sensory

Reptile Egg Science

September 10, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Here’s an easy to do Science experiment to transform an unshelled, boiled egg into a rubbery reptile egg! It’s perfect for the classroom or to do with your children at home.

Reptile egg activities. Make a rubbery reptile egg and use turtle and snake figurines with egg theme play mats.

Animal eggs come in different colors, shapes, sizes and shell textures. Bird eggs feel hard. Snakes and many turtles lay soft shelled eggs with a rubbery feel. Snake eggs are usually oval; turtle eggs are round to slightly oblong.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to download free printables to extend this activity.

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Activities With Sunflowers

August 26, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Sunflowers are a summer showstopper on a patio or balcony, or in a garden. They make stunning cut flowers. When mature, sunflower parts are ideal for Art, nature, and sensory activities with young children.

Art, nature and sensory activities with a variety of sunflowers and their parts.

Growing Sunflowers

Sunflowers are easy to grow. And there are so many varieties to choose from! Featured below are golden yellow midsized ones (Golden Hedge), rust and yellow sunflowers (Evening Sun) and a fluffy double flower “teddybear” kind.

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Dinosaur And Sweet Potato Vine Activities

July 26, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

One Spring I was greenhouse shopping, and a ledge of sweet potato vines caught my attention. The sales clerk suggested that the leaves looked like dinosaur footprints.
That thought stuck with me, and soon after I picked two uniquely colored sweet potato vines to add contrast to the flowering plants on my deck. I was also eager to use some leaves in dinosaur themed nature play.
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Father/Preschooler Superhero Party

May 28, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

As everyone can attest, Superhero activities are hugely engaging for children. Superheroes is 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 afterwards!

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

Saving Green Sea Turtles

April 10, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

One in a thousand baby green sea turtles lives to become an adult. Sea turtles face many challenges in trying to survive. Here’s how they get their start in life.

At night, baby green sea turtles scurry to the ocean from the deep hole they dig out of. They hatch from eggs deposited by their mother (also at night) on a sandy beach above the high tide line. The small, white eggs are buried in a blanket of sand to keep them warm and hide them from predators. The eggs are left alone to incubate for 50 -70 days.

The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the turtles. Warmer eggs become males; cooler eggs become females. Both males and females can dig out of the same nest, because the temperature can vary in different parts of it.

The hatchlings hurry to the ocean in the dark when it is less likely that they will be eaten by crabs or shore birds like gulls or herons. Most babies do not make it to the ocean. Even if they safely make it to the water, they could be eaten by birds hovering above the waves or predatory fish lingering close to shore.

St. Patrick’s Day Activities

March 12, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

It’s March, but there is still lots of snow outside in Edmonton. St. Patrick’s Day activities and the green color they surround us with are so welcome. Here’s three centers my class is currently playing in.