Annette Kaminsky

Pumpkin Playdough Activities

November 13, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Pumpkin playdough recipe and activities. Pumpkin, squirrel, and dinosaur themed playdough activities.

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Pumpkin playdough will send an oh, so pleasing pumpkin spice aroma around the room while your early learners have loads of fun playing with it. It is soft and rubbery, and won’t easily crumble. Here is the recipe, and a few engaging pumpkin playdough activities.

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Playdough Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
red food coloring (a little)
yellow food coloring (lots)
a few drops of oil

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Making The Playdough

Combine all ingredients but the oil in a sturdy pot.

Mix the ingredients together well.

With the stove on medium heat, continue stirring while the dough heats up.

When the playdough thickens into a lump, remove it from the stove.

Place the dough on a cutting board and let it cool.

Knead in a few drops of oil.

Store the playdough in a resealable plastic bag.

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Pumpkin Playdough Activities

Set the playdough on a tray with pumpkin cookie cutters, ice cubes, and gems. Include fall-themed gems.

Fall-themed loose parts and pumpkin playdough.

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Sprinkle orange glitter on the playdough to extend the play.

Pumpkin playdough with pumpkin-themed loose parts.

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Acorns and squirrel gems add to the fun.

Fall-themed playdough tray with pumpkin playdough.

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Dinosaurs are the theme for the tray below.

Dinosaur-themed playdough tray with pumpkin playdough.

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This pumpkin playdough recipe stores well and can be reused over and over again. Instead of food coloring, orange icing color could be added. And pumpkin seeds would introduce an interesting texture to the dough.

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More Pumpkin Activities

Eye Dropper Pumpkin Art

Pumpkin Painting Process Art

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Pumpkin Tablescape Pretend Play

Edible Playdough Pumpkins

Pumpkin Color Activities

Pumpkin Collage Art

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[Read more…]

Fall Scissor Skills Activities

November 12, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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One of the things preschoolers are most excited about when starting school in the fall is using scissors. It’s an activity many early learners have not yet had exposure to, so they are delighted to have permission to cut. Offering beautiful materials with unique textures enhances fall scissor skills activities.

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Fall Scissor Skills Supplies

Collect art supplies in yellow, orange, red, and brown hues, and sort them into a tray with compartments.

Fall scissor skills tray with red, yellow, orange, and brown craft supplies. Invitation to cut materials for collage or a sensory base.

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Gathered for this tray are:

feathers (yellow, orange, red, and brown)
fluffy yarn
yellow and orange foam pieces
brown tissue paper
red straws
fade-resistant construction paper in fall colors
orange crepe paper
red thin ribbon
gold thick ribbon
orange and yellow pom poms

Round up fall-colored craft supplies you have available for your little learners to cut. Leftover scraps from other crafts are perfect for this activity.

After your charges have had a blissful session of cutting craft supplies into bits, store them in a resealable plastic bag or covered container to use as a base in sensory trays.

Snipped craft supplies for a fall sensory tray base.

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Forest Sensory Tray

The cuttings make a rich base for a fall forest-themed sensory tray. Rocks, pine cone trees, and forest animals round out this inviting tray for your little ones to explore.

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Related: Scissor Skill Snow Cutting

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Fall Scissor Skills Party Tray

Change things up by arranging supplies to cut in a party tray. Fall craft leaves and card cut-outs are the highlights of the tray below.

Scissor skills party tray with fall-themed craft supplies. Invitation to cut materials for collage.

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Pumpkin Collage

Energize the offerings with black and green craft scraps. Encourage your early learners to cut shapes and glue them onto a paper pumpkin. The completed collage projects will be striking.

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Craft supplies to cut and glue for a pumpkin collage craft.

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Pumpkin collage craft with textured green, yellow, orange, and black supplies.

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Note: For tips on teaching children to use scissors, view my post “Santa’s Beard Scissor Activity.”

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[Read more…]

Remembrance Day Butterfly Craft

November 11, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Remembrance Day butterfly craft combines squish painting and beadwork and is accented with a poppy. It’s easy and satisfying for little learners to do.

Remembrance Day is celebrated in Canada on November 11 each year. On this day, people remember the many soldiers who died to give us freedom. The efforts of present-day soldiers are acknowledged and supported.

Red poppies are a symbol of Remembrance Day: people wear them and/or display poppy-themed arts and crafts on this notable day.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

white cardstock butterfly
red and black tempera paint
red glitter
paint containers
spoons
black beads
black pipe cleaners
hot glue gun
red craft poppies

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Making The Remembrance Day Butterfly Craft

Squish painted butterfly with a poppy and beadwork for Remembrance Day.

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Set out paper butterflies that have been folded in half, and then reopened.

Have your early learners dribble red paint on their butterflies with a spoon, and add blobs of black.

Help them fold one side of their butterfly over the other, and rub over the top side of the paper.

The children will enjoy seeing the symmetrical paint designs when the paper butterflies are unfolded.

Sprinkling red glitter on the wet paint adds sparkle.

Let the squish paintings dry.

Ask your little learners to string black beads on pipe cleaners. (24 beads were used for each butterfly featured in this post.)

Fold the beaded pipe cleaners in half, and glue them onto the butterflies with a hot glue gun.

Hot glue a poppy with the pin removed onto each butterfly, on top of the beaded middles.

Display the poppy accented butterflies to remember the efforts of past and present soldiers.

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"We Remember" butterfly craft for Remembrance Day. Squish painted butterfly accented with beadwork, glitter, and a poppy.

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Poppy artwork is one way for children to acknowledge Remembrance Day. More activities are suggested on CBC Kids: 8 Things You Can Do For Remembrance Day.

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More Remembrance Day Art Projects

Remembrance Day Poppy Prints

Remembrance Day Coffee Filter Poppy Art Project

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[Read more…]

Skeleton And Eyeball Waterplay

November 10, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Your early learners will be oh, so excited to explore skeleton and eyeball waterplay activities with skulls, eyeballs, and bones. The supplies to collect are low cost: skeleton parts can be found at dollar stores and local party stores, especially in autumn.

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Skeleton And Eyeball Soup

Collect:

plastic eyeballs
squishy eyeballs
plastic skulls
ice cube skulls
bones
extra large wiggly eyes
skeleton models
clear plastic cups
red and blue food coloring
water pitcher
spray shaving foam
ladles
clear cups
tulip shaped punch bowl

Skeleton and eyeball loose parts ready for sensory play.

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A tulip-shaped punch bowl makes a handy container to fit 3-4 children around. But use whatever you have available…a container of any size or shape will have play possibilities.

Use a pitcher to pour water into the punch bowl. Mix in red and blue food coloring to turn the liquid purple. Drop-in clear plastic cups, ladles, eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeleton models.

Skeleton and eyeball water play in a tulip-shaped punch bowl with eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeletons.

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To extend play possibilities, spray shaving foam on top of the water first, and then lay on the loose parts.

Eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeletons float on shaving foam topped purple water in a tulip-shaped punch bowl.

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After a short while, the shaving foam shrinks, and the water becomes a milky purple.

Shaving foam-topped water play in a tulip-shaped punch bowl with eyeballs, wiggly eyes, skulls, bones, and skeletons.

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Eyeball Soup

You don’t need all of the above items for your little learners to enjoy skeleton and eyeball waterplay. Just add eyeballs and a ladle to a large bowl of colored water set in a tub. Spray in a little shaving foam if you have it available. Your early learners will love scooping the “soup” into bowls.

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Sprinkle purple glitter on the liquid mixture, and offer eyedroppers, a baster, and pouring containers for more play.

Eyeball soup water play with eyedroppers, a ladle, a baster, and pouring containers.

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Eyeball Sensory Tube

Load eyeballs into a clear, narrow plastic bottle with a lid. Add neon yellow water. Set the sensory tube on a table for your little ones to view and touch.

Plastic eyeballs and neon yellow water in a sensory tube.

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Which activity do you like best? Share in a comment below.

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[Read more…]

Flower Theme Activities

November 8, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Flower theme art, sensory, and pretend play activities. Early learners will love the winged creatures (dragons, unicorns, and an angel) featured in the theme.

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Last spring I picked up two voluminous begonia plants that had large wing-shaped leaves. One plant was called “dragon wing begonia,” and the other was a double pink-flowered variety with similar wing-like leaves. The vigorous plants inspired dragon and flower theme activities for early learners, and angel and unicorn play.

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Nonstop Pink Begonia Flower Activities

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Nonstop pink begonia still blooming after Canadian Thanksgiving Day. — Nonstop Pink Begonia

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Begonia “Through The Seasons” Sensory Tray

Around Canadian Thanksgiving Day, the nonstop pink begonia was still blooming profusely. At the same time collecting pine cones was on my list of tasks to do. By the end of the week, snow was in the forecast. Our area didn’t get snow, but many places in our province did. The mingling of elements of summer, fall, and winter in that week was the inspiration for this sensory tray for little learners. Included are flower leaves and blooms, pine cones, and cotton ball snow. Rocks, stone eggs, and a show-stopping dragon round out the tray.

Three seasons sensory tub with pine cones, begonia leaves and flowers, and cotton ball snow. A dragon and stone eggs complete the tub

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Flower Angel

Puffy begonia flowers and leaves arranged in an angel craft are a pretty way to highlight the blooms of the plant. The angel can be a table decoration and conversation piece during snack or lunchtime.

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Flower angel made with nonstop pink begonia blooms.

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Mud Kitchen Sensory Table

A piece of cardboard with stove elements drawn on with a black permanent felt pen and crayon works magnificently for flower-themed “indoor mud kitchen” play. Set it out on a table with flowers, leaves, spoons, and a mortar and pestle. Or offer the blooms and accessories outdoors for kitchen play.

Flower-themed indoor mud kitchen. Nonstop pink begonia leaves and flowers, mortar and pestle, pots and pans, and a cardboard stove top complete the play invitation. — Cardboard Stove Top

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Flower Petals And Playdough

Offer the leaves and flower petals with scented playdough for your little ones to use.

Coconut and strawberry playdough with nonstop pink begonia leaves and flower petals.

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Unicorn Water Play

Float begonia leaves and flowers in turquoise colored water in a tub filled with rubber unicorns and pink and white loose parts. The items in this inviting sensory tub are:

begonia leaves and flowers
ice cube flowers and fish
shells
pearl gems
buttons
rubber unicorns

Unicorn and nonstop pink begonia sensory tub. Gem pearls, fish and flower ice cubes, shells, and buttons are part of the water tub.

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Related: Sunflower Unicorn

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Dragon Wing Begonia Flower Activities

Dragon wing begonia plant. — Dragon Wing Begonia

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When I saw the plant named “dragon wing begonia,” I knew it was destined for early childhood play. Here are two inviting activities this plant can shine in.

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Castle-Themed Sensory Tray

Begonia leaves and flowers, rocks, and stone eggs are included in this flower-inspired tray for little ones. A dragon, king, and princess figurine offer serious play potential in the tray.

Castle-themed sensory bin with a dragon, king, princess, and dragon wing begonia leaves and flowers.

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Cardboard Dragon Craft

Dragon wing begonia leaves are the wings in this painted cardboard dragon craft. Flowers accent the mythical creature.

Cardboard dragon with dragon wing begonia wings and flower accents.

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Note:

Begonia plants are not poisonous to people. But the plants are toxic to dogs and cats and should be kept in pots out of their reach.

Children require supervision while participating in the activities shown in this post. When play is finished, they should wash their hands with soap and water.

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These flower theme activities work well when frost threatens and the growing season is over. They allow early learners to explore the low-maintenance, show-stopping plants with loose parts in art and sensory play.

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[Read more…]

Maple Leaf Activities

November 1, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Maple leaf paint print activities. Art, math, and display ideas for maple leaves.

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Maple trees flourish in eastern Canada and turn vibrant colors in autumn. But I happily settled for these deep green maple leaves from a tree that can survive our harsh Alberta winters. When painted, they produce striking leaf prints. The prints look stunning displayed but can also be used for other maple leaf activities.

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Maple Leaf Activities

Leaf Prints

Early learners can join in making maple leaf prints. Set out orange, yellow, and red tempera paints, paintbrushes, and large pieces of sturdy paper. Invite your little learners to paint the leaves, turn them over, and press them onto the paper. Encourage them to gently rub all over each leaf before removing them.

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Glitter can be sprinkled on the leaf prints to add a dose of glam before they dry.

Glitter added to tempera paint maple leaf prints.

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Painting the back of a leaf, and pressing it on paper clearly reveals the midrib and veins.

Maple leaf paint print with red tempera paint.

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Unexpected colors of paint, such as black or blue can be offered.

Maple leaf paint prints with blue tempera paint.

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Maple leaf paint print with black tempera paint.

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After the leaf prints dry, cut some out for other activities.

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Maple Leaf Person

Have your little learners bring a leaf to life by adding wiggly eyes and a permanent felt pen smile.

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Canadian Flag Art

The maple leaf is part of our Canadian flag, so it’s extra special to me.

Your early learners can help make a leaf print Canadian flag. Select a big red leaf to glue onto the center of a large, rectangular piece of paper. Have children take turns adding smaller, red leaves on each side to complete the flag.

Canadian flag art made with maple leaf paint prints.

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Maple Leaf Math

Select different sized crafted leaves for your early learners to order from smallest to largest.

Leaf size ordering with different sized maple leaf paint prints.

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Use some leaves for counting fingerplays.

Counting leaves with maple leaf paint prints.

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Leaf Art Displays

Mount cut leaves onto a white piece of paper with double-sided tape. Add a paper background in a contrasting color. Display the art on a shelf or wall.

Displayed maple leaf paint print art. Cut prints are attached to a paper background with double-sided tape.

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Hang trimmed maple leaves from a twig tree, or a decorative branch hung on a wall.

Leaf display on a twig made with maple leaf paint prints.

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Do you have a favorite tree to introduce early learning activities with? Share in the comments section below.

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[Read more…]

Spooky Hands Craft

October 29, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This shiny spooky hands craft is effortless to do and uses easy-to-gather materials. The supplies for this project can be found at your local grocery and dollar stores.

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Supplies To Collect

white corn syrup
orange, green, and purple food coloring
paint containers and brushes
spoons
spider-themed fake nails
skull-themed fake nails
polka dot fake nails
Q-Tips
spider gems
sturdy white paper
black permanent felt pen
scissors

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Taste safe corn syrup paint ingredients.

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Traced hands and supplies needed to make spider, skull, and skeleton hand-themed crafts.

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Making The Spooky Hands Craft

Using a permanent felt pen, help your early learners trace their hands on a sturdy piece of white paper. Stitches can be drawn on one of the hands. Assist with cutting the shapes out.

Together, mix a few drops of food coloring into containers of white corn syrup with spoons. A bit of yellow food coloring added to green makes it lighter and brighter. A few drops of yellow and red can be stirred to make orange. Combining red and blue makes purple.

Set out the paper hands, corn syrup paint, and paintbrushes. Invite your little learners to decorate each hand in one shiny color.

Add fake nails, Q-tips, and spiders. Let your little learners stick the loose parts into their tacky, painted hands.

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Supplies needed to create a green skeleton-themed painted hand.

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Supplies needed to create an orange, spider-themed hand.

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Supplies needed to create a purple spooky hand with stitches.

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Allow the sticky projects generous time to dry.

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Green painted hand, decorated with Q-tip bones and orange skull-themed nails.

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Orange painted hand, decorated with spiders and spider-themed nails.

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Purple painted hand with stitches drawn on and polka dot nails.

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Other paint colors and nail art can be used to take advantage of seasonal supplies and make the craft project your own.

This spooky hands craft is easy and fun…the perfect combination! Which hand theme is your favorite? Share in the comments section below.

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Spooky hand art using shiny, taste-safe paint and spider and skeleton-themed loose parts.

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[Read more…]

Toilet Paper Roll Monsters

October 21, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky 1 Comment

Toilet paper roll monster craft and activities. Easy to make watercolor painted monsters to use with stacking blocks or a red split lentil-based sensory bin.

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For most of the year, there has been a plethora of recycled crafts and activities posted on blogs and social media, and toilet paper rolls have been a “hot” material for craft and sensory projects. Debuting in this post are spunky toilet paper roll monsters. They are so simple to make and can be used with toys or in sensory bins for imaginative play.

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Supplies To Collect

toilet paper rolls
black permanent felt pen
liquid watercolors or food coloring
paintbrush
napkin or paper towel
googly eyes in various sizes
scissors
glue stick
hot glue gun

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Making The Toilet Paper Roll Monsters

Invite your early learner to add a mouth and teeth to toilet paper rolls with a black permanent felt pen.

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Mouths and teeth drawing on paper roll monsters.

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Set out watercolor paints along with a paintbrush and napkin.

Liquid watercolors for painting toilet paper roll monsters.

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Encourage your little one to paint the cardboard rolls, dabbing the paintbrush on the napkin in between hues to remove excess water. The inside of the paper roll tops could be painted as well.

If a paper roll starts to come apart because of wetness, attach large paper clips to the loose parts. After the paint dries, use a glue gun to reassemble the tube.

Paper clips attached to a toilet paper roll that has come apart after being painted.

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When the toilet paper rolls are dry, ask your little learner to add googly eyes. Adhesive wiggle eyes are the easiest to attach. A glue stick or glue gun can be used to add non-adhesive eyes.

Toilet paper roll monsters ready to get their hair snipped and fashioned.

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Eyes can be drawn on the monsters with the permanent felt pen if craft eyes aren’t available to use.

Offer your early learner scissors to snip and style the top part of the paper rolls into “monster hair.”

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Toilet Paper Roll Monster Imaginative Play

These peppy monsters can be set out with a construction toy such as stacking blocks for your little learner to use in imaginative play.

Toilet paper roll monsters with stacking blocks ready for imaginative play.

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The monsters are the highlight of this red split lentil-based sensory bin your early learner will love sifting through. Included are loose parts and stacking blocks that double up as scoops.

Toilet paper roll monsters in a red split lentil-based sensory bin perfect for imaginary play.

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Which of these toilet paper roll monsters is your favorite? Share in the comments section below.

Toilet paper roll monsters on display on stacking blocks.

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Related: Monster-Themed Snacks

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[Read more…]

Scented Playdough Activities

October 18, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This two-ingredient playdough is super aromatic and has a unique consistency. It is easy and quick to make and inspires endless scented playdough activities.

Scented playdough activities with an easy to make, two-ingredient recipe. Three dough variations and six sensory play invitations are featured.

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Playdough Ingredients

The only ingredients needed are cornstarch and scented hair conditioner. Low-cost perfumed conditioners can be picked up at Dollar stores and local grocery stores. Food coloring is an optional third ingredient.

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Below are the supplies to collect for three scented playdough variations.

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Green Apple Playdough

One cup of green apple scented conditioner
Two cups cornstarch
Green food coloring (optional)

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Strawberry Playdough

One cup of strawberry-scented conditioner
Two cups cornstarch
Red food coloring (optional)

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Coconut Playdough

One cup of coconut-scented conditioner
Two cups cornstarch
Yellow food coloring (optional)

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Making The Scented Playdough

Mix one kind of scented conditioner and cornstarch together in a bowl, and knead them for further blending. Add a squeeze more conditioner if the dough is dry, or a tad more cornstarch if the dough is mushy. The soft playdough responds superbly to human touch.

Green apple playdough batch using two ingredients and optional food coloring. A dreamy, soft playdough that responds well to human touch.

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The dough will be a light pastel color. To produce a deeper hue, add a generous amount of food coloring to the batch.

Two-ingredient scented playdough with food coloring ready to knead in.

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Dreamy, two-ingredient scented playdough in three varieties.

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If using this playdough recipe more than once, add a little more conditioner and cornstarch and knead till you get a workable dough again.

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Scented Playdough Activities

Apple Themed Playdough Invitations

Offer the scented playdoughs, toothpicks, and apple tree leaves for your little learner to create apples.

Invitation to create apples with scented, two-ingredient playdough, toothpicks, and apple leaves.

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Apples created with scented, two-ingredient playdough, toothpicks, and apple leaves.

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Set out green apple playdough for your little one to explore along with apple cookie cutters, gems, leaves, a cutting board, and an ice cube tray.

Apple themed playdough invitation with apple cutting board, ice cube tray, cookie cutters, leaves, and gems.

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Related: Apple Theme Activities

Coconut Playdough Sun

Offer coconut playdough on a tray with golf tees, buttons, and gems. Invite your early learner to create a sun.

Invitation to play with coconut-scented, two-ingredient playdough and buttons, gems, and golf tees.

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A playdough sun created with coconut-scented, two-ingredient playdough and buttons, gems, and golf tees.

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Coconut Playdough Beach Scene

Put together a tray with coconut playdough and beach-themed loose parts. Let your little one freely manipulate the playdough and add accessories.

Invitation to explore scented, two-ingredient playdough with tropical-themed accessories.

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Surprise accessory: You may notice the snowmen cookie cutters on this tray. They have a special purpose which will be revealed in a future post.

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Bonus: The tropical fruit toothpicks add color to the playdough.

Tropical fruit toothpicks leave color on the scented, two-ingredient playdough.

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Playdough Ice Cream Cones

Set out all three kinds of playdough along with a scoop and real or plastic ice cream cones. Invite your little learner to add “ice cream” to the cones.

Invitation to create ice cream cones with scented, two-ingredient playdough and accessories.

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Ice cream cones created with scented, two-ingredient playdough and accessories.

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Green Apple Slime

Add additional green apple conditioner to the apple perfumed playdough to transform it into slime. Scoop the sludge into a bowl and set it out with a pumpkin and buttons. Allow your little one to explore the new consistency, and embellish the pumpkin with slime and buttons.

Invitation to explore scented conditioner slime and use it with buttons to decorate a pumpkin.

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These dreamy scented playdough activities are sure to be a hit with your little learner. Which activity is your favorite? Share below in the comments section.

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[Read more…]

Celery Science Experiment

October 14, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky 2 Comments

Celery and food coloring science experiment.

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This classic and colorful celery science experiment is easy to do and has quick results. It works well as a “color-changing celery tree” activity in autumn but is awesome to perform at any time of the year. Your early learner will be thrilled with the speedy and dramatic results of the experiment.

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Supplies To Collect

leafy celery stalks
glasses or jars
food coloring hues
pitcher with water
knife
cutting board

Celery and food coloring experiment supplies.

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Procedure

Cut the bottoms from celery stalks.

Invite your early learner to generously squirt food coloring hues into glasses or jars, and add about 4 centimeters of water to each one.

Have your child place a celery stalk in each container, and use it to stir the liquids.

Set the jars or glasses with celery on a table or windowsill.

Celery xylem are clearly visible in this closeup photo.

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Invite your little learner to look at the celery after a couple of hours. There will be a noticeable change in celery stalk and leaf colors.

Observe the celery with your child the following day. The leaves will be a darker shade of the water hue their stalk was set in than the day before. Colored lines running from the bottom of the stalks to the leaf tips will be clearly visible.

Add a little more water to each container if needed. Study the celery together a day or two later. The leaves and lines on the stalks will be a deeper color still.

Try the experiment with other food coloring hues. The leafy inner stalks below are dipped in turquoise, purple, and green-colored water.

Celery and food coloring experiment using turquoise, fuschia, and green colored water.

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Admire the transformed celery.

Color change in celery as a result of adding food coloring to the water.

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Variation Of The Celery Science Experiment

Cut off the ends of celery stalks, and split the bottom half of the stalks into two parts.

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Invite your child to squirt blue, yellow, and red food coloring into glasses or jars, and mix each hue with a bit of water.

Carefully place a section of one split celery stalk in red water, and the other in yellow. Put the bottom halves of another split celery stalk into yellow and blue water.

Celery stalks placed in two different jars of colored water.

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Observe the celery with your little one after a couple of hours, the next day, and two days later.

You will see colored lines that extend from the bottoms of the celery stalks to the leaves. Each stalk will have lines and leaves in two different colors.

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The Science Behind The Celery Color Change Experiment

Celery stalks lose water through their leaves. More water gets pulled up from their roots to thirsty leaf tips through a network of hollow tubes called xylem.

The normally invisible process of water transport becomes visible when water accessible to celery stalks is colored.

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The little dots on these celery slices are xylem tubes.

The colored dots on these celery slices are xylem tubes that transport water.

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