Annette Kaminsky

Coffee Filter Poppy Art

November 10, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Red poppies are available everywhere at the moment. That is because on November 11 our country (and many others), observe Remembrance Day. Ceremonies are held on this day at 11:00 a.m. in order to remember the soldiers who died in war or while performing military tasks. And the poppy is a symbol of Remembrance Day.

Art activities with poppies also help us remember. In this post, I feature a stunning coffee filter poppy art project in recognition of this day. But first, some poppy facts.

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Remembrance Day Poppy Facts

Since 1921, after World War I, the poppy flower is a reminder of the soldiers who died and those who serve courageously today.
People began wearing poppies inspired by the poem “In Flanders Field,” written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae wrote the poem after seeing red poppies grow around the grave of a soldier friend.
This poppy is native to the eastern Mediterranean and grows easily in western Europe. The poppy’s seeds germinate in spring and only grow in recently disturbed land, such as places devastated by war.
In recognition of the soldiers, people wore real poppies at first. But eventually, they began to wear crafted ones.
Craft poppies have been sold for many years in order to raise money to support army veterans and their families.
Today, millions of poppies are sold throughout the world.
In Canada, poppies are worn from the last Friday in October up until Remembrance Day.
This year (2021) is the 100^th anniversary of the poppy.

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Coffee Filter Poppy Supplies To Collect

Like most of my craft ideas, supplies to collect for this project are simple. Gather together:

coffee filters
red, green, black, and orange non-permanent felt pens
water spray bottle
green and black fade-resistant cardstock or construction paper
12-inch x 16-inch white art or construction paper
glue stick
plastic tub

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Easy to create, stunning coffee filter poppy art.

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Creating The Coffee Filter Poppy Art

Cut coffee filters into poppy shapes. If helpful, download the pattern further in the post.

Have early learners color a coffee filter with felt pens, starting with a black or green round shape in the middle. The rest can be decorated in red and orange, or only red.

Supplies to make coffee filter poppy art.

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Add water to the spray bottle. Have children take turns squirting water on their paper filters in a plastic tub. Just a few squirts of water will blend colors nicely…easy does it for this project!

Dry the vibrant designs on a flat surface.

Note: The blended colors look quite dark at first, but will lighten as they dry.

Cut black or green stems and leaves from construction paper. Help little ones glue a stem, leaf, and poppy flower to a white art paper background. Add a favorite Remembrance Day saying if desired.

Easy and fun coffee filter Remembrance Day art activity.

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To insert a bud into the craft, little learners can decorate and spray an additional untrimmed coffee filter. After it dries, it can be folded twice, and glued on the picture as a poppy bud.

This showy poppy and bud art activity is easy and fun to create.

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Free, downloadable coffee filter poppy pattern for flower art and crafts.

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Download this free printable for the coffee filter poppy art:

Coffee Filter Poppy PatternDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Variation Of This Remembrance Day Craft

Instead of using coffee filters, have your little charges color a paper plate with felt pens. The plates can be precut in a poppy shape. The downloadable pattern below may be helpful.

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Free, downloadable paper plate poppy pattern for flower art and crafts.

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Paper Plate Poppy PatternDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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When coloring, the poppy centers can be drawn with a felt pen or filled in with a grey, black or green crayon.

Have little learners spray their design with water afterward. Or invite them to paint over the felt pen colors with water. This will create a watercolor effect without needing to use paints!

This paper plate version dries fast. The curved edges of the decorated plates add a 3D element to the project.

For a finishing touch, early learners can glue a large button to the middle. Or they can add a paper circle.

A paint-over-felt pen technique adds a watercolor effect to this paper plate poppy.

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Use this pattern for leaves and flower centers:

Free, downloadable poppy leaf and center pattern for flower art and crafts.

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Poppy Leaf And CenterDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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[Read more…]

Eye Dropper Leaf Art

November 7, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Young children love variety in painting tools, so they will welcome this eye dropper leaf art activity. Using liquid watercolors ensures that the art will be bright and cheerful. And who wouldn’t want to squeeze in just a little more splashy color before the winter season sets in!

The large leaves for this project are inspired by the many leaf paintings by American artist Georgia O’Keefe. Georgia loved the colors and shapes in fall leaves and painted them to completely fill her canvasses.

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Supplies To Collect

For this easy-to-do art activity, collect the following:

liquid watercolors
paper towel roll
eye droppers or pipettes
paint containers
leaf templates

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Creating The Eye Dropper Leaf Art

Steps to creating beautiful eye dropper leaf art on paper towel designs.

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Draw or trace large leaves onto a paper towel roll. You may need two attached sections for each leaf if you go big, as Georgia O’Keefe did. I used oversized wall art leaves as templates and cut out a few different types.

Mix liquid watercolors of choice with a little water, and pour into paint trays. Featured are magenta, orange, and green hues.

Invite children to use eye droppers or pipettes to drip paint on their paper towel leaves.

A paper towel pattern accents the design in this eye dropper-painted maple leaf.

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When filled with color, dry the leaves on a flat surface.

Tip: Maple leaf designs work especially well for this activity. Little learners enjoy accenting their many curves and pointy edges.

Eye-catching leaf painting activity using an eye dropper technique.

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The colorful leaves can be displayed as-is, or mounted on cardstock.

Note: Because paper towel is so absorbent and the colors spread quickly, large shapes are perfect for this craft. And a paper towel canvas adds a unique texture to the art.

Eye dropper painting technique on paper towel leaves.

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Variations Of This Eye Dropper Leaf Art Project

Invite your little charges to drop paint onto leaves cut from sturdy art paper. I used 11-inch x 14-inch, 98 lb, mixed media paper for the leaves.

Steps to create eye dropper and blow dryer painted leaves.

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The paint will pool and start to blend slowly. As the art dries, invite little learners to check back periodically to observe the color changes.

In the completed project, I used a blow dryer set on low to hurry the drying process. It was fun and created a uniquely blended earthy-hued color combination.

A blow dryer painting technique yields beautiful results on a maple leaf cut out.

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Tip: For young children, I recommend inviting them to blow the paint around with straws instead of a blow dryer.

Copy paper also works for this drippy art activity. Below, the maple leaf is cut from 11-inch x 17-inch paper and decorated in two colors. This version dries the quickest.

Eye dropper painting on a maple leaf with magenta and orange liquid watercolors.

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Little learners can get overwhelmed with having to decorate a large canvas. But with this activity, bigger is better!

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[Read more…]

Coffee Filter Sunflower Craft

November 6, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky 3 Comments

Create stunning coffee filter sunflowers in two different ways. An easy to do, all-ages craft and science project.

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Although it is early November in Alberta, this coffee filter sunflower craft shows that we are not done with color! The fall season in our area of the world is filled with bright, flamboyant hues. But it goes by quickly, and we often get early snows we are not quite ready for.

Aside from being colorful, this craft is easy for little learners to do. And toddlers can join in too!

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Supplies To Collect

As with many of my craft ideas, the supplies for this project are easy to find. Gather together the following:

coffee filters
non-permanent felt pens in yellow, red, orange, and brown
orange craft foam
yellow, red, and orange fade-resistant cardstock or construction paper
water spray bottle
12-inch x 12-inch white or complementary hued cardstock
glue stick
plastic tub

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Creating The Coffee Filter Sunflower Craft

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Invite little learners to color coffee filters with non-permanent felt pens. If interested, they can color more than one.

Afterward, each child can take a turn spraying their works of art with a few squirts of water. Placing the designs in a plastic tub helps contain the liquid. Everyone will love this color blending phase!

Let the moistened coffee filter canvases dry on a flat surface.

Tip: Children enjoy the squirting phase so much that they are tempted to blast all the color out of their masterpieces. That’s why encouraging your little charges to decorate at least two coffee filters works well. Then they could wet one design with about five squirts of water, and save it to craft a sunflower with. And they could squirt the rest of their designs with as much liquid as they like.

Cut large circles from the orange foam. Ask little learners to use a glue stick or white glue to adhere a circle to the middle of one of their artsy coffee filters.

Next, have everyone glue a stem and two leaves precut from construction paper to a 12-inch x 12-inch piece of cardstock. Children can choose one color or a variety of colors for these sunflower parts. The printable below may be a helpful template.

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Sunflower Pattern DownloadDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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To finish the project off, have them glue on the sunflower head.

This coffee filter sunflower craft looks stunning displayed.

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Bright sunflower art with felt pens and coffee filters.

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Felt pen-decorated coffee filter sunflowers that are easy to make.

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Variation Of This Coffee Filter Sunflower Craft

Steps to creating a sunflower with a scrunched tissue center.

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Instead of a foam center, have children glue brown tissue squares to a large sunflower middle cut from similar colored construction paper. They can scrunch the squares, dip them into white glue, and stick them to the circle. When dry, the crafts can be completed as above.

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More Sunflower Activities:

Activities With Sunflowers

Corn Syrup Paint Sunflowers

Sunflower Seed Sensory Bins

Butterfly Sunflower Paper Craft

[Read more…]

Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

November 4, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Easy to sert up nature-based tutle pond sensory bin.

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Why debut a turtle pond sensory bin, eggs included, in fall? Because although we generally associate spring as the time for baby animals to be born, many turtle hatchlings peck out of their shells in autumn.

And…because I have a light-up “toss and dive” turtle set that I’ve longed to use for over two years! I never stored it in a permanent spot because I was always planning to do a pond activity “very soon.” But with so many fantastic curriculum ideas to choose from every week, “soon” never came.

So this September as I was reorganizing storage areas, I noticed the colorful turtles once again. I googled “turtles in fall” to see how I could use them alongside typical fall themes such as leaves, pumpkins, bats, and spiders. Finding that turtle eggs and hatchlings are part of the fall season motivated me to include the diving turtles in a sensory activity at this time.

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Ten Turtle Reproduction Facts

Although turtles spend a lot of time in water, nearly all lay their eggs on land.
Many turtles lay a clutch of eggs in about 3 – 6 weeks after mating.
Mother turtles dig a nest in sandy or wet dirt with their hind legs. They cover the eggs laid in the nest with soil and plants.
Depending on turtle size and species, there can be from 5 to 100 eggs in a clutch.
Most turtles don’t guard their nests, leaving right afterwards.
It takes the baby turtles two to three months to hatch.
Most hatch in autumn, pecking their way out with an egg tooth.
These fall babies often stay in the nest through winter and emerge the following spring.
They survive their first winter by not eating and living on their own fat reserves. Some can handle cold temperatures and may even produce a sort of antifreeze.
Only a few turtles survive to adulthood. Turtle eggs and hatchlings have many predators.

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Turtle Pond Supplies To Collect

Loose parts for a turtle-themed sensory bin.

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A turtle-themed sensory bin can be set up very quickly with the following supplies:

kitchen supply bus bin
turtle figurines
rocks of varying sizes
small logs or twigs
gemstone slices
real or artificial leaves
marbles
small disposable food container with a ridge
a large piece of brown craft foam

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Making The Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

Nature[ based, easy to set up turtle pond sensory bin.

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Pour a layer of water into the bin. I used a kitchen bus bin for this activity.

Add rocks, logs, and gemstone slices.

Cut a few curves around the edge of the foam, and a hole in the middle just big enough to fit the disposable container. Float the foam in the water.

Set the disposable container in the hole to represent a turtle nest.

Add marble “eggs” to it. I used blue marbles because they were handy, but real turtle eggs are white or cream-colored.

This turtle pond sensory bin includes a sunken nest with "eggs."

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Surround the “nest” with a few craft or real leaves for covering the eggs up.

Add turtle figurines. Three light-up “toss and dive” turtles are the stars of this sensory bin, but any turtle figurines would be heartily welcomed by early learners.

Three "toss and dive" turtles are the stars of this pond sensory bin.

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[Read more…]

Spider Theme Activities

October 31, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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For years I have been collecting supplies for spider theme activities. And fall is the best time to add to the theme, as spider décor and toys are everywhere in stores.

But I’ve been hesitant to do a whole theme about these little crawlers. That might involve just too many spiders for some children’s comfort!

This fall I decided to introduce just a few spidery things in the classroom, and touch on the theme a little more than usual. I added spider activities sequentially over a two-week period. It didn’t hurt that a family on the route to preschool positioned a humungous spider on top of their home, with a web that extended from rooftop to ground. I’m sure this helped break the topic in!

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Here are some spider theme activities we completed. They would work well for the children in your life too.

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Spider Mask

Easily transform into a spider with this easy papercraft mask.

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First, we decorated a spider mask. I used a wooden puppet as a template and traced it on pieces of black cardstock. I cut out enough spider masks for each child to have one and then glued on little orange hats. Each preschooler glammed up a mask with sticker gems. Afterward, I punched holes on each side of the masks and attached 18-inch pieces of thin elastic cord. The activity went over well, and children were happy to pose for pictures wearing their masks.

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Spidery Dramatic Play

Oh so fun spider-themed accessories for the play kitchen.

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Next, I added a few spider décor pieces to a pumpkin store and play kitchen. The items were a hit with everyone, and both centers were popular play areas for the children.

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Spiders and Spouts Sensory Tray

An Itsy Bitsy Spider inspired construction and sensory tray little learners will love.

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The following week I added a “Spiders And Spouts” sensory tray, inspired by the Itsy Bitsy Spider sensory tub blog post by Rubber Boots And Elf Shoes.

For the tray, I selected tubes from a sports net, a musical instrument set, a marble run toy, and a construction set. I added paper webs, spiders in many sizes, and bug viewers.

We followed up the sensory play with Itsy Bitsy Spider nursery rhyme picture books. Some favorites were:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Joe Rhatigan
Pete The Cat And The Itsy Bitsy Spider by James Dean
The Eensy-Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman

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Other Good Spider Books

We also squeezed in the storybooks “Aranea: A Story About A Spider” by Jenny Wagner, and “The Very Busy Spider” by Eric Carle.

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Spider Math Tray

Once the children thoroughly explored the spiders and spouts tray, it was turned into a Math center where students could roll a dice and put the correct number of spiders on a paper web. They could also add in tiny ants as prey.

Bring on the math with spiders and dice counting game.

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Spider Web Printable

Feel free to download this printable for use in a sensory or math center.

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Spider Web PrintableDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

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Gross Motor Activities

Finally, we had spoon races with spiders, and used bouncy spider balls in our gymnasium. Playing with the bouncy balls was definitely the favorite activity of the children.

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Spider balls to get little learners moving.

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Throughout the spider theme, I stressed that all the spiders in the classroom were “play spiders” and “spider pets.” I assured the children that we would continue to rescue real spiders and set them outside.

All in all, the preschoolers embraced the spider theme activities and were not intimidated. As the theme wound down, two little girls insisted that some play spiders should be companions for sleeping baby dolls!

More spidery activities are featured in the blog post: World Book Day Theme: Just Itzy

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Green Huntsman Spider Facts and Activities

Ladybug Wand Craft

Spin Painting Butterflies

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[Read more…]

Floral Decorated Skeleton

October 30, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It’s always a treat to check the latest trends in home décor and craft stores, and this fall the offerings did not disappoint. Design ideas that stood out from the crowd were the floral accents on skeletons in wall art, sculptures, and figurines spotted at Michael’s stores. The pastel flowers totally romanticized and softened skeletons and skulls, and made them super fun.

Little learners can experience and create a floral decorated skeleton with a nature-themed transient art opportunity.

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Floral Decorated Skeleton Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this invitation to create:

flowers
tray
large model skeleton
large frame

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Decorating The Skeleton

Set a skeleton in a frame and add floral accents to soften up the look.

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On a table, set a skeleton model inside a 16-inch x 20-inch art frame.

Arrange flower heads in a tray. Mine were picked from begonias and marigolds grown in my yard over the summer: end-of-season plants that were about to freeze over due to frosty fall mornings.

A nature tray filled with flowers ready to be used for crafts, playdough, and sensory play.

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Invite early learners to decorate the skeleton with flowers.

Yellow and orange flowers brighten up this skeleton and allow children to become floral designers.

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You might enjoy adding floral touches to the skeleton too!

Yellow marigolds brighten up this skeleton and allow children to become floral designers.

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Pink begonia flowers soften up this skeleton and give young children a chance to be floral designers.

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[Read more…]

Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

October 30, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This felt marker chromatography experiment uses supplies from the kitchen, has quick results, and can be tailored to a variety of topics. Creativity and center play are easily incorporated. And the experiment is super family-friendly.

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Basic Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

See what colors felt pens are really made up of with this felt pen chromatography experiment.

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The simplest version of this experiment is to draw three filled-in circles with nonpermanent felt pens near the bottom of a section of paper towel.

Add a thin layer of water with 2.5 ml salt stirred into a measuring cup or jar. Place the towel with the colored side down into the container. The water level should sit just below the felt pen colors.

Simply watch what happens!

After the color movement stops, remove the paper towel from the container and let it dry flat. Discuss the color changes/new color results.

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Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment Scary House

Scary house imaginative play with a felt pen experiment chromatogram.

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Although I am not into scary things and don’t do much frightening stuff with my preschool students, this version of the experiment produces a house that bats and spiders might like to inhabit. And here’s where the creative element kicks into high gear.

Draw the outline of a house on a paper towel section with a black nonpermanent felt marker. Trim the edges with scissors. Then add a thin line of black to the bottom of the house with the marker. Pour a little water with a bit of salt added into an ice cream pail. Position the paper towel so it reaches the bottom of the pail but does not slide in. Watch the immediate results. Then check back periodically to note more color changes.

This easy-to-do felt pen chromatography experiment has stunning results.

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When the colors have finished spreading, take the paper towel out of the pail, and dry it flat.

The color on my paper towel chromatogram stopped just short of the top of the house. I decided to wet the top a bit so the color filled in completely. That made the design ready to be a placemat for pumpkins, bats, and spiders.

Try this easy-to-do felt pen chromatography "scary house" experiment. It has possibilities for art and imaginaive play.

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Two Different Marker Chromatography Experiment

Try this easy felt pen chromatography experiment using a permanent and nonpermanent felt pen.

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Using both permanent and nonpermanent black felt markers produces nice results too. For this second version, draw the house on the paper towel with a black permanent marker. Then fill in the thin line of color at the bottom with a nonpermanent felt one. Finish the experiment with the same process as above.

As with the first project, the resulting colors did not spread to the very top of the paper towel house. So I wet the top of this chromatogram too. The color record looks like a house on fire to me, so adding people, pets, firefighters, and orange, black, and clear gems creates another imaginative play invitation.

Sensory and imaginative play with a felt pen experiment chromatogram.

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Firefighter diorama created with a felt pen experiment chromatogram.

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Interpreting The Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines chromatography as “a process in which a chemical mixture carried by a liquid or gas is separated into components as a result of differential distribution of the solutes as they flow around or over a stationary liquid or solid phase.”

Although each felt marker appears to be just one color, the hues are actually made up of different chemicals called pigments. As saltwater seeps up stationary paper towels, the pigments move up with it. New colors appear because some pigments travel faster than others, and certain colors are less soluble and/or adhere to the paper towel more.

Each color-infused paper towel is called a chromatogram, a graphic record of the separation of colors into different pigments by chromatography.

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[Read more…]

Bat Necklace

October 24, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This simple bat necklace craft is sure to excite little learners. The preparation time is minimal, and just a few, easy-to-find supplies are needed. A free template printable is included below.

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Bat Necklace Supplies To Collect

Supplies needed to create a bat necklace children will love to make.

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Collect the following supplies for the bat necklaces:

bat stickers, rubber bat figurines, or cardstock bats
orange, black, and clear pony beads
tiny sticker googly eyes
stretchy plastic or thin lacing string

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Making The Bat Necklace

Cut bats from orange cardstock. Feel free to download this template.

Bat template to use in making a bat necklace all children will love.

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Bat Template PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Tip: Bat stickers or rubber figurines would work well too, and save on preparation time. If you plan on using sticker bats, it is important to leave the paper backing on.

Punch a hole in the sides of each bat. Then cut lacing string into 12 – inch lengths. Two will be needed for each necklace. Securely tie one end of the strings to each side of the bats.

Set out containers of black, clear, and orange pony beads. About forty beads per child will be more than enough.

Tip: Using orange beads of different types (opaque, transparent, and pearl) adds more choice. And then certain beads may become “treasures” to search out for some little learners.

Invite children to string the beads on each side of the necklace.

Adding about 15 – 17 beads per side works well. In doing this craft, I found that many little learners naturally stop stringing beads at around 15.

Ask children to count beads on the side with the most, and add the same number to the other side. Tie off the necklaces, and help your little charges add tiny sticker googly eyes.

Easy to make bat necklace that little learners will love.

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Snap a few pictures of children wearing their new bling.

Children will love to craft and wear this easy-to-make bat necklace.

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[Read more…]

Green Huntsman Spider Activities

October 23, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Get to know the webless green huntsman spider through crafts and sensory play activities. Free printable included.

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Do all spiders spin webs? And are they all black and brown? Well, the Green Huntsman Spider doesn’t fit this typical mold at all. But its unique look and habits are fascinating and can be readily explored by early learners in spider activities involving sensory and art.

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10 Green Huntsman Spider Facts

Indigenous to northern and central parts of Europe, green huntsman spiders live in forest edges and damp woodlands.
A clutch of green huntsman spider eggs is protected in a few leaves stitched together.
40 – 50 spiderlings hatch in about four weeks after the eggs are laid.
The tiny spiderlings are yellowish-brown, and turn green in 18 months.
Eight eyes arranged in an oval shape help green huntsman spiders see.
These showy spiders eat small insects and other invertebrates.
To catch their food, they wait for their prey to come by, and then pounce on it!
Predators of this unique spider are geckoes, birds, wasps, flies, and nematode worms.
The green spiders are camouflaged against leaves, so predators and prey cannot see them.
Green huntsman spiders can live up to two years in age.

An oh-so-green spider sensory tray featuring green huntsman spiders.

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Spider Activities

Green Huntsman Spider Sensory Tray

Gather the following supplies for a spidery sensory tray with no web required.

green spider
green spider cupcake toppers
tiny black spiders
green leaves
small logs
wood slices
rocks
green marbles
spinach noodles
metal tray or plastic tub
gold acrylic paint

Loose parts to collect for a green huntsman spider sensory tray.

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Break up spinach noodles into small pieces and spread out on the bottom of the tray or tub. Add leaves, logs, wood slices, and rocks. Pick a spot to set the marble “eggs.” Put in the green spider and/or green spider cupcake toppers. If using cupcake toppers, snap off the toothpicks and make sure there are no sharp edges.

Paint the tiny black spiders with gold acrylic craft paint to represent the spiderlings. The acrylic paint will adhere quickly. When dry, add them to the sensory tray.

Green huntsman spider-inspired sensory tray using spinach noodles as a base.

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Tip: Split peas or shredded green paper can be used instead of spinach noodles for the base.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Playdough Green Huntsman Spider

Sculpt a green huntsman spider with the best playdough recipe.

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Make a batch of your favorite playdough and color it green. A basic playdough recipe with green food coloring added works well for this activity.

Invite your early learner to mold some dough into a squished circle or oval. Then your little one can add eight googly eyes to the dough.

Cut three green pipe cleaners into thirds. Invite your little learner to add eight pipe cleaner legs to the plump spider.

Sculpt a green huntsman spider including it's eight eyes!

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Green Huntsman Spider Craft

Craft a paper green huntsman spider. The spider won't need a web to be displayed!

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Download this template to make a green paper spider. Printing onto cardstock paper works best, but you can also use regular copy paper.

Spider template to cut out and assemble into a green huntsman spider, or to use as a pattern to craft spiders in colors of choice.

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Spider Template PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Invite your early learner to cut out all the circles. Then have your little one glue the smaller circles to the large green circle to make a cute face. Help your child glue or tape on pipe cleaner legs.

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Tip: Cutting pipe cleaners into thirds works well for this spider craft.

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Spiders In All Colors

After assembling a green spider, your little learner may have fun creating spiders in other colors. Download the template and use the pieces as a pattern for cutting shapes from cardstock paper shades of choice. Have your early learner cut and assemble the circles into bodies of spiders, and add matching or complementary hued pipe cleaner legs.

Craft cheery spiders in your favorite colors. Grab your free template.

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The spiders could be hung from strings to provide colorful room decorations.

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And finally, you could invite your little one to craft a black and grey spider. Print the above template in black and white. Use black pipe cleaner legs.

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[Read more…]

Apple Print Activities

October 16, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Apples are so plentiful in fall and come in many sizes and colors. Besides enjoying the crunchy, juicy fruits in pies, squares, and drinks, set aside some for apple print activities.

To start off, show early learners a selection of apples in contrasting colors. A green Granny Smith, a yellow golden delicious, and a red royal gala apple make good fruits to set out and discuss. They are also easy to find in stores.

Little learners would be excited to taste the apples. Cut some into chunks and invite children to taste apples in all three colors.

Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

Pick an inexpensive apple to use for the craft. I picked a smaller-sized apple on sale at a local produce store. Cut some apples in half from top to bottom, and slice others horizontally. Have early learners notice the seeds, and count them. Highlight the star shape in the horizontally cut apples.

Then invite children to use the apples for printmaking.

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Supplies To Collect

green, red, and yellow tempera paints
12-inch x 18-inch sturdy art paper
small plates or trays
paintbrushes
apple halves

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Making Apple Prints

Pour a little red, green, and yellow paint in small flat dessert dishes or disposable plates. Add a little yellow to the green paint to lighten and brighten the color.

Allow little ones to dip apples into the paints, and make prints on the paper.

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Another way to do this activity is to have early learners paint the apple halves instead, and then press them on the paper. It is easier to control the amount of paint on the apples this way.

Apple printmaking with green, red, and yellow tempera paints.

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Tip: After each painting experience, apple pieces can be rinsed and used again by another child.

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More Apple Print Activities

Apples often come in two different colors, like red and green, or yellow and red. To extend the painting experience, invite children to paint each apple half in a different color, and make prints with them.

Add some fun by making apple prints in two different colors.

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Thin the paints. Invite little learners to make prints on sections of paper towel roll. The absorbency and texture of the towels give the prints a unique look.

Make two-colored apple prints on absorbant paper towel.

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Instead of using apple halves, set out apple slices for the children to use. They work well too!

Printmaking using apple slices on a section of absorbant paper towel.

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After the paintings are dry, cut out a few prints to use in fingerplays and counting activities.

Cut apple paint prints used in fingerplays and counting activities.

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And the apple prints would make great additions to an apple tree or a wreath craft.

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[Read more…]

Annette Kaminsky

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