Easy Kite Craft for Kids!

Our final Kite-themed activity was making this easy kite craft!

This was a joint effort by LB(3) AND LL(1) and myself.

How to make it:

• Out of a piece of white paper, cut out a kite shape.
• Let your child paint (we used watercolors) their kite however they desire (this was LB's job)

•  Get out another piece of white paper and have your child paint it however they desire (this was LL's job, AND her very first time painting! She loved it.)

• After the papers have dried, use a hole-punch to make a small hole in the bottom corner of the kite.
• Cut a long piece of yarn (however long you want it for the kite string), and tie it through the hole.

• Out of the other sheet of painted paper, cut out 3 (or more) bow-shapes. Start at the top of the kite string and tie the yarn around each one, working your way down the string.

There you have it!

HAVE FUN!

Kite Sizes - Activity for Preschoolers

Here is another quick and easy activity we did with our Kite theme!

This is good to help young children learn about sizes as they sort the kites smallest to biggest.

This was a cinch to make and LB(3) had fun with this one!

Prep Work:

• Using a piece of construction paper, cut out 5 rectangles of different sizes.
• Fold the rectangles in half, then in half again.
• Cut from one corner to the next, unfold and you've instantly got 5 kites! (pictures below):

•  Draw lines on the kites from corner to corner....to make them look more kite-like. :)
• Get out 2 pieces of white paper.
• Trace each of the kites from smallest to biggest on the paper.
• Draw strings coming off each kite.

How to Play:

• Lay out all the kites and the white pieces of paper. 
• Ask your child to find the smallest kite and put it in it's place on the white paper.
• Then the next smallest, and next, etc.
• Then you can go backwards, biggest to smallest.

HAVE FUN!

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Kite Math - Activity for Kids

Here is another activity we tried with our KITE theme. We just "added" a bit to the Kite Counting activity we already made. :)

This is for the more advance preschoolers, and/or older kids. I did a few with LB(3), but he soon lost interest and just wanted to go back to counting. 

That's ok. Something for later then. :)

Prep Work:

• Create the Kite Counting activity as described in the post shown above.
• Then cut out some cloud shapes using blue construction paper.
• On each shape, write a math problem that equals one of the numbers 1-5.

How to Play:

• Place one of the clouds on the paper.
• Say the problem with your child and have them place the number of bows on the string as shown in the problem:

• Then have them put the kite on with the correct answer:

It was a good way to introduce addition to LB(3), and will come back to it as he gets older. :)

HAVE FUN!

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Kite Counting - Math Activity for Preschoolers

originally published 4-10-13

For our Preschool@Home this week our theme is KITES!

LB(3) and I did this fun little activity and it's SO easy to make, check it out!

Prep Work:

• Cut 5 kite shapes (diamonds) out of construction paper
• Write numbers 1-5 on them.
• Trace one of them on the right side of a white piece of paper.
• Then draw a string coming off the kite on the paper,
• And a cloud in the sky. :)
• Cut 5 bow shapes out of construction paper

How to Play:

• Sit down with your child and demonstrate how to play.
• Put one of the kites on the paper.
• Then count out that number of bows as you place them on top of the kite string.
• Then have them try!

 LB(3) enjoyed playing this game. He is big into counting these days, and while he can easily count past five, this is a useful skill to practice using something tactile to count out.

HAVE FUN!

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Paper Plate Umbrellas - Spring Craft for Kids

We made these cute umbrella crafts at the Library last week and they went along perfectly with our "Spring" theme!

The one on the left was made by LB(3), and LM(6) made the rainbow one. :)

How to Make it:

• Cut a paper-plate in half and cut the bottom edge in a little wave-pattern, like the bottom of an umbrella.
• Cut out a black shape to be the handle of the umbrella.
• Color the paper plate however you want.
• Glue on the handle
• Punch a hole in the top and put some yarn through so you can hang it up (optional)

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Spring Button Craft for Kids!

Here is a fun craft we made to go along with our "Spring" theme! LM(6), LB(3), and I made this together this week as we talked about the wonders of spring!

Prep Work:

• Get out a piece of paper.
• Draw and/or have your child draw:
• grass
• tree trunk and branches
• cloud

Then get out a bunch of BUTTONS to make your Spring Scene! (FYI: You can usually find bags of miscellaneous buttons at crafts stores. Just ask where to find them. Or get a great collection on Amazon!) :)

TREE

• Get out some glue and a bunch of pink buttons. Place dots of glue all over the tree branches and place the buttons on them. Here is your tree of spring blossoms!

RAIN

• Get out some big blue buttons, and some small blue buttons. 
• Glue the big ones inside the cloud shape.
• Glue the small ones coming down from the cloud like rain. 

FLOWERS

• Get out 3-4 big buttons.
• Glue these above the grass about 1.5".
• Use a green marker and draw stems and leaves. These are your spring flowers!

SUN

• Glue a BIG yellow button in the sky.
• Draw rays around it with a yellow marker.

And there you have it. A pretty spring scene!

So cute--we may even put ours in a frame!

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Tulip Words - Reading Activity for Preschoolers

This week we're doing a "Spring" theme in our Preschool@Home, and this is our first activity! 

I just made this and haven't done it with LB(3) yet, but I know it will be fun for him, and a good way to review letter sounds and to begin teaching him how letters make words. :)

How to Make it:

• Get out 4-6 pieces of different colors of construction paper. Draw a tulip shape on one, stack the papers, then cut out the tulips.
• Use one of the tulip cutouts to trace the tulip shape onto a white piece of paper or cardstock 3 times.
• Choose a word ending (like -at, -am, -in, -an, etc.) and write it in the last 2 tulip shapes on the paper.
• Using green paper, cut out stems, leaves and grass for the flowers and glue them on.

• Then, on the tulip shapes you cut out, write letters that can be used to make words with that ending:

How to Play:

• Sit down with your child and lay out all the tulip shapes. Have them pick a tulip and place it on the first flower. Then help them sound out the word.

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Flower Cupcake

Cupcakes are so much fun to make!

Not only are they delicious, but you can make them look so cute too! 

A friend of mine taught me how to make this and although it LOOKS like it took a lot of work, it was actually really simple!

The idea comes from the book

What's New, Cupcake? by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson.

Here is the basic idea:

• Cut mini-marshmallows diagonally and dip the cut ends in colored sugar sprinkles. (Because the cut part is sticky, the sprinkles will stick right to it! It's amazingly simple!!)
• Place the mallows on a frosted cupcake starting with the outside, going around and working in.
• Put bigger sprinkles in the center.

SO easy and fun and cute and wonderfully delicious. :)

Flower Man Craft

Here is a fun craft for spring. Make flower friends!
In the picture above, LB(2 1/2) made the green one, and LM(5) made the orange one.

Supplies:

• Craft foam 
• Craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
• Pom-poms
• Googly eyes
• Scissors
• Glue
• Marker

Here's what you do:

1. Draw a simple flower shape on craft foam and cut it out.
2. Glue the sticks on the flower for arms and legs, and glue the pom-poms on for hands & feet.
3. Glue on the googly-eyes, and a pom-pom for the nose.
4. Draw a mouth.

Straw Flower Craft

It's hard to believe that spring is in the 90 degree air. I have to keep reminding myself that it IS still spring. And to help us feel more "spring-y," we made this simple flower craft using straws!

Supplies:

• Straws
• Construction paper
• Pomp-pom
• Scissors
• Glue

Here's what you do:

1. Have the child cut the straw into smaller pieces (great scissor practice!)
2. Have the child glue the pom-pom on the paper, and glue the straw pieces around it like a flower. 
3. Glue on a long straw for the stem.

LB(2 1/2) made the flower on the green paper, and LM(5) made the one on the orange paper:

Flower Counting

In honor of spring (which actually feels like summer where we live), I made this little counting activity to do with the boys. LM(5) did this quite easily, and it was a fun way to help LB(2 1/2) begin his quest to master his mad counting skills.

Supplies:

• Craft foam
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Marker

Here's what you do:

1. Using a cup or something round, cut out 5 circles out of craft foam for the flower petals. 
2. Then cut out 5 smaller circles to use for the flower centers and write numbers 1-5 on them.
3. Cut out a stem & leaves from some green craft foam.
4. Trace the stem, leaves, flower petals, and center with a marker so the child knows where to place them.

Here are a couple ways to PLAY:

1. Put a number in the middle of the flower and then have the child put that many petals on the flower.

OR

2. Put a certain number of petals on the flower and have the child count them and place the correct number circle in the middle of the flower.

Handprint Flower Scene Mother's Day Card

The 4th and final idea for using the handprints in a Mother's Day card is this: A fun scene where the 2 boys' handprints are the tulips and sweet baby's handprint is the sun! 

You could even have one child do all the handprints, or make even more flowers on a bigger piece of paper!

Many fun possibilities. 

Supplies:

• Paint
• Cardstock
• Scrapbook paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers

Here's what you do:

1. Using the paint, have the child/children stamp their handprints on cardstock.
2. When the paint is dry, cut out 1 handprint (preferably a yellow one) to be the sun. Cut around the other handprints in the shape of tulips.
3. Glue them on pieces of scrapbook paper and cut around them in bigger sun and tulip shapes.
4. Glue them together, then glue them onto a piece of cardstock or other big paper.
5. Add sun rays with a yellow marker
6. Add stems to the tulips with a greenish scrapbook paper.
7. You can leave it as a big piece of paper, or fold it up into a card and decorate the front if you wish.
8. Write your messages on the paper to wish a lovely mom you know a very...

Happy Mother's Day!

*P.S. The best finger paints around are by Crayola. They are the perfect consistency. Not too runny and not too thick. And best of all they are completely washable--and so easy to wipe off tables, fingers, and wash out of clothes. I HIGHLY recommend them for painting crafts with kids. 
And there is a great deal on Amazon right now to get a nice set of 12 different colors. In big bottles that you can use for a LONG time! Check it out!

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