Putting The Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

painting

Spooky Hands Craft

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Easy to make spooky hands craft using shiny white corn syrup paint, Q-tips, and nail art. A seasonal, all-ages activity that is sure to stun.

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This shiny spooky hands craft is effortless to do and uses easy-to-gather materials. The supplies for this project can be found at your local grocery and dollar stores.

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Supplies To Collect

  • white corn syrup
  • orange, green, and purple food coloring
  • paint containers and brushes
  • spoons
  • spider-themed fake nails
  • skull-themed fake nails
  • polka dot fake nails
  • Q-Tips
  • spider gems
  • sturdy white paper
  • black permanent felt pen
  • scissors

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Taste safe corn syrup paint ingredients.

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Traced hands and supplies needed to make spider, skull, and skeleton hand-themed crafts.

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Making The Spooky Hands Craft

Using a permanent felt pen, help your early learners trace their hands on a sturdy piece of white paper. Stitches can be drawn on one of the hands. Assist with cutting the shapes out.

Together, mix a few drops of food coloring into containers of white corn syrup with spoons. A bit of yellow food coloring added to green makes it lighter and brighter. A few drops of yellow and red can be stirred to make orange. Combining red and blue makes purple.

Set out the paper hands, corn syrup paint, and paintbrushes. Invite your little learners to decorate each hand in one shiny color.

Add fake nails, Q-tips, and spiders. Let your little learners stick the loose parts into their tacky, painted hands.

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Supplies needed to create a green skeleton-themed painted hand.

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Supplies needed to create an orange, spider-themed hand.

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Supplies needed to create a purple spooky hand with stitches.

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Allow the sticky projects generous time to dry.

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Green painted hand, decorated with Q-tip bones and orange skull-themed nails.

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Orange painted hand, decorated with spiders and spider-themed nails.

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Purple painted hand with stitches drawn on and polka dot nails.

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Other paint colors and nail art can be used to take advantage of seasonal supplies and make the craft project your own.

This spooky hands craft is easy and fun…the perfect combination! Which hand theme is your favorite? Share in the comments section below.

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Spooky hand art using shiny, taste-safe paint and spider and skeleton-themed loose parts.

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Northern Lights Squish Painting

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Northern lights inspired squish and string painting. Facts about northern lights included. An all-ages art activity to celebrate nature's dazzling light show.

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Northern lights, or auroras, are nature’s majestic light shows sent from the heavens to earth. They are spectacular to view and stunning in photographs or art.  A northern lights squish painting project celebrates the vibrancy and uniqueness of this natural light display.

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Ten Facts About Northern Lights

  • Northern lights are dazzling neon light shows visible in night skies.
  • Electrically charged particles from the sun interact with gases in the earth’s atmosphere to produce the auroras.
  • Charged particle collisions with oxygen in the upper atmosphere cause green dominant auroras; collisions with nitrogen in the slightly lower atmosphere cause blue or purple-red auroras.
  • Northern lights can also showcase pink, blue, orange, or yellow colors.
  • The dancing lights are seen over 200 nights a year in northern skies.
  • There are different kinds of northern lights. They can display as arcs, shooting rays, coronas, or patchy and pulsating lights.
  • Remote northern places with clear, dark nights are optimum aurora viewing locations.
  • Yellowknife, NWT, and Fairbanks, Alaska are two prime locations for observing northern lights.
  • The best time to see auroras is from October to May.
  • Northern lights can occasionally be seen from airplanes, especially on polar flights.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Northern Lights Squish Painting Art Activity

This art activity is inspired by the colors and shapes of northern lights.

Materials To Collect:

  • 12 x 12 pieces of black fade-resistant construction paper
  • bright green and magenta tempera paints
  • paint containers
  • disposable plate
  • spoons
  • long pieces of string or yarn

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Fold 12-inch by 12-inch pieces of black construction paper in half. Set out bright green and magenta tempera paints.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

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Invite your child to spoon both paint colors onto the paper.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

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Ask your early learner to fold over the paper and rub a hand over it.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

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Encourage your child to open the paper and admire the art. It is always exciting to see the designs created.

A finished squish painting art project ready to let dry. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Offer string to add interest to the art activity.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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Ask your little learner to drop magenta paint onto the paper, and lay a string in green paint. Pressing over the string with a spoon is helpful to make sure the string is paint-soaked.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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Next, ask your child to lay the string on the paper in a serpentine shape.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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With one hand lightly on the folded paper, have your child pull out the string slowly and carefully.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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The art will be stunning.

Northern lights inspired squish painting with bright paints and a string. An all-ages art activity,

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View a Northern Lights Squish Painting video tutorial.

Northern lights inspired squish painting art project with bright green and magenta tempera paints. An all-ages activity to celebrate nature's light show,

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Northern Lights Paint Project Variations

The paint colors can be adjusted. A bit of yellow can be added to green paint to add vibrancy, and a drop of white can be added to magenta paint to brighten it.

Paint colors can be varied by introducing turquoise, red, or pink.

A longer string can be used.

Paint can be dripped and paint-soaked string can be applied more than once on each art project.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Northern lights add ambiance to long, dark, cold northern winters. They add excitement to camping trips or backyard wiener roasts. They are a spectacular subject for art projects.

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Squish and string painting art projects. This is an all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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0ctopus Theme Activities

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This post has been updated to include a free downloadable octopus template.

The octopus is a fascinating creature with no shortage of unique characteristics. The sea animals make a cheery topic for early learning activities. And after learning a few surprising facts about them, your family may even choose one for a pet!

Octopus theme facts, crafts, and small world play. The stunning feature art activity uses kitchen supplies. Art and science fun with learning for all ages.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more activities.

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Ten Fast Octopus Facts

  • Octopuses have 8 long arms with hundreds of tiny suction cups on them called suckers. Octopuses can feel, smell, and grab food and objects with them. They grow back an arm if they lose one.
  • Octopuses are very smart. They can solve simple puzzles and mazes. They take things apart. They have good memories.
  • Many octopuses prefer living on the ocean floor in deep waters. A few live in shallow waters.

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Octopus habitat.

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  • Octopuses live alone in dens they make or in shells they squeeze into and pull over themselves. They have no bones in their bodies, so they can fit into small spots.
  • Two large bulging eyes help octopuses see very well.
  • Having blue blood helps octopuses keep warm in colder water.
  • Crawling is the easiest way for octopuses to get around. Their hearts stop beating when they swim, which is much more tiring. They can also crawl on land.
  • Most octopuses are shy and solitary. An exception is the California two-spot octopus, which is not as afraid of people.
  • Octopuses squirt out a blackish, poisonous ink at animals that want to eat them. The ink makes the water dark and irritates the predators’ eyes. It also hurts their sense of smell and taste.
  • Camouflage is their specialty. Octopuses can change color and texture quickly so they look like the plants and rocks around them. They also use color to stand out or communicate with other octopuses. Some hues they can transform into are grey, brown, pink, blue, or green.

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California Two-Spot Octopus

Because of its striking eyespots underneath its real eyes, the California two-spot octopus is a standout. In a neutral surrounding, this octopus can look greyish with yellow spots. The false eyes range from lighter to darker shades of blue.

The California two-spot lives in shallow waters, so many people have seen one. This crustacean is friendlier than other octopuses and can make a good pet.

Click here for pictures and an informative article about this well-known octopus.

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California Two-Spot Octopus Art

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You will need:

  • cardstock paper octopus
  • yellow, blue, and metallic grey dot paint dabbers
  • black permanent felt pen

Trace and cut out a cardstock octopus. Feel free to download the template below to use for the project.

Download this free octopus template for art and craft projects.

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Octopus PrintableDownload

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Invite your early learner to draw eyes and a smile on the octopus with the felt pen. Ask your little one to decorate the octopus to look like the California two-spot using dot paint dabbers.

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Textured Octopus Craft

This painted, shiny pink and yellow octopus has neutral Toasted O’s suction cups.

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Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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Your early learner can decorate a similar one with an easy-to-make, taste-safe paint using kitchen supplies.

Supplies To Collect:

  • white corn syrup
  • food coloring
  • Toasted O’s cereal
  • baby food jars
  • paintbrushes
  • spoons
  • cardstock paper octopus
  • black permanent felt pen
Invitation to paint an octopus with taste safe paint. An all=ages activity.

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Cut out an octopus pattern and ask your early learner to draw on a smile with the felt pen. (The downloadable octopus printable will work well for this craft too.)

Help your early learner mix a squirt or two of food coloring into a little white corn syrup poured into baby food jars.

Invite your little one to paint the octopus.

Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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Afterward, your early learner can push craft eyes and Toasted O’s suction cups into the tacky paint to complete the project.

Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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View a video tutorial for the Octopus Craft.

Octopus craft using taste safe ingredients.

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Octopus Sensory Tub

Your little one can help design and play in this simple sensory tub. The tub is a repurposed flying saucer sled.

Invitation to add cheerios cereal to a painted octopus. All supplies for this craft are easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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The sensory tub includes:

  • rocks, shells, and marine plants
  • an octopus figurine
  • other sea creatures such as a sea turtle, crab, and stingray fish
  • transparent gems

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Although shy and mysterious in the wild, octopuses have heaps of talent and spunky personalities. Would you consider having one for a pet?

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Painting With Chocolate

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You read it correctly: this blog post is about painting with chocolate. It’s easy, it’s fun, and your workspace will smell divine. The activities featured have a process art focus. A few embellishments will make the art display worthy or ready to give away.

Fingerpainting, ice cube painting, and brush painting with chocolate. The process art hearts can be turned into valentines to give away. Art and Science activities for all ages.

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Supplies To Collect

  • hot chocolate powder
  • cocoa powder
  • chocolate sprinkles
  • bowls and spoons
  • sturdy white paper
  • waterproof felt pen
  • ice cubes
  • tray for ice cubes
  • paintbrush
  • container of water
  • doily heart
  • decorative 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock
  • ribbon
  • plastic (or real) rose
  • small plastic pouch
  • chocolates

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Activity One: Painting With Chocolate And Ice Cubes

Freeze different sizes of ice cubes.

Cut a piece of sturdy paper into a large heart shape. Optional: Write the words “You and Me + Chocolate” on the heart with a waterproof felt pen.

Scoop hot chocolate powder and cocoa into bowls. Add spoons.

Set out a tray of slightly melted, very wet ice cubes along with the paper heart and bowls of chocolate ingredients.

Invitation to paint with ice cubes, cocoa, chocolate powder, and chocolate sprinkles. An all-ages art and science activity.

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Start the activity off by saying that the powders are “mystery paints.” Ask your child to guess what the paints might be. Smelling the powders will give the answer away pretty quickly.

Invite your child to scatter hot chocolate powder and cocoa on the heart-shaped paper. (Chocolate sprinkles can be added later.)

Painting activity using ice cubes to swish around cocoa, hot chocolate powder, and chocolate sprinkles.

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Cocoa and hot chocolate added to a heart shape. Ice cubes can be used to swish the powders around.

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Ask your child to swish the powders around the heart with ice cubes, which will make spreadable chocolaty paint.

Offer a paper towel to dab on wet spots if desired. The pattern on the paper towel will add texture to the heart painting.

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Heart painting made by swishing ice cubes through cocoa and hot chocolate powder.

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Optional: Near the end, your child can add chocolate sprinkles to the heart. This will lead to a discovery that they make it harder to move the ice cubes around.

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Activity Two: Brush Painting With Chocolate

Painting with cocoa and hot chocolate powder. The powders are moved around with a paintbrush dipped in water.

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Brush painting is a less messy option if there isn’t much time for cleanup.

Invite your child to scatter hot chocolate and cocoa on a paper heart.

Offer a container of water and a paintbrush. Encourage your child to add water to the dry ingredients and paint the heart.

A paper towel can be used to soak up excess liquid.

Gorgeous chocolate heart paintings made with water and hot chocolate and cocoa.
Swoon-worthy hearts painted by preschoolers.

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Activity Three: Fingerpainting With Chocolate

The ice cube painting project and brush painting activity can both be turned into fingerpainting experiences. Mixing a higher concentration of cocoa and a little less water results in a fingerpaint-friendly paste that is luscious to spread around. Chocolate sprinkles can be added to enhance the sensory experience.

Fingerpainting with water added to hot chocolate powder and cocoa. Chocolate sprinkles can be included in the mix.

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Painted Heart Valentine

Adding a few embellishments will turn a chocolaty heart into a valentine to give away or art piece for display.

The brush-painted version is my favorite for turning into a keepsake. Any extra dry powder can be scraped off with a kitchen scrubber before the heart is added to a craft valentine.

Write the words: You And Me + Chocolate on a doily heart.

Use a glue gun to attach the doily to the painted heart.

Mount the heart on a 12-inch x 12-inch piece of decorative paper.

Add a bow and a real or crafted rose.

Chocolate heart painting added to a valentine to give away.

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Or add a bow and small pouch with chocolates.

Chocolate heart painting added to a valentine to give away.

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Art, Science, and sensory learning come together in these easy-to-do painting with chocolate activities. Your early learner will certainly be excited to try them.

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Sea Turtle Theme Activities

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Sea turtle theme with facts and hands-on activities to share with early learners. Art, math, dramatic play, and sensory activities are included.

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Sea turtles are large, fascinating ocean creatures. After viewing beautiful sea turtle paintings by an artist passionate about conservation and reading a few super interesting storybooks, this sea turtle theme was born. Interesting facts followed by engaging, hands-on activities are included. Green sea turtles are the focus of the theme

Green Sea Turtle Life Stages

One in a thousand baby green sea turtles lives to become an adult. Sea turtles face many challenges in trying to survive. Here’s how they get their start in life.

At night, baby green sea turtles scurry to the ocean from the deep hole they dig out of. They hatch from eggs deposited by their mother (also at night) on a sandy beach above the high tide line. The small, white eggs are buried in a blanket of sand to keep them warm and hide them from predators. The eggs are left alone to incubate for 50 -70 days.

The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the turtles. Warmer eggs become males; cooler eggs become females. Both males and females can dig out of the same nest because the temperature can vary in different parts of it.

The hatchlings hurry to the ocean in the dark when it is less likely that they will be eaten by crabs or shorebirds like gulls or herons. Most babies do not make it to the ocean. Even if they safely make it to the water, they could be eaten by birds hovering above the waves or predatory fish lingering close to shore.

Sea turtle hatchlings scurry to the ocean at night.

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Young green sea turtles spend the first three to five years of their lives in deeper waters. They are carnivores, eating fish eggs, mollusks, jellyfish, worms, sponges, algae, crustaceans, and small invertebrates.

Adults green sea turtles spend most of their time in shallow coastal waters with lush seagrass beds. They are herbivores, relying on food such as seagrasses and algae. Adults are at home in coral reefs, salt marshes, and nearshore grass beds. In these habitats, they have lots of food and protection from predators and rough ocean waves.

Green sea turtle activities for early learners. Sensory bin, small world, art and dramatic play for preschool and kindergarten children.

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Conservation of Green Sea Turtles

Green sea turtles are endangered. They face a high risk of extinction in the wild. The turtles are protected by law in most countries. Many countries also protect their nesting areas.

Some threats green sea turtles face:

  • Loss of nesting areas due to real estate development in coastal areas.
  • Poaching: There is the illegal trade of eggs, meat, and shells.  The skin is used for shoes, belts, and bags.  The meat is used to make exotic dishes like turtle soup.  Turtle oil is used for cosmetics.
  • Plastic and other marine debris

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Help Keep Green Sea Turtles Alive

We can help green sea turtles stay alive!  We can:

  • read books about green sea turtles and how to help them survive.
  • limit the use of plastic and recycle the plastic we use.
  • buy sustainably harvested, ocean-friendly seafood.
  • support organizations that help protect green sea turtles and their habitats.
  • share social media posts about sea turtles and efforts to protect them.

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People who live close to a sea turtle nesting area can:

  • join a beach clean-up.
  • volunteer for a turtle watch night shift.
  • turn off porch lights at night.
  • refrain from using flashlights or making bonfires during nesting season.     

Porch lights, flashlights, and bonfires disorient hatchlings. They can head away from the ocean instead of toward it. 

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Green Sea Turtle Activities

Green Sea Turtle Small World

Sea turtle seashore small world.

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This small world includes a green sea turtle in a beach scene.

Materials used:

  • play sand
  • water
  • blue liquid watercolor (to color the water)
  • rocks (different sizes and colors)
  • sea turtle
  • sea glass
  • small shells
  • fish

Another way to feature the items in this sensory bin is to add them to different compartments of a clear plastic drawer tray. The drawer tray option includes green sea turtles at different life stages.

Sea turtle life stages small world in a clear drawer tray.

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These small worlds are inspired by the art of Carleen Ross. Carleen has authored a gorgeous book featuring her art and sea turtle facts called “Journey To The Sea Turtle”.  (CarleenRossArt.com)

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Painted Sea Turtle Hatchlings

White corn syrup paint colors and turtle hatchling tagboard shapes. An all-ages painting activity.

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Create gorgeous sea turtle hatchlings with this shiny paint in a few different hues.

Supplies needed:

  • white corn syrup
  • green food coloring
  • neon green food coloring
  • yellow food coloring
  • small jars
  • spoons for stirring paints
  • paintbrushes
  • manila paper turtle shapes

Add green and neon green food coloring in different amounts to a few small jars filled with white corn syrup. Add a little yellow food coloring to one jar with green. Mix the paints to make lighter and darker shades of green and yellow-green. Add yellow food coloring to one jar of corn syrup and stir.

Paint the sea turtle hatchlings.
Note: This paint is sticky, and will take at least a week to dry completely. It dries with a beautiful, smooth finish.

Shiny corn syrup painting on green sea turtle hatchlings.

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This art activity is inspired by the art piece “Baby Honus” by Cas Plester. (chillpineappleart.ca)

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Egg And Hatchling Sensory Bin

Sometimes scientists move sea turtle eggs to a safer, drier place and bury them there. This conservation activity is replicated in this egg and hatchling rice bin.

Sea turtle egg and hatchling rice sensory bin.

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Add the following items to a sensory bin:

  • brown rice
  • cloth Bag
  • white styrofoam balls (sea turtle eggs)
  • sea turtle hatchling
  • juvenile sea turtle
  • scoop

A red light can be shined on this sensory bin. Scientists and volunteers use a red turtle-friendly light to carry out their night watch sea turtle activities.

Sea turtle egg rescue rice sensory bin with a red light.

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Sea Turtle Dramatic Play Kit

Sea turtle scientist night watch dramatic play props.

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Add supplies used by sea turtle scientists and turtle watch volunteers to a dramatic play center:

  • toolbox
  • clipboard, paper, and pencils (to take down data)
  • measuring tape to measure nest locations or sea turtle lengths
  • stakes (to mark nest locations)
  • cloth bag (to relocate turtle eggs if needed)
  • ice (to chill “tissue or blood samples”)
  • needle
  • dry gauze
  • plastic specimen jars
  • tag applicator
  • rubber gloves

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Feature Conservation Organization

The organization WIDECAST

  • studies sea turtles.
  • educates children and adults about sea turtle conservation.
  • organizes beach cleanups.
  • recruits volunteers for nightly patrol of sea turtle nesting grounds.
  • promotes alternative sources of income to poaching, i.e. making jewelry with sea glass.
  • lobbies governments for stronger regulations to protect sea turtles and their nesting sites.

WIDECAST is showcased in an excellent non-fiction picture book called Sea Turtle Scientist by Stephen R. Swinburne.

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