Naturally Educational » 3-5 (Preschool)
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We Are Going to the Moon!
For our summer crafts and story and circle time, we started learning about our families and then explored the natural world around us. Then we set our sites on the stars! We climbed aboard our rocket ships and zoomed up to the moon, visited a few planets, and then swung by the stars. Here’s how we made our rocket ships: Materials: Cardboard Tube Tinfoil Poster Board (we used red and blue) Stickers (for decorating your rocket) Scissors Glue Jar Top or Glass (for tracing a … 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), Science
Pancakes from Scratch
At another Mommy & Me at Garden of Eve, Eve led us in picking wheat, threshing the wheat to separate the grain from the chaff, grinding the wheat (in a blender..though my kids have stone-ground grains at some local colonial-themed events), stirring in the eggs, sugar, baking powder, and milk, and frying up the pancakes. Unless you have a field of wheat growing in your backyard, you may need to take a few shortcuts–but making a … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), All Ages, Bodily-kinesthetic, Featured, Home Arts, Taste
Jam, Jelly, and Preserves
We have the good fortune to live near an organic farm (Garden of Eve) owned by young parents. The mom runs a summertime “Mommy & Me” that includes a circle time and a farm “chore”. One week the children picked blackberries and turned them into jam! The process was fairly simple: Pick the berries Wash and dry the berries Meanwhile, sterilize glass jars in boiling water Crush the berries in a bowl Add mixture to a pot and pour … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), All Ages, Ecology, Featured, Home Arts, Science, Summer, Taste
Tickly Octopus Craft
Octopuses have so many fascinating adaptations and we found a storybook that captures this information with humor and charm: Tickly Octopus. Tickly Octopus is the story of a fun-loving octopus who enjoys tickling his friends–but only the wiggly, giggly fish appreciate his tentacled-tickles. When our octopus protagonist goes on an adventure to recover his friend oyster’s pearl, he discovers he has so many other talents, including zooming through the water, squeezing through holes, and squirting ink … 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, Science
Patriotic Play!
We had a “patriotic play date” today in anticipation of America’s Birthday. We began by talking a little bit about the Fourth of July and Independence Day. Most of the (verbal) kids associated the day with fireworks, parades, and summer foods like watermelon, corn on the cob, and ice cream. Our six year old friend knew that it had something to do with the Revolutionary War. For the younger kids I explained that we were once … 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), 5-6 (Kindergartners), Summer
She’s Like a Rainbow
March is a great time for learning about the weather, including rainbows! Kids love rainbows with their bright colors and mystery–and there is plenty of opportunity for scientific exploration! With our preschoolers, we made dyed pasta rainbows. We also gave the toddlers in our group the option of making the craft with fruity cereal o’s on paper–but this generally resulted in them just eating the cereal! Materials: Rotelle (Wagon Wheel) Pasta Food Dye Wax Paper Cotton Balls Glue Thread (for hanging) Dye the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), Art, Science, Sight, Spring, Weather
National Bird Feeding Month
As we reduce birds’ natural sources of food, they come to rely on our bird feeders, especially during the winter months. Like many children, my daughter is fascinated by birds–their spectrum of colors, array of tuneful songs, and familiar yet wild presence in our yard. We’ve read her books on birds, taken her to the bird rescue at the nature center, and fed our local feathered friends. In honor of National Bird Feeding Month, we went to a … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), All Ages, Ecology, Science, Sight, Sound, Winter
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