Preschool Craft Ideas - Valentine Flowers

Hello,

Hope you are having a good weekend so far.

I am busy going through my archives of preschool craft ideas for Valentine's to share with you.

It is never too early to get started with projects for gifts or ideas for parties!

I do have a favorite idea that was actually something my children made for me and I was able to use them year after year.

Valentine Flowers

Need: juice can
red foil, paper, lace or ribbon
Green Pipe cleaners
Many paper hearts, cut the same size in red, pink and white

First let your child cover his can with the paper or foil he chooses. Glue a band of ribbon or lace to the top edge. This is the Vase!

Next, give each child at least 10 hearts and 5 pipe cleaners. Glue a pipe cleaner on one of the hearts at the point of the V then glue the other heart on top so that the pipe cleaner is in between the hearts. This will be your flower and stem. Do this with the remaining hearts. 5 flowers is plenty but if you can, more is even better.

Scrunch up some paper, foil, packing peanuts (whatever you may have on hand to act as filler) and put it into the vase to hold the flowers in place. Arrange the valentine flowers in it and they have a Valentine Centerpiece or bouquet to give to a special person.

This is something that I was able to use a centerpiece at home and then put away in the cabinet until the next year. They were always amazed to see their special gift year after year.

Let me know how you like the ideas and also send me yours to share on the blog.

You can reach me at: marys.plans@gmail.com

Until next time,

Mary

P.S.: If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:


http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Valentine Craft

Hi there,

It's hard to believe but Valentine's Day is only a few weeks away. It is never too early to start planning. Try the following ideas for your party this year.

I like to provide time for my kids to prepare their own valentine specials for their friends and family.

Here are a few simple ideas that are great for all the age ranges you may have from the youngest on up.


NO-BAKE CINNAMON SHAPES
(Start these a few days or weeks before your holiday celebration so that they have time to dry well.)

1 cup ground cinnamon, 3/4 cup applesauce

Blend cinnamon and applesauce in mixing bowl. Stir until a stiff dough forms.

Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.

Air-dry several days on a wire rack, turning occasionally.


Tips: To make sweet-smelling holiday ornaments, poke a hole at the top of the

shape, lace string through the hole and tie a loop for hanging.


Heart Paintings & Jazzy Glue!

Need: oak tag or construction paper.
Heart Cookie cutters, all sizes,
Paint brushes
Kool-aid mix

A creative way to jazz up plain old white glue and make a new way to paint is to add kool-aid packets of various flavors( colors) into approximately 1/4 cup of glue. Mix thoroughly with paint brushes and amazing colors come through.

Show your children how to trace the cookie cutter onto construction paper.

Have them decorate their shapes with glue, glitter, crayons, or paint.

This smells great and when it is dry it is glossy. A wonderful sensory activity!

I hope you enjoy these ideas and can plan for a fun Valentine's Day celebration with your kids.

I welcome your suggestions at any time and will share them with all of my readers. Just send them to me at marys.plans@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Mary


P.S.: If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:


http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Creative Activities - Trip to the Moon

Hello,

Most people think of art class when they hear of preschool creative activities. Teaching preschool science ideas will change your mind and show you just how creative science lessons can be.

You can use these lessons to teach the letter "M", continue with a Moon theme to teach the sound of the letter, and to follow it through with the solar system theme discussed in the previous blog post.

Here are ideas that have been sent to me by my readers as well as some ideas from my preschool lesson plans.

From Carol - Moon Walk
Here's an idea I used when I taught a unit about "Astronauts" and the Moon. I filled the sand and water table with flour, had the children take their shoes off and walk through the flour, simulating how it felt when the astronauts were walking on the moon.

From Theresa - Rocketships
We are doing the letter M and taking a trip to the moon. I have made a large Rocket out of cardboard and corrugated cardboard so it is large enough for the children to sit in I have read them the story Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen. For snack we ate English Muffins and talked about the holes look like the craters on the moon. We ran our weeks together and started the letter R for rocket and moon rocks we made rockets out of paper towel and collected rocks pretending to be discovering the moon.

Moon Landscape
Talk to your students about what the surface of the moon looks like. Most students will not know that the moon has craters, mountains, and valleys, just like the earth. It is a different size and composition, but the basics are the same.

Snack Suggestion
The idea for toasted English Muffins and the comparison to the craters on the moon is wonerful. Preschoolers really like the visual comparisons and the snack is great!

Try these out and let me know if you have more to add!

Have a great day!

Mary

PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:


http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Science - The Seasons

Hi There,

Well, this is our first full week into the New Year. I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and are looking forward to new adventures.

I want to share some ideas on how to explore the seasons with your preschoolers. These ideas cover all the seasons and help them to understand why we have seasons. Not only do they peak interest in the Solar System, they also provide lots of ideas for activities and crafts to enhance learning and create lots of fun!


Why is it so Hot?
Bring out a poster or a 3-D model of the solar system. Ask students to show you where Earth is and where the sun is. Ask students if they know why it is hot in summer and cold in winter. Use the poster or the model to show students that in certain times of the year, Earth is closer to the sun than at other times. When we are closer, the weather is warmer. When we are farther away, the weather is colder.


Changing Seasons Worksheet
Give students a piece of paper with four equal squares on it. Tell students they must draw a scene for each of the seasons. They can include whatever nature things they want as well as animals. Give everyone a chance to describe their drawings and why they think it represents the seasons.

Weather Reporters
Take your class on a “field trip” throughout the room as they serve as weather reporters for the local news station. In one corner of the room, it is summer. Give students a chance to report what the temperature is and what it looks like outside. As they move to different corners, make sure students understand that the weather patterns change, so their reporting must change.

Hope you have some fun with these ideas. If you have any special ways of teaching the seasons, send them my way and I'll be happy to share them.

Bye for now,

Mary

PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletters for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html