loose parts

Valentine’s Day Sensory Tubes

February 6, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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With so many Valentine’s Day bits and baubles available to purchase or collect, it is easy to gather little pieces for sensory tubes. And Valentine’s Day sensory tubes are fun to put together.

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Sensory Tube Loose Parts

Valentine's day loose parts tray with pieces for sensory tubes.

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Here’s a few supplies that would work well in the sensory tubes:

X and O game pieces
rainbow and heart erasers
heart and jewel-shaped gems
small buttons
heart garland strips
bead garland strips
rubber hearts
foam hearts

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Assembling The Valentine’s Day Sensory Tubes

Pick a few things from the loose parts list to drop in wide-mouthed water bottles with lids that secure on tightly. Then add water to each one. Set the tubes out on a table for little learners to investigate.

Valentine's Day sensory tubes with red, pink, and purple loose parts.

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Float and sink experimenting works well with these sensory tubes. In the one on the left, X and O game pieces float to the top. Foam hearts float and erasers and gems sink in the middle tube. And in the one on the right, heart-shaped gems sink to the bottom.

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Sensory tubes with Valentine's Day themed loose parts.

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Chinese Money Tree Activities

February 2, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Chinese money trees have been part of Chinese New Year celebrations since the 1980s and are a symbol of luck and wealth. People buy money trees for their homes and place them in strategic places. They also purchase and display shiny, metallic tree ornaments laden with gold coins. Here are art and sensory Chinese money tree activities your early learners will enjoy.

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Chinese Money Tree Tray

Set a tree-drawing inside a wooden tray. Add containers with Chinese coins and green and gold gems.

Invitation to decorate a Chinese money tree with gold coins and acrylic gems.

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Feel free to download this template for the project.

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Tree PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Invite your little learners to decorate the tree.

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Winter Sensory Trays

January 10, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Snowflake confetti makes an eye-catching base for three simple winter sensory trays. Combined with a few accessories, it sets the stage for sparkly sensory play experiences your little learners will delight in.

The find: shiny snowflake and dot confetti in a blue, silver, and white color scheme.

Basic Winter Sensory Tray

Supplies to collect:

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snowflake confetti
turquoise gems
silver and white bead garland strips
large silver snowflakes
star cups
clear spoons

Set in a tray, these pieces make the perfect hands-on sensory activity for your little ones to celebrate winter with.

Snowflake studded winter sensory tray filled with shiny pieces.

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Shiny pieces rule in this snowflake confetti based winter sensory tray.

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Polar Bear Sensory Tray

In this tray, the star cups and spoons are replaced with cube-shaped “ice cube” acrylic gems and an ice floe cut from styrofoam. Polar bear figurines are set on and around the ice floe.

Polar bear winter sensory tray with a snowflake confetti base and shiny loose parts.

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Polar sensory tray with a snowflake confetti base and shiny loose parts.

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Polar animal-themed loose parts tray. — **Polar Sensory Tray Loose Parts**

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Penguin Sensory Tray

The bears are out and a variety of penguins are in! Styrofoam packing chips are added to the mix. The penguins are propped on the ice floe and ice chunks, or swimming in the water. Cotton balls would also be a good fit for this tray.

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Penguin sensory tray with a winter-themed loose parts in a snowflake confetti base.

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White rice or paper snowflake confetti can be substituted as the base in these glitzy, easy-to-set-up winter sensory trays your little learners will love.

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Snowflake Cafe Dramatic Play Center Printable Set

Bring wintertime fun into your classroom or playroom with this Snowflake Café Dramatic Play Center Printable Set! Perfect for cold-weather learning, this cozy café invites children to step into imaginative play as bakers, servers, and customers—offering winter-themed cookies and warm cups of hot chocolate.

This engaging, winter-themed pretend play resource

is ideal for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary classrooms
supports dramatic play, counting, writing, and social skills
is great for winter units, indoor recess, or learning centers
is perfect for a play date
is excellent activity to pack on trips
is easy to prep—just print, cut, and play
is easy to store

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What’s Included in This Printable Set

9 winter-themed cookie choices
Cookies in cookie pans
3 hot chocolate choices
Snowflake Café signs
Open & Closed signs
Price list/menu
Daily Special sign
Two styles of order forms (perfect for different ages and skill levels)
Store labels for organizing your café setup
Play money
Recipe suggestion form
40 printables in all

Whether you’re creating a seasonal dramatic play center, adding fresh excitement to your winter curriculum, or introducing a fun winter activity at home, the Snowflake Café printable set is a delightful way to keep children learning and playing throughout the season.

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More Winter Activities

Winter Playdough Recipe

Blue Candy Cane Science Experiment

Igloo Camping Pretend Play

Polar Bear Small World

Painting Ice and Snow

Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

Ice Drum Musical Instruments

Frozen-Inspired Shadow Box

Scissor Skill Snow Cutting Activities

Spray Paint Snowflake Silhouette

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Play Tablescape

Snowman Sensory Play

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Scissor Skill Gingerbread Man Craft

December 19, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Gingerbread man craft with scissor skill opportunities. Christmas-themed craft supplies are used to decorate the kraft paper gingerbread man.

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Gingerbread man stories and activities are definitely one of the most fun parts of Christmas. Including them in my preschool plans is an annual routine.

After reading a few fun-filled gingerbread man picture books to my preschoolers this month, I was eager to set out a scissor skill gingerbread man craft so they could explore beautiful bits and baubles and practice cutting and gluing. This activity would be easy to set up for the little learners in your life.

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Craft Materials To Collect

Gather Christmas-themed craft materials that can be cut and glued, or simply glued.

Compartment sorting tray with Christmas-themed craft supplies.

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Included in this compartment sorting tray are:

gingerbread man themed cupcake liners
striped straws
cream lace
Christmas bows
pompoms
feathers
pipe cleaners
tissue paper squares
bead garland
thick ribbon pieces

The color scheme for this scissor skill craft is red, yellow, green, gold, and cream.

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Making The Gingerbread Man Craft

Cut gingerbread people from kraft cardstock.

Gingerbread man template traced onto kraft cardstock paper, ready to be cut out.

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Or cut them from brown paper grocery bags.

Paper bag ready to be cut into gingerbread men for a collage craft.

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Use your own pattern or download this gingerbread man printable.

Gingerbread man printable for art and craft activities.

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Gingerbread Man TemplateDownload

This printable is for personal or one classroom use only.

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Ask your early learners to stick two adhesive wiggly eyes to their gingerbread person.

Adhesive wiggly eyes added to a kraft paper gingerbread man.

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Then invite them to cut shapes from the craft materials, and adhere the bits with white glue. Pompoms and bows can be glued on as is.

Invitation to cut and glue Christmas-themed craft supplies to decorate a kraft paper gingerbread man.

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Images on a gingerbread-themed tablecloth set out for the craft offer decorating inspiration.

After the gingerbread people dry, display and admire them!

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Paper gingerbread man craft. Children practice scissor skills while decorating the gingerbread man with Christmas-themed craft supplies.

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Click here for Scissor Skill Tips

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This scissor skill gingerbread man craft gives early learners a chance to create a unique gingerbread person. And the craft is sure to be treasured by children’s loved ones.

Gingerbread man decorated with Christmas-themed craft supplies.

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December Kindness Activities Printable Set

A December Kindness Calendar and Kindness Jar are two activities to teach empathy and kindness at home or in the classroom. Download this gorgeous pastel holiday printable set of kindness activities in my Skills N Smiles Etsy Shop for a low-low price. You’ll have the December kindness activities ready in minutes!

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Christmas Sensory Play

December 15, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Christmas-themed sensory play with festive loose parts in a rice based tray and a water tub.

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With a host of seasonal loose parts available to purchase in the fall, Christmas sensory play experiences are easy and economical to put together. These two festive tubs are sure to delight your little learners.

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Christmas Rice Sensory Tray

Glutinous rice is the base for this tray. The word glutinous means glue-like; the rice does not contain gluten. The grains are super white, showcasing the loose parts in the tray. But any kind of rice would work well.

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Pour a layer of rice into a tray or plastic tub. Add loose parts from the list below, or substitute accessories you have available. Invite your early learners to explore the tray.

Loose parts:

red, green, and white buttons
ice cube stars, snowmen, and trees
acrylic gem snowflakes and lights
metallic snowflakes
foam Christmas shapes and alphabet letters
candy-striped straws
red bowl and spoon

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Christmas-themed loose parts tray for sensory play.

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Additional containers for pouring and filling could be included.

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Christmas-themed containers for sensory play.

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Christmas Water Sensory Tub

Pour a few liters of lukewarm water into a plastic tub. Drop in accessories from the list above or pick from your own stash of loose parts. Adding just a few Christmas-themed loose parts will set the stage for enjoyable learning through play.

A clear plastic present is a highlight of the sensory tub below.

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Christmas erasers are bound to be a hit!

Christmas erasers are a stand out in this festive water sensory tub.

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Learning Through Play Possibilities

Rich learning takes place when children participate in these Christmas sensory play invitations. Some learning possibilities are:

sorting green and red shapes (math – set making; language – color recognition)
counting shapes (math – counting)
comparing shapes to those of others (language development; paying attention to detail)
filling and emptying the plastic present (math/language – empty/full)
noticing how the foam shapes stick to the sides of the present (science)
recognizing letters of the alphabet (language -letter recognition)

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