spring

Easter Peeps Houses

April 1, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky 2 Comments

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These cute Easter peeps houses take gingerbread house-making into the Easter season. And the chick peep coop and bunny peep hutch are easy-peasy to make together with little learners.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies to make these sweet graham cracker houses:

bunny and chick peeps
Easter bunny rabbit jubes
graham crackers
powdered sugar icing
cornstarch
water
assortment of candies
green candy sprinkles
green gel icing color
mixer or whisk
plates, spoons, and disposable knives

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Making The Easter Peeps Houses

An oh-so-tasty graham cracker Easter bunny hutch everyone will enjoy making. A sure-to-please Easter activity.

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For this activity, I use powdered sugar icing, a little cornstarch, and water to make the icing. It’s ideal to have powdered gingerbread house icing available, but I couldn’t find any on short notice.

Start by mixing a few scoops of powdered sugar icing, a teaspoon of cornstarch, and a little water in a bowl. Blend ingredients with a mixer or whisk for a couple of minutes. The icing mixture should be thick and tacky. Add a little more icing sugar if the mixture is too thin, or add a tad more water if it is too thick.

Then set aside some of the icing in a bowl and stir in a tiny bit of green gel icing color.

Next, spread plain icing on the edges of graham crackers and gently assemble them together to make five sides of a cube, leaving one side open. Disposable knives are a good size for little learners to work with.

An oh-so-tasty graham cracker Easter chick coop craft everyone will enjoy making. A sure-to-please Easter activity.

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Note: Name-brand graham crackers are best to use because they are sturdier, don’t break as easily, and come in bigger pieces. Featured here is a no-name brand.

Afterward, select candies to decorate the Easter peeps house with. I feature miniature M&M’s and jelly bellies.

Easter peeps and an assortment of candy to make graham cracker Easter peeps houses.

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Then spread icing on the sides and tops of the graham cracker house and decorate with candies of choice.

If little learners are participating, allow some snacking while working. There will be interesting discussions about candy types, colors, and tastes!

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A Peep Bunny Hutch Or Chick Coop

Create this cute Easter bunny hutch with graham crackers, a peeps bunny, and candy treats. It's an all-ages craft sure to be enjoyed.

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To make an edible bunny hutch scene, spoon a layer of green icing on a plate. Make sure the plate is disposable if participants are taking their tasty creation home.

Then set in the graham cracker “hutch.” Add a few candy sprinkles around it.

Spread a generous amount of icing on the floor of the house and set in two Easter bunny rabbit jubes. These can be bunny babies.

Finally, drop candy sprinkles on the green icing to look like grass, and add an Easter bunny peep and a few gummy eggs.

Create this cute Easter chick coop with graham crackers, a peeps chick, and candy treats. It's an all-ages craft sure to be enjoyed.

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For the chick peep coop scene, set the coop on a plate with green icing, and add candy sprinkles and gummy eggs. Then place the Easter chick peep in the coop.

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These Easter peeps houses are sure to delight little learners and their families. Do you have any suggestions for how to make them? Leave a comment below.

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Related:

Bunny Candy Art

Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Cookies

Easy S’Mores Bars

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[Read more…]

Spring Bunny Play Tablescape

March 27, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Bunnies are a symbol of spring, and can easily be spotted hopping around neighborhoods at this time of year. They are associated with abundance, rebirth, new beginnings, and fertility. And just as these four-legged garden lovers are prevalent outdoors, bunny-themed accessories are easy to snag in stores at the moment. Here’s a collection of accessories featured in a spring bunny play tablescape.

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Spring Bunny Tablescape Supplies

Bunny-themed loose parts for a spring dramatic play tablescape your little learners will love to play in.

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The following bunny-themed supplies are featured in the colorful pretend play setup:

paper plates and cutlery
clear disposable goblets
serving bowls
carrot-shaped treat holders
bowling pins
bunny builder construction toy
large pompom balls
erasers
foam beads
squish bunny party favors
cookie cutters
miniature stuffed bunny
fillable bunnies
hopping bunny and basket game
artificial spring branch

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The Spring Bunny Play Tablescape

Bunny-themed loose parts take center stage in this super fun Easter bunny dramatic play invitation.

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The list above shows the possibilities for collecting accessories for this vibrant dramatic play invitation. Just a few of the supplies will keep a play kitchen center interesting and engaging.

Game pieces and fillable treat holders work wonderfully as play kitchen loose parts.

Early learners will use their imagination to turn these loose parts into muffins, cookies, candies, and other kinds of food.

During the spring season, these kinds of supplies are prevalent at dollar and discount stores, and in the seasonal section of most grocery stores.

A super fun bunny pretend play invitation that is quick and easy to set up. It's perfect for an Easter or spring theme.

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This bunny-themed play tablescape works well during the Easter season and can be offered as part of a spring theme.

A super fun bunny dramatic play invitation that is quick and easy to set up. It's perfect for an Easter or spring theme.

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Easter Pretend Play Tablescape

Lemon-Inspired Play Kitchen

Watermelon Dramatic Play

Fall Tablescape Pretend Play

Pumpkin Tablescape Pretend Play

Thanksgiving Tablescape Pretend Play

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Tablescape

Penguin Pretend Play Tablescape

Chinese New Year Tablescape

Valentine’s Day Pretend Play

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Set up this super colorful Easter bunny play tablescape in minutes. Bunny-themed loose parts take center stage in the setup.

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[Read more…]

Spring Bunny Rice Bin

March 26, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Usher in spring in fashion with this bunny rice bin. A long-legged bunny and green and white eggs and loose parts are in the bin.

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We’re ready for warmer weather, and this spring bunny rice bin is definitely helping to usher it in. The green and white seasonal color scheme is inspired by beautiful bunny-themed eggs discovered on a shopping run.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

This spring bunny loose parts tray features green and white bunnies, eggs, and loose parts.

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For this calming rice bin, gather the following supplies:

stuffed Easter bunny
decorative Easter eggs
Easter basket
shredded Easter grass
bunny erasers
marbles
container caps
transparent triangles
bendable bunny figurine
Easter grass
glutinous rice
bus tub

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The Spring Bunny Rice Bin

The bin of choice is a white bus tub. It is large enough to fit a variety of contents and is suitable for 2-3 children to use at once.

The base for this bin is white glutinous rice. It is my absolute favorite base because it showcases the supplies in a bin so well.

The sensory bin theme is inspired by decorative green and white eggs snapped up at a dollar store on a routine shopping run.

This green and white bunny-themed rice bin gives you all the feels. Loose parts coordinate with the bunnies and eggs in the bin.

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It took a little while to find a matching stuffed bunny, but eventually, I discovered a unique one at another dollar store. The sprawling bunny adds character to the bin.

Green paper Easter grass adds texture to the glutinous rice base.

An Easter basket, bendable bunny, and bunny erasers all in green come from my Easter theme storage tub.

And green transparent triangles, marbles, and container caps picked from my loose parts collection round out the supplies in the bin.

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Any color scheme will work wonderfully for this spring bunny rice bin. Selecting two or three feature colors for the bin makes setting it up that much more fun.

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Was this post helpful? Share in a comment below.

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More Bunny Activities

Easter Bunny Sensory Bins

Silhouette Bunny Art

Spring Bunny Canvas Art

Bunny Rolling Pin Art

Bunny Candy Art

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[Read more…]

Ombre Bunny Art

March 25, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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When doing a similar bunny art project year after year it’s nice to vary the color scheme. In this spring painting activity, shades of teal and blue are used to create ombre bunny art.

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Supplies To Collect

Shades of blue tempera paint are used to decorate this ombre bunny, This is an easy-to-do art project that you are sure to love.

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For this simple painting project, gather the following supplies:

teal and deep blue tempera paint
white tempera paint
paint pots
paintbrush
paint palette
bunny template
manilla tag paper
wiggly eyes
black pipe cleaner
blue button
cotton balls
spoons
scissors and pencil
white glue or glue gun

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The Ombre Bunny Art Project

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To start off, pick a bunny template to trace and cut out from manila tag paper, or another sturdy kind. My bunny design was traced from a dollar store wall plaque.

Then select a deep color of teal paint and add it to three paint pots. In two of the pots, stir in varying amounts of white paint. Pour dark blue paint into a fourth paint pot and mix in some white.

Afterward, spoon the blue paint shades and a little white into a paint palette.

Set the paint palette, bunny template, and paintbrush on an art table protected with newspapers or a disposable tablecloth.

Brushing on blue shades from dark to light or light to dark will create an ombre effect.

When the painting is dry, use a glue stick or glue gun to adhere two wiggly eyes, a button nose, and a bent pipe cleaner mouth to create a bunny face.

Wiggly eyes, a button nose, and a pipe cleaner mouth create a bunny face.

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Or glue one or more cotton balls to the bottom of the bunny to fashion a bunny tail.

A cotton ball tail accents this easy-to-do ombre-painted spring bunny art project you are sure to love.

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A pink, purple, or green color palette would also look pretty on this ombre bunny art project.

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More Bunny Art

Spring Bunny Canvas Art

Bunny Rolling Pin Art

Silhouette Bunny Art

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[Read more…]

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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[Read more…]