EGGS!

Every year at Easter/Springtime we get out our eggs to add to our learning materials. For the past two years I used large wooden eggs bought at Michaels or Hobby Lobby (you can get a pack of 4 for $2.99 and with a coupon for 40% off they always have....a steal!) I love eggs made from natural materials instead of the yucky plastic ones.

Last year I dyed a set of wooden eggs for easter. I need to find the pictures to post.....

The past two years I've just put out a few eggs and cut a cardboard egg carton into 4 or 6.

This year I bought Q a set of 12 paper-mache eggs (brown cardboard). (and in my easter stuff somewhere I actually have 6 more...so we can fill one of the BIG egg cartons next year!!)

This can be modified for infants--just put out a couple eggs and a smaller carton (cut down).

For preschoolers/older toddlers--put out a dozen!

Q has fun playing with her eggs and incorporating them into dramatic play. The visualization that occurs when she takes out/puts in eggs to the carton is also starting to teach her concepts of numbers, addition and subtraction.

For infants the eggs are great for encouraging motor development, as well as matching and spatial awareness--as they fit the eggs into the compartments.

Butterflies!

This is a terrific "traditional" preschool/toddler craft that we love to usher in spring!

We used old fashioned clothespins, but any type would work.

Q painted each one a different color with watercolor paint. (no pics because I was helping her hold the pins as she painted.)

After they dried, we raided my tissue paper stash, folded up a square (about 6X6 in?) and shoved it in the opening....I fluffed them several different ways to get varying wing shapes. We hung these in our doorway.....LOVE how pretty and light and airy they are and the ambiance they bring to our learning room!

Q was so proud to show Daddy her butterflies!

For infants--make one or two or a whole flock to hang above their crib, changing area, highchair, etc.! You can use these to introduce the concept of butterfly (and teach them the sign, while you're at it!), vocabulary such as wings, fly, and you can talk to them about the what, where, and why of butterflies. Then point them out to your little one when you're outside!!

For Preschoolers--allow them to make these independently--they can add more elements, such as drawing on eyes, pipecleaner antenna, etc. They could also paint or draw on their tissue paper to look like a particular species of butterfly.

Spring Tree

Our learning room tree bloomed this weekend! There are green leaves and pink blossoms budding out everywhere, and several birds decided to make the limbs their home!

To make pink blossoms:
Cut a 1 inch X 8 1/2 inch strip of pink paper.
Roll it up from end to end .
Gently push your finger in one end so the top widens.
Tape the end down to secure.
Thread onto branch.

For leaves--
I cut green scrapbook paper and burnished the edges with a brown stamp pad.

We also added a pretty pink Japanese lantern I felt looked so springy!

We're spending lots of time noticing changes outside--the leaves budding, flowers on trees and in the grass, birds in our yard....Matter of fact, we have a male cardinal in our yard that is constantly singing while we eat dinner outside, so this weekend I picked up a fake cardinal for our learning room tree so it would match our outside friend!!

SNAKES!

We made snakes for St. Patrick's Day, even though I didn't yet explain to my little one the legend of St. Patrick and the snakes....I think she will be ready to enjoy it next year. For this year we just had fun making snakes!

First I cut out a large circle from white paper.

I let Q pick two colors of paint (more colors tends to mix all together and make brown). She painted her circle. I worked with her on the concept of covering ALL the paper with paint so no white shows. This is an important skill that is necessary for many art projects to look good.....and a beginning artistic concept.

Then I cut the circle in a spiral shape to make the "snake."

We glued on googly eyes and made a pink paper tongue to add.

Q loves her snakes and we hung them in our dining room next to our Happy St. Patrick's Day sign!

For Infants--make several smaller, bright colored snakes (maybe each snake a different solid color) and hang from a mobile for them to watch. You could also cut fabric, felt or foam the same way, which would be more durable for little hands to hold!

For preschoolers--get a snake book (library!) and let them choose a particular species of snake to replicate. In that case you may want to cut the white paper into the snake shape first, and then let them paint! You could also orally tell or find a book with the story of St. Patrick and the snakes to share with your children.

More crowns....

We made St. Patrick's Day crowns last week (I know, a little late posting this, sorry....) First I cut out a general "crown shape" from white paper. Then I twisted pipe cleaners into clovers to glue on. We used bottled glue and glitter to finish adorning our crowns. Pipecleaners could also be used to make Easter Eggs, flowers, etc. These crowns are so much fun to make and toddlers and preschoolers LOVE making headgear!!

Nature "Crown"

I made Q a nature crown, taking advantage of all the green stuff starting to poke up around here! We took a walk around the yard and picked "stuff"--bits of different plants....and I twisted them together, did some looping and voila! A crown for my princess! I didn't have to use any string or wire since I found some good vines, but you might need some twine or yarn or thread to help hold your crown together if you can't find great vines. I also stuck in some clover flowers and other "weedy" flowers we plucked from the grass.

For us this was mostly used for a springy photoshoot.....

Preschoolers could make their own crowns! Cover a table with craft paper, line the middle with greenery found on a walk and go to town!!

March!

I cut some big clovers out of green paper. (To get my template I googled "shamrock cookie cutter," copied a picture of one into Word, resized it to be really big, printed it, cut it out, and used it to trace and make more on green paper).

I put out green, yellow and white paint and Q had fun painting the clovers. Once they were painted I gave her two shakers of glitter and showed her how to shake it onto the wet paint. We'll hang our pretty shamrocks in the dining room window!

This was a fun and simple art project to start off the month!

Preschoolers could have fun painting, as well and could perhaps do the tracing and cutting themselves. For infants--what about making a few shamrocks to hang from a string above the changing table, crib or play mat for baby to watch them move in the breeze! You can talk with baby about the shape and the color--providing excellent vocabulary!

PS) Whenever I don't have the color paper I want, I just paint on newspaper we keep in our recycle box. It wrinkles up a bit when wet, but once it dries I flatten it down with a book on top of it for about a day and it does great!