Putting the Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

science

Chinese New Year Sensory Play

by Leave a Comment

Chinese New Year sensory tub with red and gold accessories in a dyed chickpea base.

Have you ever dyed chickpeas? I finally gave it a try, and it is soooo addicting! I made the first batch red to use for Chinese New Year sensory play.

In experimenting, I thought the chickpeas looked nice in a combination of dark red, speckled red, and natural hues. All deep red chickpeas seemed overpowering in the sensory tub.

Chickpeas dyed with varying amounts of red acrylic paint.

How To Dye Chickpeas

A quick and easy way to dye chickpeas is with acrylic craft paint.

Supplies to collect:

large bag of chickpeas

red acrylic craft paint

measuring cup

tablespoon

large sandwich bags

plates or trays

Scoop one cup of chickpeas into a large sandwich bag. Add a tablespoon of red acrylic craft paint. Seal the bag well and knead the chickpeas for a few minutes until they are covered in paint.

Open the bag and set it on a table. After ten minutes, pour the chickpeas onto a tray or plate. They will be completely dry in another ten minutes.

Chickpeas dyed with red acrylic paint for sensory play.

To get a speckled paint look, add half a tablespoon of paint to one cup of bagged chickpeas and knead well. Repeat the drying process.

Then color a cup of chickpeas with one-quarter tablespoon paint.

Leave some chickpeas undyed. This will give you four color varieties to add to a tub or bin for Chinese New Year sensory play.

To have enough chickpeas for a group sensory tub, dye more of them!

Note: Acrylic paint washes off hands, tables, dishware and cutlery easily. If it spatters onto your clothes, wipe the paint off with a wet cloth before washing.

[Read more…] about Chinese New Year Sensory Play

Color Explosion Science Experiment

by Leave a Comment

A simple color explosion science experiment with dramatic results. Just three kitchen supplies are needed to carry out this experiment.

This dramatic color explosion science experiment is one of the simplest ones you will find. It uses ingredients you probably have in your home, is easy to set up, and shows stunning, instant results.

Supplies To Collect

serving tray

milk

food coloring (1 – 4 colors)

liquid dish soap

Kitchen supplies to carry out the color explosion milk experiment.

Conducting The Experiment

Pour a thin layer of milk into a serving tray placed on a table. I use an inexpensive 12-inch x 12-inch tree-shaped vegetable tray to add interest to the experiment. About three cups of milk will provide a nice layer in a serving tray this size.

Squeeze drops of food coloring in different parts of the tray. Use one, two, three, or even four colors. Primary colors work well.

Squirt a little dish soap in a few color pools.

Pools of food coloring in the color explosion milk experiment.

The food coloring immediately explodes to the tray edges, blending and making new colors.

Try adding a bit more food coloring, and one more squirt of dish soap. I add a little more blue, red, and yellow to the bottom right section because most of the color has moved to other areas of the tray. I squirt a tad more soap on top. There isn’t a noticeable change right away. In fact, after the initial color burst, nothing much seems to happen.

A second dose of food coloring and dish detergent are added in this color explosion milk experiment.

But wait! The experiment doesn’t end here. Leave the tray on the table undisturbed, and check back a few times over the next half-hour. The food coloring slowly moves through the milk and fills the tray.

Each time you look, new color designs are visible on the surface of the milk.

A monster appears in this color explosion milk experiment.
[Read more…] about Color Explosion Science Experiment

Pumpkin Color Activities

by Leave a Comment

Pumpkin facts and color activities. Anatomy, color matching, and art activities.

Although orange pumpkins are traditional, and most grocery stores focus on selling them, these dramatic fruits come in many other hues. Diversely colored pumpkins can be scouted out at farmer’s markets and garden centers in autumn. They are intriguing in pumpkin color activities for little learners.

Pumpkin Display

First, set out pumpkins on a shelf for little ones to view. The contrasting colors make a striking display. Discuss pumpkin color, size, shape, and texture.

Pumpkins in mint, cream, black, yellow, and green colors.

Color Matching

Move the pumpkins to a table and invite early learners to add color words.

Color matching with mint, orange, green, cream, and black pumpkins.
[Read more…] about Pumpkin Color Activities

Beet Science And Sensory Activities

by Leave a Comment

Beet science and sensory activities. Beet washing station, ordering beets by size, and growing new greens and roots. Links to two festive recipes.

This fall at a greenhouse a display of golden beets caught my attention. They weren’t on my list to buy, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them after I got home. So on my next visit to the garden center, I purchased golden beets and a red bunch too. The showy vegetable inspired beet science and sensory activities that can be introduced on the fly.

Beet Washing Station

Set one or both kinds of beets in a tray with water and a vegetable brush. Invite your early learner to scrub the beets to make their color shine.

Beet washing station with red beets.
Red and golden beets in a beet washing station.
[Read more…] about Beet Science And Sensory Activities

Fall Scissor Skills Activities

by Leave a Comment

Fall scissor skills activities with invitations to cut textured craft supplies for a pumpkin collage or a forest sensory tray.

One of the things preschoolers are most excited about when starting school in the fall is using scissors. It’s an activity many early learners have not yet had exposure to, so they are delighted to have permission to cut. Offering beautiful materials with unique textures enhances fall scissor skills activities.

Fall Scissor Skills Supplies

Collect art supplies in yellow, orange, red, and brown hues, and sort them into a tray with compartments.

Fall scissor skills tray with red, yellow, orange, and brown craft supplies. Invitation to cut materials for collage or a sensory base.
[Read more…] about Fall Scissor Skills Activities

Flower Theme Activities

by Leave a Comment

Flower theme art, sensory, and pretend play activities. Early learners will love the winged creatures (dragons, unicorns, and an angel) featured in the theme.

Last spring I picked up two voluminous begonia plants that had large wing-shaped leaves. One plant was called “dragon wing begonia,” and the other was a double pink-flowered variety with similar wing-like leaves. The vigorous plants inspired dragon and flower theme activities for early learners, and angel and unicorn play.

Nonstop Pink Begonia Flower Activities

Nonstop pink begonia still blooming after Canadian Thanksgiving Day.
Nonstop Pink Begonia

Begonia “Through The Seasons” Sensory Tray

Around Canadian Thanksgiving Day, the nonstop pink begonia was still blooming profusely. At the same time collecting pine cones was on my list of tasks to do. By the end of the week, snow was in the forecast. Our area didn’t get snow, but many places in our province did. The mingling of elements of summer, fall, and winter in that week was the inspiration for this sensory tray for little learners. Included are flower leaves and blooms, pine cones, and cotton ball snow. Rocks, stone eggs, and a show-stopping dragon round out the tray.

Three seasons sensory tub with pine cones, begonia leaves and flowers, and cotton ball snow. A dragon and stone eggs complete the tub
[Read more…] about Flower Theme Activities

Celery Science Experiment

by 2 Comments

Celery and food coloring science experiment.

This classic and colorful celery science experiment is easy to do and has quick results. It works well as a “color-changing celery tree” activity in autumn but is awesome to perform at any time of the year. Your early learner will be thrilled with the speedy and dramatic results of the experiment.

Supplies Needed

leafy celery stalks

glasses or jars

food coloring hues

pitcher with water

knife

cutting board

Celery and food coloring experiment supplies.

Procedure

Cut the bottoms from celery stalks.

Invite your early learner to generously squirt food coloring hues into glasses or jars, and add about 4 centimeters of water to each one.

Have your child place a celery stalk in each container, and use it to stir the liquids.  

Set the jars or glasses with celery on a table or windowsill.

[Read more…] about Celery Science Experiment

Northern Lights Squish Painting

by Leave a Comment

Northern lights inspired squish and string painting. Facts about northern lights included. An all-ages art activity to celebrate nature's dazzling light show.

Northern lights, or auroras, are nature’s majestic light shows sent from the heavens to earth. They are spectacular to view and stunning in photographs or art.  A northern lights squish painting project celebrates the vibrancy and uniqueness of this natural light display.

Ten Facts About Northern Lights

Northern lights are dazzling neon light shows visible in night skies.

Electrically charged particles from the sun interact with gases in the earth’s atmosphere to produce the auroras.

Charged particle collisions with oxygen in the upper atmosphere cause green dominant auroras; collisions with nitrogen in the slightly lower atmosphere cause blue or purple-red auroras.

Northern lights can also showcase pink, blue, orange, or yellow colors.

[Read more…] about Northern Lights Squish Painting

Reptile Theme Activities

by Leave a Comment

Reptile-themed art. science, small world, and pretend play activities for early learners. Topics include snakes, turtles, and lizards.

A Reptile Theme is THE WAY to encourage early learners to get more comfortable with animals such as snakes, lizards, and turtles. Little ones often have a fear of these animals, partly because of how they get depicted on television. Hands-on activities alleviate fear and encourage an interest in learning more about these creatures.

[Read more…] about Reptile Theme Activities