Easy, Edible Sugar Skulls (Calavera) for Dia de Los Muertos
Today, we made easy, edible calaveras for Dia de los Muertos with the kids. Traditional Mexican Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos are time-intensive handicrafts. Although most would technically be edible, you probably would not want to eat them. Since I have young children who are learning about Latin American culture and Spanish language with their Latino friends, I wanted to find a way to make the sugar akulls simple enough for the kids. Plus, … Read entire article »
Filed under: 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts
Is It Okay to Use a Craft Kit?
One of the best gifts we can give our children is our time. Quality time spent with our children, engaging in fun, interactive activities, boosts their self-esteem and encourages their creativity. I have had moms quietly whisper to me, “I used a craft kit…is that okay?” Well, that depends… is your goal to enjoy an activity with your child or is it to improve your own bargain shopping, cutting, and gluing skills? I kid. I think we all agree … 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), Art, Featured, Science, Sight
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
Life-Sized Self Portrait
As we begin the Smart Summer Challenge, or any learning adventure, it is important to start with your child “where she is at”. Learning sticks better when children are able to relate knowledge to their own experiences. This is the “Velcro” theory–new information hooks onto a foundation of earlier observations. One area in which we all have expertise is ourselves. So, a self-portrait is great place to begin a summer of learning. We decided to do life-sized … 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), Art, Featured, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Visual-Spacial
R is for Rain
My kids love to water color, so we created water color letters for our study of rain. I outlined bubble letters–the word “Rain” for my daughter (4.5) and just an “R” for my son (2.5). On reflection, I would have also made a lower case “r” for my son. My daughter painted “in the lines”: While my son opted for covering the entire page. Then, they each got to sprinkle salt on their paintings for a nice droplet effect. My … Read entire article »
Filed under: 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), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Art, Featured, Spring, Weather
Shaving Cream Art (Tactile Fun!)
Studies have shown that students physically involved with learning score higher on subsequent exams–and we’re not just talking about the toddler, preschooler, kindergartner set. The effects are demonstrable even at the college and graduate level. Research into cognitive development strongly suggests that this sort of physical stimulation during learning builds a deeper understanding of academic skills. Children in need of speech therapy may especially benefit from speech activities using tactile sensations. Plus…it is just plain fun to … 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, Featured, Touch
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
Hoo Do You Love?
My daughter loves birds, owls especially. And Valentine’s Day is a time for sharing the love so we were very inspired by these Valentine’s Day Owls from Molly at Mommy Coddle. Owls are a perfect animal for Valentine’s Day because while most owls have round facial discs, the barn owls (sometimes called “monkey-faced”) have heart-shaped facial discs. We modified the design two years ago to create this owl, which is mainly my cutting and my then-two-year-old-daughter’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: 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), Art, Featured, Mathematics, Winter
Father’s Day Gift: Mosaic Coasters
We like to make homemade, crafty gifts for the family and for this Father’s Day, the kids made mosaic coasters. Materials: metal jar lids plaster of Paris sea glass, seashells, smooth pebbles, mosaic tiles, broken pottery, letter beads or tiles or scrabble tiles to spell names or words felt scissors glue Directions: Mix plaster of Paris Pour into the metal jar lid. If your “mosaic” pieces are much thinner than the lid is shallow, you might want to allow the plaster of Paris to start … Read entire article »
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
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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 or on Google.
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