One year ago today I started this blogging adventure. I am so so happy to have found this outlet to share with and learn from such talented inspiring teachers. It has been such a wild and blessed ride :) It has been great to be back with my kiddos after spring break but boy and I pooped! I always forget how tired I am coming back after a break. It's not helping that my body doesn't like sleep this week :/ The kids have been loving our unit on plants. Their new favorite song is "Flower, Stem, Leaves and Roots" (to the tune of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes). Tomorrow we are going to eat different parts of plants. (thanks Pinterest) We are also going to plant lima beans and marigold seeds (this is the first time I will actually be GROWING flowers with the kids...wish me luck. Keeping plants alive Gardening has never been my strong suit. I have been TERRIBLE at taking pictures this week. We have been using Caitlin Clabby's fantastic plant unit. This thing is packed. Check it out in her store here. Here are a few things we are going to be working on tomorrow and next week. A few weeks ago we used Kim Adsit's unit on the presidents and made some ADORABLE flap books. I decided to adapt the idea and make a sunflower book. We have been talking all week about how BIG sunflowers can get but I think this will really help them get it. Each flap has an unscrambled sentence about part of the life cycle with a picture inside. You can grab the sentences and pictures here. I got the inspiration for this one from one of my teammates. She did the same thing with scrambled sight words in flower pots. I decided to make it a math activity with our teen numbers. After coloring the sample and putting it all together I came to a few realizations. I'm going to copy the leaves onto green paper, and we are not coloring the roots :) Also, I might just do 11-15 or 16-20. Either way I think it turned out really cute! Grab this activity here. Thanks to Ashley Hughes, and KPM Doodles for the cute spring graphics! Don't forget to check out some of my resources for spring in my store :)
Springtim art fun is here! These engaging and colorful classroom games are a palette of creativity! Whether you're an art educator or a general education teacher looking to get your students involved in more creative projects these classroom art games will be just what you are looking for!
Grow a rainbow as a fun science experiment or STEM project and use the product as a fun decoration for springtime.
Speckled with emerald-green, sweet peas and crisp, savory nuggets of pancetta, this creamy penne pasta with peas, pancetta and goat cheese is springtime in a bowl.
These free spring preschool worksheets are perfect addition to your preschool spring theme! Number and letter recognition, shapes, fine motor skills & more!
Free Robin Addition Math Activity for fun addition facts to 10! This tried-and-true spring-themed activity is loved by my kindergarten teacher friends.
There's been a lot of paper crafting at my house lately, thanks to my oldest son's obsession with Tom Angleberger's Origami Yoda book series. While we're at the kitchen table folding up the whole cast of Star Wars, I thought I'd work in a few other crafts - namely paper flyers. My oldest boy loves a good DIY toy. (He gets that from me.) Flying Paper Whirligig As a kid I used to pick up sycamore seeds and throw them into the air to make them spin back down to the ground. These whirligigs remind me of those seeds. Making them is simple. Don't let the instructions fool you. Start with a long rectangular piece of paper about 2 inches by 6 inches; we used origami paper but plain 'ol office paper will do. Draw your lines (dotted and solid like the picture below). You will cut on the solid lines and fold on the dotted lines. Fold the paper in on the two long dotted lines to make a handle for what now looks like a small spade of paper. Fold the end of the handle up and adhere with a small piece of tape. Slide a small paper clip (as a weight) over the folded and taped end. Next fold one side of the spade shovel down along the dotted line. Flip the paper over and do the same to the other side, so your whirligig's blades are pointing in opposite directions. You're done! Hold the whirligig in the air and drop it. Watch it gracefully spin to the ground (and if you're like my son, drop it over the stair railing to see it spin for a greater distance). This idea came from Babble Dabble Do. She's got a great photo tutorial so head over there if you're stumped. Straw Plane This next craft is a must-do for paper airplane aficionados. It looks nothing like a plane, but boy oh boy, does it glide through the air with streamlined precision. Impressive is an understatement. Cut two strips of cardstock paper, one 1 inch by 10 inches, and the other 1 inch by 5 inches. Tape them into two circle shapes. Now take a plastic drinking straw and adhere each with more tape to the ends of the straw. You're done! Now hold it by the middle of the straw, and propel your wrist forward releasing it into the air. It keeps going and going and going. This is one of the farthest flying "planes" we've ever made (and we've made A LOT of paper airplanes). This idea came from Discover Explore Learn. These crafts provide an excellent opportunity to explain aerodynamics, opposing thrust, and gravity. Kids can experiment by adjusting the size of the papers, the number of paper clips on the whirligig, the length of the straw, to observe and record any variance in the performance of the flyer.
Are you looking for creative writing activities that include space for drawing? Then, let your child dream up their own mystery seed with this fun writing and drawing activity. This resource includes: Mystery Seed Drawing Prompt Plant Care Instructions Page Mystery Plant Drawing Prompt What’s Special About My Plant Page Grab Yours Now!
Learning about ladybugs in the classroom is always fun! Come and see all of fun ladybug activities we do through the week!
This week our first graders began their impressions of lupines. I saw a similar lesson for kindergarteners posted awhile ago on Artsonia here. We tweaked the original lesson here and there and I will post the finished results next week. Meanwhile, here is what we have done so far... These are on the drying rack until next week when we add details. I started with a smartboard presentation with lots of pictures of lupines. I had the kids tell me what they noticed about the flowers ( colors, shapes, leaves, stems, etc.). I also mentioned that if we finished early enough I would tell them the story of "the lupine lady," Miss Rumphius (which I did have time to read). We started with donated illustration board cut to 4 1/2" X 12" (but paper would work fine), pastels and oil pastels in warm colors. After explaining the difference between pastels and oil pastels, I had the kids apply a layer of chalk first. Then they sort of scribble-scrabbled (is that a real word??) oil pastel for some texture. Next, we painted stems and leaves. They had images on the smartboard to refer to. We then removed the green paint and the pastels from the table and it was on to the blossoms. I demonstrated how to dip a thumb into the paint cup and then make large thumbprints, first with purple or rose and then with white on top. Students pretty much interpreted these stalks in their own way as you can see from the examples drying below. Next week we will do some outlining of the blob shapes with a black marker and we will be done. I'll post the results:) The main message of this book is the goal of "doing something to make the world a more beautiful place." Miss Rumphius does this by sowing lupine seeds wherever she walks and then seeing the flowers spread over the countryside as time goes on. Kids could really make the connection that they had added something of beauty today with their own artwork. Everybody left the art room smiling today:)))
Guide and tips for visiting the Carlsbad Flower Fields. Read all about ranunculus and see family-friendly activities.
Fun Spring color-by-number activities for practicing basic addition and subtraction facts. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Hello! My name is Natalia. I love crocheting toys. I create cute crocheted fluffy animals.
Do your kiddos like bugs? Right now my daughter is not a fan of ants. Every time a storm hits our house, those little critters always find a safe home in my kids' bathroom. Always. Let me tell you, it is no fun having to kill ants while the kids brush their teeth. And while my
Springtim art fun is here! These engaging and colorful classroom games are a palette of creativity! Whether you're an art educator or a general education teacher looking to get your students involved in more creative projects these classroom art games will be just what you are looking for!
How adorable are these?!? This lesson took (2) art classes to finish (and I had JUST enough time to squeeze in one more lesson before the end of the year)! It’s a simple one —but packs in a bunch! …
Celebrate spring with an adorable DIY Felt Mama Goose! Perfect for beginners, this project is a fun way to add a touch of whimsy to your home decor. Learn easy sewing stitches to create this charming goose with a hat and embroidered details.
Kite flying is such a fun spring activity, especially when it is a homemade. These step-by-step instructions on how to make a kite will make your own DIY project a breeze.
How adorable are these?!? This lesson took (2) art classes to finish (and I had JUST enough time to squeeze in one more lesson before the end of the year)! It’s a simple one —but packs in a bunch! …
If you're looking for some fun, inexpensive art projects for kids this summer, add painting with water guns to your list!
To store, transfer pesto to a container, pressing plastic wrap directly on its surface (to prevent it from oxidizing and turning dark). Refrigerate up to five days.
With a shortbread-like crust and fresh lemon flavor, this Low FODMAP Lemon Bar recipe is a yummy, springtime treat!
Spring brings rainy days so it's a great time of the year to learn how to make paper umbrellas. This cute and fairly easy paper craft can be used as a decoration - a mobile
Are you looking for some great books about spring? Come check out The Best Spring Read-Alouds perfect for all season long!
Manualidades originales: ¡jardinería con los niños! Divertidas manualidades originales para niños: cómo sembrar semillas, maceteros con fotos, plantar en una esponja...
The Italian artist behind Lindadi Creations recently shared a stunning, colorful aquarium that she made entirely out of yarn.
How adorable are these?!? This lesson took (2) art classes to finish (and I had JUST enough time to squeeze in one more lesson before the end of the year)! It’s a simple one —but packs in a bunch! …
Welcome to our whimsical world of daffodil drawings, where even the wiggliest of lines can blossom into beautiful flowers! Are you ready to turn your doodles into delightful daffodils? Perfect for kids and kids-at-heart, our easy, simple daffodil drawing ideas will transform your paper into a springtime garden. No green thumb? No problem! The only thing you'll need to grow these daffodils is a pencil. So, grab your art supplies, and let's make Van Gogh wish he'd painted daffodils instead of sunflowers!
With this free printable 2D shape flower, your little learners are practicing our 2D shapes, colors, counting, and fine motor skills.
Looking for a picturesque destination for a fun day trip or weekend getaway in Belgium? Discover the best things to do in Damme right here.
Embrace the vibrant essence of spring with our free crochet flower amigurumi patterns featuring the season’s favorites: daffodils, tulips, and daisies!
A Traditional Norwegian Rhubarb Cake that celebrates and features a Springtime favorite... rhubarb. It is going to start coming up and when it does, you know there will be plenty. This cake. also known as Rabarbrakake, is a great way to enjoy rhubarb and traditional heritage cooking.
Bring some sunshine into that quarantine.
This splat art is a fun way to help kids explore science through art. Take the splat painting outside for even more creative possibilities.
This lovely DIY glue suncatcher craft is perfect for adding a touch of color to your home. Your kids will have so much fun mixing food coloring and creating beautiful patterns in the glue.
