Putting the Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

spring

Spring Basket Cupcakes

by Leave a Comment

Adorable chocolate animal-topped spring basket cupcakes. Festive and fun party cupcakes that are easy to create and sure to please.

These spring basket cupcakes are a fancier version of treats served at my preschool Easter parties at the end of March.

This Easter I was short on time to fit in all the activities, which needed to be completed before schools were off for spring break. Putting together ready-made treats to make our Easter party snack feel a little more festive and fun felt like a good choice.

The children loved the fancied-up cupcake snacks, and I know these will go over well in any group.

Supplies To Collect

Supplies to gather in order to make festive and fun spring basket cupcakes.

cupcakes with icing and sprinkles

chocolate bunnies and other animal characters

candy eggs

jelly beans

festive candies

Making The Spring Basket Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate animal-topped Easter basket cupcakes.

The featured cupcakes are store-bought. If you have time to bake your own, you could use them for this snack idea.

When you’ve bought or made the cupcakes, just add chocolate bunnies or other spring animal figurines as decorations. We ate all our bunny-topped treats at our parties, so I went looking for more decorative sweets for this post. I lucked out to find bunnies and a set of confectioneries with hens, ducks, and lambs.

Add a pipe cleaner basket handle to each cupcake.

Set the cupcakes on a plate with a few candies and other sweets sprinkled around. Featured are candy-covered chocolate eggs, colorful licorice candies, and spring-colored jellybeans.

Delicious chocolate animal-topped spring basket cupcakes.

View as a Spring Basket Cupcake Video Tutorial.

The eye-catching cupcake treats are fun to put together. And the exquisite chocolate animal characters take the party snack beyond Easter into the rest of the Spring season.

Sweet chocolate bunny-topped spring basket cupcake.
Adorable chocolate lamb-topped sping basket cupcake.
Tasty chocolate hen-topped spring basket cupcake.
[Read more…] about Spring Basket Cupcakes

Silhouette Bunny Art

by Leave a Comment

Colorful silhouette bunny art made by dabbing dot markers on a canvas. Free template included. An art project for the whole family. This quick and showy art project displays well.

Easter kind of snuck up on me this year. I didn’t realize until mid-March how early the holiday dates are. I often have time to do Easter activities with my preschoolers in the first part of April, but this year we needed to complete them by March 26 (before Spring Break week.) And so this quick and showy silhouette bunny art project was perfect for our busy time. It is easy to make at home too.

Supplies To Collect

7-inch x 9-inch canvas panel

dot markers in bright spring colors

cardstock paper

bunny template

white pompom

white glue

Making The Silhouette Bunny Art

Select a canvas or use sturdy art paper for this project. (I purchased canvases at a dollar store for an economical price.) Then cut a bunny shape out of same-sized cardstock.

Feel free to download this bunny template for the art project.

Template for silhouette bunny art or another spring craft project.
Bunny PrintableDownload

This bunny template is for individual or one classroom use only.

Carefully center the cardstock with bunny shape removed on the canvas.

Have your little learner pick a dot marker in a favorite color and dab dots all over the bunny shape, holding the template steady. You may want to help do this, as the cardstock design has a tendency to slip around. And this way you both can practice teamwork and co-operation.

Your early learner can glue on a pompom tail with a dab of white glue when the bunny is dry.

Pink silhouette bunny art made by dabbing dot markers on a canvas. This quick and showy art project displays well.

You may wish to invite your little learner to create this art project in a few different spring colors or have family members each make one. The colorful bunnies display well together.

Or you can ask your little learner to do the silhouette bunny art in two different ways. Then mount the canvasses side by side.

Silhouette bunny art made in two ways by dabbing spring-colored dot markers on a canvas. Free template included.

Tag me on Instagram if you make this art project. I will share your bunny art in my stories!

Adorable silhouette bunny art made by dabbing spring-colored dot markers on a canvas. Free template included. An art project for the whole family.
[Read more…] about Silhouette Bunny Art

Bunny Candy Art

by Leave a Comment

Fun bunny candy art activity with assorted sweets. A happy hoppy food collage project the whole family will enjoy participating in.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Along with Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Easter is a prime time for sweet treats. Chocolaty treats are popular, as are fruity and sugary ones. And bunnies in all shapes and sizes (and bunny ears) are frequent subjects.

Bunnies can also be created from a candy mix. Your little learners would enjoy this challenge, so why not make happy hoppy bunny candy art with them?

Supplies To Collect

An assortment of candies for a colorful candy art project or a candy tasting activity.

licorice in assorted shapes and sizes

Easter jelly beans

candy or chocolate sprinkle covered bunny ears

candy sprinkles

12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper

white glue

Making The Bunny Candy Art

Happy hoppy bunny candy art collage project. An activity the whole family can participate in.

Set out a sheet of 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper for each person participating. Give participants a plate of candy to create a bunny-themed collage with. In addition to incorporating the bunny ear treats, candy pieces can be bunny heads, bodies, arms, legs, eyes, and mouths. Jelly beans and sprinkles add color and additional shapes to the pictures.

Have everyone glue the candy designs down to make permanent pictures. Or save the sweet treats for a delectable candy tasting party.

[Read more…] about Bunny Candy Art

Jewelry Sensory Tray

by Leave a Comment

This heart-themed jewelry sensory tray goes beyond Valentine's Day with its cheery spring colors.

If you have washable heart-themed children’s jewelry pieces lying around or found some in a post-Valentine’s Day sale, they can have a go in a jewelry sensory tray. Add a few complimentary colored loose parts, and your early learners will be eager to explore the tray.

Loose Parts For The Tray

Heart-themed jewelry loose parts tray.

heart bracelets

color block silicone bracelets

rainbow heart rings

wiggly eye rings

rainbow heart erasers

foam flowers and hearts

gem hearts

flower eraser

buttons

This tray has loose parts in a variety of cheery colors, taking it beyond Valentine’s Day.

Making The Jewelry Sensory Tray

Heart-themed jewelry sensory tray that takes tactile exploration beyond Valentine's Day.

Pick a tray large enough for a few children to play in.

Add a layer of rice. I feature glutinous rice. I love it because it is super white.

Spread the heart jewelry and complimentary colored loose parts in the tray. Invite your early learners to explore the tactile center.

This sensory tray idea also works for individual play. Just divide the supplies into a portion for each child and add them to smaller trays.

Heart jewelry sensory tray with cheery colors that take tactile exploration beyond Valentine's Day.
[Read more…] about Jewelry Sensory Tray

Horse Chestnut Leaf Art Activities

by Leave a Comment

A horse chestnut leaf featured in five easy to do art projects that are suitable for all ages.

Horse chestnut tree leaves are sizable and showy and have that “wow” factor.  They are deep green compound leaves with five to seven leaflets that live on a tree that is beautiful throughout the seasons. The palmate leaves are showcased along with large, spiked flowers in spring. They turn golden yellow in autumn and are accompanied by dramatic, prickly lime green fruits that are coverings for ultra-smooth nut-like seeds called conkers. The leaves are a spectacular subject for art. Featured in this post are five horse chestnut leaf art activities that are easy to do with your early learners.

Horse chestnut tree flowers in spring.
Flowers in spring.
Horse chestnut tree with fruit in autumn.
Leaves and fruit in autumn.
Horse chestnut tree conkers on the left, and broken fruit casings on the right.
Conkers and empty fruit casings.
[Read more…] about Horse Chestnut Leaf Art Activities

Spring Bunny Canvas Art

by Leave a Comment

Spring bunny canvas art with paint dabber technique. An easy-to-do all-ages art activity.

The birds are chirping, and there is excitement in the air. Everyone seems to have a skip in their step. I think it is because spring has come early to our city and… it’s the Easter long weekend!


Here’s an easy spring bunny art activity that will add some hop to the skip, and be sure to keep everyone’s good mood up.

Spring Bunny Canvas Art

A few simple supplies are all that’s needed for this activity:

White canvas panel (12-inch x 18-inch)

Non-toxic paint dot markers

Colored cardstock

Bunny template

Scissors

The “How To”

Trace a bunny on colored cardstock in a size that leaves room to paint dab around it on the canvas board. I sized the bunny to fit just inside the edges of an 8 x 11 ½ piece of paper.

Cut out the cardstock bunny and place it in the middle of the canvas board.

Choose your favorite dot marker colors.

Dab paint dots around the bunny template.

Let the canvas dry.

Dot markers used to paint around a bunny template on canvas. An easy art activity suitable for all ages.
[Read more…] about Spring Bunny Canvas Art