Friday, October 19, 2012

Fall Leaf Sorting


Children LOVE to sort things.  I don't know what it is about grouping things into categories that is so instinctual for them, but they love it.  They love repeating it.  And they are really really good at it!  So creating interesting sorting activities is always on my to-do list.


I bought this bright orange condiment server to use at a birthday party, but it has since become one of our go-to sorting tools especially for smaller items.  We've used it to sort beans and pom poms and a few other things.  The bright orange color makes it the perfect fall season tray for leaf sorting too.


These little foam leaves are a good size for little hands and come in four beautiful fall colors: purple, brown, green, and yellow.  They also come in three different shapes.  So we can sort two ways!  I found these leaves in a package at our local dollar store.  An alternative would be to cut your own leaf shapes out of foam sheets or even cardstock or construction paper.  


What's more fun that sorting fake leaves?  Sorting real ones of course!  The bonus here is that we get to go outside and pick up a bunch of leaves to sort through!  It's always fun to see all the wonderful colors straight from nature. 


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Paper Plate Pumpkins


Painted Paper Plate Pumpkins.  Try saying that five times fast!  No really do it!  Ok, now onto the real fun.  We enjoyed our pumpkin rice treats so much, we decided to make some more pumpkins that would actually keep around the house until Halloween.  All we needed was something round and orange, which quickly translated to paper plates and orange paint.

Supplies:
  • Plain Paper Plate
  • Orange Paint
  • Paint Brush or Fingers!
  • Black Construction Paper
  • Brown Construction Paper
  • Green Pipe Cleaner


The kids love when I drag out this old blue tablecloth.  It's one of those cheese vinyl picnic table cloths.  We only use it for painting so when they see me lay it out on the table they always get excited!  I gave them the option of finger painting or using a brush.  My oldest wanted to finger paint, and the youngest wanted to use a brush.  Well at least she started off using a brush anyway!  


After painting the plate orange (my oldest had to do both sides because pumpkins are orange all the way around!), we let them dry for a little bit...ie about 2 seconds because they just couldn't wait to make them into jack-o-lanterns!


We used black construction paper to make the eyes, nose, and mouth.  It's a good opportunity to talk about shapes.  The eyes and nose are triangles.  We started with something close to a crescent or half circle shape for the mouth and cut out squares or triangles to finish it.


The stem is a rectangle shape cut from brown construction paper.  And we finished them off with a leaf made out of a green pipe cleaner.  


Carefully poke the pipe cleaner through the plate near the stem to attach it to the pumpkin.  You could also use a hole punch to make this easier.  To make the curly vine shape, wrap the pipe cleaner around a pencil or your finger a few times and gently slide it off.


And voila, you have a super fun and easy pumpkin or jack-o-lantern to decorate with for Halloween!




Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Pine Cone Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers


We've collected a bunch of pine cones recently as we've been outside enjoying the amazing fall weather.  I knew they would come in handy for preschool crafts, but I had no idea just how many adorable pine cone crafts and activities were out there!  I've compiled a list of ten of our favorites and what is now my pine-cone-craft-to-do-list to keep us busy throughout the upcoming holidays!


1.  Pine Cone Birdfeeder

http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/pinecone-birdfeeder.jhtml

It's a classic!  This simple, fun, and very useful craft is perfect for the little ones to make and then watch as the birds enjoy it too!
2.  Pine Cone Owl

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/pineconecrafts/ss/Pine-Cone-Owl-Craft.htm

Really, who can pass up an owl craft?  This little guy is just too adorable!  All you need is a little pine cone, felt, and some googly eyes.  And I love how he's sitting on a little branch too!

3.  Pine Cone Monsters

http://craftandcreativity.com/blog/2012/05/10/pineconemonster/

The page is in Swedish  but I think the pictures are pretty self explanatory.  I love how they've even decorated the googly eyes!  These would make a fun Halloween party favor!  

4.  Pine Cone Reindeer

http://www.allfreechristmascrafts.com/Reindeer-Christmas-Crafts/Pine-Cone-Reindeer#

Every year we make a craft with the kids for them to give out as gifts at Christmas.  We've done ornaments and clothespin reindeer, but this little pine cone reindeer might be this year's craft.  


5.  Pine Cone Pumpkins

http://funfamilycrafts.com/pine-cone-pumpkins/

I thought these were carrots at first, but of course pumpkins make more sense this time of year!  Either way, they are just plain cute!  Make a bunch and put them in a bowl for a beautiful fall centerpiece.


6.  Pine Cone Toss Game

http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2012/09/fall-pine-cone-toss-simple-counting-game.html

Play with your pine cones first, and then make a craft when you're done!  This would definitely be a fun game for all ages.  Play outdoors if the weather is nice or inside if it's not.

7.  Pine Cone Trees

http://www.giverslog.com/wrapthegift/?p=20

Here's a tutorial for another version of the pine cone tree, http://thewoolacorn.blogspot.com/2010/10/tutorial-for-my-pinecone-christmas.html.  I like how they have a tree trunk made out of a thread spool.  The possibilities are endless on this one!

8.  Pine Cone Turkey

http://www.projectsforpreschoolers.com/make-a-pine-cone-turkey/

I could probably do a whole post just about pine cone turkey tutorials.  There are so many versions out there.  This is one of my favorites, using only a pine cone, construction paper, glue and googly eyes (which we always have around here!).

9.  Pine Cone Weather Station

http://www.science-sparks.com/2012/08/13/pine-cone-weather-station/#

Did you know you could predict the weather with pine cones?  Here's a great science experiment  where  little ones can observe the pine cones to predict what the weather will be like!  

10.  Pine Cone Cardinal

http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2011/07/smart-summer-challenge-week-4-forest.html

We live in Indiana where cardinals are the state bird, so when I saw this little guy I had to add him to our to do list!


Now that I know what to do with our pine cones, it's time to get started!  Only problem though is just to decide which one to make first!