Annette Kaminsky

St. Patrick’s Day Sheep Craft

March 10, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky 1 Comment

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St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Ireland and around the world each year on March 17. It is a special day to remember St. Patrick, a missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5^th century and to celebrate Irish culture.

So how does this St. Patrick’s Day sheep craft fit into the celebration?

Patrick was born in the British Isles. His father had a key position in the Roman government. Patrick’s life was comfortable until age 16 when he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland. There he was forced to live a rugged life working as a sheepherder until he escaped six years later.

As for Irish culture, there are tons of sheep who roam the countryside in oh-so-green Ireland. Hardy breeds are raised. The sheep need to be able to handle the hilly land and tolerate cold, rainy, windy water.

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Sweet doily and pompom sheep craft perfect for St. Patrick's Day or spring.

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Craft Supplies To Collect

sheep printable (downloadable below)
six-inch white paper doily
yellow and green pompoms
green craft foam
green ribbon
foil shamrock
mini rainbow erasers
white craft glue
glue paddle
8 1/2 inch x 11-inch cardstock paper in white and green

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Making The St. Patrick’s Day Sheep

Craft steps to make pompom and doily St. Patrick's Day sheep.

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Cut out one of the sheep from the printable and set it on a table along with pompoms, white glue, and a glue paddle.

Sheep template for a farm or St. Patrick's Day craft.

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Sheep Craft PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Invite your early learner to spread glue on the area above the eyes, and add pompoms.

Next, have your little one paste the decorated head on a paper doily.

Then ask your little learner to add two craft foam legs. A ribbon bow, foil shamrock, or mini rainbow erasers can be the finishing touch.

Mount the sheep onto a complimentary colored piece of cardstock. Add a St. Patrick’s Day saying if desired.

A pompom sheep craft perfect for St. Patrick's Day or spring.

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A cute sheep craft perfect for St. Patrick's Day or spring.

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Sweet sheep craft perfect for St. Patrick's Day or spring.

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[Read more…]

Paper Plate Ocean Drum

March 6, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Ocean drums are versatile musical instruments that imitate the soothing sound of gentle waves hitting the shore. Your early learner can help create a paper plate ocean drum to make water sounds and will be able to use it in many other ways. The drum can be personalized and will look awesome displayed.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

two 9-inch paper plates
9 x 12-inch white cardstock
transparency film or clear file folder
photo of a child, family, or a pet
small beads
cinnamon candy hearts
alphabet letter beads
adhesive gems
scissors
glue gun
glue stick or glue tape

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Making The Paper Plate Ocean Drum

Steps to create a personalized paper plate ocean drum.

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Cut out the middle part of one paper plate.

Print a favorite photo onto cardstock paper. Or use a picture from a vintage calendar or magazine. Trace a 15.5 cm / 6 1/8 inch circle around the part of the picture chosen for the drum. Cut the circle out and use glue tape or a glue stick to paste it on the center of the second plate.

Cut the same sized circle from a clear file folder or sheet of transparency film.

Use a glue gun to attach the clear circle to the cut plate.

Sprinkle cinnamon candy hearts, letter beads, and small round beads onto the photo-enhanced plate. Alphabet letter beads that spell love or the name of a child or pet would work well.

Glue the edges of the two plates together with a glue gun.

If desired, decorate the paper frame of the drum with adhesive gems.

This paper plate ocean drum can be personalized with a picture of a family member and/or pet.

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Playing The Ocean Drum

The crafted drum can be played many different ways, creating a variety of sounds:

Tilt the drum in all directions by rolling your wrist slowly while holding the instrument by its frame. The encased beads and candies will roll over the bottom and mimic the relaxing sound of waves lapping the shore.

Stop and start playing the instrument suddenly to make the sound of crashing waves.

Hold the drum over your head and tilt it.

Move the drum around your body.

Tap the drum gently with a drumstick.

Scrape the drum.

Use the percussion instrument as a shaker.

Make loud, soft, fast, and slow sounds.

Tap or shake a pattern of sounds.

This paper plate ocean drum can be personalized with a picture of a favorite pet.

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[Read more…]

Ice Drum Musical Instruments

February 26, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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These ice drum musical instruments can be played outside or indoors any time of the year. The musical activities are inspired by the Siberian percussion group Etnobit, who experimented with playing ice on Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake.

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Supplies To Collect

food containers (yogurt, sour cream, margarine, etc.)
bowls
food coloring
drum sticks
large tub
spoons for stirring and drumming

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Making the Ice Drum Musical Instruments

Freeze water colored with food coloring in different-sized food containers and bowls.

When frozen, remove the ice shapes from their molds and place them in a tub. Sprinkle snow in the tub first if it is available. Add drumsticks and objects for striking the ice.

Ice drum musical instruments that can be played indoors or outside any time of the year.

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Playing The Ice Drums

Invite your early learners to experiment with drumming sounds on the ice chunks.

They can tap:

fast sounds
slow sounds
loud sounds
soft sounds
one slow note/ two fast notes rhythm
one loud note/two soft notes rhythm

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The little learners can also tap their own melodies on the ice drums.

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Watch this video to see the percussion group Etnobit playing music on ice slabs.

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Frozen Water Glass Xylophone

Another frozen water musical activity is to fill clear drinking glasses with varying amounts of colored water. Freeze them overnight and then set them on a table in a row. Have your little charges tap the water glasses with drumsticks to make higher and lower notes and experiment with melody making.

An easy to prepare frozen water xylophone for music exploration.

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Winter Playdough Recipe

Snowman Sensory Play

Spray Paint Snowflake Silhouette

Blue Candy Cane Science Experiment

Winter-themed Treasure Blocks

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Tablescape

Polar Bear Small World

Winter Sensory Trays

Painting Ice and Snow

Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

Frozen-Inspired Shadow Box

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[Read more…]

Arctic Animal Facts And Sensory Trays

February 25, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Arctic animal sensory trays featuring seals, narwhals, and a polar bear and igloo. Luxurious loose parts accent the trays.

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These Arctic animal sensory trays are inspired by a set of polar decorations spotted at a local hardware store. I saw them before Christmas and restrained myself from buying them. It was tough! I didn’t think of them again until just into the New Year, but then I just had to have them. Thankfully, one hardware store in the chain still had a full selection and I was able to buy the decorations for winter displays and sensory play.

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Polar Animal Sensory Tray Loose Parts

A large round tray, silver plastic table mat for water or ice, and the following loose parts work well with arctic animal figurines:

Polar loose part tray inspired by an igloo, seal, and narwhal figurine.

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pearl bead garland
large pearl beads
clear gems in various sizes
ice cube gems
silver bells
silver beads and bead garland
blue gems

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Seal and narwhal-inspired loose parts tray.

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Arctic Animal Sensory Trays

The polar decorations featured in these trays are breakable, so should be handled carefully. After discussing and exploring figurines such as these with your early learners, replace them with unbreakable Arctic animal and igloo toys for further learning and play.

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The first two sensory trays showcase seals and narwhals. Here are some facts about these aquatic polar creatures:

Narwhals are small whales nicknamed sea unicorns. Males have a tooth that grows through their lip to form a spiraling ivory tusk. The tusks grow throughout the whales’ lives. Narwhals live in groups in the cold icy waters of the Arctic. They have been overhunted for their sought-after tusks so are hard to spot.

A glittery seal and embellished narwhals are the highlights of this luxurious sensory tray.

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Six kinds of seals live in the Arctic. The seals spend much of their time in the frigid waters on or under the ice. When the ocean freezes each year, they chew breathing holes through the ice with their teeth. They come up for air every few minutes, trying to avoid predators in the process.

Glittery seals take center stage in this aquatic polar animal sensory tray.

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This next tray features a polar bear, seal, and narwhal.

Polar bears are large, creamy white bears that weigh up to 1100 pounds. They have black noses and eyes and can walk and swim long distances. Polar bears live on ice floes, rocky shores, and islands in the Arctic. Their tiny bear cubs are born in December in dens on land or ice. The cubs live with their mothers for about two years.

Polar bear and seal sensory tray with luxurious loose parts.

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Below is a narwhal, seal, and igloo sensory tray.

Igloos are dome-shaped snow houses that can be large or small. They are made with slanted rectangular blocks of packed snow cut by skilled carvers. In times past, igloos were used as a winter home or temporary hunting shelter. The igloos were super strong and able to withstand fierce winds and polar bear attacks. The snow homes were heated with oil lamps and could get pretty toasty. Furs lined sleeping areas and covered doorways.

Arctic sensory tray featuring a seal and narwhal, and an igloo.

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The penguin below adds a cuteness factor. Penguins live in the Antarctic on the opposite side of the world but are also polar animals.

Polar sensory tray with a penguin, seal, narwhal, and igloo. Luxurious loose parts accent the tray.

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[Read more…]

Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Cookies

February 18, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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After Christmas, there was enough undecorated gingerbread cookies leftover for another activity, so I thought my preschoolers could decorate Valentine’s Day gingerbread cookies.

But I wondered if it would be appropriate. I thought to myself: “Anything gingerbread is so popular at Christmas, but is doing activities with these spicy cookies a thing at other times of the year?”

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An online search revealed the following:

Each year there is a National Gingerbread Day on June 5 and a National Gingerbread Cookie Day on November 21.
A website called Favorite Family Recipes has a lovely post about making a Valentine’s Day Gingerbread House.
Recipes By Diane showcases gingerbread Cupid Cookies.
And The Savvy Age features quick and easy heart-accented gingerbread cookies.

Armed with all this inspiring information, I decided that yes, decorating our saved cookies with a Valentine’s Day theme would be just fine. I headed out to shop for heart-themed decorations and prepared the activity for my class.

Decorated gingerbread Valentine's Day cookies.

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The preschoolers relished decorating a Valentine’s Day gingerbread cookie. And your early learners would love it too.

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Supplies To Collect

gingerbread cookies (store-bought or homemade)
cookie or cake frosting (store-bought or homemade)
Valentine’s Day sprinkles
heart candies
cinnamon hearts
candy eyes
disposable plates
dull butter knives or tiny spatulas

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Decorating The Gingerbread Cookies

For each child participating in the activity, set an undecorated gingerbread cookie on a plate. Add a dollop of icing and candy decorations to another plate.

Heart and sprinkle decorations to decorate a Valentine's Day cookie.

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Set up a cookie decorating station for each child with candy decorations, a cookie, and a knife or tiny spatula.

Gingerbread cookie decorating station with Valentine's Day-themed decorations.

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Invite your early learners to decorate their cookies by spreading on icing and adding candy eyes and a nose, mouth, eyebrows, jewelry, buttons, etc.

Wrap the cookies up for the children to take home.

Gingerbread cookies decorated with hearts and candy sprinkles.

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Our undecorated cookies were store-bought. If you have time to bake the treats, try a tangy gingerbread cookie recipe. The recipe is adapted from George Washington’s mother Mary Ball Washington‘s version.

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A gingerbread cookie decorated with hearts and candy sprinkles.

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[Read more…]

Jewelry Sensory Tray

February 15, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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If you have washable heart-themed children’s jewelry pieces lying around or found some in a post-Valentine’s Day sale, they can have a go in a jewelry sensory tray. Add a few complimentary colored loose parts, and your early learners will be eager to explore the tray.

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Loose Parts For The Tray

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heart bracelets
color block silicone bracelets
rainbow heart rings
wiggly eye rings
rainbow heart erasers
foam flowers and hearts
gem hearts
flower eraser
buttons

This tray has loose parts in a variety of cheery colors, taking it beyond Valentine’s Day.

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Making The Jewelry Sensory Tray

Heart-themed jewelry sensory tray that takes tactile exploration beyond Valentine's Day.

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Pick a tray large enough for a few children to play in.

Add a layer of rice. I feature glutinous rice. I love it because it is super white.

Spread the heart jewelry and complimentary colored loose parts in the tray. Invite your early learners to explore the tactile center.

This sensory tray idea also works for individual play. Just divide the supplies into a portion for each child and add them to smaller trays.

Heart jewelry sensory tray with cheery colors that take tactile exploration beyond Valentine's Day.

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Valentine’s Day Musical Instruments

February 14, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Valentine's Day containers with loose parts added make drum and shaker musical instruments perfect for sound exploration.

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Save those little containers that valentine treats and crafts come in! Empty chocolate boxes, plastic jars, heart-shaped bowls, and small containers make excellent sensory and art supplies. And when used with drumsticks and filled with loose parts, they can also be Valentine’s Day musical instruments.

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Valentine’s Day Loose Parts To Collect

Here’s a supply of loose parts that early learners could choose from for music-making:

Loose parts to add to Valentine's Day containers to make shaker and drum musical instruments.

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mini rubber balls
coins
erasers
heart necklaces
heart-shaped cookie cutters
red heart gems
pompoms
buttons
X and O game pieces

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This compartment tray holds the above items and the ones below:

Loose parts to add to Valentine's Day containers to make shaker and drum musical instruments, and a variety of drumsticks.

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pony beads
red and white round gems
large red beads
striped straws
wooden hearts

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Making Valentine’s Day Musical Instruments

Collect Valentine’s Day-themed containers and set them out on a table with a tray of loose parts. Encourage little learners to fill containers with one kind of loose part and add lids. Have them use the filled containers as shakers.

A collection of Valentine's Day-themed containers with loose parts and drumsticks for music-making.

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A heart-shaped bowl and small tin make excellent drums. Just add drumsticks!

An overturned plastic heart-shaped bowl and small tin make excellent drums.

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When covered with a lid and tipped from side to side, this pony bead-filled tin becomes an ocean drum.

A heart-shaped tin with pony beads added makes an ocean drum.

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Why not go big? This large chocolate box heart works wonderfully as an ocean drum too. A few beaded necklaces add the sound.

A heart-shaped empty chocolate box with necklaces or loose parts added makes an ocean drum.

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Your early learners will love making sounds and tapping beats with these recycled containers. To extend the investigative play, add the containers to a large tub filled with rice. Invite your little learners to add rice to them to create more Valentine’s Day musical instruments.

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[Read more…]

Dinosaur Valentine Craft

February 13, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It was just a couple of days before Valentine’s Day when one of my preschoolers said “Remember, Mrs. Kaminsky…you promised to make a dinosaur valentine craft for us to do.” And yes, I had!

We were just finishing up a polar dinosaur theme when I had come across super cute dinosaur Valentine’s Day window clings. They served as perfect transition décor from that winter-wrapped dinosaur theme to a Valentine’s Day topic. And they provided lots of craft inspiration, which led me to tell my preschoolers we would do a dinosaur valentine craft.

So this is a very last-minute dinosaur-themed Valentine’s Day craft project!

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Supplies To Collect

dinosaur printable
12-inch x 12-inch cardstock
8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock
pompoms
wiggly eyes
thin felt pen
paper or foam hearts
thin ribbon strip
white glue
glue paddle
glue stick

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Making The Dinosaur Valentine

Download one of these two dinosaur templates and print it on 8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock paper in the color of your choice.

Dinosaur template to use for a dinosaur-themed craft.

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Dinosaur PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Rawr-y dinosaur template to use for a valentine craft.

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Rawr-y Dinosaur PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Fashion a bow from a small strip of thin ribbon.

Cut out the dinosaur, and invite your early learner to use a glue stick to paste it on a 12-inch x 12-inch piece of complementary cardstock.

Then have your little one use white glue to add pompoms to the dinosaur back, wiggly eyes to the head, and a bow to the neck.

Next, have your little learner use the glue stick to add paper or foam hearts to the body, and use a thin felt pen to draw a smile on the head.

Cut out the “I Rawr-y Love You” greeting to add to the craft if desired.

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[Read more…]

Scissor Skill Heart Collage

February 10, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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A simple but effective activity to plan is a scissor skill heart collage invitation. Early learners will be able to explore luxurious craft supplies with unique properties and textures and complete a display-worthy project.

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Craft Supplies To Collect

Gather craft supplies that can be cut and glued in the color scheme of your choice. I feature traditional Valentine’s Day hues, but any color scheme would work beautifully. Cut the materials a little smaller if desired, but keep them large enough for little ones to trim some more.

Luxurious craft supply tray for heart collage crafts.

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Included in this first compartment tray are:

pipe cleaners
crepe paper
tin foil
metallic purple paper
foam strips
heart patterned ribbon strips
thin and thick ribbon strips
lace
paper doily pieces
white and red bead garland
heart garland
scissors

Red, pink, and white craft supply tray for heart collage projects.

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This second craft supply tray holds:

pink and white crepe paper
rose petals
foam pieces
Valentine’s envelopes
white yarn
cream lace
paper strips
red, gold, and white ribbon
white bead garland

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Making The Heart Collage Projects

Cut large hearts from fadeless construction paper.

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Divide up the craft supplies into small trays.

Set up stations with a craft supply tray, pair of scissors, paper heart, white glue, and glue paddle.

Invitation to cut and glue luxurious craft supplies to make a heart collage.

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Invite early learners to cut the supplies and glue them onto their hearts.

After the embellished hearts dry, hot glue a bow onto each one. Add loops of thin ribbon for hanging the crafts.

Scissor skill heart collage made by cutting and glueing luxurious craft supplies.

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This scissor skill heart collage project gives little ones a chance to strengthen their finger muscles while learning how to cut and glue a variety of craft supplies. And the collaged hearts are sure to be treasured by loved ones.

Scissor skill heart collage projects made by cutting and glueing luxurious craft supplies.

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[Read more…]

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

February 7, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Valentine's Day playdough recipes and loose parts trays. A basic recipe with color variations and a jello playdough recipe is featured.

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Playdough is a shoo-in for any Valentine’s Day theme. There are so many heart loose parts available to use, and who doesn’t like the chance to include red and pink colors in their play? In this post, I’ve included a basic playdough recipe and a jello recipe. The basic recipe includes color variations made with neon food colors. All the recipes are easy to use for introducing Valentine’s Day playdough activities to your little learners.

But first, the loose parts!

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Valentine’s Day Loose Parts Trays

Here are two playdough trays brimming with loose parts. The tray below includes:

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and pink and white dough recipes.

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rubber heart game pieces
X and O game pieces
toothpick cupcake toppers
wooden, gem, and foam hearts
buttons
heart erasers
natural colored gems
cookie cutters and rolling pin

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This second tray includes:

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and blueberry, white, and lilac dough recipes.

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heart bead garland
red and white bead garland
white and red gems
wooden, gem, and eraser hearts
large red beads
buttons
X and O game pieces
lollipop sticks

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Basic Playdough Recipe

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and red, pink and white dough recipes.

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My go-to basic playdough recipe has the following ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
3 tablespoons oil

Add the first three ingredients to a sturdy pot and mix together.

Stir two tablespoons oil into two cups of water.

Add the water and oil to the dry ingredients and combine.

Heat on the stove on medium heat.

Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is no longer glossy and the dough forms a ball.

Scoop the dough on to a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding in one tablespoon more oil.

Store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

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Jello Playdough

To make deep, pinkish-red strawberry playdough, boil the water and stir in two 85 gram packages of strawberry jello powder. Next, mix in two tablespoons of oil. Add the hot colored water mixture to the dry ingredients in a pot as above, and finish making the recipe the same way.

To make the pastel blue playdough, use one 85 gram package of blueberry jello.

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Food Coloring Playdough

To make the lilac playdough, stir a few generous squirts of neon purple food coloring into the pot of mixed wet and dry ingredients. Then heat the mixture and finish making the recipe as above.

To make the pastel pink-colored playdough, add a few squirts of neon pink food coloring to the pot. The more food coloring you add, the darker the playdough will get.

Note: These recipes make a batch of playdough for up to five children to use.

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Valentine’s Day Playdough Invitation

Set out loose parts on a tray with playdough colors of choice. Add rolling pins and cookie cutters if desired, and watch your little charges create.