science

Fall Drip Ice Cake

November 9, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This fall drip ice cake sensory bin combines fall colors with ice and dinosaurs. It is suitable for a winter theme about ice or could be incorporated into a fall or dinosaur theme. It would be an inviting activity outside on a hot summer day.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following easy-to-find, inexpensive supplies for this super fun sensory bin:

ice cube molds
empty round food storage containers
small bottles
tempera paints
stir sticks
sensory tray
dinosaur figurines

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Preparing the Fall Drip Ice Cake Sensory Bin

To prepare this autumn drip ice cake sensory play experience first freeze water into ice shapes. Use molds such as Ice cube trays, margarine and yogurt containers, and an ice cream pail. Allow one or two days for the freezing to be complete.

Next, pick a sensory bin to use. A large active world tray is up to the task and provides ample room to explore accessories. A round saucer sled is smaller but also works well as a sensory bin.

Then add tempera paints in fall colors to small bottles. Leave a little room in the bottles to stir in water. This slightly thins the paints and makes them easier to pour.

When the ice shapes are thoroughly frozen stack the large ones on top of each other to create a three or four-tier cake.

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Afterward, spread ice cubes in various sizes around the cake in the bin. Then set dinosaur figurines among the cubes.

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The Fall Drip Ice Cake Sensory Invitation

To offer the fall drip ice cake sensory invitation gather participants around the bin.

Invite them to take turns pouring paint over the ice cake.

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When the bottles are empty, allow everyone to explore the paint-covered ice cake, frozen cubes, and dinosaurs in the bin.

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This icy sensory invitation incorporating fall colors and dinosaur figurines is bound to be a favorite.

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More Fall Activities

Fall Tablescape Pretend Play

Fall Leaf Salad Spinner Art

Fall Scissor Skills Activities

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[Read more…]

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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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning activities.

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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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[Read more…]

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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[Read more…]

Spider Web Doily Art

October 16, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Arty spider webs are everywhere during this time of year, and doilies are an exquisite supply for creating web décor. These spider web doily art projects are color-infused with gorgeous seasonal hues using a crayon-resist painting technique.

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Spider Web Doily Art Supplies

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Gather the following supplies for this anything-but-creepy spider-themed art project:

paper doilies in a variety of sizes and shapes
watercolor tempera paint cakes
white crayon
pencil
ruler
paint brush
paint pot
scissors
spider figurine
glue gun
waterproof table cover

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Creating Spider Web Doily Art

To create beautiful watercolor doily art first cover an art table with a waterproof tablecloth.

Next, select a doily to use as a canvas for painting.

Then, use a pencil and ruler to draw faint straight lines that radiate from a focal point in the center of the doily. Draw over the white lines with a white crayon or any color. Add silky curved connecting lines with the crayon to complete the web.

Note: When offering this activity to early learners, you may wish to draw the webs on the doilies and have them paint over them.

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Afterward, set watercolor tempera cakes in the colors of your choice in a paint tray. I love the pink, purple, orange, and gold hues spotted on web décor on recent shopping trips and use these colors.

Fill a paint pot with water, wet the tempera cakes, and paint over the drawn spider web. Spread the color over the whole doily or up to the lacy edging.

Note: Liquid watercolors are a luminous alternative for this painting activity.

When the arty web is dry use a glue gun to add a spider figurine in a matching or contrasting color. Adhere the paper spider web to a contrasting cardstock paper hue if desired.

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If using a large round doily, it’s a nice look to cut out a section of the web to become your finished design.

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Variations of the Spider Web Doily Art

Round or rectangular craft doilies are easy to find, but heart doilies also work wonderfully as a canvas for a spider web art activity. In addition to being super lacy, they remind us to give spiders some much-needed love.

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Crochet doilies make perfect ready-made spider webs. Left unpainted, white or cream-colored ones look like natural webs. It is superbly satisfying to add color to them, as watercolor paints soak in very well. For a stunning look display a color-infused web and spider figurine on a mirror.

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More Spectacular Doily Art

In addition to providing the canvas for spider web doily art, use the exquisite paper shapes in a novel way for more painting fun. In the projects below, doilies are placed on paper, and the lacy cutouts are carefully filled with watercolor tempera paints. A beautiful design appears after the doily is lifted off.

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In this second project, the area above the doily is painted too. When the doily is removed, the design is so realistic it looks exactly like the paper doily.

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More Spider Activities

Spider Theme Activities

Green Huntsman Spider Activities

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[Read more…]

Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

September 22, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Living in central Alberta, Canada, reptiles such as snakes and lizards are uncommon for us to see. Unless we visit the local zoo or have access to an animal presentation, we will likely never see one. So it is natural for little learners to be afraid of these creatures. Hands-on activities with reptile figurines help alleviate young children’s fears about snakes and lizards. In addition to offering these exotic animals in a sensory tray, they are interesting accessories to include in a reptile theme playdough tray.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Reptile Theme Playdough Tray Supplies

The following supplies are included in this colorful, unique playdough invitation:

snake and lizard figurines
frog and insect figurines
snake, lizard, and frog playdough molds
rocks and stones
wood slices
refillable eggs
divided compartment serving tray

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The Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

To keep supplies neat, organized, and attractive, one of my go-to methods is to add them to a divided compartment serving tray.

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Although I include many homemade playdough recipes on this blog, I feature store-bought playdough in this modeling dough play invitation. Someone had donated a bunch of different colors to me, and since lizards and snakes come in all kinds of patterns and hues, this activity seemed like the perfect way to start using them.

Miniature snake and lizard figurines and playdough molds allow little learners to create creatures of their own from playdough, and make animal prints. Manipulating the little figurines exposes them to animals they may have a natural fear of.

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Thin wood slices and small rocks and stones in the tray are natural materials found in the habitats snakes and lizards live in.

Frog, insect, and spider figurines represent prey snakes and lizards eat.

Finally, the small refillable eggs are reminders that lizards and most snakes hatch from eggs.

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This reptile theme playdough tray is a perfect beginning activity for learning about snakes and lizards and is superb for working on color recognition, counting, eye-hand coordination, and hand and finger strength.

Adding pictures of real snakes and lizards for little learners to view would provide opportunities to discuss and make patterns and allow for more discussions about the colors these reptiles display.

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More Reptile Activities

Reptile Active World Tray

Reptile Theme Activities

Reptile Egg Science

Sea Turtle Theme Activities

Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

Turtle Christmas Craft

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