Naturally Educational » 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers)
7 Picture Books for Father’s Day
Mama Mama/Papa Papa (0-3) is a beautifully illustrated board book for babies about why little animal babies love their parents. One side shows all the helpful and loving things dads do for their tiny offspring. Flip the book over for moms and this is really two-stories-in-one. Human children will recognize all the tender care parents give to babies throughout the animal kingdom. The rhyming text is delightfully evocative of the bond between parents and … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured
Daffodil Craft
We had our April Showers and then some and we’ve been waiting on our May Flowers. We’ve had a few soggy buds but the lack of sunshine has delayed some of our blooms! We did see the crocuses and the daffodils as spring sprung and we made this pretty daffodil out of a cardboard toilet tube. Materials: toilet paper tube yellow and orange paint green chenille stem single hole punch scissors Directions: 1. Cut petals on one side of the tube, approximate three-quarters of … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, Science, Spring
Celebrate World Turtle Day with this Craft for Preschoolers
Happy World Turtle Day! Every year on May 23, the American Tortoise Rescue sponsors World Turtle Day. Beyond learning about turtles and tortoises, the American Tortoise Rescue wants us to take action to help these reptiles survive and thrive. Why do they need our help? There are a number of human-created risks to turtles. Our cars crush them as they try to cross the road, we have destroyed their habitats and nesting grounds, there is an active … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Ecology, Featured, Science
Irish Spring: A Shamrock Sun Catcher Craft for Kids
Hope the green is sprouting up in your neighborhood! Have you found any four-leaf clovers? We are starting to see the signs of spring in our yard and so our crafts are turning green, too! And this craft is green in more ways than one–it re-purposes cardboard tubes from toilet paper or paper towel or gift wrap rolls. Materials: cardboard tube green paint green glitter green tissue paper green chenille stem X-ACTO knife single hole punch Directions: 1. Cut three segments from your cardboard tube. All … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured, History and Culture, Spring
Rainbow Connection
We tried a new craft for our rainbow play date this year, using clear contact paper and tissue paper. Last year we made ours with dyed pasta and we’ve also made sun catchers with glue, clear plastic, and tissue paper. I thought the contact paper would be simpler for the younger children, however, we found it was actually more challenging. Materials red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet tissue paper contact paper rainbow template painter’s tape or masking tape Directions 1. … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, Science, Spring, Weather
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Dr. Seuss is a favorite at our house (and probably yours, too) for his fun language play and timeless messages. We put together a quick craft to go with The Cat in the Hat. Materials white posterboard red construction paper glue scissors Directions 1. Cut out a tall hat shape from the posterboard. 1b. Note: If you do not have enough posterboard for an entire hat shape, you can cut a band out separately (like we did). 2. Cut a second band for the hat … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), Featured, Literacy, Visual-Spacial
S is for Snow
We haven’t done a lot of alphabet work because I believe in letting the kids’ interest and the rhythms of the season drive the activities we do together. My oldest seemed to just pluck the alphabet from the air–a puzzle, a few refrigerator magnets, and an alphabet book or two and she just knew all of her A,B,C’s. Since my son has shown a strong interest in letters recently, and we’ve had a great time playing in … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), Featured, Literacy, Touch, Weather, Winter
Edible Dreidel Dessert Craft
We actually first made this yummy craft last year with a friend who runs an awesome music program for kids on Long Island (Shake and Make Music). We had a lot of fun so we decided to do it again this year. Although we are not Jewish, most of my heritage is so this is something I want to be able to share with my kids. Materials: Marshmallow Chocolate Hershey’s Kiss Pretzel stick Nutella (or honey or Marshmallow Fluff) and knife … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts, Taste
Pilgrim Bonnet and Hat
For your little pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day, a simple hat and bonnet they can make and wear during the feast: Pilgrim Hat Materials: black construction paper white construction paper yellow construction paper glue stick stapler scissors Directions: 1. Fold the black construction paper in half and cut the shape of a pilgrim hat from the black construction paper so that you have two matching shapes. 2. Draw a buckle shape on yellow construction paper and cut it out. (Note: The buckle is most likely anachronistic, having … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), All Ages, Featured, History and Culture
Pine Cone Turkey
It’s turkey time! I’m a vegetarian but most of the family loves their turkey. Thanksgiving is all about counting our blessings and one of those is a full table–with family, friends, and plenty of tasty food. And my son is really into the birds when we visit them at a local farm or at the Audubon center–he loves yelling “gobble, gobble” and hearing them gobble right back at him. Materials: pine cone five (5) or more leaves (pressed will work … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts, Science
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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.
Contact Candace via e-mail, read her full biography, or connect with her using the social media icons below.
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