fall

Eye Dropper Bat Art

October 26, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Eye dropper art is a super satisfying painting technique, and it’s so quick and easy to do. This eye dropper bat art project is a good choice for October, as the winged creatures are commonly spotted in fall creative activities and décor.

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Supplies to Collect

Gather the following supplies for this flying mammal art activity:

paper towel sheets
liquid watercolors
paint pots or jars
eye droppers or pipettes
pencil and scissors
bat template
wiggly eyes
white glue or a glue gun
waterproof tablecover

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Eye Dropper Bat Art

To begin this vibrant bat art activity, cover a table with a waterproof tablecover.

Next, trace and cut out large bats from paper towel sheets. Thick paper towels work best. You are welcome to use the free template available to download below.

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Bat Art PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Afterward, pour liquid watercolors in a variety of colors into small jars or paint pots. Liquid food coloring hues with water stirred in are a suitable substitute for liquid watercolor paints.

Then place the paint jars on the table and add eye droppers or pipettes.

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Set out a paper towel bat for each participant and invite them to drop paint all over their fruit-pollinating winged animal.

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Then let the paint-soaked bats dry. Leaving them in place to dry is recommended if there is room. Otherwise, carefully remove each color-infused bat to another spot.

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When dry, use white glue or a glue gun to add two wiggly eyes to each bat for a cute finishing touch.

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Bat Necklace Craft

Fall Pom Pom Tree Craft

Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

Try this easy-to-do felt marker chromatography "scary house" experiment. It has possibilities for art and imaginative play.

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Painted Skeleton Sensory Bin

October 25, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Skeletons can appear more than a little scary, but bold or subtle artsy touches soften them up and make them fun for little learners to explore. I recently found a gorgeous little folk art wooden skeleton and decided to repurpose it in a painted skeleton sensory bin.

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Skeleton Sensory Bin Supplies

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The following simple supplies were used for the sensory bin:

wooden skeleton parts
skeleton figurine
acrylic paint
paint palette and brushes
pom poms
beads
wooden flowers
spider figurines
white rice
sensory bin

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The Painted Skeleton Sensory Bin

The sky is the limit regarding accessories suitable for sensory bins, so it is super easy to collect supplies. A beautifully painted folk art skeleton featuring bones attached with jute twine was a find one fall day. Although meant to be a wall hanging, I saw possibilities for sensory play.

The skeleton parts were daintily painted in folk art designs on one side and were white everywhere else. After snipping off the jute connectors, I decided to paint the white sides in matching colors to add interest to the pieces and help them stand out.

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Out came acrylic paints in blue and pink colors along with an artist’s palette and paintbrushes. I mixed the paints into pink and light blue hues and carefully painted the skeleton pieces other than the skull with a few coats of color.

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When the painted wooden bones were dry, I placed them in a rice-filled bin. Then I dropped in pom poms, beads, wooden flowers, and spider figurines in similar colors to add design possibilities.

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Finally, I included a toy skeleton figurine in the bin to model how a complete skeleton looks. A diagram of a skeleton would be a great addition too.

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More Skeleton Activities

Skeleton Sunflower Seed Bin

Skeleton Treasure Blocks

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Glam Skeleton Playdough Tray

Skeleton and Eyeball Water Play

Q-Tip Skeleton Craft

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Glam Skeleton Sensory Bin

Skeleton Preschool Theme

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Ribbon and Cord Pumpkin Craft

October 1, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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At this time of year, there are many beautiful, vibrant fall décor and craft supplies to view. A stroll through any craft or home décor store is a pure delight. A splendid bundle of sewing supplies spotted on one excursion inspired this easy-to-make ribbon and cord pumpkin craft. Download the free pumpkin pattern in this post to make craft preparation easier.

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Ribbon and Cord Pumpkin Craft Supplies

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The following supplies are used for this colorful autumn craft:

cardstock in green, gold, tan, and cream hues
fabric ribbon
rickrack trim
braided cord
pom pom fringe
craft ribbon
double-sided tape
white glue and glue gun
scissors and pencil

Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Ribbon and Cord Pumpkin Craft

To make this textured fall pumpkin craft, start by selecting yarn, thin braided cord, sewing and craft ribbons, rickrack trim, and dainty pom pom fringe in the colors and patterns of your choice. Orange, tan, green, and brown hues are featured in mine.

Once your ribbon and cord hues are picked out, choose complementary cardstock and construction paper colors. Green, gold, cream, and tan are natural choices.

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Using white glue or a glue gun, affix varying colors and widths of the ribbon and cord in rows to a piece of sturdy paper. Make sure to leave a little bit of space around the edge of the cardstock. My design is made with craft supplies placed horizontally, but a vertical or diagonal placement would work wonderfully too.

Next, cut strips of double-sided tape and add one near each corner of the ribbon and cord-embellished paper. Add additional tape strips if needed.

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Then trace and cut out a pumpkin from the same-sized paper in another hue, leaving the border around the pumpkin shape uncut. Feel free to download this pumpkin pattern for the task.

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Pumpkin Craft PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Finally, gently position the paper with the pumpkin cut out on top.

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The ribbon and cord pumpkin craft is ready for display.

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Variations of the Pumpkin Craft

Little learners may find it easier to glue the ribbon and cord sewing supplies in a random design. The results would be equally interesting.

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This craft uses a variety of colors and textures of sewing and crafting ribbons and cords. Feel free to use the supplies you have available for the craft. It would look equally stunning with only yarn colors or craft ribbon hues.

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Thanksgiving Printables

Shop Thanksgiving printables in my Etsy shop “Skills N Smiles“:

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Fall Pom Pom Tree Craft

September 29, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Fall is such a pretty time of year, and for many people, it is their favorite season. Aside from the leaves changing into gorgeous, radiant colors, the home décor is also stunning, and is super fun! The colors and décor of this fall season inspired the bat-topped fall pom pom tree craft.

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Fall Pom Pom Tree Craft Supplies

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Gather just the following few supplies for this soft and simple autumn tree craft:

pom poms in pink, melon, white, and purple hues
9-inch x 12-inch cardstock or construction paper
8 1/2 x 11-inch cream colored cardstock
white glue
glue gun
bat sticker
bat ring party favors
scissors and pencil

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Fall Pom Pom Tree Craft

The design of this tree is a triangular Christmas tree shape. So it’s a little like creating a Christmas craft early. The tree base is cut from cream-colored cardstock.

Young children enjoy using special craft supplies such as pom poms and will love gluing them to the paper triangle base. The pom poms can be squished together or spread apart in a random design. White glue works well for this task. 34 pom poms are affixed to this crafted tree.

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A metallic gold sticker bat is the unexpected but delightful tree topper, tying into the fall theme wonderfully. A bat cut from paper adhered with glue would work fine too.

An optional addition is to glue bat ring party favors between the pom poms for even more flare.

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Finally, a tree trunk cut from gold foil tissue paper and the pom pom-decorated tree display nicely when glued on a 9-inch x 12-inch piece of colored construction paper.

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An alternate way to showcase the crafted tree is to cut a thin cylinder from a toilet paper roll and cut two slits opposite from each other. Gently slide the bottom of the fall pom pom tree in the slits. The tree stands up sturdily on a table or shelf.

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Pom poms in pink, purple, ochre, and white provide the color scheme for this seasonal tree craft. But the craft would look spectacular in any color scheme.

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Bat Theme Pretend Play

Bat Necklace Craft

Neon Finger Paint Tree Art

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More Fall Activities

Fall Tablescape Pretend Play

Fall Leaf Salad Spinner Art

Fall Scissor Skills Activities

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Bat Theme Pretend Play

August 29, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This bat theme pretend play setup is fun for little learners to explore, and it is bound to ignite their interest in these nocturnal flying animals.

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Bat Theme Pretend Play Center Supplies

A well-known saying is “There is a season for everything” and it’s as true for collecting educational supplies for little learners as in anything else. Late summer/early fall is the best time to gather supplies for a bat theme, and that’s when I picked up the ones featured in this post.

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In the batty pretend play setup are the following:

orange, green, purple, and black bead necklaces and rings
purple, orange, green, and black pom poms
bat-shaped silicone mold
bat-shaped cookie cutters
bat-themed glasses
reusable bat-shaped ice cubes
transparent bat decorations
miniature bat figurines
buffalo plaid decorative balls
bat-themed bowl
cookie pan
paper plates and bowls
cutlery
clear play cups

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Bat Theme Pretend Play Center

Although this bat theme pretend play center is simpler than many of my play tablescapes, little learners will be eager to explore it. They will happily use the loose parts in creative, imaginative ways.

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The orange, green, purple, and black bead necklaces are cut into strips to make colorful “loose part” spaghetti. A preschooler suggested this idea while exploring a New Year’s pretend play setup. I loved it and have since used “bead necklace spaghetti” to enhance and color-coordinate with many of my pretend play centers.

Similar colored pom poms stored in a bat-shaped silicone mold make great meatballs.

Bat-shaped cookie cutters on a cookie pan suggest home-baked cookies.

Miniature bat-themed toys make small tasty pretend treats.

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Black and white buffalo-plaid decorative balls cut from garland display nicely in a bat-shaped bowl. Along with transparent bat decorations, they offer additional play food choices.

Bat-shaped reusable ice cubes keep pretend drinks cold in clear play cups or can be used as additional play food.

Bat-themed play glasses and toy rings add dress-up opportunities to the center.

White plates, bowls, and cutlery coordinate nicely with the bat-themed loose parts.