Steps to creating rolling pin bunny art.

Cute coral-painted bunny using a rolling pin painting technique.

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Bunny Candy Art

March 20, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Along with Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Easter is a prime time for sweet treats. Chocolaty treats are popular, as are fruity and sugary ones. And bunnies in all shapes and sizes (and bunny ears) are frequent subjects.

Bunnies can also be created from a candy mix. Your little learners would enjoy this challenge, so why not make happy hoppy bunny candy art with them?

Supplies To Collect

An assortment of candies for a colorful candy art project or a candy tasting activity.

licorice in assorted shapes and sizes

Easter jelly beans

candy or chocolate sprinkle covered bunny ears

candy sprinkles

12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper

white glue

Making The Bunny Candy Art

Happy hoppy bunny candy art collage project. An activity the whole family can participate in.

Set out a sheet of 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper for each person participating. Give participants a plate of candy to create a bunny-themed collage with. In addition to incorporating the bunny ear treats, candy pieces can be bunny heads, bodies, arms, legs, eyes, and mouths. Jelly beans and sprinkles add color and additional shapes to the pictures.

Have everyone glue the candy designs down to make permanent pictures. Or save the sweet treats for a delectable candy tasting party.

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Shamrock Rolling Pin Art

March 16, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

A fun rolling pin art project with three different looks. A process art painting activity on shamrocks the whole family can enjoy.

This shamrock rolling pin art project is bound to get a little messy, and that means your little learner is sure to looove it! Shamrocks make an eye-pleasing subject for this process art activity.

Supplies to Collect

green, yellow and white tempera paint

rolling pins or paper towel rolls

large sheets of sturdy paper

paint containers and spoons

shamrock template

Click here to download a shamrock template.

Shamrock Rolling Pin Art Fun

Set out tempera paints in yellow, white, and shades of green. Invite your little learner to spoon dabs of paint over a paper shamrock.

Invitation to use a rolling pin as a painting tool.

Then ask your little one to roll a rolling pin over the paint.

A paper towel roll works well to move paint around too. On the shamrock below, a pattern of paint was spread vertically. Then a paper towel roll was rolled up and down to give the striped effect. There are diagonal lines left from the paper roll on the shamrock…I kind of like them!

Paper towel roll painting on a shamrock.

The paint can also be splattered on diagonally, with the rolling pin to squish the paint around positioned the same way.

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Leprechaun Sensory Play

March 14, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Leprechauns, shamrocks, pots of gold and the color green are all associated with St. Patrick’s Day. And they make for super fun sensory play…especially the leprechauns! Here are two inexpensive, easy to put together leprechaun sensory play activities.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Leprechaun Facts

Leprechauns are tiny, mischievous, gold loving characters in Irish folklore.

Shoemaking is how leprechauns spend most of their time.

These entertaining, energetic, miniature men love to participate in dance parties and expertly play the tin whistle, fiddle, Bodhran, and Irish harp.

Underground caves or hollow tree trunks in rural Ireland is where these solitary characters are said to live.

Leprechauns love to collect gold and store it in pots in the remote countryside (or at the end of the rainbow.)

The speedy tricksters can vanish quickly, so are difficult to capture.

But if a leprechaun is caught, he must grant three wishes.

Leprechauns are known all over the world.

Leprechaun Sensory Play

Here’s two easy to set up leprechaun sensory trays:

Leprechaun Rice Tray

Gold coins, shamrocks, a money pot, and an oh-so tricky leprechaun are the highlights of this rice-based tray.

Glutinous rice is the base for this tray. I love it because it is super white, and showcases the loose parts. Included are:

leprechaun figurine

money pot

tiny gold coins

white, green, and gold beads (because leprechauns like all kinds of treasure)

glittery, green hats (to collect any coins or gems that don’t fit into the pot)

shamrocks

St. Patrick’s Day greeting

The leprechaun is a repurposed plant poke topper. The other loose parts are snipped from inexpensive St. Patrick’s Day necklaces.

Shamrocks, gold coins, a money pot, and an oh-so tricky leprechaun are the highlights of this rice-based tray.

Shamrock Confetti Tray

Instead of rice, generously sprinkled shamrock confetti with metallic gold pots added in is the base. The tray also includes a leprechaun, money pot, gold coins, beads, hats, and shamrocks.

The leprechaun has plenty of gold to collect in this shamrock confetti-based St. Patrick's Day sensory tray.

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Scissor Skill Shamrock Collage

March 13, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

An invitation to cut textured craft supplies to decorate a shamrock.

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Ireland is called “The Emerald Isle”, after emerald gems. This is because the landscape has many shades of green. Inspired by the luscious land, this shamrock collage craft is full of green textures and shades. There are tidbits of yellow and orange sprinkled in too.

A shamrock is a young sprig of clover. Each leaf has three heart-shaped leaflets. The shamrock is an emblem of Ireland and is a huge part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. It is also incorporated into everyday Irish life, seen on buildings, monuments, dishware, jewelry, fabric, stamps, and logos.

Supplies To Collect

For this activity, collect craft supplies in orange, yellow, gold, and many shades of green. Feathers, pompoms, pipe cleaners, crepe paper, tissue paper, bead garland strips, straws, and yarn are good choices. Shamrock confetti and foam shamrocks could be added to the mix.

You will also need:

green construction paper

tray

scissors

white glue

glue paddle

shamrock template (downloadable below)

Shamrock template for a collage or painting activity.

Shamrock PrintableDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

Making The Shamrock Collage Craft

Set out a tray of craft supplies, and let your little learner cut them smaller.

Invite your little one to glue the cut shapes to the paper shamrock.

Invitation to cut and paste textured craft supplies to decorate a shamrock.

Let the craft dry.

Shamrock collage with rust, green, and yellow textured craft supplies.

Cutting textured collage supplies gives your early learner next-level scissor skill practice. And the resulting collage pieces make the craft project waaaaay more interesting than if all the supplies were precut.

Shamrock collage with rust, yellow, and green textured craft supplies.

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