I am a huge fan of busy bags. I love having engaging and educational activities ready to go when I need them! They can easily go with you which makes them great for summer and travel. They are also a fun way for kids to develop the fine motor skills they need for Kindergarten! Fine Motor Busy Bags ABC Match Fine Motor Busy Bag. Use clothespins and a paper plate to create a sunshine busy bag that develop fine motor and ABC skills. Crazy … [Read more...]
How to Make Invisible Ink with Lemon Juice
I have been wanting to try invisible writing with lemon juice for awhile now, but we haven't gotten around to it. We were sent a copy of Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors (affiliate link) written by Rachelle of Tinkerlab and when my preschooler saw it in there and asked to try it I immediately said yes! Invisible Ink with Lemon Juice lemon juice (any citrus will work) cotton swabs cardstock iron I love simple … [Read more...]
Homemade Silly Putty Recipe
Homemade silly putty is both a great kids activity and a science project! After playing with silly putty at engineering camp this week my kids wanted to play with it at home too. We decided to make some homemade silly putty using items we already had at home. It was a great way to extend their learning and play! Making silly putty turned out to be a great way to practice thinking like a scientist and using our problem solving skills. Our first … [Read more...]
What Do Phonics, Phonemic Awareness and Decoding Mean?
If you have a preschooler or a kindergartner chances are you've heard the terms phonics, phonemic awareness and decoding before. What do they really mean? This week as part of our Get Ready for K Through PLAY series I'm going to explain! Some of my longtime readers (thank you!) may know that I have my Master's in Reading and am a trained Reading Specialist, but you don't need a background in education to figure this out. I promise. All you need is … [Read more...]
Frozen Olaf {Inspired} Puppet Craft
Are your kids Frozen obsessed? Mine are! Even more so since we went to the Frozen Summer Fun events at Hollywood Studios in Disney World. After going to the Frozen sing-a-long (it is awesome!) the kids wanted to play Frozen all day long. We came up with this simple Olaf {inspired} paper plate puppet craft to keep the pretend play going! How to Make an Olaf Puppet: white paper plate markers popsicle stick glue Olaf Puppet Free … [Read more...]
Liquid Layers Density Science Experiment
Density can be a tricky science topic for kids to understand. Making the concept hands-on with a density science experiment like liquid layers is a great way for kids to "see" density in action. I've seen other people do this experiment before, but this was the first time I had ever done it myself. Our first experiment didn't turn out as well as I thought it would so follow the pouring directions below if you don't have a lot of extra liquids when … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Active Math Games
Preschoolers and kindergartners love to move! Instead of trying to get them to sit still all the time I am a big fan of letting them move and learn. This week in our Get Ready for K Through PLAY! series I am sharing some fun Kindergarten active math games for kids! Kindergarten Math Games: Number Line Run. Help kids recognize numbers and number order with this fun and simple sidewalk chalk game. Math Hunt. Search around the house for the … [Read more...]
The Best Camping Activities for Kids
Going camping with kids is a classic childhood activity. We had taken my older two camping, but my younger daughter had never been so it has been on our family to do list for a while. When KOA asked if we wanted to try out one of their Kampgrounds this summer we jumped at the chance. It was a ton of fun discovering “What is behind the yellow sign” and we came up with a list of must-do camping activities for kids! We stayed at the Naples/Marco … [Read more...]
