Easiest Valentine Activity ever! Fun Foam + Scissors + Heart Shape and you have yourself an easy matching game that kids love!
Preschool is a great time to introduce children to the basics - letters, numbers, shapes, etc. I try to weave these in to what we do...
Hearts are something our early learners beg for all year long and not just on Valentine’s Day. We’re probably not alone either. Hearts are one of those shapes some little people crave t…
Painting ice cubes is a fantastic art and sensory activity for kids. It's a great indoor activity for toddlers and preschoolers.
We love our Grapat mandala pieces for learning & play. Here are some of the ways that we use these loose parts for learning through play.
A blog about teaching children the basics of art and crafting.
Easiest Valentine Activity ever! Fun Foam + Scissors + Heart Shape and you have yourself an easy matching game that kids love!
This January, the invitations offered at our Discovery Centers included many that reflected our science unit on weather and our study of precipitation. In addition to exploring content, the centers allowed children time and space for being creative, inventive and using their imaginations. Makerspace Center The Makerspace Center was a new option for Discovery Workshop and was hugely […]
How to make an easy shapes sorting suncatcher learning activity for your toddler, a great indoor activity!
We celebrated Valentines with one of their favorite things: Process Art! Young children enjoy the process of creating way more than the end product. That is why kids will sometimes paint a picture and then “ruin” it by brushing paint all over it until it is completely covered with all colors of paint mixed together until it’s all gray. But they don’t care. They had fun creating and exploring the art material and in their eyes, that is what they care about. As they grow older they start to care more about both together. I set out things that they could creat with with no directions accept “You are the artist, make it however you want to make it!” I set out loose parts with play dough for them to create with but sadly did not get any pictures! I let them create a collaborative art piece on a large sheet of butcher paper. Here they explored with liquid watercolors and how the colors spread together on doilies. They had free rein to decorate their Valentine card holders. They explored by spraying liquid watercolor from spray bottles onto paper they covered in hearts. They loved the effect this created! They wrote love poems. We have just started working on trying to put spaces between words and we learned the sight word love! To pass out Valentine’s, each child took a turn sitting in the Chair of Honor.” Then I called each table up to give their friend their Valentine and say something kind about them. I was amazed at the kind words they told them! I heard “you are special to me,” “You are a good friend,” “I love you, “You are loved,” “You are helpful,” “You are respectful/responsible,” “You are smart,” and so much more. They loved hearing what everyone had to say to them and smiled for the rest of the day! After Valentine’s, I set out some animal habitats for them to explore. This was not an in-depth investigation, but completely play based for them to explore and learn from since we had so many snow days and 100 day coming up. They looked at the books, and created their own stories using the materials provided for each habitat. They really honed in on the winter forest animals so we focused mostly on those during our whole group lessons. I added a Winter Story Making area for them also. Here are a coup,e activities in literacy and math. They have become very interested in the difference between two and three dimensional shapes. Playing with these shapes helps them discover the different attributes of each shape. 100 Day is next so stay tuned for how we celebrate!
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This face parts game is a great way for kids to learn about all the facial features - and have fun creating lots of silly pictures! The following post contains affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you I can make a tiny bit of money to help support this blog. Thank you! I made this face parts game for my son to play with on the lonnnng flight back to the UK. It is light and all the pieces fit into a resealable bag, so it is super handy for travelling. I found a variety of
Looking for an easy and fun Valentine's Day STEM activity for your kids? Check out this simple activity that uses only 2 things from Dollar Tree!
This package has OODLES of UPDATES as of Feb 2020! If you own it, please download it again to get all the extra goodies :-). It has been revised, expanded, improved, and refined - over 175 extra pages added, quadrupling the size! This package is aligned with the competencies of the new BC Curriculum. Core Competencies: ★ Communication ★ Thinking ★ Personal and Social Sub-competencies: ★ Communicating ★ Collaborating ★ Creative Thinking ★ Critical & Reflective Thinking ★ Personal Awareness and Responsibility ★ Positive Personal & Cultural Identity ★ Social Awareness & Responsibility About the Product Get out your glue and crayons, it’s competency time! Your kiddos are going to have a blast as they learn about the Core Competencies with these interactive activities, inspiring worksheets, and classroom decor. Students will learn about the competencies, define personal goals, track their progress, engage in self-assessment, and celebrate their successes along the way. Completed pages can be glued into a large notebook, or placed in a folder, to build a personalized learning portfolio, that your students and families will love. This large package is suited to grades K-7, with a diverse range of activities to meet the needs of your students. Templates are generic for use with any subject and variations are included throughout. All images are illustrated by me to provide a unique package and inspire smiles :-) Whether you’re a primary or intermediate teacher, have a split class or diverse range of students, or even change grades later on down the road, this package has you covered! Materials Needed: For the interactive pages students will need: scissors glue notebook, folder, or paper, printed sheets from package something to color with pen or pencil for writing WHAT’S INCLUDED? Teacher Material ★ Ideas for use throughout the package ★ Step-by-step illustrated instructions ★ Competency reference material - background info & prompts for the activities ★ Extension ideas Interactive Pages ★ Interactive Fold and Flip Tabs - for core and sub-competencies ★ Interactive Glue and Flip Tabs - for core and sub-competencies ★ Oversize glue and flip tabs - for core and sub-competencies ★ Optional illustrations - to place under flip tabs ★ Optional facet pie charts - to place under flip tabs ★ Optional competency reference cards - to place under flip tabs ★ Optional lined paper - to place under flip tabs ★ Bookmarks - for core competencies & sub-competencies ★ Word Puzzles (includes 1 word/image matching sheet and 5 word searches) ★ ‘I Can’ Statements - to cut and sort (primary, intermediate, and middle school levels) ★ Small and Large Envelopes - to sort ‘I Can’ Statements (into ‘A little, Pretty much, A lot’ categories) Self-Reflection Pages ★ Interactive Fold & Flip Tabs - for goal setting/self-reflection (A strength of mine, I am learning to, A goal I am working towards is, To reach my goal I am going to, I am working on, I Can, Next Steps, My Next Goal) ★ Two Stars and A Wish Templates ★ ‘I Can’ Competency Reference Cards - to assist with goal setting (primary, intermediate, middle school levels) Self-Assessment Pages ★ Blank templates for students to fill in - some with sentence starters to share about: the area they have been working on, what they have been doing, what they are proud of, what’s next, what their goal is moving forward, and how they will reach their goal ★ Interactive Fold & Flip, and Glue & Flip Tabs - provides an engaging way for students to self-assess how things are going with their goals ★ Core Competency self- assessment templates for students to assess progress on personal goals - includes: space to record their goal and their progress, self-assessment levels (‘Starting Out’, ‘Getting There’, ‘I Met My Goal’), and space to share next steps. Separate sheets are provided for Communication, Thinking, & Personal/Social. Student Competency Tracking Sheets ★ Thirteen variations of tracking sheets - for students to track plans, progress and next steps on competency goals Teacher Competency Tracking Sheets ★ Six variations of tracking sheets - for teacher to record student goals and progress Student Work Sample Pages ★ Eleven variations of work sample templates - blank and lined templates for students to write about/attach work samples ★ work sample labels in color and b/w - to identify work samples and competency area Bulletin Board & Display Material ★ Illustrated Core Competency labels in color and b/w - approx 4 X 9 inches each ★ Competency Triangles in color and b/w - approx 5 X 6.5 inches each ★ Two ‘I Can’ Statement Headers - approx 2.5 X 10.5 inches each ★ Sub-competency facet pie charts in b/w - full page each ★ Core and Sub-competency Headers with illustrations in color & b/w - approx 2.5 X 10.5 inches each ★ Three Blank Competency Posters in b/w - includes heading and graphics, which are great for laminating and using with dry erase markers Printable Blank Templates Great for student extension activities ★ Flip Tab Templates ★ Sub-competency Facet Pie Charts - full & quarter page sizes ★ 4 Bookmark Templates ★ Two Word search Templates - 9 X 9 and 10 X 10 grid ★ Small and Large Sorting Envelopes ★ Blank ‘I Can Statements’ card template ★ Two Self-Assessment Templates ★ Five Blank Templates which are handy for student writing - includes competency themed graphics ★ Labels with competency themed graphics for work samples - approx 4 X 1.5 inches Extra Material ★ Single, double-spaced, and blank, custom fit paper - provides an option to use inside flip tabs and on work sample templates. ★ Word Search Answer Keys ★ Alternate Layout of 'I Can' Sorting Statements - with one Core Competency area per page ★ ★ ★ Check out the Preview File for further details and Table of Contents ★ ★ ★ Thanks for visiting! Follow Me to stay in the loop :) TpT Facebook Blog Pinterest With smiles, Tanya Baker Intergalactic Literacy Other Competency Products: Primary Core Competency Posters {Printable & Editable} Intermediate Core Competency Posters {Printable & Editable} Middle School Core Competency Posters {Printable & Editable} ***Please note, the Primary, Intermediate, and Middle School Poster Sets contain different kid friendly ‘I Can’ statements on six posters. The progressive ‘I Can’ Statements, and Editable PowerPoint files, are the same in all three sets.*** Growth Mindset Products: Growth Mindset & Motivational Coloring Sheets - Set 1 Growth Mindset & Motivational Coloring Sheets - Set 2 Growth Mindset & Motivational Coloring Sheets - Set 3 *************************************************************************************
Photo Source: colormekinder.blogspot.com Mrs. M over at Color Me Kinder shared this beautiful peace wreath craft that would be the perfect addition to your plans for Martin Luther King Jr Day or Black History Month. As a collaborative project, your kiddos will find out firsthand what it means and how it feels to work together toward a common goal, as well as observe how each of their personal contributions is necessary and important in order to create a beautiful and full wreath to display! To create hand prints for the wreath... Have students trace and cut their hand prints from multicultural construction paper. Provide students with multicultural paint, inviting them to use a paint brush to cover their hand with paint and gently press it to a piece of white card stock. When dry, have them cut out their prints and arrange them into the shape of a wreath. Of course, you can always use multicultural markers to trace and color, then cut! For this great craft, be sure to visit Color Me Kinder!
Create sensory self-portraits to learn more about facial features and body parts during your preschool All About Me theme.
Create your own cardboard Valentine's craft using recycled materials. A perfect last-minute activity for preschoolers that invites them to use their creativity!
Use these free post office play printables to set up your own post office complete with a sign, stamps, and personal letter boxes!
Valentine's Day Heart Puzzles to work on scissor skills. Love this simple Valentine's Day themed cutting task!
Explore preschool weather activities using this super fun weather sensory bin. Sensory play, language skills, vocabulary development, and lots of fun!
I've mentioned in years past how much I love the book The Day it Rained Hearts. Hands down it is my favorite Valentine's Day children's book. I think the reason I love it so much
f you are looking for a simple science activity to do with the kids, then look no further! This magic milk science experiment is perfect for you! It amazes the kids every time and it is super easy to do too! Just grab a few household supplies and have a blast with magic milk!
My son LOVES Toy Story. He loves all three movies, has tons of Toy Story toys and can spot a Toy Story character from a mile away. I've never really been able to get him interested in art/craft projects. However, he's been doing some little art projects at school and he seems to be quite proud of them. The projects were sitting either on our dining room table (our catch-all) or one of the kitchen counters. Multiple times he picked up his project and brought it to different people in the household to show them saying, "Mine". It was so cute!! He was so proud to show us what he made! I decided maybe he was finally ready to try some more art/craft projects at home. But I knew I had to keep it interesting for him. So I decided to do something with a character he was familiar with: Mr. Potato Head. I cut out various pieces for both Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. I gave him both a glue stick and a small bottle of Glue-all. I wasn't sure which would be easier for him. We started with the Glue-all. He did a few pieces with my help. I verbalized the different body parts as he glued them on. I also showed him PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) images of body parts. We used PECS with our oldest daughter when she was young and learning to talk (she has Apraxia). I happened to find these PECS when I cleaned out a closet recently and thought I'd give them a try with Kellan. He didn't last long initially. He did the first few body parts and then got down and played in the family room. But he came back to finish Mr. Potato Head. He got up again went and played for a few minutes, but was intrigued and came back for more. He decided to investigate the glue stick. He started touching it and digging his finger in it. I've learned to be a lot more laid back than I was with the girls. There's a great blog called Play At Home Mom. They use the Reggio approach to their play and parenting. While I admire their method, it is a bit too free for me. But that's doesn't mean they don't have great ideas! I just recognize this type of parenting/learning would not work for me. I do not judge them and I think everything they do is fantastic. (Off the topic for a second, I find it so interesting how many people criticize the moms at Play At Home Mom on their Facebook page! Some of the comments blow me away. The boldness and pretentiousness of other people. Judging some really wonderful moms because they don't agree with what they are doing with their kids.) One of the things these moms do is say "Yes" to their kids more often. They say yes to things that generally would make most parents tell their kids no (ie: letting their son throw sand in the air at the beach). All they ask themselves is "What will happen if I let my child do .....?" I admire how much they can let their children explore and investigate things by not restricting them. I also realize my son needs restrictions because he isn't fully aware of appropriate behavior yet and what may harm someone else. However, I do find myself letting him investigate things more than I would have in my younger mommy years. I would have been annoyed had my girls dug their fingers into a glue stick. Essentially wasting or ruining a perfectly good glue stick. However, now I just say, "what's the harm?" So what if I have to buy another glue stick? He is having a great sensory experience discovering that the glue stick is gooey and sticky. It sticks to the paper. It's hard to lift off the paper. Things stick to my hand because it's sticky: Oh, things stick to it if I put them on the gooey stuff. So, even though this little easy craft project didn't go exactly the way I pictured in my mind. We had fun and my son had a great time investigating and learning about glue. And look at the fun Picasso-ish Potato Head he did all on his own!
Match the groundhog to its shadow in this free printable visual discrimination activity for toddlers and preschoolers!
I love holiday themed crafts that still allow for plenty of individual creative expression. That's why I've been so fond of tin foil crafts this past year. While they all have a common shape and
Explore cause and effect with this fun train investigation for toddlers. It's a quick play idea that your kids will love.
A few years ago I started doing term planners. A place where I could record the main idea that I was going to cover for particular lesso...
Here's a 100th day celebration freebie!Click here to grab the PDF.
Dinosaurs are so incredibly fun to learn about. They are big, exciting, and mysterious! A few years ago my oldest son was obsessed with dinosaurs and volcanoes, so we made a name stegosaurus craft and did
Some of you have asked what we are doing for 100's day. Because of the crazy snow flurries our 100th day has moved to this week. This is a ...
Here is a reflective colouring sheet to go with the story of Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14). The picture shows the reassuring words of Jesus and a foot stepping out into the water. Click here to print off the sheet! Talk about: What might the disciples have been thinking/ feeling when they saw Jesus? When have you needed to have courage to step out? How does it make you feel? Who helps you when you feel like you might sink? Leaders give testimonies of times when Jesus has helped you to have courage Pray: Draw around feet and cut out the shapes. Draw or write situations on them where you would like Jesus to help you not to be afraid. Pin the shapes to some blue fabric to make it look as if the feet are walking on water
