farm animals

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Turkeys are a big part of fall, and this turkey playdough tray celebrates them. Three rich fall playdough colors are featured, along with turkey-themed loose parts.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning activities.

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Turkey Playdough Ingredients

All three playdough colors in the tray are made with my go-to basic recipe, with an icing color added.

For the orange playdough, gather the following ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
orange icing color
3 tablespoons oil

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How To Make Turkey Playdough

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To make the orange playdough, start by adding the first three ingredients to a sturdy pot and mixing them together.

Next, mix a half teaspoon of orange icing color in two cups of water, stirring well. Then blend in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the oily, colored water to the dry ingredients and combine.

Afterward, heat the pot on the stove on medium heat.

Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is no longer glossy and the dough forms a ball.

Then scoop the dough onto a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding one tablespoon more oil.

Finally, store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

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Gold and Copper Playdough Colors

To make the gold playdough, stir a generous amount of buttercup yellow icing color into the water before mixing it with the oil and dry ingredients.

To make the copper playdough, stir in copper icing color instead of orange or yellow.

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Turkey Playdough Loose Parts

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Including loose parts in the turkey playdough invitation adds interest and offers more opportunities to develop finger and hand strength. The following loose parts are in the tray:

turkey game counters
life-like turkey figurine
pioneer and turkey cookie cutters
turkey wooden beads
turkey ring and cupcake topper
orange, red, and yellow spherical beads
yellow, orange, and red feathers
spotted brown feathers
small wiggly eyes
red and tan pipe cleaner sections

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Turkey Playdough Invitation

The orange, buttercup yellow, and copper playdough hues are complementary colors, so they go well together.

The turkey and pioneer cookie cutters are on point with the theme.

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Little learners have the opportunity to craft a turkey using playdough, feathers, and wiggly eyes. Cut and bent pipe cleaners work well for creating turkey feet and snoods.

The turkey counters and life-like turkey figurine provide models for creating playdough turkeys and are great for incorporating counting activities.

The fall-hued beads, turkey ring, and cupcake topper add interest to the manipulative play invitation.

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Besides being appropriate for a Thanksgiving or turkey theme, the beautiful playdough colors in the tray are perfect for any fall theme.

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Thanksgiving Printables

Shop Thanksgiving printables in my Etsy shop “Skills N Smiles“:

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More Turkey Activities

Paper Plate Turkey Craft

Turkey Sensory Tubes

Coffee Playdough Turkey

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[Read more…]

Charlotte's Web storybook activities. Sensory tubs, crafts, and games for children. Art, math, and language arts opportunities to learn.

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This Charlotte’s Web Book Theme is based on the best-selling children’s chapter book by E. B. White. The story centers around a pig named Wilbur, a spider named Charlotte, two farm families, and other colorful barnyard animals. The latter part of the story celebrates the sights, sounds, and excitement of a country fair.

For a summary of the book, click here:

E. B. White is quoted as saying that he wrote Charlotte’s Web for children, and for his own enjoyment. But I thoroughly relished rereading the tale through an adult lens.

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Charlotte’s Web Book Theme Activities

There is plenty of inspiration in the story for farm and country-themed early learning activities.

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Sensory Bin: Wilbur’s Pen

Inspiration: When Wilbur gets a little bigger, he is moved to the barn on Mr. Zuckerman’s farm.

Wilbur's pen in the barn rice sensory bin with a spider web printable.

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Offer a sensory tub for your child with the following items:

brown rice base
fence pieces
pig
large spider
baby spiders
cookie cutter spider web
cotton batting
sign over Wilbur’s pen
wooden alphabet letters
white pearl beads
pink gems
shells
black and pink buttons
pink straws

Small World: Haying Time

Inspiration: July is haying time on the farm. The barn is overstuffed with hay, and Fern and Avery Arable enjoy riding on the hay wagon.

Set up a sensory tub farmyard scene for your early learner with the following:

kraft colored shredded paper hay
barn
tractor and hay wagon
farm animals
farmer, boy, and girl figurines
fences and trees

Haying time sensory bin with shredded paper hay, tractor, wagon, barnyard animals, and farm family figurines.

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Art: Daisy Crown

Inspiration: In the farmyard, Fern makes a crown out of daisies.

Invite your child to decorate a paper headband with paper, craft, or real daisies. You can download the headband pattern below.

Daisy crown with felt flowers. — Daisy Crown With Felt Flowers

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Craft crown with paper punched daisies. — Paper Punched Daisy Crown

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Headband PatternDownload

This printable was created in PicMonkey and is for personal or one classroom use only.

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Group Game: What’s In My Pocket?

Inspiration: During his play outside, Avery puts a frog and a snake in his pocket.

Have one child in a group stand behind a divider and hide a snake or frog in a pocket.

Pick another child in the group to guess whether a snake or frog has been slipped into the pocket.

If a child isn’t wearing clothing with a pocket, one can be made from sturdy cardstock paper. Cut out a pants pocket, and glue it onto an 8 1/2 inch x 11-inch piece of cardstock.

"Guess What's In The Pocket" game with a snake and frog. This game is inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Sensory Tub: Templeton’s Treasures

Inspiration: Templeton, the barn rat, is a “packrat” and finds everything interesting and useful to collect.

Templeton the rat's treasure finds sensory tub. Toys, play food, loose parts, descriptive words, and a rat figurine are added to the bin.

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Offer a sensory tub with the following items:

kraft colored paper shred
rat figurine
recycled items
toys
play food
kind words cut from newspaper advertisements

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Sensory Game: Hopping Frogs

Inspiration: One of Avery’s frogs jumps into Mrs. Zuckerman’s dishpan full of soapy water.

Have your child flip hopping frogs into a tray filled with soapy water.

Frog and dishpan game inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Art: Buttermilk Painting

Inspiration: Mrs. Zuckerman gives Wilbur a buttermilk bath the morning he is taken to the fair.

Using a sponge brush, invite your early learner to spread buttermilk with a little sugar in it (to add shine) over a pale pink paper pig.

Decorate Wilbur Pig with buttermilk "paint." An art activity inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Or have your child decorate the pig with white poster paint.

Paint the pig white. An art activity inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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Group Game: Guess The Hand

Inspiration: Avery and Fern get quarters, dimes, and nickels to spend at the fair.

Ask one child to stand behind a divider and hide a coin in one hand. Invite another child to guess which hand the coin is in.

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Math: Count The Eggs

Inspiration: In the barn, a goose lays eggs. Each time, mention is made of how many she lays.

Set out an egg carton with plastic or real cooked unshelled eggs. Ask your early learner to add some of the eggs to a shredded paper nest and pick the corresponding wooden number.

Counting eggs math activity inspired by the storybook "Charlotte's Web."

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The book Charlotte’s Web offers a treasury of inspiration for early learning activities. And if you haven’t read the tale for a while, curl up in your favorite spot and give it a read!

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[Read more…]