Naturally Educational » 1-2 (Toddler)
Homemade Ornaments the Kids Can Make
Here are some of the homemade ornaments the kids have crafted each year…more on the way! Beaded Snowflake Ornaments Beaded Wreath Ornaments Marbleized Globe Ornaments Pins and Beads Christmas Tree Ornament … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), All Ages, Featured, History and Culture, Winter
Fall Leaf Prints
We’re in one of the last zones to experience the fall leaf change. Well, our trees have finally exploded in color! I was concerned that we would not get the really vivid colors this year after the hurricane. Hurricane Irene cut a swath across the area, “burning” crops and trees in addition to causing floods and knocking down tree. Nature is resilient, however. Although there are more browns this year than golds and reds, there … 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), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), All Ages, Art, Ecology, Fall, Featured, Science, Weather
The Monster Mash-Up
Because a monster can look like ANYTHING, it makes a fabulous open-ended craft for preschoolers, kindergartners, and early elementary-aged kids. Plus, you can use up all sorts of odds and ends from your craft cabinet. I still remember a collage-technique monster I made at school from magazine cut-outs. I named it after my mom and thought she’d be flattered! She didn’t love the likeness of “Linda the Jello Monster” but she did appreciate the creativity. Here are … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Educational Blogs, Featured
Shaving Cream Pumpkin Art
My children have been asking me when we could do shaving cream art again. The tactile experience helps build learning and the kids have a ton of fun playing with paint and shaving cream. So, we made shaving cream pumpkins! Materials: posterboard foaming shaving cream paints (Halloween colors) 1. We traced and cut-out a pumpkin shape from poster board. 2. Then I poured foaming shaving cream and some paints (mostly orange with a little green and purple) into a flat-bottom container. … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Art, Bodily-kinesthetic, Fall, Featured, Touch
An Apple for Teacher: Cardboard Tube Mini-Apples
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 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), Featured
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”. 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 hole … 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
Dinosaur Fossil Imprints in Salt Dough
We have a lot of plastic dinosaur figurines from our visits to the American Museum of Natural History and we enjoy trying to classify them. For our most recent project, we turned them into dinosaur fossil ornaments. Materials: 1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 1 tsp instant coffee 1/2 cup water plastic dinosaur figurines a little oil (any kind) ribbon (for hanging the ornament) Directions 1. In a large mixing bowl, pour in all of the dry ingredients. (We used 2 tablespoons of coffee and I … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, Science, Touch
Forest and Woodlands Activities and Crafts Round-Up
In almost every season we love to go out hiking in the woods. We never know what forest creatures we’ll find! And we love seeing how the trees change over the seasons. There are so many great lesson plans, crafts, activities, songs, and books for studying the forest! The Forest-Friendly Linky from the Smart Summer Challenge* really made me want to get out and explore the nature surrounding us! Some of the ones from our participants (and … 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), 9-11 (Elementary), All Ages, Ecology, Educational Blogs, Featured, Smart Summer Challenge
Butterfly Coffee Filter Craft
After we released our butterfly friends it just seemed like there was something missing from our home. So, we made one of our favorite crafts: coffee filter butterflies. This is such a simple little craft and the children love both the process and the results! (I’ve joked that my next book should be titled, “101 Crafts with Coffee Filters,” because I love this strong, versatile material!) Materials: two coffee filters markers (including dried-out markers that you were about to … 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, Featured, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Summer
B is for Beans
After our Bean Plant Life Cycle Experiments, we used beans to make a letter “B” and spell the word “beans”. This is a simple activity that can be modified for almost any letter and small material. It is a fun way to build manual dexterity, practice tracing, and make the connection between the letter, the sound, and the meaning. And it is easy to adapt for more advanced learners by allowing them to spell out the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Featured, Literacy, Touch
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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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