Annette Kaminsky

Watermelon Playdough Tray

August 12, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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What better time to set out a watermelon playdough tray than on a hot summer day like today? The tray features an easy-to-make scented playdough recipe using Kool-Aid. So if you are experiencing a heat wave like we are, you can use some of the Kool-Aid in a cold, refreshing drink, and save the rest for the playdough recipe.

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Scented Playdough Recipe

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This playdough recipe is soft, pliable, and lasts a long time. Gather the following ingredients:

500 ml / 2 cups flour
250 ml / 1 cup salt
20 ml / 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
450 ml water (almost 2 cups)
45 ml / 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
48 ml bottle of watermelon-flavored concentrated liquid Kool-Aid

To make the scented dough, follow the steps below:

Measure the first three ingredients into a sturdy pot and mix them together.

Add two tablespoons vegetable oil and a 48 ml bottle of liquid watermelon Kool-Aid concentrate into a 500 ml / 2 cup measuring container.

Add enough water to make 500 ml / 2 cups of liquid and stir.

Pour the mixed liquids into the pot of dry ingredients and combine.

Heat the mixture on the stove on medium heat.

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

Place the dough on a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding one more tablespoon of oil.

Store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag until ready to use.

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Put together this watermelon playdough loose parts tray in minutes. It includes homemade playdough recipes you'll want to try.

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To inspire watermelon-themed designs in a play invitation, you can add:

a white basic playdough recipe.
a basic playdough recipe colored with green food coloring.

Note: If you are making playdough for one or two children, this recipe can be halved. Then you will have enough Kool-Aid left to make a watermelon-flavored drink.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Watermelon Playdough Tray

Put together this watermelon theme playdough tray today! It's easy to do and is perfect for summer or any time of the year.

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Red, white, pink, black, and green loose parts work well with watermelon playdough. In the tray are pop poms, pebble and diamond-shaped gems, and buttons. Green and red spotted rubber frogs are included because they fit the color scheme! Watermelon slice cookie cutters complete the tray.

When setting up this playdough invitation, you could add black beans to represent watermelon seeds.

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More Watermelon Activities

Paint Chip Watermelon Art

Create beautiful watermelon art with paint chip samples. The colorful watermelon slices can be used in many different activities.

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Fun Ways To Serve Watermelon

Watermelon Dramatic Play Center

Watermelon-themed picnic tableware and loose parts add a welcome burst of color to a dramatic play center.

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Watermelon-inspired Banner Craft

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More Themed Playdough Recipes

Scented Moon Playdough

Pet-Themed Playdough Tray

White Lilacs and Black Playdough

Set up this unexpected white lilac and black playdough tray. Striking creations will surely be the result.

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Glam Skeleton Playdough Tray

Apple Playdough Tray

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[Read more…]

Salt And Glue Moon Art

August 8, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This salt and glue moon art activity is a simple way to create a realistic moon in its natural colors. It’s easy for little learners to do, and looks showy when displayed.

To help set the tone for the art activity, here are ten fun facts about the moon’s surface to share.

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Ten Moon Facts

The moon usually appears bright whitish, silvery gray, or pale yellow. This is because its surface is illuminated by the sun.
Close up, the moon is colored in shades of gray, with a little bit of black and white. There are tinges of orange, blue, or green in some parts.
The moon is rocky and bumpy.
There are light and dark areas on it’s surface.
The dark areas are huge craters filled primarily with basalt lava that has cooled and formed smooth, dark plains. Much of the lava is rich in magnesium and iron, which is the reason for the dark color.
The lighter areas are highlands with mountains and many craters. The highlands are low in iron and rich in calcium, giving them a lighter color.
There are volcanic domes and shield volcanoes, as well as channel-like depressions on the moon.
The moon is covered in a thin layer of moon dust, which is a dark grey color.
There are traces of water in the form of water ice at the moon’s poles. Water molecules have recently been discovered on the sunlit side of the moon.
From earth, we always see the same side of the moon.

An easy-to-do moon art activity with a salt and glue technique. The art project looks stunning on display.

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Powerful telescopes, space probes that orbit or land on the moon, spacecraft that circle the moon, and robotic rovers are some ways the moon is regularly explored. Twelve astronauts have had the chance to walk on the moon and see it up close.

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Moon Art Supplies

Just a few supplies are needed for this striking moon art project:

8 ½ inch x 11- inch gray cardstock paper
12 x 12-inch black cardstock paper
white glue
glue paddles
disposable plates
table salt
small bowls or paint cups
spray adhesive
hot glue gun

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The Salt And Glue Moon Art Process

To prepare for the activity, cut circles about 8 ½ inches in diameter from gray cardstock.

Next, set up a station for each child participating with a

gray cardstock paper circle
small bowl of salt and a teaspoon
container of white glue and glue paddle
disposable plate

Stunning moon art made with a salt and glue art technique. Teach facts about the moon while doing this process art activity.

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Invite little learners to drizzle white glue on their circle-shaped paper.

Then have them sprinkle salt from a teaspoon over the glue, and shake excess salt onto their disposable plate.

Let the art projects dry overnight.

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To help preserve the moon art, spray each salted circle with adhesive spray. Hairspray works fine for this task too.

When thoroughly dry, adhere each paper moon to a black cardstock or construction paper background using a hot glue gun.

Display the stunning art projects on a bulletin board or wall. They will look amazing!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Little learners may have their own thoughts about the art they are creating. One of my students pretended he was making “The North Pole.” This led to a discussion about who was on Santa’s nice and naughty list!

Another student asked if he could taste the salt. After saying it was ok to taste a little of it, we discussed that it is a good choice to ask if it is safe to taste an art supply before doing it. We also talked about how there is a lot of salt in many playdough recipes, but we only use a little bit to season food.

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Related:

Scented Moon Playdough

Starry Sky Sensory Bin

Space Father’s Day Craft

Space Restaurant Dramatic Play

Watercolor Planets With Markers

Outer Space Pretend Play

Earth Day Heart Art

Earth Day Craft

Moon Colors Art Project

Space Loose Parts Play

Space Theme Light Table

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[Read more…]

Lemon-Inspired Play Kitchen

August 4, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This spring I started collecting lemon-themed supplies before the weather got warmer and the snow finally melted for good. It was refreshing just to look at the growing tub of yellow-infused accessories. A lemonade stand dramatic play center was one goal for the purchases. The other intent was to set up a lemon-inspired play kitchen, which is featured in this post.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

A cheery lemon-inspired play kitchen theme that early learners will love. The lemony decor and loose parts will inspire imaginative dramatic play.

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No store is off limits for collecting supplies that are useful in children’s activities. Keeping an eye out for economical items on usual shopping runs often leads to spotting the perfect accessories for pretend play. Collected for the lemon-themed play kitchen are:

lemon play food in smaller and larger sizes
play food lemon pie
lemon counters
jar with green and yellow rainbow erasers
jar with apple sauce screw-top caps
lemon-themed tea towel, pot holder, spatula, and serving bowls
yellow disposable cups, cutlery, and ice cube tray
yellow accented paper plates
clear drinking cups
clear plastic beverage dispenser
citrus juicer
artificial lemon branch in a vase

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Lemon-Inspired Play Kitchen Activities

It’s exciting for early learners to discover lemon-themed dramatic play props set out for them. They can be attractively arranged in a play kitchen on a low table and/or shelving units. The youngsters will happily pick up and use the supplies in their own way.

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Just a few of the lemony accessories listed above will spark interest and add a pop of color to the play kitchen.

An artificial lemon branch makes a great centerpiece displayed in an unbreakable vase.

Including loose parts in complementary hues such as yellow and green apple sauce caps and rainbow erasers is great for igniting children’s imaginations. It gives little learners a chance to use recycled items in innovative ways.

This lemon-inspired kids' play tablescape can be set up any time of the year. Loose parts complement the lemon theme.

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These lemon-themed dramatic play props can be set out any time of the year. And they coordinate wonderfully with National Lemonade Day, which is commonly observed in early May and/or late August.

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[Read more…]

Painting Striped And Spotted Sharks

August 1, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Painting striped and spotted sharks is an effective way for young children to incorporate simple design elements into the art process. And tiger and leopard sharks are the perfect subjects to encourage early learners to paint stripes and spots. These sharks are especially interesting because of their unique coloring.

Painting striped and spotted sharks are an easy way for early learners to incorporate simple design elements into the art process. Tiger and leopard shark facts are included.

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It is common knowledge that early learners just love, love, love to mix colors when painting. They never seem to tire of mixing paints. Oh so quickly, they will swirl paint around to make a mediocre brown or another dull hue, and be left with muddied paints to work with.

As they get a little older, I like to encourage children to try something a little more challenging. I say, “Try this challenge on your first painting. Then on your next ones you can paint any which way you like.” This is usually effective. Sometimes little learners choose to make a second or even a third painted piece. Other times they are ready to move on to another activity in the classroom after the first one.

With these shark painting activities, children are challenged to keep colors somewhat separate and add stripes and spots to their paintings.

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Painting Striped Tiger Sharks

Tiger sharks provide inspiration for painting stripes on fish art projects.

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To prepare for the art activity, draw and cut large tiger sharks from 12 x 18-inch paper. Manila or construction paper works well.

Then set out tempera paint colors of choice. The paint palette can feature a variety of colors, or monochromatic ones, such as black, gray, and white.

Next, add a paintbrush and paper towel section to each participant’s station.

To introduce the painting activity, read a picture book featuring different kinds of sharks.

Next, focus on tiger sharks. Show pictures of them from books and/or online sources, and share interesting facts. The information further on in this post may be helpful.

Invite early learners to decorate their sharks, making sure to add some stripes to them. Encourage them to dab excess paint on a paper towel when switching paint colors.

Ten fun facts about tiger sharks. These fascinating sharks inspire little artists to paint stripes.

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10 Tiger Shark Facts

Tiger sharks are the fourth largest shark. Only the whale shark, basking shark, and great white shark are bigger.
These striking sharks have spots and vertical lines on the sides of their bodies, similar to the stripes on land tigers. The markings fade over time.
Their striped grey coloring camouflages the sneaky sharks in the water.
Preferring warmer waters, the large sharks live near coasts in tropical and subtropical areas around the world.
Tiger sharks have excellent eyesight and hearing and are slow-moving swimmers.
Not fussy about prey, the nocturnal hunters will eat almost anything whole, even garbage!
The food they commonly eat is invertebrates, other fish, dolphins, sea turtles, and seals.
Their broad jaws and strong, sharp, serrated teeth help them cut through their prey.
The orca whale is the only predator of tiger sharks.
Being very curious, these sharks will come close to humans and occasionally bite them.
Shark babies, called pups, hatch from individual eggs inside the mother’s body and are born live. There is an average of 30 – 35 pups per litter.

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Painting Spotted Leopard Sharks

With this second painting activity, draw and cut out leopard sharks from oversized sheets of sturdy paper.

Introduce little learners to the spotted sharks by showing pictures of them and sharing facts. Interesting leopard facts are listed below.

Invite participants to paint their sharks, adding spots to them.

Leopard sharks provide inspiration for painting spots on fish art projects.

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10 Leopard Shark Facts

Leopard sharks are smaller than tiger sharks, but also live near the shore.
The sharks live year-round in the Pacific Ocean from Oregon to the Gulf Of California.
The dark spots on their backs have a likeness to those of real leopards.
The narrow-headed mid-sized sharks have three pointed teeth that are good for smashing food.
The spotted sharks hunt on the bottom of the ocean at night.
Favorite prey is crabs, fish eggs, shrimp, clams, octopus, and fish. The sharks sometimes eat other small sharks.
Leopard sharks are active, strong swimmers, but will sink when not moving.
Being shy and skittish, they often hide before humans can spot them.
Like tiger sharks, leopard shark pups are born live after hatching from egg capsules in the mother’s uterus.
Loss of habitat is the biggest threat to leopard sharks.

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Painting stripes and spots on sharks are an easy way for early learners to incorporate simple design elements into the art process. Tiger and leopard shark facts are included.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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More Ways To Create With Spots

In addition to brush-painted spots, eye-catching spots can be added to an art piece by:

fingerpainting
using dot markers
adhering circle stickers
gluing on paper circles

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Artist Yayoi Kusama

A famous artist who often uses circles/spots in her art is Yayoi Kusama. Her “obliteration room” collaborative projects are especially amazing!

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[Read more…]

Watermelon-Inspired Banner Craft

July 31, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Summers are short in our part of the world! And so at this time of the year, we savor every moment of the season. This watermelon-inspired banner craft loaded with stripes expresses an appreciation of warm summer days perfectly. It is easy for little learners to create, and requires very little preparation time.

Stripes always make a statement, whether in art, fashion, or home décor. Early learners get practice drawing horizontal ones in this fruit-inspired craft.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for the watermelon-inspired banner:

broad line markers in shades of green, red, pink, and black
8 ½ x 11-inch white cardstock paper
black adhesive gems
green yarn
wiggly eyes
scissors
ruler
single hole punch
white glue
glue paddle

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Making The Watermelon-Inspired Banner Craft

Celebrate the summer season with a low prep, easy-to-make watermelon-inspired banner craft. This is an all-ages papercraft.

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This watermelon-inspired banner requires minimal preparation. The craft is great to introduce on a day you are short on time.

Just give each child participating a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11-inch white cardstock paper and broad line markers in shades of green, red, and pink.

Then, demonstrate how to draw horizontal stripes in green hues on the top of the paper, and red and pink ones on the rest. The lines do not need to be perfectly straight.

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After everyone has added stripes to their paper base, write a word or saying on each piece of art using a black felt pen. Word choices on the featured art projects are:

Hello Summer
Sweet Summer
Happy Summer
Aloha

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Choose one of the following three ways to finish the bottom of the hanging banner craft:

Have children cut a triangle shape from the bottom edge to make a pennant design.
Have children cut a fringe on the bottom using scissors.
Help children punch holes on the bottom and thread through a green yarn fringe.

As a finishing touch, invite little learners to add adhesive gem “watermelon seeds” to their craft.

Embrace the summer season with this low prep, easy-to-make watermelon-inspired banner craft. This is an all-ages papercraft.

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Happy Summer Banner Craft

For the “Happy Summer” banner theme, invite early learners to add two wiggly eyes with white craft glue after drawing the stripes. Then have them draw on a smile with a black broad line marker. A few black adhesive gems can be added afterward.

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This striped watermelon-inspired banner craft adds color and style to any area when displayed, and makes a celebratory summer decoration.

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