Playing in the Shaving Cream

     During my senior year in high school, I started volunteering at a local Special Needs Preschool. The teacher, Mrs. Hill, asked me to over-see her art center that day. She explained to me that she was going to let the kids play car wash-- with laminated pictures of cars, squeegees and shaving cream. I thought that this was a pretty cool idea. I had never played with shaving cream before, and it was actually a lot of fun. Since then, I have used this idea with many of my classrooms while teaching.
     These sensory activities are very important for children, especially for those who have a difficult time touching and feeling things that are "messy". I know what you're thinking, "I don't know very many kids, who don't like getting messy!" I thought the same thing, when Mrs. Hill told me that there were some students that did not want a single thing to do with any of her sensory activities. It wasn't until I started playing with these kids that I saw how hesitant and anxious they were about touching the shaving cream.
     In order for me to get these kids to join the activity, I had to show them how fun playing with the shaving cream was. Some kids eventually put their hands in the stuff, and others just played with their squeegees. Mrs. Hill was fine with that. Her focus was on inviting each child to participate, and continually expose the child to similar activities.
     Why must we encourage children to participate in sensory activities? Think about it. Throughout these young kids' lives, they have learned through their senses. Young children are not used to sitting still, and listening to a lecture. Children learn by experience, and by doing. It is our job, as the parent or teacher, to talk to each child about the task at hand. This will help them learn new words to describe what it is that they are experiencing. Something as simple as, "eww, that's slimy", can help a child build upon his/her vocabulary.
     At any rate, I decided to pull out some shaving cream to let my kids play with today. This time, I let their imaginations grow wild. I did not provide them with laminated paper. I just handed them a dab of shaving cream on top of some Tupperware lids (hoping to contain the mess, a little), and of course a few toys. It was so much fun just watching my daughters play. Saydee wiped shaving cream all over herself, while Brooklee decided to roll a ball in the shaving cream. The best part was watching the expressions on their little faces, as they started digging and squeezing the shaving cream in their tiny hands. It was priceless!

Dying Easter Eggs

     Dying Easter Eggs is one of my favorite Easter activities, and I am very proud to pass on this love to my daughters. With just the three of us, I usually use a box kit to dye my Easter Eggs. This year, I decided to use my classic DIY Easter Egg dye that I would use while teaching my preschoolers.

To dye eggs without an Easter Egg Dying Kit, you will need:

-Vinegar
-Water
-Eggs (Hard Boiled)
-Food Coloring
-Spoons and Cups (one for each color)
-Some Paper Towels

Step #1: Boil your eggs, and make sure to save your hot water from boiling.
Step #2: After the eggs have boiled, pull them out and place them nicely on a paper towel to dry.
Step #3: Pour 3/4 cup of boiling water into each cup.
Step #4: Pour 3 tablespoons of vinegar into each cup needed.
Step #5: Add approximately 10 drops of food coloring into each of their cups. (The more drops added to each cup, the more vibrant the color will be on each egg.)
Step #6: Place the eggs in their cups, and leave for a few minutes. (The longer the egg is in its cup, the darker the egg will become) Continually adjust your eggs using a spoon, this will help even the color around the egg.
Step #7: Once the egg has reached its desired color, pull it out and place it on a paper towel to dry.

     The best thing about this dye recipe is, crayon can be added to the egg to help resist the dye just like the typical Easter Egg Dying Kits that are sold in stores. This recipe definitely helps save a few dollars, but I have found it really helpful when dying eggs with multiple children. I have used this method several times, especially while teaching upwards of 25 children.
I wouldn't recommend dying Easter Eggs as a whole group activity, but I would most definitely suggest doing it in small groups for center time. That way, the teacher can monitor each child and clean up any mess before it "gets out of hand". I would also recommend having the children wear smocks, or old clothing sent from home. This will prevent their nice clothes from getting stained.

     Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know if you decide to do this activity with your kiddos, and how it turned out for you. I always enjoy hearing from you. Thanks again! 

Homemade Puzzle Matching Game

     Matching games are always really fun for little kids, but I always recommend adding a learning concept to each one. With this matching game, I cut animal figures out of paper. I then used the actual cut-out and silhouette, as my game. (Cricut machines are amazing for helping making die-cuts, and are especially handy for preschool teachers. They saved me so much time, while I was teaching)
     The learning concept that I would like to see achieved is: Looking at one solid object, and match it to its shape. Some children can match these items easily, while other young children may not. If a child does not grasp the concept quick yet, bring it back down to their level. Take away the silhouette cut-outs, and only show the child the animal figures. Talk about each animal individually. Ask the child if he or she knows what sounds a duck makes. Practice those basic concepts, and build up from there. Before you know it, this child will be able to master this game!

Name Painting

     One important task that a child must learn to is recognize, and write their own name. Allow the child to see their name spelled regularly. At first the child might believe that everything that starts with the first letter in their name, is their name. The more the child sees his or her name, the more he or she will realize that there is something different and special about their name... It is spelled differently than the other words that might start with the same letter.
     I would like to share an activity that might help any child begin to recognize the letters in their name. For this activity, I printed my daughter's name out onto a few pieces of paper. I put some tempera paint in a Styrofoam bowl, and then made sure to grab some paper towels (just in case there was any mess).

The goal of this project to help the child practice writing his or her name, by tracing it. Brooklee loved dabbing her fingers along the lines, just so she could see her fingerprints.

The key to success is to always practice, practice, pratice... and don't forget to make it fun!

Foil Fun

     Foil creations are so much fun to make. These creations only require straight pins or tape to keep the foil together. (I use tape, and actually prefer tape over the pins)  This project is a little advance for small children, so I would recommend doing this activity with older kids. 

Today, I made different shapes with foil. I made a circle, cube and triangle. 

 

I also made a house, and a small tree to go beside it.

 

 

     This project may seem a little time consuming, but it really isn't. If you decide to try this project out, please let me know how it went. I would love to hear from you.

Homemade Watercolor

     Painting is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, when you don't have any paint to use then an alternative must be used. My daughter and I ran into this same problem. Luckily, I remembered a quick watercolor recipe that  my mom used when I was younger. This recipe calls for water and food coloring, I have used liquid dish soap, in the past too. (It makes the paint  bubbly, and fun for kids to paint with). Needless to say, I used the dish soap with the water and food coloring. Brooklee loved it!

How I made my watercolor:

I pulled out 2 plastic cups, and poured a small amount of dish soap into each cup. I slowly added some water to the dish soap. I then asked Brooklee which colors she had wanted to paint with. She instantly picked pink and blue. I added a few drops of each color to their own cup, and then slowly stirred the color into each cup.

After the watercolor had been made, I handed Brooklee some paper and a paintbrush. She enjoyed painting, and seeing all of the bubbles in her watercolor.

The results looks just the same as the store bought watercolors that you find in the store. And it's cheaper! I would recommend anyone use this recipe, especially those who care for children.

DIY Playdough

 

I'm about to share a money saving recipe for all of you teachers and parents out there. I hate spending a lot of money on cases of play-dough, only to have the colors get mixed together and dried up.

This recipe is so easy, and very safe... so safe that you and your kids can make it together. Not to mention, it is safe enough to eat. {I wouldn't recommend it though, because it tastes horrible.}

To make this DIY play-dough, all you need to do is:

Mix together 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and one cup of water. Once you have mixed all of these ingredients together thoroughly, you may divide your dough up. As you can tell, I separated my dough into 4 equal parts. Place the dough in separate Ziploc-baggies, and added food coloring into each bag. "Zip" the bags up, and then "mash" the food coloring into the dough. This was especially fun for my kids, because they both got to help "mash" the food coloring into their own dough, without making any mess.

Once the color is mixed in, it is ready to be pulled out to have fun with. Remember to keep your Ziploc-baggies. That way when you are finished, your dough won't dry out.

I hope you enjoy using this recipe. If you decide to use this recipe, please let me know how it turned out. I would love to hear from you.

 

Homemade Puffy Paint Recipe

My 3 year old daughter, Brooklee, really enjoys being crafty. She can spend a lot of time coloring, painting, and drawing. Sometimes she gets tired of using crayons, markers, water colors, and colored pencils. For these times, I've set aside some amazing homemade paint recipes {that hardly cost anything!} to make especially for her.

Today, we made some of our homemade Puffy Paint. 

(the paint actually dries "puffy", leaving a 3D image)

To make some of your own, you will need:

- Flour 

-Salt

-Water

-Food Coloring

 -Scissors

 - Construction paper-- or any heavy paper

- Ziplock Baggies (1 baggie per color that you will want to use)

 

What you will need to do:

You will need to mix equal amounts of salt, flour, and water together. Divide the mixture into your Zip-lock baggies, then add a few drops of food coloring to each bag. Seal the baggies completely. Combine the flour/salt mixture with the food coloring by shaking each bag. Once the mixture has been colored, make a small cut in one of the bottom corners to help squeeze the mixture out to make a design on your construction paper.

Now that your design is done, set aside and let dry.