preschool

Chinese New Year Pretend Play

January 20, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Little learners will love to explore this Chinese New Year tablescape set up filled with Asian artifacts and red and gold loose parts.

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This Chinese New Year pretend play invitation features Asian artifacts and decorations. Little learners will love exploring the unique items and will learn about Asian culture.

Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is an important celebration held in late January or early February in China. Many other East Asian countries, as well as Chinese people around the world, celebrate the holiday too.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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Chinese New Year Pretend Play Supplies

A Chinese New Year tablescape filled with Asian artifacts and red and gold loose parts for little learners to explore.

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The following red and gold Asian-themed supplies are featured in the pretend play tablescape:

wicker decorations and hat
gold serving bowl
chopsticks
red bowls
gold glitter cups
tiny cups with calligraphy
candy decorations
fish ornament
play food fish
gold garland “noodles”
game chip “play food”
tin ornament candies
coin purse
money envelopes
small tins
vase with artificial cherry blossom branch
gold coins
lion string puppet
fabric ornaments with tassels
plaque with Chinese calligraphy
red tablecloth

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Chinese New Year Pretend Play

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In setting up the dinner table play invitation, I used artifacts collected long ago, supplies available in stores around Chinese New Year, and red and gold loose parts.

Bowls and chopsticks are important pieces, as they are commonly found in Asian tableware.

Fish is a traditional New Year’s dish and is equated with an increase in prosperity.

The gold bead garland strips represent longevity noodles: long, uncut noodles that symbolize a long life.

A coin purse and money envelopes are ready for coins to be added.

And a lion string puppet is poised for the lion dance.

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More Chinese New Year Play Inspiration

This pretend play invitation is bound to engage little learners. For more Chinese New Year play ideas or to host a vibrant party, view the blog post “How To Throw A Stellar Lunar New Year Party” by So Fort Worth It. The post showcases a host of decorating and activity ideas that can be adapted for little learners.

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Lunar New Year Lantern Craft

Add a festive, cultural touch to your Lunar New Year celebration or Chinese New Year theme in minutes with this beautiful Lunar New Year Lantern craft! It’s a great addition to a pretend play center in a preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school classroom.

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This gorgeous printable set comes in five designs and two sizes, offering multiple decorating options.

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The paper lantern themes are dragons, cherry blossom branches, flowers, a knot emblem, and a lion.

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Download this easy-to-assemble, stunning lantern craft on Etsy today!

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“Year of the Horse” Wall Art

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This “Year of the Horse” wall art is perfect for an entryway, classroom, or office. Download it at Skills N Smiles on Etsy for Lunar New Year or Zodiac-themed decor, or a cultural celebration display.

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The “Year of the Horse” art print will elevate your Lunar New Year decor, and is available as an instant download on Etsy. It comes in four print sizes, and PDF and PNG formats.

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Get this “Year of the Horse” Chinese Zodiac-themed wall art today!

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Chinese New Year Money Tree Activities

Chinese New Year (Year Of The Rabbit) Rice Bin

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[Read more…]

Chinese New Year Chickpea Bin

January 16, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Chinese New Year begins is on February 1, 2022, and it will be the Year Of The Tiger. And so the feature creature in this year’s Chinese New Year chickpea bin is a tiger! The no-fuss bin is easy to put together and has a pop of blue in addition to the traditional red and gold hues.

The tiger is the third animal in the Chinese zodiac, and the 2022 big cat is a water tiger. Qualities associated with the water tiger are being sociable, easy-going, goal-oriented, hardworking, brave, smart, musical, artistic, and low maintenance.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Chinese New Year Chickpea Bin Supplies

This Chinese New Year chickpea-based sensory bin represents the year of the tiger.

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The chosen bin is a round white metal tray with a blue rim.

The base ingredient is dyed dried chickpeas. Aside from chickpeas, the items in the bin are:

tiger figurine
red bowl and chopsticks
tiny red cups
metal tin
gold garland strands
acrylic diamond gems
gold buttons and metal stars
calligraphy game pieces
gold play coins

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Year Of The Tiger Chickpea Bin

This chickpea-based sensory bin has a "Year Of The Tiger" Chinese New Year theme.

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The majority of chickpeas are dyed in varying amounts of red acrylic craft paint. Some are transformed into turquoise and blue. Instructions to easily dye these chunky legumes are in my post “Chinese New Year Sensory Play.”

The blue chickpeas are formed into a winding river running through the center of the bin, and the red-infused chickpeas are generously sprinkled around it.

The tiger is positioned on the river.

The rest of the loose parts are spread around the bin.

Little learners are bound to enjoy playing with the tiger. The flashy cat will stand out on the river but be camouflaged in the red-toned chickpeas.

The tiger is center stage in this "Year Of The Tiger" Chinese New sensory bin.

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To further their interest in this stunning animal, here are some facts to share with your little charges.

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Ten Tiger Facts

Tigers are big cats. Siberian tigers are the largest big cats in the world.
These solitary animals have red-orange or brown-orange coats with black stripes. Their underbellies are white or cream-colored.
Tigers are semiaquatic. Unlike domestic cats, they like water and can swim well. In hot, dry seasons they soak in water to cool off.
The long hind legs of tigers help them jump high and long.
These powerful animals have sharp claws and teeth, great smell, and excellent night vision.
Tigers are carnivorous and can travel hundreds of miles in search of food.
These nocturnal animals are top predators and keep the populations of prey under control.
Tigers are considered endangered. Globally, there are about 4000 tigers left in the wild, and a greater number in zoos.
In China, the Amur tiger, also called the Siberian tiger, lives in a few spots in the northeast.
The South China tiger is now extinct in the wild.

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Related:

Year Of The Pig Sensory Bin (Chinese New Year 2019)

Year Of The Rat Noodle Bin (Chinese New Year 2020)

Year Of The Ox Sensory Tray (Chinese New Year 2021)

Year Of The Rabbit Sensory Bin (Chinese New Year 2023)

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[Read more…]

Winter-Themed Treasure Blocks

January 15, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Winter-themed treasure blocks add interest and beauty to any block play activity. Pick a winter color palette, scrounge around for loose parts in your chosen hues, and add them to the blocks. It’s that easy!

Treasure blocks are a fairly recent addition to my block collection, and I love adding seasonal supplies to them. There are eight see-through blocks in different sizes and shapes in the featured set, allowing various kinds of loose parts to be displayed. I highly recommend getting a set. They are so versatile.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more winter activity ideas.

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Winter-Themed Supplies To Collect

An online search reveals a variety of beautiful winter color combinations. For this post, I use loose parts in silver, white, cream, and shades of blue.

Winter-themed loose parts to use in treasure blocks or art activities.

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Here’s what’s in the blocks:

blue, silver, and white pom poms
turquoise snowflake gems
white and shades of blue round gems
clear and shades of blue ice rock crystals
silver and teal metallic snowflake confetti
white paper punched snowflakes
cream and shades of blue potpourri
snowflake and snowman erasers

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Winter-Themed Treasure Block Activities

These winter-themed treasure blocks pair well with polar animals. Offer the blocks on a table along with animal figurines such as polar bears, seals, arctic foxes, narwhals, and walruses.

Pair these winter-themed treasure blocks with polar animals and additional loose parts.

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Or go extreme south, and set out the blocks with penguin figurines.

These winter-themed treasure blocks make the perfect backdrop for a pair of penguins.

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After using the blocks in setups with polar animals, I look forward to pairing them with “Disney Frozen” sets.

Do you have a favorite way to use treasure blocks? Share below.

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Snowflake Cafe Dramatic Play Printable Set

Bring wintertime fun into your classroom or playroom with this Snowflake Café Dramatic Play Center Printable Set! Perfect for cold-weather learning, this cozy café invites children to step into imaginative play as bakers, servers, and customers—offering winter-themed cookies and warm cups of hot chocolate.

This engaging, winter-themed pretend play resource

is ideal for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary classrooms
supports dramatic play, counting, writing, and social skills
is great for winter units, indoor recess, or learning centers
is perfect for a play date
is excellent activity to pack on trips
is easy to prep—just print, cut, and play
is easy to store

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What’s Included in This Printable Set

9 winter-themed cookie choices
Cookies in cookie pans
3 hot chocolate choices
Snowflake Café signs
Open & Closed signs
Price list/menu
Daily Special sign
Two styles of order forms (perfect for different ages and skill levels)
Store labels for organizing your café setup
Play money
Recipe suggestion form
40 printables in all

Whether you’re creating a seasonal dramatic play center, adding fresh excitement to your winter curriculum, or introducing a fun winter activity at home, the Snowflake Café printable set is a delightful way to keep children learning and playing throughout the season.

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More Winter Activities

Snowman Sensory Play

Spray Paint Snowflake Silhouette

Blue Candy Cane Science Experiment

Igloo Camping Pretend Play

Polar Bear Small World

Winter Sensory Trays

Painting Ice and Snow

Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

Ice Drum Musical Instruments

Frozen-Inspired Shadow Box

Scissor Skill Snow Cutting Activities

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Play Tablescape

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[Read more…]

Winter Playdough Recipe

January 10, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

A soft, easy-to-make winter-themed playdough recipe perfect for little hands to explore.

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We’ve been enveloped in a deep freeze the last few weeks, so playing “winter” indoors makes much more sense. We’re leaving the real snow outside for now, and engaging with fake snow alternatives. And making and playing with this winter playdough recipe is on our agenda. The recipe is easy to make and is super moldable.

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Winter Playdough Recipe

A winter-themed playdough recipe early learners will love.

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2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
mixed set of edible candy sprinkles

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

Stir one tablespoon 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 onto a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding in 1/2 tablespoon more oil.

The edible candy sprinkles can be kneaded in before the playdough is set out for little learners to use. Or children can knead in the sprinkles themselves. They add texture and instant color to the dough.

These sweet decorations come in a variety of shapes. A blog post titled: Sprinkles 101: Know Your Sprinkles by Sarah’s Bake Studio provides helpful information about different types.

A fun winter playdough recipe little learners will love to play with.

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Playdough Activities

Little learners can mold shapes from the dough, and use additional candy sprinkles for ornamentation. For instance, candy pearls make great snowman eyes, noses, and buttons.

Of course, rolling pins, snowflake and snowmen cookie cutters, and loose parts in cool winter hues can be offered with the playdough.

Tips:

Keep a broom and dustpan handy to sweep up escapee sprinkles.
Make sure the candy decorations you choose to use are safe to eat.
Use an edible playdough recipe if your little charges insist on tasting the candy sprinkle playdough.

A soft, easy-to-make winter-themed playdough.

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Next week the weather in our area will be much warmer. My preschoolers will be excited to play in real snow outdoors and explore snow and ice in our active world tray. Stay tuned for activity ideas with snow.

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Spray Paint Snowflake Silhouette

Blue Candy Cane Science Experiment

Igloo Camping Pretend Play

Igloo camping center with fur, sequins, fishing gear, and polar animals. Pretend play winter theme.

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Winter-themed Treasure Blocks

Polar Bear Small World

Winter Sensory Trays

Painting Ice and Snow

Little learners will love to participate in this snow and ice sculpture painting activity.

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Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

Frozen-Inspired Shadow Box

Scissor Skill Snow Cutting Activities

Ice Drum Musical Instruments

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Kid’s Winter Wonderland Play Tablescape

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[Read more…]

Candy Cane Science Experiment

January 1, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Christmas I went on a candy cane hunt, primarily to add a few of these festive treats to my preschoolers’ party bags. Although easy to find in the past, I visited three different stores before I spotted some.

Candy canes had been brought up in class discussions, so I thought the children would be excited to discover them in their party bags. As I tried to give one child extra candy canes for his siblings, I noticed that he was furiously trying to give his original ones away. It turned out that he immensely dislikes them! So needless to say, there were a few candy canes leftover at school after the holiday celebrations.

So then came Plan B…the decision to use some for this easy-peasy candy cane science experiment.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather just three supplies for an easy-to-perform candy cane or candy experiment with a WOW factor.

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The supplies for this science experiment couldn’t be any simpler. Gather the following three things:

white or cream-colored dinner plate with a rim
cup of warm water
two large candy canes

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Conducting The Candy Cane Science Experiment

Try this candy cane Science experiment today! It is easy to do and has immediate results.

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Place two candy canes in the center of the plate in a heart shape.

Slowly pour in warm water to a level just beneath the plate rim.

The food coloring will immediately diffuse from the candy canes, and the color patterns will change right before your eyes!

This experiment can be tried with other colors of these treats. The red, pink, and white color scheme below would work perfectly for Valentine’s Day.

This easy to perform heart-themed candy cane science experiment is perfect for Valentine's Day. Give it a try!

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Variation Of The Candy Cane Experiment

There was a second candy escapade this holiday season, as a type of striped, spherical, Christmas candies I purchased turned out to be much too hard. I tasted one, and it just wouldn’t dissolve in my mouth. I imagined students choking on the candy on the drive home from preschool, and didn’t want to risk that. As you might have guessed, the super hard candies didn’t make the treat bag cut.

Conveniently, these holiday candies work in the same science experiment. In the picture below, the candies are arranged next to the rim of a plate. When warm water is added, green and red food colors slowly move through the liquid away from the candies. The process is so slow, the colors blend to make a rich brown hue soon after they spread. Since little learners love mixing colors to make brown, they would be excited to see this!

An oh-so-easy Christmas candy science experiment. Can't you smell the candy already?

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The candies can be placed a little farther apart around the plate rim, so the colors don’t mix as quickly when water is added. Or they can be spread apart as in the picture below. Then moving red and green colors are visible a little while after warm water is added.

Try this Christmas candy Science experiment today! It is easy to do and has immediate results.

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Tip: If the colors in the candies dissolve at a snail’s pace, as in one of my experiments, you can choose to use hot water. This will speed up the scientific process. Make sure little learners observe what happens only with their eyes, keeping their hands and bodies away from the plate.

After the science experiment is finished and the liquid is cool, you may wish to let your little charges taste a teaspoon of colored water. It will have a strong mint taste.

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A simple Christmas candy science experiment with quick results. Can't you smell the candy already?

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Explanation Of This Candy Cane/Candy Experiment

The candy canes and candies are made of sugar. The water breaks the sugar molecules apart. Then the food colors move through the water from areas of higher sugar concentration (near the candy) to areas with less sugar (the center of the plate.) When the sugar concentration is the same in all areas, the colors stop moving.

Water temperature is a variant in this experiment. Sugar dissolves quicker in warm water, and food coloring moves at a faster pace.

This science experiment is so easy to set up and has immediate results, perfect for little learners. And participants get to use their senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch. Try it today with candies or candy canes!

Related: Color Explosion Science Experiment

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