Now that spring is in full swing, I'm itching to do a DIY project. If you recall, we have an awesome maple tree in our front yard, and what better project to
Want to learn how to make a catapult? It's easy and fun and the perfect STEM activity for kids of all ages! Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten kids
I love the iridescent quality of dragonfly wings and some things like maple seed happen to be translucent enough to recreate the look of wings and leaves with just the bit of color. Fly on over to …
The Secret to Teaching Handwriting - Use this one simple DIY project to help pre-writers to distinguish between straight and curved lines to help build their understanding of shape and help establish correct letter and number formation later | you clever monkey
This is the BEST paper tube Koi Fish, and one of several other Lunar New Year Animal inspired art lessons that we offer. This fun DIY craft is an original idea from ART CAMP Studio. It's a great year round project for all ages.
Use marbles and natural acorn caps to make acorn pendants for a necklace with this acorn marble necklace DIY jewelry-making tutorial.
It's time to set sail for a classic crafting adventure with this easy-to-do paper boat… all aboard!
Winter solstice has been celebrated all over the world for thousands of years. It occurs on the shortest day and longest night. Although this is often the first day of winter, it also promises the return of the sun after an extended period of darkness.
This is the BEST paper tube Koi Fish, and one of several other Lunar New Year Animal inspired art lessons that we offer. This fun DIY craft is an original idea from ART CAMP Studio. It's a great year round project for all ages.
Clothespins are used mainly for hanging laundry out to dry but nowadays there are many more uses for them. Clothespins can be used to create adorable crafts, decor and can be useful in other ways. Today I will be sharing some Clothespin Crafts for Adults and Kids that will inspire you with a fun craft
My kiddos are always asking for hands on science activities, even if it’s one we have done over and over like this Hovercraft Science experiment project.
Guest post by Johanna Bless of Bless Nest Learning. In this post I’m going to show you how to make a butterfly or fairy wings costume using pressed flowers and contact paper. Superbloom blessed the California hillsides this past spring, and it was definitely a sight to behold! We came home from hikes with wildflowers
If you’re studying the letter A, don’t miss out on making this super-fun clothespin alligator craft as a part of your letter A crafts. Kids...
Simple balloon tennis game for a quick energy buster. Balloon tennis makes a great indoor gross motor play idea.
I've been a bit down in the dumps lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of all of the transitions happening in my life... or lack of sleep... or both. Hopefully I'll feel better once summer starts. In the meantime, I've been doing quite a bit of crafting to cheer myself up. Recently I took my love of rainbow crafts and combined it with my love for paper plate crafts to make... tada! This lovely rainbow paper plate weaving craft! Let's Weave a Rainbow! This post contains affiliate links. This means that I make a teeny tiny bit of money from any purchases made through the Amazon links below. Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure policy, click here. A Little Background and some Tangents... This craft was inspired by Cassie Stephens' awesome woven tree art projects that she did with her 3rd graders. (If you haven't seen this art project, you need to check it out. Seriously. These kids did some gorgeous work!) Instead of doing trees, I made myself a rainbow. Oh! It's time for 2 random tangents: 1) At my son's preschool they have this lovely poem that they say every day with the kids: Chase a few rainbows Swing on a star Keep your face to the sun And be the best that you are. (Lovely, isn't it? Good advice for kids and adults too.) 2) And... if you are like me and always on the lookout for good books... here are our 15+ favorite books on rainbows: A Rainbow of My Own Planting a Rainbow The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow The Rainbow Goblins The Rainbow Book Elmer and The Rainbow My Many Colored Days The Day the Crayons Quit Moonbear's Skyfire Mix it Up A Day With No Crayons Red: A Crayon's story The Crayon Box that talked Mouse Paint Little Blue and Little Yellow A Color of His Own Quest Ok! Let's Weave a rainbow! First, I cut a paper plate in half and painted it with tempera paint to look like the sky. Notes: Usually I encourage using cheap paper plates for crafts, but this time you need to use nice thick sturdy ones. I added clouds later on. It made the sky look nicer that way, I think. Then, I cut out 7 slits on top of the plate and 1 slit on the bottom. Then, I created my loom with some yarn. (I tied the two ends in the back.) Then, I started weaving the rainbow, starting from purple first. I tied on the purple strand to a grey one. Then, I wrapped masking tape around the other end of my purple yarn to help me weave faster. To weave, I simply went over, under, over, under, etc... To change colors, I tied on the next color yarn. Once I finished, I tied on the red strand to a grey one. And that's it! I really hope you enjoy making this craft with your kiddos too! Looking for more fun weaving crafts? Leaf Sewing Woven Baby Turtles Woven CD Dream Catchers Looking for more rainbow crafts? Printable Rainbow Board Game Rainbow Paper Slinkies Color Theory Fans 20+ Unique Rainbow Crafts Happy making, friends!
I don’t remember any of these things…but then again, half the time I don’t remember where I parked my car. If you are under 55, you simply won’t understand. For those who remember – a trip down mem…
I've been busy working on setting up a project for my sons 1st grade class! It's an easy "knitting" project that is perfect for elementary age kids. With a cardboard roll, tape, and popsicle sticks, you can set up a simple loom. Then just like you would finger weave, you wrap the yarn around the tops
Buying things for babies can be fun but making them yourself is so much more enjoyable. We have collected a ton of different DIY projects that you can make for babies that are completely adorable.
This post is part of the Multicultural Kid Blogs Hispanic Heritage Blog Hop– see below for more details about that and our GIVEAWAY! The Alto Mayo region of Peru is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. It’s where my husband is from and where we met: the “high jungle,” the part of Peru
We have been unpacking boxes like crazy (from our recent move from Colorado to Oklahoma)! And the pile of perfectly good boxes is growing into a mountain out in the gar
Shoelaces come in many colors, widths and lengths, which begs for them to be used for more than just shoes! Here are some of my favorite ways to use them.
Bring out your craft sticks and pipe cleaners as we're making a craft stick crocodile craft today! These little fellows look super fun, and what's even more fun is that once your kids make them,
Learn how to set up a calm down corner for kids, with printables and calming tools to help them process big feelings and emotions.
This fire breathing dragon made from a toilet paper roll is an easy kids craft that uses simple craft supplies. When you blow into the end of the tube the tissue paper looks like flames coming out of the dragon's mouth! Fire Breathing Dragon Craft Add this activity to your crafty bucket list, because it's SO MUCH FUN! And it's ridiculously simple to make. Kids, toddlers and preschoolers will love to see the dragon blowing fire! The photos make me smile, just looking at them. Watch the Video Tutorial Here: (Or scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial and printable
Figuring out how to balance objects is something that fascinates children. Whether it is trying to balancing the same type of objects on either side of a
Discover over 45 vestibular activities that can calm, regulate, and improve attention in your child. Plus, get vestibular exercises for...
This fire breathing dragon made from a toilet paper roll is an easy kids craft that uses simple craft supplies. When you blow into the end of the tube the tissue paper looks like flames coming out of the dragon's mouth! Fire Breathing Dragon Craft Add this activity to your crafty bucket list, because it's SO MUCH FUN! And it's ridiculously simple to make. Kids, toddlers and preschoolers will love to see the dragon blowing fire! The photos make me smile, just looking at them. Watch the Video Tutorial Here: (Or scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial and printable
Vickie Howell shows kids how to finger knit in a 5 minute video tutorial, then offers som fun project ideas to make using simple finger knit strands!
STEM activities are a lot of fun and educational, but the best kind of STEM activities are open-ended, allowing children to think for themselves. In this paper plate maze STEM challenge, kids are challenged to make a marble maze using household materials. They must follow all elements of a real design process, including brainstorming, blueprints,
Autumn must surely be the most generous season of all. When we go out for our walks, one thing we make sure to remember is our basket to carry the multitude of treasures we find along the way. Our basket quickly fills up with pine cones, acorns and beautifully colored leaves, along with the customary […]
The best and most fun pen and paper games to cure the boredom blues. Solo, two player and three or more player pencil and paper games for kids and adults!
These crossing midline activities support development of crossing the midline plays in functional tasks like learning and self care.
Sword swallowing is an extremely dangerous trick that doesn't involve illusions. How can it be real? We'll show you — with explanations and diagrams of the interactions between swords and the upper GI tract. Just don't try this at home!
These 20 SUPER FUN home science experiements will teach your little ones all about science while keeping them busy and having a great time!
Foster a love for science with these fun experiments perfect for even the youngest scientists .
this is the ultimate summer craft. why? cause rocks are everywhere!!!! when i started this roundup I didn't realize what an art rock painting is!!! there are some AMAZING ones in here!!!! So this is
We've rounded up our fifteen favorite family reunion games including some for the family history buff, the spunky kids, and the strategist.
In this activity, children are invited to learn more about gravity, engineering and architecture in a fun and hands-on way. I'm not generally one to take pictures of buildings. Sure, I admire certain made-made structures but I've never felt compelled to take multiple pictures of non-historic buildings. Until I went to Dubai, that is. When I asked my family living in Dubai, "Why should families visit Dubai?" and one of the answers on the list was, "Architecture (Dubai has a mix of both Arabic and modern contemporary buildings which creates a unique and interesting landscape)," they weren't wrong. Out of the desert pops this quite amazing spectacle. I had never seen buildings like them. They appeared to rise out of the ground, often so tall that they looked like they were on a lean (perhaps some were?). A new shape and design around every corner. Everywhere that we drove I found myself constantly going, "Wow, look at that one!", "Woah! Check that out." and scrambling to take a photo before we drove on. You can see some great views of Dubai from the air in my earlier post. When I got home, my kids thought the buildings looked fabulous. Going through photos together brought up all sorts of questions and discussions. Opportunities for learning. How do they make the buildings stay up? Why don't they fall over? How do they get them so high? How did they make it that shape? The Burj Khalifa. The tallest building in the world. Building challenge for kids. To help us find some of the answers to the questions, I set out a classic and simple construction activity with just two types of materials, toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. We chatted about how being an architect means that you design, plan and oversee the construction of buildings. It is a very important job that requires a lot of study in order to be able to do it properly. Architecture is both an art and a science. It is the job of an architect to use their creativity to design something that looks a certain way and performs certain functions, as well as knowledge of scientific principles and mathematical expertise, to ensure that the structure stays up! Engineers are also very important in the construction of buildings. They use maths and science to come up with solutions to problems that might arise with the construction of a building. They often need to overcome problems with new solutions that have never been done before, to help realise the dreams of the architect and client. They also need to be able to think creatively. These days a great amount of technology is used in the design and construction of buildings. Here, we were getting back to basics and testing out simple structures. Seeing if we could work against gravity (that force that is always pulling things back to earth), and engineer a building that would stay standing without any assistance other than the arrangement of mini-marshmallows and toothpicks. Relishing in the beauty of a structure and in symmetry that often occurs in buildings. Discussing plans. Using photos for inspiration and to lead discussion. "I think you should make this one" Testing ideas. Problem solving. Whilst younger children (my son had recently turned 3 here) might not be capable of building free-standing structures, this is great for their fine-motor skills and for testing and experimenting. Sorting and counting. Playing allows for unplanned learning to occur naturally. Children learn naturally about 3-dimensional shapes and some of their uses whilst building in this way. Engineering some support beams to prevent the structure from falling. Handy Tips: To extend this activity children could be challenged to: First play the architect and draftsman role in the construction of a building by drawing up plans. See how high they can get a single structure to stand unassisted Test their construction against certain natural phenomenon. Can it survive winds (a fan) or an earthquake (shaking the table)? Build a structure entirely of cubes - To simplify this activity, younger children might find using larger, stronger materials easier for their developing fine-motor skills. Try regular sized marshmallows and paddle-pop sticks instead and let them experiment with sticking them together and seeing how gravity works. - Instead of marshmallows to hold the construction together you could use gum-drops or blu-tack. Instead of the toothpicks you could try straws or sticks. Here we tried building with cotton-buds and playdough with similar results. There are plenty of different combinations of materials that you could try. Happy playing, Debs :) Look where else we are. Are you following along? :) New Here? Subscribe to get all activities sent directly to you Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner
Full tutorial HERE.
If you will make it, they will play it and they will learn it! Sometimes you just need some easy, low prep activities, but ones the students will enjoy and be engaged in so learning
Printable Secret Decoder Wheel - Attention all secret agents! Your secret decoder wheel has arrived and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to send and receive secret messages to your friends without anyone being the wiser. No one will be able to decode your messages unless they have the secret key. This is a super
How to Finger Knit (easy + No Tools Needed!): Finger knitting is so easy: you don't need any tools at all. You'll need your fingers and some yarn - and if you're really nifty with biting said yarn, you won't even need scissors. We are so cool. Make scarves, belts, gifts, gift ribbon, chr…
