Putting The Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

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Remembrance Day Butterfly Craft

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Remembrance Day butterfly craft. Squish painted butterfly accented with beadwork, glitter, and a poppy.

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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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Poppy butterfly Remembrance Day craft.

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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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Maple Leaf Activities

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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.

Green maple leaves.

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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.

Invitation to paint maple leaves to make leaf prints.

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Tempera paint maple leaf prints.

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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.

Crafted paint print maple leaf person with 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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Transparent Page Divider Activities

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Transparent page divider activities. Art, science, math, and photography ideas that are suitable for all ages.

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School supplies are stocked everywhere, sales are on, and I’m buying a substantial amount of transparent page divider packets. I’m using them for their usual purpose and setting lots aside for early learning activities. Read on for ideas on how to incorporate these layering page dividers in photos, art, and light table play.

Transparent page dividers used in math, science, art, and photography activities with children.

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Transparent Page Divider Jellyfish

Page divider jellyfish bells and transparent stir stick tentacles offer an invitation to create on the light table. The jellyfish can give each other “hugs” so new colors are discovered.

Light table jellyfish made with transparent page divider shapes and stir sticks.

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Geometric Shape Creations

Cut geometric shapes in various sizes and a tray of transparent gems inspire open-ended creating.

Cut geometric transparent page divider shapes set on a light table with transparent jewels.

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Christmas Tree Decorating

Christmas trees cut from page dividers and set out on a light table with transparent star links and game pieces offer a festive invitation to decorate.

Transparent Christmas trees, star links, and game pieces.

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Page Divider Picture Accents

A strip of transparent color layered on pictures adds a striking element. Black and white animal themed coloring pages and calendar pictures work well as subjects too.

Sketch Art picture of meerkats looking into a pumpkin enhanced with a transparent page divider strip.
Sketch Art Meerkat And Pumpkin Photo

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Sketch Art photo of a pier enhanced with a transparent page divider strip.
Sketch Art Pier Photo

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Country barn photo enhanced with a strip of a transparent page divider..

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Handprint Turkey Art Accent

A strip of a transparent page divider enhances black and white turkey handprint art.

Handprint turkey enhanced with a strip of transparent page divider.

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