Putting The Pretty In Preschool – Page 40 – Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

Ocean Sensory Activities

March 31, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Three fun ocean-themed sensory activities to captivate your little learner. An aquatic rice bin, water tub, and playdough tray are featured.

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Ocean sensory activities are among the most attractive and calming play invitations one could offer. The serene blue water, neutral sand, crisp shells, and fish that add pops of color are eye-appealing and offer many tactile opportunities.

The inspiration for the sensory activities featured in this post is aquatic Easter eggs, repurposed for three learning through play invitations. I was excited to spot the eggs at a local dollar store.

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Ocean Sensory Activity Supplies

The following supplies will work well in all three sensory activities.

rocks in various sizes
shells
marbles
set of miniature ocean creature figures
set of aquatic plastic Easter eggs

If it is difficult to find ocean creatures or aquatic plastic eggs, using just one of these ocean sets is fine too. An economical alternative to offer is creatures from toy fishing or dive toy sets. Paper fish could also be substituted.

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Ocean Rice Bin

Set up this easy and fun rice-based ocean sensory bin. Aquatic Easter eggs are the highlight of the play invitation.

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The base for this ocean bin is white glutinous rice. Its light neutral color is a good contrast for loose parts, so it’s often my go-to choice for a rice bin. The bin for this activity is a round serving tray.

Spread the rice in the bin, and set in the rocks, shells, marbles, ocean creatures, and aquatic eggs.

Little learners will enjoy scooping up and pouring the rice, and putting marble “eggs” and mini ocean creatures inside the eggs. They may discover that the fillable eggs become shakers that make soft sounds when rice is added, or loud sounds when marbles or small rocks are inserted.

Take the opportunity to discuss the names of the ocean creatures, and model them in speech.

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Ocean Water Tub

Set up this easy and fun water-based ocean sensory tub. Aquatic Easter eggs are the highlight of the play invitation.

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The bin for this activity is a kitchen tub, commonly used in the foodservice industry. I keep a stack of them around for organizing my current theme supplies, and for sensory activities. When offering a sensory invitation for two or three children to explore at the same time, a bin this size works well.

Water with blue food coloring added is the base. But little learners would be more than happy to explore the supplies in clear water.

Add the same supplies to the tub as used in the rice bin. I added marbles here, but also could have included them in the rice.

This water-based activity offers the same learning through play opportunities as the rice bin does, and little learners can experiment with floating and sinking objects.

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Ocean Playdough Tray

Your little learners will love this inviting ocean-themed playdough tray. Good playdough recipes are included in the post.

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For another sensory opportunity, the ocean-themed loose parts can be offered in a playdough tray. Set them out in a large party tray, along with turquoise, marbled or plain dough. Add a few ocean-themed cookie cutters and the playdough invitation is ready to go.

Your little learners will love this inviting ocean-themed playdough tray. Aquatic Easter eggs are the highlight of the tray.

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Playdough Recipes

The marbled playdough was repurposed from a winter playdough recipe,

A scented jello playdough recipe makes lovely turquoise dough.

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The aquatic Easter eggs are the latest addition to my plastic egg collection. If you spot them, you may want to purchase two sets – one for ocean sensory activities, and another to fill with Easter treats.

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Painting With Construction Vehicles

March 29, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Painting with construction vehicles has to be one of the most fun process art activities there is to do. It is easy, messy, and involves heavy-duty vehicles, so what child wouldn’t dive right in? And the art invitation can be set up in minutes.

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Supplies to Collect

There are just a few supplies to gather for this out of the box art activity:

black and brown tempera paint
paint pots
spoons
newspapers or plastic tablecloth
18-inch x 24-inch manila paper
toy heavy-duty construction vehicles

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Your little learners will love this messy painting activity. They'll get to make muddy tracks with a toy construction vehicle.

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The Painting With Construction Vehicles Process

First, cover a table with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth.

Then give participants a large sheet of sturdy paper. I usually choose manila because it comes in various sizes, holds tempera paint well, and is inexpensive to buy.

Add black and brown tempera paint to pots and insert a spoon into each one.

Allow everyone to use the spoons to scoop up paint and drip blobs of it on their paper.

Then invite them to choose a construction vehicle to “drive” through the paint, making “muddy tracks” as they go. Take the opportunity to discuss the names of the heavy vehicles, and how they help out at a construction site. A good blog post to use as a reference is 16 Types Of Heavy Duty Equipment Used In Construction.

Your little learners will love this construction vehicle process art activity. They'll get to make lots of muddy tracks on paper.

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Tip: Save a set of economical construction vehicles to use for this art project. And repurpose them in other messier activities. For instance, we reuse ours in winter to play in the snow.

Your little learners will love this heavy vehicle process art painting activity. They'll get to make lots of muddy tracks on paper with toy construction vehicles.

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Allow time to help the children wash up after the painting activity is over. And make sure to clean the heavy-duty vehicles in soapy water.

Adding a construction vehicle cut from a magazine or catalog to the dried projects would be a nice finishing touch.

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Variations Of This Construction Vehicle Painting Activity

Try one of these simple variations of this super fun activity:

Offer the art invitation on a paper roll spread over a table. Or use a plastic tablecloth as a canvas for the vehicles to make muddy tracks.
Substitute primary paint colors (or another color scheme) for black and brown.
Use toy cars or recreational trucks instead of construction vehicles.
Do this painting activity in an active world tray, either indoors or outside.

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Your little learners will love this messy painting activity. They'll get to make muddy tracks with toy construction vehicles.

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This construction vehicle painting activity is one I introduce to my preschoolers every year, as it is important to me to include messy and fun process art painting opportunities. And it is a hit every single time.

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Related: Painting With Corn Cobs

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Unicorn Theme Sensory Play

March 26, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Dyed chickpeas in pastel shades and gold tones provide the perfect base for these unicorn theme sensory play ideas. Add unicorn figurines and loose parts and you’ll have the perfect setup for fun and engaging sensory play. Read on for instructions on how to easily dye chickpeas in a variety of dreamy colors, and use them as a base for sensory trays.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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How To Dye Chickpeas

A quick and easy way to dye chickpeas is with acrylic craft paint. Acrylic paint comes in every color under the sun and is economical to purchase at Dollar stores. This paint also dries quickly.

How to easily dye chickpeas with acrylic paint for colorful sensory play.

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Gather the following supplies:

large bag of dried chickpeas
acrylic craft paint in white, gold, turquoise, hot pink, and light pink hues
measuring cup
tablespoons
large sandwich bags
disposable plates or trays

Scoop one cup of chickpeas into a large sandwich bag. Add a tablespoon of 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 five to ten minutes, pour the chickpeas onto a tray or disposable plate. They will be completely dry in about fifteen more minutes.

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Repeat the same process for all the colors. In the activities below, I feature hot pink, white, turquoise, gold, and ice pink hues. Other popular choices are pastel shades of yellow, blue, and purple. You can pick colors to complement the unicorn figures and accessories you have available.

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Unicorn Theme Sensory Play Ideas

Dyed chickpeas work beautifully as a base for sensory trays. Spread the chickpeas in rows in a rectangular or square kitchen tray or a white plastic bin.

How to easily dye chickpeas with acrylic paint for colorful unicorn theme sensory play.

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Then add any of the following accessories to the tray:

unicorn figurines
rainbow and unicorn erasers
miniature flower toys
metallic gold rocks
princess figurine
paper unicorn head cutouts
tiny unicorn head storage containers

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The tray below features unicorn erasers and rainbows.

How to easily dye chickpeas to use as a base for an eye-appealing unicorn-themed sensory tray.

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In this next tray the erasers are swapped out for toy flowers and princess and unicorn figurines.

Dreamy unicorn-themed dyed chickpeas provide an eye-appealing base for a unicorn sensory tray.

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Your early learners will likely mix the chickpeas together as they sort and sift through the tray.

For renewed interest and extended play, you could change or add sensory supplies.

Set up this attractive unicorn theme sensory play tray using dyed chickpeas as a base. Use acrylic craft paint for an easy dye process.

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What other accessories would work well in a unicorn theme sensory play tray? Share in a comment below.

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Related: Chinese New Year Sensory Play

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Floating Egg Science Experiment

March 25, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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In a whole range of egg colors with expressive faces drawn on, this floating egg science experiment includes a dose of art and drama. The experiment is simple to do and promises to be a huge hit with your little learners.

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Supplies To Collect

The supplies for this dramatic science experiment are easy to procure, as you probably already have them in your home. Gather the following:

eggs
salt
pitcher of water
egg carton
two 500 ml glass jars
tablespoons
egg dipper
store-bought egg dying kit
black permanent felt pen

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Performing The Floating Egg Science Experiment

Steps to perform a simple floating egg science experiment with easy-to-gather supplies. Drawing and egg coloring are included in this activity.

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With a permanent felt pen, carefully draw chick feet and a worried face on one side of the eggs selected for the experiment. Draw feet and a happy face on the other side of each egg.

Note: Crayons can be used instead to decorate the eggs.

Then dye the eggs in different colors. I use color tablets from a store-bought kit for the eggs, but you could use a home recipe.

Carefully drop the color-dyed eggs back in the egg carton, using an egg dipper if available. Let the eggs dry.

Pour 1½ cups water into two jars.

Add 3 tablespoons salt to one jar, and stir it into the liquid. Add no salt to the other.

Pick a decorated egg to gently drop into the unsalted jar of water. Observe if it floats or sinks. Then scoop the egg out of the liquid and have participants pick the feeling the “chick egg” might be experiencing: (worried, scared.)

Simple and fun floating egg science experiment with easy-to-gather supplies. Egg decorating adds an artistic element to this activity.

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Carefully drop the same egg into the saltwater jar. Observe if the egg now floats or sinks again. Have participants pick the feeling the “chick egg” is probably experiencing: (relief, happiness.)

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Try this science experiment with other colored eggs. Participants may enjoy picking an egg in their favorite color to drop in the jars.

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Related: Reptile Egg Science Experiment

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The Science Behind This Experiment

An egg is denser than water, so it sinks. But when salt is added to water, it increases the density of the liquid. When enough salt is added, a raw egg will float.

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Floating Egg Experiment Extensions

This floating egg experiment could be extended by:

using large and small-sized eggs, and recording how much salt needs to be added to a jar for each one to float.
dying the eggs in different methods.
reading a picture book about feelings before or after performing the experiment.

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Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock

March 17, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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They say “variety is the spice of life,” and it is certainly true in this art project. The crayon resist watercolor shamrock features variety in line, shape, and color. The project is easy for little learners to do, and is great for language development.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies to Collect

12 inch x 18 inch manila paper
crayons in shades of green
tempera blocks (paint pucks) in gold and shades of green
paint cups
paint brushes and pots
scissors

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The Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock Process

Cut large shamrocks out of manila paper. (This is a sturdy cream-colored paper that comes in larger sizes and is economical to buy.)

Note: Cardstock or construction paper can be substituted for manila paper.

Use crayons in shades of green to decorate a sample shamrock with dots, lines, and shapes.

Explore variety in line and shape through a crayon resist art technique.

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In my demo, there are wavy and curvy lines and straight ones. There are dots and circles, and stripes and dashes. A heart fills the center.

Show the crayoned shamrock to your little learners, highlighting the variety of lines and shapes.

Invite little learners to draw their own crayon designs on a shamrock.

A tempera block paint set-up for a crayon resist art technique.

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Then have them add watercolors using tempera block paints in yellow and shades of green. Encourage children to rinse their brushes in water between colors.

Draw attention to darker and lighter paint shades. Discuss hues with words such as lime green, apple green, emerald green, and forest green. Use descriptive words that match the paint colors you have available.

Offer this simple crayon resist watercolor shamrock activity that explores variety in line, shape, and color.

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Note: Liquid watercolors or water with food coloring mixed in can be used instead of tempera paint blocks.

After the paintings dry, you could add on an Irish St. Patrick’s Day blessing.

This is a simple two-step art activity that all children can do. A younger child’s paint added scribble drawing looks just as stunning as an older child’s project with more defined lines and shapes. This is especially true if a variety of shades of crayons and paints are used.

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Related: Shamrock Rolling Pin Art

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