Naturally Educational » Archive for September 2011
Criss Cross Applesauce
We went apple-picking and have two pecks of apples–and now the kids know what we mean when we sing “a bushel and a peck”? So, we made some applesauce and I think we’ll make baked apples and apple crumble and possibly some apple muffins. This is a great addition to our study of apples as well as a prelude to the (very basic) colonial lifeways studies we do in November. I need to get a canner, though, so … Read entire article »
Picture Books to Get in the Fall Spirit
Fall is my favorite time of year–the apple picking, drinking cider, butternut squash, colorful leaves, crisp air… Here are some children’s picture books about Autumn, harvest time, and falling leaves: Pin It Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, by Julia Rawlinson, shares the story of an adorable fox who tries to return the autumn leaves to the tree. His woodland friends try to tell him that the tree doesn’t need the leaves anymore but Fletcher thinks that the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture, Weather
Fall Leaf Fairy
In the Spring we made flower fairies and now we are making leaf fairies! Pin It Materials: 1 wooden bead artificial leaves (or preserved fall leaves) 2 chenille stems 1 metallic chenille stem embroidery floss or yarn glue dots or hot glue gun Directions: 1. Bend a pipe cleaner in half and push the bent part through the wood bead so just a little loop is through the bead. Pin It Pin It 2. Roll up a loop of some embroidery floss and thread through the chenille stem … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Fall, Featured, Weather
Buccaneer Hat and Pirate Eye Patch Craft!
Avast, ye landlubbers! September 19 be Talk Like a Pirate Day and me mateys and me are hoisting the main sail with pirate hats and eye patches! Pin It Why did the pirate wear a hat? To keep his buccan-EARS warm! Living on the coast, we are awash with pirate lore and “pirates” frequently make an appearance at local festivals. For the hats, we just made the traditional childhood newspaper hats and decorated with markers, jewels (arrr…treasure!), and some … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, History and Culture
An Apple for Teacher: Cardboard Tube Mini-Apples
Pin It I think these cute mini-apples would make nice gifts for someone special in your child’s life. And while I enjoyed the crafting, they are so easy to make that toddlers can join in the fun, too. And all you need is a cardboard toilet paper tube, some paint, and chenille stems! Materials: cardboard tube green or red or yellow paint green chenille stem brown chenille stem scissors hole punch Directions: 1. Cut the cardboard tube into three circles, approximately 1/2 inch thick. 2. Punch … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured
Four Seasons of the Apple Tree
One thing I missed when we lived in Texas was the changing of the seasons. We made this “Seasons of the Apple Tree” craft last year and the children requested that we do it again this year! Pin It We used slightly different materials but the process is very similar. Pin It Materials: blue sheet of construction paper (larger is better) glue scissors tree: brown paint spring and summer leaves: green paper buds: pink tissue paper for buds apples: red paint or red hole punches autumn leaves: … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Ecology, Fall, Featured, Science, Weather
A is for Apple Sun Catchers
We make new sun catchers for our windows every season. There are a few ways to make easy sun catchers and this is the simplest! For the early fall, we made apple sun catchers with an upper and lower case letter “A”. Pin It Materials: permanent (“Sharpie”) marker plastic (from a clear plastic bag, packaging, folders, whatever you have on hand) tissue paper (for whichever color apples you want, plus green for the leaf) glue glitter (optional) to hang: either glue stick OR a … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Ecology, Fall, Featured, Science
Are You Ready for Preschool?
My daughter is very sad to leave our preschool cooperative behind and is very jealous that my son will be attending “her preschool” this year. We never had any difficulty seeing her off to preschool. As soon as she heard there would be story time and crafts, she couldn’t hop out of my car quick enough! By the time she was four, she was actively pushing me out the door and … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool)
How to Make a Flower Fairy
We made these Flower Fairies in early summer but I am just getting around to posting them. In the fall, we will make them with leaves. Pin It We had been wanting to make Flower Fairies for some time and I was inspired to finally give it a go when I saw these forest fairies at A New Bohemia during the Smart Summer Challenge. Materials: 1 wooden bead artificial flowers 2 chenille stems 1 metallic chenille stem embroidery floss or yarn glue dots or … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-12 (Middle Grades), Featured, Home Arts, Literacy, Spring, Summer
Outer Space Crafts, Activities, and More!
Who hasn’t gazed up at the stars and wondered about the universe beyond our own planet? Looking at the night sky has the added attraction of staying up late–a sure-fire way to sneak in a little learning with children. For outer space week of the Smart Summer Challenge*, we saw plenty of out of this world ideas! Here are some of the outer space crafts and activities my family did: Pin It Constellation Pictures Pin It Outer Space Songs for Preschool Pin … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages
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About the Author
Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Working with school districts around the country and some of the most well-known companies in the education industry, Candace creates custom strategies, textbooks, and lesson plans. Her articles have appeared in print and online.
While Candace’s degrees prepared her for a career in education, she’s found that the best preparation for parenting is on the job training.
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