flowers

Ladybug Sensory Tray

April 24, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This ladybug sensory tray is filled with flowers. It is a great example of how an easy-to-set-up activity can provide so much enjoyment to children, and also have educational outcomes.

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Ladybugs And Flowers

Did you know that ladybugs (also known as lady beetles or ladybird beetles) and flowers go hand in hand? This is because the spotted, well-loved bugs are attracted to the nectar (a source of protein,) and pollen (a carbohydrate energy source) in flowers.

And as they travel from flower to flower, ladybugs transport pollen, fertilizing blooms as they go.

Some flower varieties ladybugs especially love are:

marigolds
nasturtium
cosmos
yarrow
sunflowers
zinnias
sweet alyssum
scented geraniums

Ladybugs are also helpful in a flower patch because their main food source is tiny, green, pesky aphids. These pests suck nutrient-rich juices from plant parts and multiply quickly.

An adult ladybug can munch on up to fifty aphids a day. They eat other bugs as well as flower pollen and nectar to supplement their diet.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Ladybug Sensory Tray

A color-filled ladybug and flower sensory tray. Facts about ladybugs and blooms included.

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This tray is effortless to set up, and your little learners will be eager to explore it.

For the base, I feature a large, square serving tray. It’s easy for little ones to reach in and reorganize the pieces.

Craft punched paper flowers are arranged in the tray, along with artificial plant leaves and a few smooth rocks.

As my ladybug figurines are buried in a large bin, I use craft foam ladybugs in two different sizes. The light, oversized bugs add interest to the tray.

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If flowers are plentiful in your area, you can add real ones to your bin. The tray below features a few kinds of sunflowers.

For an alternative to ladybug figurines, painted rock bugs are an inexpensive choice.

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Do you love ladybugs or need some around to combat aphids? Why not plant flowers that they are attracted to in your flower patch or container garden.

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Related: Ladybug Wand Craft

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Easter Transient Art

April 17, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Here are three easy Easter transient art activities using egg, chick, and bunny designs as a base. They’ll add color and style to any Easter or spring theme.

Set out these adorable, party-ready Easter transient art activities using easy-to-find supplies. The activities also work for a spring theme.

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What Is Transient Art?

Transient art is non-permanent art using craft materials and/or loose parts. It is open-ended and process-oriented. The art can be designed and redesigned by the same child, or by different children. It allows children to be creative in a non-threatening environment.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following for these Easter transient art activities:

wood canvas boards
wall art frames
undecorated wood bunny, chick, and egg plaques
circle, flower, and butterfly paper punches
turquoise, green, yellow, orange, pink, and purple cardstock paper
12-inch x 18-inch yellow, pink, and blue construction paper
glue stick
scissors
pencil

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The Easter Transient Art Process

Adorable, party-ready bunny and egg transient art activities using easy-to-find supplies. The activities also work for a spring theme.

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First, select inexpensive unfinished wood plaques with an Easter or spring theme. The bunny, egg, and chick plaques featured here were purchased at a Dollar store. I was originally looking for just a bunny, but was excited to happen upon all three designs!

Next, pick wooden canvas boards and/or wall art frames that are slightly bigger than the plaques.

Then cut 12-inch x 18-inch construction paper in colors of choice to fit inside the frames or canvas board backs.

Punch out flowers and butterflies from spring-colored cardstock. Punch circles and glue contrasting colored ones to the flower centers.

Lastly, set the plaques on a table in frames or canvases, and add the paper punched shapes.

Set up this Easter egg transient art invitation for your child today! An easy, non-threatening spring activity.

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Invite children to pick an egg, chick, or bunny design to decorate with paper shapes.

Oh, so pretty spring chick transient art activity using easy-to-find supplies. A permanent artwork can also be created.

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Oh, so pretty Easter bunny transient art activity using easy-to-find supplies. A permanent artwork can also be created.

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Oh, so pretty Easter egg transient art activity using easy-to-find supplies. A permanent artwork can also be created.

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Tips:

For an economical alternative, a homemade cardstock frame can be used instead of the canvas board or art frames.
And die cut, foam, and felt craft supply butterflies and flowers can be substituted for paper punched ones.

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Permanent Art Projects

After children have had a chance to create transient art projects, they may wish to complete a finished work. White glue could be used to adhere the flowers and butterflies to the plaques. Or you could offer cardstock bunnies, chicks, and eggs as templates.

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Oh, so pretty Easter chick transient art activity using easy-to-find supplies. A permanent artwork can also be created.

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Oh, so pretty spring bunny transient art activity using easy-to-find supplies. A permanent artwork can also be created.

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Spring Bunny Wreath Craft

April 14, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Make this adorable spring bunny paper plate craft with easy-to-find supplies. A jelly bean necklace is a finishing touch.

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Here’s a simple spring bunny wreath craft that’s perfect for the Easter season, but also celebrates spring. Along with a bunny, flowers, and butterflies, it incorporates jelly beans, fitting for National Jelly Bean Day!

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Supplies To Collect

Easy to gather supplies to make an adorable spring bunny wreath craft.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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For this sweet, floral craft project, gather the following:

white paper plate
cardstock in spring colors
flower, butterfly, and circle paper punches
white or tan cardstock
pink pompom
wiggly eyes
needle and thread
jelly beans
glue stick
white glue or glue gun
scissors
thin black felt pen

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Making The Spring Bunny Wreath Craft

Craft this adorable spring bunny wreath with easy-to-find supplies.

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First, cut the center from a paper plate.

Next, punch flowers, butterflies, and circles from spring-colored cardstock. Using a glue stick, adhere contrasting circle centers to some of the flowers.

Then glue butterflies and flowers around the paper plate rim.

Trace and cut a bunny head from white or tan cardstock. (A white bunny is perfect for Easter, but a grey or brown one will take the craft into spring.) Download this free template if desired.

Download this bunny head template to make a spring bunny wreath craft.

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Bunny Head PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Then draw two curved lines for the bunny mouth, and add whiskers.

Afterward, glue on the wiggly eyes and a pink pompom nose.

Lastly, adhere the paper bunny to the bottom back of the wreath using white glue or a glue gun.

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Adding The Jelly Bean Necklace

For a unique crafting experience, make a colorful and tasty jelly bean necklace for the bunny:

Pull a long piece of thread through a sturdy sewing needle.
Thread on jelly beans in a pattern of choice, or add them randomly.
Tie off the ends of the thread when the necklace is the desired length.
String the necklace around the bunny’s neck.

String a jelly bean necklace to wear or use in a craft. A super fun activity with pattern-making possibilities.

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Tip: For young children, the necklace could be prepared in advance. Or little learners could dictate which color jellybeans to thread on a necklace as you make one for them.

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Making this jelly bean necklace was easier than I thought it would be. I was sure that I would poke my fingers more than once. But thankfully I didn’t!

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This paper plate bunny wreath will brighten up any space, The jelly bean necklace is the highlight of the craft.

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Craft this adorable spring bunny wreath with easy-to-find supplies. A jelly bean necklace is a finishing touch.

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Related: Jelly Bean Theme

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The spring colors in the wreath are so welcome at a time of year when some days are bright and sunny, but others are grey and overcast. And I’m so ready for flowers and butterflies since we’ve had more than our share of snow this year!

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Floral Decorated Skeleton

October 30, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It’s always a treat to check the latest trends in home décor and craft stores, and this fall the offerings did not disappoint. Design ideas that stood out from the crowd were the floral accents on skeletons in wall art, sculptures, and figurines spotted at Michael’s stores. The pastel flowers totally romanticized and softened skeletons and skulls, and made them super fun.

Little learners can experience and create a floral decorated skeleton with a nature-themed transient art opportunity.

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Floral Decorated Skeleton Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this invitation to create:

flowers
tray
large model skeleton
large frame

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Decorating The Skeleton

Set a skeleton in a frame and add floral accents to soften up the look.

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On a table, set a skeleton model inside a 16-inch x 20-inch art frame.

Arrange flower heads in a tray. Mine were picked from begonias and marigolds grown in my yard over the summer: end-of-season plants that were about to freeze over due to frosty fall mornings.

A nature tray filled with flowers ready to be used for crafts, playdough, and sensory play.

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Invite early learners to decorate the skeleton with flowers.

Yellow and orange flowers brighten up this skeleton and allow children to become floral designers.

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You might enjoy adding floral touches to the skeleton too!

Yellow marigolds brighten up this skeleton and allow children to become floral designers.

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Pink begonia flowers soften up this skeleton and give young children a chance to be floral designers.

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Flower Theme Activities

November 8, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Flower theme art, sensory, and pretend play activities. Early learners will love the winged creatures (dragons, unicorns, and an angel) featured in the theme.

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Last spring I picked up two voluminous begonia plants that had large wing-shaped leaves. One plant was called “dragon wing begonia,” and the other was a double pink-flowered variety with similar wing-like leaves. The vigorous plants inspired dragon and flower theme activities for early learners, and angel and unicorn play.

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Nonstop Pink Begonia Flower Activities

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Nonstop pink begonia still blooming after Canadian Thanksgiving Day. — Nonstop Pink Begonia

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Begonia “Through The Seasons” Sensory Tray

Around Canadian Thanksgiving Day, the nonstop pink begonia was still blooming profusely. At the same time collecting pine cones was on my list of tasks to do. By the end of the week, snow was in the forecast. Our area didn’t get snow, but many places in our province did. The mingling of elements of summer, fall, and winter in that week was the inspiration for this sensory tray for little learners. Included are flower leaves and blooms, pine cones, and cotton ball snow. Rocks, stone eggs, and a show-stopping dragon round out the tray.

Three seasons sensory tub with pine cones, begonia leaves and flowers, and cotton ball snow. A dragon and stone eggs complete the tub

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Flower Angel

Puffy begonia flowers and leaves arranged in an angel craft are a pretty way to highlight the blooms of the plant. The angel can be a table decoration and conversation piece during snack or lunchtime.

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Flower angel made with nonstop pink begonia blooms.

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Mud Kitchen Sensory Table

A piece of cardboard with stove elements drawn on with a black permanent felt pen and crayon works magnificently for flower-themed “indoor mud kitchen” play. Set it out on a table with flowers, leaves, spoons, and a mortar and pestle. Or offer the blooms and accessories outdoors for kitchen play.

Flower-themed indoor mud kitchen. Nonstop pink begonia leaves and flowers, mortar and pestle, pots and pans, and a cardboard stove top complete the play invitation. — Cardboard Stove Top

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Flower Petals And Playdough

Offer the leaves and flower petals with scented playdough for your little ones to use.

Coconut and strawberry playdough with nonstop pink begonia leaves and flower petals.

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Unicorn Water Play

Float begonia leaves and flowers in turquoise colored water in a tub filled with rubber unicorns and pink and white loose parts. The items in this inviting sensory tub are:

begonia leaves and flowers
ice cube flowers and fish
shells
pearl gems
buttons
rubber unicorns

Unicorn and nonstop pink begonia sensory tub. Gem pearls, fish and flower ice cubes, shells, and buttons are part of the water tub.

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Related: Sunflower Unicorn

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Dragon Wing Begonia Flower Activities

Dragon wing begonia plant. — Dragon Wing Begonia

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When I saw the plant named “dragon wing begonia,” I knew it was destined for early childhood play. Here are two inviting activities this plant can shine in.

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Castle-Themed Sensory Tray

Begonia leaves and flowers, rocks, and stone eggs are included in this flower-inspired tray for little ones. A dragon, king, and princess figurine offer serious play potential in the tray.

Castle-themed sensory bin with a dragon, king, princess, and dragon wing begonia leaves and flowers.

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Cardboard Dragon Craft

Dragon wing begonia leaves are the wings in this painted cardboard dragon craft. Flowers accent the mythical creature.

Cardboard dragon with dragon wing begonia wings and flower accents.

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Note:

Begonia plants are not poisonous to people. But the plants are toxic to dogs and cats and should be kept in pots out of their reach.

Children require supervision while participating in the activities shown in this post. When play is finished, they should wash their hands with soap and water.

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These flower theme activities work well when frost threatens and the growing season is over. They allow early learners to explore the low-maintenance, show-stopping plants with loose parts in art and sensory play.

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