preschool

Shamrock Paper Plate Lion

March 14, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Today while completing a St. Patrick’s Day wreath craft a child held the circular frame to his face and said “lion mask.” Right then and there the idea for this adorable shamrock paper plate lion was formed. After all, shamrocks are perfect lion mane material!

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Supplies To Collect

There are just a few supplies to gather for this roarsome craft:

white paper plate
wiggly eyes
black felt pen
white glue
glue paddle
large sticker shamrocks

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Making The Shamrock Paper Plate Lion

Steps to create a roarsome shamrock paper plate lion perfect for St. Patrick's Day. The craft can also be turned into a mask.

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First, draw a lion’s mouth on a paper plate with a black felt pen.

Next, add a small shamrock sticker nose.

Then glue on two wiggly eyes.

Afterward, draw on whiskers.

Lastly, add a mane using shamrock stickers.

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Note: Paper cut shamrocks can be used if it is difficult to find the sticker variety. And yellow and orange shamrocks would make good substitutes for green ones.

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Lion Craft Variation

Instead of using wiggly eyes, cut out oval eyes to turn this craft into a St. Patrick’s Day lion puppet. Add a chopstick or drinking straw handle for the finishing touch.

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10 Lion Facts

After the craft is completed, share a few lion facts with participants:

Lions live together in groups called prides.
Most lions live in grasslands and savannahs in Africa.
These powerful animals can run fast, jump far, and see very well.
Only male lions have manes, which grow darker with age.
Female lions do most of the hunting. They work as a team to catch their prey.
Lions hunt large animals such as zebras, wildebeests, antelopes, and buffaloes. They will also eat smaller prey like mice, birds, hares, lizards and tortoises.
The loud roar of a lion can be heard miles away.
Lion cubs are tiny and weigh about 3 pounds.
Lions are a symbol of strength, courage, fierceness, and power.

For more interesting lion facts, view the blogpost Lion Facts by factanimal.com.

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A roarsome shamrock paper plate lion to create for St. Patrick's Day. The craft can also be turned into a mask.

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If you are on the prowl for a simple, unique St. Patrick’s Day craft for your early learners to make, this shamrock paper plate lion is the one for you. Why not give it a try?

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Unicorn Marble Painting

March 13, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This unicorn marble painting project is so much fun! Using a frisbee in the activity adds an unexpected element to the art experience. The open-ended process art project results in stunning finished pieces every time, especially when a unicorn template is used. Take advantage of the free one available to download in this post.

A stunning unicorn art project with a marble painting technique. A free template is available to download.

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Supplies To Collect

standard size frisbee
bag of marbles
red, yellow, blue, white, and black tempera paints
paint cups
spoons
white cardstock
metallic red and gold cardstock
9 x 12 inch fadeless yellow construction paper
scissors
glue stick

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The Unicorn Marble Painting Project

The steps for a unicorn marble painting art project that has stunning results every single time. Take advantage of the free template to download.

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Cut a unicorn head from white cardstock. Download this unicorn art template if desired.

A free unicorn template available to download for art and craft projects.

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Unicorn Art PrintableDownload

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Cut a circle moon from metallic gold cardstock, and a horn from red.

Place the unicorn head inside a frisbee. To make things less messy, you could line the frisbee with a paper circle first.

Tip: A shallow box or a baking tray could also be used for the art project.

Pour red, yellow, blue, white, and black tempera paint into small paint cups.

With spoons, drip each color onto the unicorn head.

Drop two marbles into the frisbee.

Tip the disc from side to side, and watch the marbles drag the paint around.

Take the paper unicorn out of the frisbee when you are done and let it dry on a flat surface.

Using a glue stick, adhere the unicorn onto a yellow construction paper background. Add a sparkling red horn, and a gold moon.

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The primary paint colors in addition to black and white give the project a Piet Mondrian look. But the colors may blend to make new ones, which is always exciting!

The art project is so satisfying, your participants will want to make a few of them.

Stunning unicorn art projects with a marble painting technique. A free template is available to download.

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Pirate Treasure Sensory Bin

March 11, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This sparkling pirate treasure sensory bin has loose parts your little mateys will be eager to explore. The low-maintenance bin will spark meaningful discussions and inspire endless creativity. Learning opportunities will naturally happen while children sort through the contents of the bin.

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Supplies To Collect

A treasure trove of loose parts for a pirate theme sesnory bin.

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This treasure-filled bin features the following items:

large blue, red, and clear acrylic diamond gems
round gems
ornamental gold buttons
gold medal and coins
metallic silver and gold round bead necklace strips
large egg-shaped storage containers
miniature treasure chests
skull shovels

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The Pirate Treasure Sensory Bin

The chosen bin for this activity is a red saucer sled, which is inexpensive to buy. It accommodates three or four children at a time.

A gold and gem-filled pirate treasure sensory bin your little mateys will be eager to explore.

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The skull shovels are part of sand playsets. And the “treasure eggs” are toy storage containers repurposed for this activity.

Loaded into the bin are glistening buttons, coins, metallic bead garland strips, a medal, mini treasure chests, and round and diamond acrylic gems. The loose parts fill the tub, so no sensory base is required.

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Benefits Of This Sensory Bin

It’s always exciting to introduce loose parts to children, and the ones in this pirate treasure sensory bin offer a host of learning opportunities:

Describing loose parts (language development)
Sorting and counting pieces (math)
Placing treasures in eggs and chests (eye-hand coordination, fine motor control)
Picking favorite treasures (making choices, noticing beauty)
Discussing heavy and light treasure chests and containers (math)
Guessing “What’s inside the egg?” (making predictions, show and tell)

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The Pirate Treasure Bin In My Classroom

This treasure-filled bin is currently in my preschool classroom, and every day the childrens’ interest in it grows. The red diamonds are imagined as “fire gems”, and the blue ones as “water gems.” The container eggs are described as “power balls”, and the skull shovels are occasionally used as walkie-talkies. Bead garland strips are formed into a heart shape, and a domed button is reimagined as a “snow globe.”

Some children collect a variety of loose parts, and others choose just the coins so they can be rich and buy lots of things!

At times pieces get taken to other play centers, offering additional opportunities for creative thinking.

After a few days of exploring the bin, it is now on the light table, offering “enlightened” opportunities for exploring and sorting.

This pirate treasure sensory bin makes a statement on the light table and inspires many learning opportunities.

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“Arrrrrr” you ready to make this pirate treasure sensory bin? I highly recommend it.

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Related: New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

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St. Patrick’s Jewelry Bin

March 8, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This St. Patrick’s jewelry bin lets children explore the bling in an additional way to wearing it on the official celebration date, March 17th each year. It makes a great discussion starter about the world-renowned St. Pat’s celebration and the significance of shamrocks and the color green. And it introduces the tricky leprechaun, most entertaining for children!

St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland and started out as a religious one. It evolved into a celebration of Irish culture, and people around the world take part in it. One of the biggest ways people do this is by wearing green on March 17, or at festive events that take place near this date. They may wear t-shirts, socks, hats, glasses, and/or jewelry with a green theme. Irish sayings and shamrocks are a huge part of the designs. Touches of orange, gold, and white also make an appearance.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

For this sensory bin, gather the following economical and easy to find supplies:

white rice
gold coins and bells
green and rust necklaces
yellow and green gem rings
shamrock-themed bracelets
green bowl, spoon, and tongs
leprechaun legs
sensory tub

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The St. Patrick’s Jewelry Bin

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Pick a sensory tub for the activity. A serving tray will work for one or two children. I feature a food and tableware tub here, large enough for a few children to participate together.

Generously spread white rice on the bottom of the tub. The neutral base allows the accessories to “shine.”

Next, layer in the loose parts.

Lastly, press in the leprechaun legs.

Note: The leprechaun legs are taken from a St. Patrick’s Day wall plaque. A figurine would make a great substitution.

Early learners can explore the colors and textures of the jewelry, and wear it if they like. They will have fun with the gold coins and bells in the bin. And they may decide to find a way to trap the somewhat exposed leprechaun!

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To learn more about St. Patrick’s Day, view the blog post “St. Patrick’s Day” by National Geographic Kids.

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St. Patrick’s Day Woodland Bin

March 6, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It’s as much fun setting up a sensory bin as watching young children eagerly explore one. And this St. Patrick’s Day woodland bin is no exception! The bin is one of my favorites created so far.

Leprechauns are mythical creatures thought to live in remote, woodland areas. They make shoes and enjoy playing music. The little tricksters especially love gold and hide their treasure in pots in the woods or at the end of the rainbow.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

A few, easy to find items can be gathered for this bin. Included are:

brown lentils
gold play coins
green acrylic gems
wood slices
yellow and green crinkle paper
kraft crinkle paper
wooden tree and tiny forest creatures
green pot, tongs and spoon
gold bells
leprechaun leg decoration
white cardstock
dot markers
scissors
sensory tub

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The St. Patrick’s Day Woodland Bin

First, cut a rainbow shape from a piece of white cardstock. Use dot markers to create a bright, colorful rainbow.

A bright dot marker rainbow to add to a sensory bin,

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Next, bunch up Kraft crinkle paper and add it to one section of the sensory bin of choice. In this post, I feature a white food and tableware storage tub.

Add the yellow and green crinkle paper to another part of the bin.

Tip: Crinkle paper is an economical filler, and can be used again in another sensory activity.

Then pour in a layer of brown lentils to generously cover the rest of the bottom of the bin.

Add the wooden tree and forest creatures.

Then sprinkle in gold coins and bells, wood slices, and green gems.

Drop in the pot, spoon, and tongs.

Finally, set in the leprechaun legs and paper rainbow.

Now the St. Patrick’s Day woodland bin is ready for your little learners to explore!

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Note:

Most of the supplies in this bin come from Dollar stores, so are economical finds. They get repurposed for other sensory bins, so are worth the investment.
The wooden leprechaun legs were taken from a wall plaque. Colored cardstock legs would make an excellent substitution.

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