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0ctopus Theme Activities

April 20, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky 2 Comments

This post has been updated to include a free downloadable octopus template.

The octopus is a fascinating creature with no shortage of unique characteristics. The sea animals make a cheery topic for early learning activities. And after learning a few surprising facts about them, your family may even choose one for a pet!

Octopus theme facts, crafts, and small world play. The stunning feature art activity uses kitchen supplies. Art and science fun with learning for all ages.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more activities.

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Ten Fast Octopus Facts

Octopuses have 8 long arms with hundreds of tiny suction cups on them called suckers. Octopuses can feel, smell, and grab food and objects with them. They grow back an arm if they lose one.
Octopuses are very smart. They can solve simple puzzles and mazes. They take things apart. They have good memories.
Many octopuses prefer living on the ocean floor in deep waters. A few live in shallow waters.

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Octopuses live alone in dens they make or in shells they squeeze into and pull over themselves. They have no bones in their bodies, so they can fit into small spots.
Two large bulging eyes help octopuses see very well.
Having blue blood helps octopuses keep warm in colder water.
Crawling is the easiest way for octopuses to get around. Their hearts stop beating when they swim, which is much more tiring. They can also crawl on land.
Most octopuses are shy and solitary. An exception is the California two-spot octopus, which is not as afraid of people.
Octopuses squirt out a blackish, poisonous ink at animals that want to eat them. The ink makes the water dark and irritates the predators’ eyes. It also hurts their sense of smell and taste.
Camouflage is their specialty. Octopuses can change color and texture quickly so they look like the plants and rocks around them. They also use color to stand out or communicate with other octopuses. Some hues they can transform into are grey, brown, pink, blue, or green.

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California Two-Spot Octopus

Because of its striking eyespots underneath its real eyes, the California two-spot octopus is a standout. In a neutral surrounding, this octopus can look greyish with yellow spots. The false eyes range from lighter to darker shades of blue.

The California two-spot lives in shallow waters, so many people have seen one. This crustacean is friendlier than other octopuses and can make a good pet.

Click here for pictures and an informative article about this well-known octopus.

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California Two-Spot Octopus Art

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You will need:

cardstock paper octopus
yellow, blue, and metallic grey dot paint dabbers
black permanent felt pen

Trace and cut out a cardstock octopus. Feel free to download the template below to use for the project.

Download this free octopus template for art and craft projects.

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Octopus PrintableDownload

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Invite your early learner to draw eyes and a smile on the octopus with the felt pen. Ask your little one to decorate the octopus to look like the California two-spot using dot paint dabbers.

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Textured Octopus Craft

This painted, shiny pink and yellow octopus has neutral Toasted O’s suction cups.

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Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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Your early learner can decorate a similar one with an easy-to-make, taste-safe paint using kitchen supplies.

Supplies To Collect:

white corn syrup
food coloring
Toasted O’s cereal
baby food jars
paintbrushes
spoons
cardstock paper octopus
black permanent felt pen

Invitation to paint an octopus with taste safe paint. An all=ages activity.

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Cut out an octopus pattern and ask your early learner to draw on a smile with the felt pen. (The downloadable octopus printable will work well for this craft too.)

Help your early learner mix a squirt or two of food coloring into a little white corn syrup poured into baby food jars.

Invite your little one to paint the octopus.

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Afterward, your early learner can push craft eyes and Toasted O’s suction cups into the tacky paint to complete the project.

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View a video tutorial for the Octopus Craft.

Octopus craft using taste safe ingredients.

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Octopus Sensory Tub

Your little one can help design and play in this simple sensory tub. The tub is a repurposed flying saucer sled.

Invitation to add cheerios cereal to a painted octopus. All supplies for this craft are easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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The sensory tub includes:

rocks, shells, and marine plants
an octopus figurine
other sea creatures such as a sea turtle, crab, and stingray fish
transparent gems

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Although shy and mysterious in the wild, octopuses have heaps of talent and spunky personalities. Would you consider having one for a pet?

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Tulip Art Painting Project

April 13, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This tulip art painting activity is inspired by the Canadian Tulip Festival, the stunning Canada 150 tulip, and a rustic Kleenex box design!

Tulip art painting project inspired by the Canada 150 tulip, the Canadian Tulip Festival, and a rustic tissue box. An all-ages art activity the whole family can do.

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Beginnings Of The Canadian Tulip Festival

Renowned photographer Malak Karsh began taking pictures of tulips in spring 1946. In 1952 Malak proposed a Canadian Tulip Festival for Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. It was held the following spring. Since then, it has become an annual event every May, drawing tourists from around the world.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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Keukenhof Gardens

If a visit to a vibrant tulip garden isn’t in your family’s near future, why not take them on a virtual tour of the world-famous tourist site in Holland, the Keukenhof Gardens.

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Tulip Art Project Instructions

Red and white painted tulips are featured in this craft. They are a reminder of the tulip chosen for the Canada 150 celebration, held in 2017. The two colors are patriotic, and the flower pattern resembles the maple leaf in the Canadian flag. Click here to view pictures of the Canada 150 tulip.

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Supplies To Collect:

paintbrush
salad fork
green, red, and white poster paint
rustic wood look craft paper
plate or tray

Guide your child in painting green tulip stems and leaves on the wood look craft paper.

Green tulip stems painted on a rustic wood scrapbook paper background.

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Add red and white paint to a small plate or tray. Help your child dip the top of the salad fork in the red and white paint. Encourage moving the forkhead from side to side and top to bottom until it is all covered in paint.

Salad fork dipped in red and white paint.

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Invite your child to press the painted part of the fork just above the stem of one of the flowers. Suggest tipping it in different directions to make sure each part of the salad fork head makes contact with the paper.

Follow the same process for each of the stems.

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Let the picture dry.

The tulips can be cut out and glued to a new background for a three-dimensional effect.

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You can offer other paint colors for this tulip art project. Here’s a painting with yellow flowers. Yellow tulips are a symbol of friendliness, cheerfulness, and charity.

Tulip art painting project inspired by the Canadian Tulip Festival, and a rustic tissue box. An all-ages art activity the whole family can do.

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The tissue box that helped inspire the painting project:

Tulip themed tissue box that is an inspiration for the tulip painting project.

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Tulip Art Video Tutorial

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Tulips are an endearing subject for artwork and an ideal flower for gift giving. And there is nothing more stunning than viewing an expansive tulip field with rows and rows of cup-shaped flowers in rainbow colors.

What is your favorite spring flower? Share below.

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[Read more…]

Charlotte’s Web Book Theme

April 9, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Charlotte's Web storybook activities. Sensory tubs, crafts, and games for children. Art, math, and language arts opportunities to learn.

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This Charlotte’s Web Book Theme is based on the best-selling children’s chapter book by E. B. White. The story centers around a pig named Wilbur, a spider named Charlotte, two farm families, and other colorful barnyard animals. The latter part of the story celebrates the sights, sounds, and excitement of a country fair.

For a summary of the book, click here:

E. B. White is quoted as saying that he wrote Charlotte’s Web for children, and for his own enjoyment. But I thoroughly relished rereading the tale through an adult lens.

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Charlotte’s Web Book Theme Activities

There is plenty of inspiration in the story for farm and country-themed early learning activities.

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Sensory Bin: Wilbur’s Pen

Inspiration: When Wilbur gets a little bigger, he is moved to the barn on Mr. Zuckerman’s farm.

Wilbur's pen in the barn rice sensory bin with a spider web printable.

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Offer a sensory tub for your child with the following items:

brown rice base
fence pieces
pig
large spider
baby spiders
cookie cutter spider web
cotton batting
sign over Wilbur’s pen
wooden alphabet letters
white pearl beads
pink gems
shells
black and pink buttons
pink straws

Small World: Haying Time

Inspiration: July is haying time on the farm. The barn is overstuffed with hay, and Fern and Avery Arable enjoy riding on the hay wagon.

Set up a sensory tub farmyard scene for your early learner with the following:

kraft colored shredded paper hay
barn
tractor and hay wagon
farm animals
farmer, boy, and girl figurines
fences and trees

Haying time sensory bin with shredded paper hay, tractor, wagon, barnyard animals, and farm family figurines.

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Art: Daisy Crown

Inspiration: In the farmyard, Fern makes a crown out of daisies.

Invite your child to decorate a paper headband with paper, craft, or real daisies. You can download the headband pattern below.

Daisy crown with felt flowers. — Daisy Crown With Felt Flowers

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Craft crown with paper punched daisies. — Paper Punched Daisy Crown

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Headband PatternDownload

This printable was created in PicMonkey and is for personal or one classroom use only.

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Group Game: What’s In My Pocket?

Inspiration: During his play outside, Avery puts a frog and a snake in his pocket.

Have one child in a group stand behind a divider and hide a snake or frog in a pocket.

Pick another child in the group to guess whether a snake or frog has been slipped into the pocket.

If a child isn’t wearing clothing with a pocket, one can be made from sturdy cardstock paper. Cut out a pants pocket, and glue it onto an 8 1/2 inch x 11-inch piece of cardstock.

"Guess What's In The Pocket" game with a snake and frog. This game is inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Sensory Tub: Templeton’s Treasures

Inspiration: Templeton, the barn rat, is a “packrat” and finds everything interesting and useful to collect.

Templeton the rat's treasure finds sensory tub. Toys, play food, loose parts, descriptive words, and a rat figurine are added to the bin.

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Offer a sensory tub with the following items:

kraft colored paper shred
rat figurine
recycled items
toys
play food
kind words cut from newspaper advertisements

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Sensory Game: Hopping Frogs

Inspiration: One of Avery’s frogs jumps into Mrs. Zuckerman’s dishpan full of soapy water.

Have your child flip hopping frogs into a tray filled with soapy water.

Frog and dishpan game inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Art: Buttermilk Painting

Inspiration: Mrs. Zuckerman gives Wilbur a buttermilk bath the morning he is taken to the fair.

Using a sponge brush, invite your early learner to spread buttermilk with a little sugar in it (to add shine) over a pale pink paper pig.

Decorate Wilbur Pig with buttermilk "paint." An art activity inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Or have your child decorate the pig with white poster paint.

Paint the pig white. An art activity inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Group Game: Guess The Hand

Inspiration: Avery and Fern get quarters, dimes, and nickels to spend at the fair.

Ask one child to stand behind a divider and hide a coin in one hand. Invite another child to guess which hand the coin is in.

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Math: Count The Eggs

Inspiration: In the barn, a goose lays eggs. Each time, mention is made of how many she lays.

Set out an egg carton with plastic or real cooked unshelled eggs. Ask your early learner to add some of the eggs to a shredded paper nest and pick the corresponding wooden number.

Counting eggs math activity inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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The book Charlotte’s Web offers a treasury of inspiration for early learning activities. And if you haven’t read the tale for a while, curl up in your favorite spot and give it a read!

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[Read more…]

Painting With Chocolate

February 8, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

You read it correctly: this blog post is about painting with chocolate. It’s easy, it’s fun, and your workspace will smell divine. The activities featured have a process art focus. A few embellishments will make the art display worthy or ready to give away.

Fingerpainting, ice cube painting, and brush painting with chocolate. The process art hearts can be turned into valentines to give away. Art and Science activities for all ages.

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Supplies To Collect

hot chocolate powder
cocoa powder
chocolate sprinkles
bowls and spoons
sturdy white paper
waterproof felt pen
ice cubes
tray for ice cubes
paintbrush
container of water
doily heart
decorative 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock
ribbon
plastic (or real) rose
small plastic pouch
chocolates

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Activity One: Painting With Chocolate And Ice Cubes

Freeze different sizes of ice cubes.

Cut a piece of sturdy paper into a large heart shape. Optional: Write the words “You and Me + Chocolate” on the heart with a waterproof felt pen.

Scoop hot chocolate powder and cocoa into bowls. Add spoons.

Set out a tray of slightly melted, very wet ice cubes along with the paper heart and bowls of chocolate ingredients.

Invitation to paint with ice cubes, cocoa, chocolate powder, and chocolate sprinkles. An all-ages art and science activity.

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Start the activity off by saying that the powders are “mystery paints.” Ask your child to guess what the paints might be. Smelling the powders will give the answer away pretty quickly.

Invite your child to scatter hot chocolate powder and cocoa on the heart-shaped paper. (Chocolate sprinkles can be added later.)

Painting activity using ice cubes to swish around cocoa, hot chocolate powder, and chocolate sprinkles.

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Cocoa and hot chocolate added to a heart shape. Ice cubes can be used to swish the powders around.

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Ask your child to swish the powders around the heart with ice cubes, which will make spreadable chocolaty paint.

Offer a paper towel to dab on wet spots if desired. The pattern on the paper towel will add texture to the heart painting.

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Heart painting made by swishing ice cubes through cocoa and hot chocolate powder.

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Optional: Near the end, your child can add chocolate sprinkles to the heart. This will lead to a discovery that they make it harder to move the ice cubes around.

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Activity Two: Brush Painting With Chocolate

Painting with cocoa and hot chocolate powder. The powders are moved around with a paintbrush dipped in water.

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Brush painting is a less messy option if there isn’t much time for cleanup.

Invite your child to scatter hot chocolate and cocoa on a paper heart.

Offer a container of water and a paintbrush. Encourage your child to add water to the dry ingredients and paint the heart.

A paper towel can be used to soak up excess liquid.

Gorgeous chocolate heart paintings made with water and hot chocolate and cocoa. — Swoon-worthy hearts painted by preschoolers.

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Activity Three: Fingerpainting With Chocolate

The ice cube painting project and brush painting activity can both be turned into fingerpainting experiences. Mixing a higher concentration of cocoa and a little less water results in a fingerpaint-friendly paste that is luscious to spread around. Chocolate sprinkles can be added to enhance the sensory experience.

Fingerpainting with water added to hot chocolate powder and cocoa. Chocolate sprinkles can be included in the mix.

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Painted Heart Valentine

Adding a few embellishments will turn a chocolaty heart into a valentine to give away or art piece for display.

The brush-painted version is my favorite for turning into a keepsake. Any extra dry powder can be scraped off with a kitchen scrubber before the heart is added to a craft valentine.

Write the words: You And Me + Chocolate on a doily heart.

Use a glue gun to attach the doily to the painted heart.

Mount the heart on a 12-inch x 12-inch piece of decorative paper.

Add a bow and a real or crafted rose.

Chocolate heart painting added to a valentine to give away.

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Or add a bow and small pouch with chocolates.

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Art, Science, and sensory learning come together in these easy-to-do painting with chocolate activities. Your early learner will certainly be excited to try them.

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[Read more…]

Frozen Inspired Shadow Box

February 5, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Frozen-inspired shadow box scene features neutral and cool colors and textures. The color palette is gorgeous and is relatable to my experience of winter. Your child will enjoy using similar hued loose parts to create unique shadow box scenes.

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Although I live in an area with a long snowy season, it hasn’t always been easy to find winter-themed play accessories. I learned that if you haven’t bought your snowmen crafts and toys before Christmas, you’ve missed your chance. And it’s hard to find snowmen décor that isn’t adorned in green and red and draped in holly.

The same goes for fake snow or any winter-themed crafts. They often go hand in hand with Christmas. And that’s in a city with a winter season that lasts through March.

So, I especially embrace the winter setting and turquoises, pinks, and purples in Frozen I. These are colors I can relate to when my city is covered in ice and snow. And the hues take center stage in this invitation to create a Frozen-inspired shadow box scene.

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Supplies To Collect

Frozen inspired loose parts tray. Invitation for children to create a scene and engage in pretend play.

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cotton balls
pom poms in white and shades of turquoise
gold, turquoise, pink and purple necklaces
purple, pink, and turquoise beads
strips of white ribbon, lace, and bead garland
clear gems and ice blocks
foam bath sticker Frozen characters
tray with compartments
shadow box or wooden canvas paint board
12-inch x 18-inch piece of blue fade-resistant construction paper

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Frozen Inspired Shadow Box Set Up

Sort craft supplies in a tray with compartments. Add necklaces that are whole, and others cut into strips. Include Frozen bath stickers.

Cut a 12-inch x 18-inch piece of construction paper to fit snugly in the back of the wooden canvas paint board. If you are using a shadow box, cut paper to fit its size.

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A wooden canvas paint board to be used as a shadow box.

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A wooden canvas paint board with a blue piece of fade-resistant paper tucked inside.

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Set the canvas board or shadow box and tray with compartments on a table.

Encourage your child to create scenes and engage in pretend play.

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Offer this activity as a reusable center. Or craft supplies can be glued down and the Frozen-inspired shadow box displayed.

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