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Spring Basket Cupcakes

April 4, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

These spring basket cupcakes are a fancier version of treats served at my preschool Easter parties at the end of March.

This Easter I was short on time to fit in all the activities, which needed to be completed before schools were off for spring break. Putting together ready-made treats to make our Easter party snack feel a little more festive and fun felt like a good choice.

The children loved the fancied-up cupcake snacks, and I know these will go over well in any group.

Supplies To Collect

Supplies to gather in order to make festive and fun spring basket cupcakes.

cupcakes with icing and sprinkles

chocolate bunnies and other animal characters

candy eggs

jelly beans

festive candies

Making The Spring Basket Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate animal-topped Easter basket cupcakes.

The featured cupcakes are store-bought. If you have time to bake your own, you could use them for this snack idea.

When you’ve bought or made the cupcakes, just add chocolate bunnies or other spring animal figurines as decorations. We ate all our bunny-topped treats at our parties, so I went looking for more decorative sweets for this post. I lucked out to find bunnies and a set of confectioneries with hens, ducks, and lambs.

Add a pipe cleaner basket handle to each cupcake.

Set the cupcakes on a plate with a few candies and other sweets sprinkled around. Featured are candy-covered chocolate eggs, colorful licorice candies, and spring-colored jellybeans.

Delicious chocolate animal-topped spring basket cupcakes.

View as a Spring Basket Cupcake Video Tutorial.

The eye-catching cupcake treats are fun to put together. And the exquisite chocolate animal characters take the party snack beyond Easter into the rest of the Spring season.

Sweet chocolate bunny-topped spring basket cupcake.

Adorable chocolate lamb-topped sping basket cupcake.

Tasty chocolate hen-topped spring basket cupcake.

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Bunny Candy Art

March 20, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Along with Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Easter is a prime time for sweet treats. Chocolaty treats are popular, as are fruity and sugary ones. And bunnies in all shapes and sizes (and bunny ears) are frequent subjects.

Bunnies can also be created from a candy mix. Your little learners would enjoy this challenge, so why not make happy hoppy bunny candy art with them?

Supplies To Collect

An assortment of candies for a colorful candy art project or a candy tasting activity.

licorice in assorted shapes and sizes

Easter jelly beans

candy or chocolate sprinkle covered bunny ears

candy sprinkles

12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper

white glue

Making The Bunny Candy Art

Happy hoppy bunny candy art collage project. An activity the whole family can participate in.

Set out a sheet of 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper for each person participating. Give participants a plate of candy to create a bunny-themed collage with. In addition to incorporating the bunny ear treats, candy pieces can be bunny heads, bodies, arms, legs, eyes, and mouths. Jelly beans and sprinkles add color and additional shapes to the pictures.

Have everyone glue the candy designs down to make permanent pictures. Or save the sweet treats for a delectable candy tasting party.

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Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

February 7, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Valentine's Day playdough recipes and loose parts trays. A basic recipe with color variations and a jello playdough recipe is featured.

Playdough is a shoo-in for any Valentine’s Day theme. There are so many heart loose parts available to use, and who doesn’t like the chance to include red and pink colors in their play? In this post, I’ve included a basic playdough recipe and a jello recipe. The basic recipe includes color variations made with neon food colors. All the recipes are easy to use for introducing Valentine’s Day playdough activities to your little learners.

But first, the loose parts!

Valentine’s Day Loose Parts Trays

Here are two playdough trays brimming with loose parts. The tray below includes:

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and pink and white dough recipes.

rubber heart game pieces

X and O game pieces

toothpick cupcake toppers

wooden, gem, and foam hearts

buttons

heart erasers

natural colored gems

cookie cutters and rolling pin

This second tray includes:

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and blueberry, white, and lilac dough recipes.

heart bead garland

red and white bead garland

white and red gems

wooden, gem, and eraser hearts

large red beads

buttons

X and O game pieces

lollipop sticks

Basic Playdough Recipe

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and red, pink and white dough recipes.

My go to basic playdough recipe has the following ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 cups water

3 tablespoons oil

*****

Add the first three ingredients to a sturdy pot and mix together.

Stir two tablespoons oil into two cups of water.

Add the water and oil to the dry ingredients and combine.

Heat on the stove on medium heat.

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

Scoop the dough on to a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding in one tablespoon more oil.

Store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

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Woolly Valentine’s Day Crafts

February 6, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Soft and dreamy woolly sheep Valentine's Day crafts decked with hearts and pompoms. The crafts make heart-tugging keepsakes.

Here are two, oh so cute woolly Valentine’s Day crafts your little learners will be excited to make, and loved ones will be elated to receive.

Items To Collect

purple, pink, red and white pompoms

white glue and glue paddle

paper, foam or sticker hearts

8 ½ x 11-inch white or cream cardstock paper

12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper

sheep template

glue stick

scissors

hot glue gun

Making The Woolly Valentine’s Day Crafts

Print the sheep template on to 8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock.

Cute sheep template for farm or holiday crafts.

Sheep PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

Set the template on a table and invite your early learners to add sticker, paper, or foam hearts to the sheep’s body. Then invite them to glue pompoms to the head. Your little charges will love the chance to use soft and showy pompoms in art.

Cute woolly sheep craft for Valentine's Day. Free printable included.

Print this version to include the header “I Woolly Think You’re Special.”

Cute woolly sheep template for a Valentine's Day craft.

Woolly Sheep PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

Or cut the sheep out and have your little learners decorate one. Afterward, mount the sheep on to complementary pieces of 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper using a glue gun. Add a “woolly” Valentine’s Day saying of choice.

Soft and dreamy woolly sheep Valentine's Day craft.

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Spooky Hands Craft

October 29, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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.

Supplies Needed

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

Taste safe corn syrup paint ingredients.

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

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Ugly Christmas Sweater Activities

November 19, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

The Ugly Christmas Sweater trend has resurfaced, and for a few years I couldn’t figure it out. Having a passion for fashion, I didn’t understand why anyone would want to wear a tacky sweater. Until…I read that people host Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties, often to raise funds for charity. Then I saw purpose and humor in them.

Aside from wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, the trend shines in some easy to introduce early learning activities the whole family can participate in.

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Superhero Activities

May 28, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

As everyone can attest, Superhero activities are hugely engaging for children. Superheroes are also a topic I was hesitant to plan a full theme around for many years. I was afraid that the children’s excitement level would go up, and never return to a manageable rate.

One year I decided a generic Superhero theme could be feasible as the last one of the school term. I thought the children might get riled up, but I would be sending them home for the summer afterward!

The Superhero activities were a hit and turned out to be perfectly manageable. Dress up props were available in the gymnasium, where loud noises and running were the norms. A number of books read in the classroom highlighted good character traits of Superheroes. Puzzles, manipulative toys, and sensory trays rounded out the play choices.

Edmonton Comic And Entertainment Expo

Last Fall I attended the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo because it looked so fun! I also hoped to get some more ideas for my Superhero theme. The multitude of booths showcasing art, toys, outfits, and much more offered loads of inspiration. And I visualized a Superhero theme working for our next Father/Preschooler evening (held this past March.)

Pictures of booths and merchandise set up at a Comic And Entertainment Expo.

Father/Preschooler Night Superhero Activities

The Father/Preschooler evening started out with a potluck supper. Open-ended toys were available for guests to explore, with Superhero figures added in.

Superhero sensory tray with loose parts. — Superhero Sensory Tray

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Hawaiian Party

March 3, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Here’s a Hawaiian Party that works for all ages. We did it with a group of seniors, preschool children and their parents. It was dreamed up because this school year our preschool classes were invited to visit a seniors home to socialize with the residents. February was a great month to show some kindness, so we planned our visit then.

Hawaiian Holiday Theme

Hawaiian Holiday was the theme of choice. Our city was in the middle of a cold-weather spell, so the thinking was “If we can’t be in Hawaii, (where we would ALL rather be), then let’s bring Hawaii to us.”

Our preschool brought food and activities for the visit.

As seniors, preschool children and preschool parents entered the social room at the home, music from the CD “Golden Hits Of Hawaii” wafted through the air. (This is a favorite CD of Hawaiian music, and we’ve played it at school on some of our coldest days. The music lifts our spirits every time.)

As everyone chose a spot to sit, they were invited to make a paper lei.

Paper Hawaiian lei party craft suitable for all ages.

Next, our school group performed some action songs for seniors and parents. Songs from Dr. Jean Sing Along Read Along books and CDs were our choice. (Dr. Jean has many singing and learning activities available on her website and her YouTube Channel.)

Hawaiian Party Food

Then refreshments were served. Hawaiian themed paper plates were passed out.

Little muffins with parasols for decoration were offered.

Muffins decorated with parasols for a Hawaiian party snack.

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