Smiling Snacks

Food is so fun to eat when it's smiling at you!  There are lots of ways you can make food look more interesting, but sometimes it's even more fun to let your child make the faces.  Place all the serving dishes in front of your child (or put all the pieces on a serving tray), hand him a paper towel or plate, and invite him to make some faces.  Or, if you're feeling Halloweenish, invite him to make Monster Faces!

Some fun combinations to try:

* raisins and bananas (The picture was created by a 4-year old)
* raisins and bread spread with peanut butter
* pretzels and grapes
* dried cranberries and graham crackers
* Chex Mix and string cheese
* yogurt and strawberries
* celery "pennies" and small flour tortillas spread with peanut butter

My Leaf Report--Free Printable

Fall is a fabulous time of year to take a closer look at leaves!  There are many, many science experiments, crafts, games, and topics for preschoolers to study that relate to leaves!  Inspired by Little Giraffes "All About a Leaf," I created the printable "My Leaf Report" for preschoolers!  Click here to download it for free!

Then go outside and let your child choose a leaf to analyze.  Help him fill out the different pieces of information and let him draw a picture of his leaf.  He will be using science, reasoning, and communication skills as he analyzes his leaf with you.

Do you like the free "My Leaf Report" for preschoolers?  I would love to hear if you use it and see pictures of you and your preschooler!  You can always send an email or leave a comment!

Science Experiment for Preschoolers--Just in Time for Halloween

Here's a festive twist on a favorite preschool experiment!  Mix the baking soda and vinegar and watch the glove stand up straight! 

Supplies:
gloves
water bottle(s)
tape
vinegar
baking soda

Procedure:
1.  Carefully tie the fingers of the glove into a loose knot.
2.  Let your preschooler spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda inside the glove.
3.  Fill the bottle about 1/3 full of vinegar.
4.  Without letting the baking soda fall in the bottle, tape the glove to the opening of the bottle.  Make sure the connection between the glove and the bottle is air-tight!  Use your helpers to make this part easy!
5.  Let your child dump the baking soda into the bottle, and watch the "magic!"

** Put your bottle in a tub or near the sink to catch any spills! **

Explanation:
When baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) touch each other, they react and make carbon dioxide.  Carbon dioxide is a gas that bubbles up the bottle and fills the glove.

Experiment:
Let your preschooler experiment with other safe acids and bases you have around the kitchen.  What combination bubbles the most?  What combination fills the glove the fastest?  Common acids include vinegar, pickle juice, lemons, and lemonade.  Common bases include baking soda and antacids.  Baking powder and Alka Seltzer have both an acid and a base that mix when the powder/tablet dissolves.

Pre-reading Skills: Substitute Words

Some 4-5 year old children are ready to start learning to read, but most will benefit more from pre-reading games.  Substitute Words is a fun game you can throw into any rhyming story you are reading with your child.

To play, choose a book your child has heard before or that has a few predictable rhymes.  As you read along, simply substitute a non-sense rhyming word into the story.

For example, Rusty Robot has a page that reads,

Zippy takes a trip

On a ship around the stars.

She's seen the rings of Saturn,

 Now it's time for lunch on Mars. 

Instead of reading "Mars," say something like "Dars."

Preschoolers love to correct you, and this gives them a chance to practice hearing rhyming sounds that will help them learn to read!

Free Fall Coloring Pages!

What can you do with coloring pages?  Try a few of these ideas!  Let your preschooler:

• color them with crayons, markers, colored pencils, and different kinds of paints!
• cut out the pictures and use them to make puppets!  
• create a story based on one (or more!) of the scenes in the coloring pages!
• practice patterns!
• use the repetitive pictures to make a memory game
• thread the images on yarn to make necklaces!
• glue the pictures on paper strips to make headbands!

   The possibilities are endless!  We would love to know how you used the fall coloring pages!  Send an email to WholeChildCreativeCurriculum@gmail.com telling us what you did.  Feel free to include pictures!

To download the free Fall Coloring Pages, either click here or use the sidebar link!

Now Available: Halloween Craft Kits

We are excited to announce that our Halloween Craft Kits are now available!  These kits include all supplies (except basic art supplies like glue) needed to create six Halloween Crafts.  The crafts are appropriate for preschoolers, though some (like the example below) require more adult supervision than others (like the sticker projects). 

Our unique collection of Halloween crafts for preschoolers is selected based on how appropriate each craft is for 3-6 year olds, how much freedom and creativity the craft allows the child to express, and how appropriate the craft is for the season.  The examples above were created by a 3-year old and a 4-year old--I love how each child's personality comes through in their Haunted House design!

The Halloween Craft Kits include a Suggested Enrichments Page and the following crafts:

1. Popsicle Stick Haunted House
2. Adhesive Jack-o-lantern Face (can be used on a real pumpkin or other surface!)
3. Create Your Own Crazy Monster Stickers
4. Bats
5. "Magic" Scratchy Ornaments
6. Create Your Own Halloween Scene

We know you will have fun spending time with your child as he/she decorates and prepares for the fun Halloween Season!  We only make a limited number of these kits, so order yours using the button on the right sidebar while they still last!

Spider Craft for Preschoolers

Halloween is coming, and kids love to make their own creepy, crawly decorations!  This cute spider lets your child personalize and create her own little arachnid!

Supplies:

• 2 chenille sticks (pipecleaners), cut into 8 pieces
• two foam balls
• toothpick
• foam eyes (or use wiggly eyes)
• gluestick
• paint and paintbrush

Let your child:

1.  Connect the foam balls with a toothpick.  Talk about how spiders have two body parts:  head and body.
2.  Paint the spider.  Let your child choose the colors!
3.  After the paint is dry, stick the chenille sticks into the body for the legs.  Let your child choose the color!  Talk about how spiders have eight legs.  Compare to ants, which only have six legs.
4.  Glue the eyes on the head.
5.  Give it a name, use it as a decoration, or take it for a walk!

Summer Tree/Fall Tree Craft For Preschoolers

This fun and easy craft lets preschoolers (and toddlers!) make a tree that can switch back and forth between summer and fall!

Preparation: (your child can watch this part!)

Cut a trunk out of brown construction paper.  Cut the tree top out green and white paper (or, use yellow, red, or orange instead of white!).  Cut a blue sheet of construction paper in half.  Gather crayons, stickers, and glue.

Let your child:

Spread glue on half of the green tree top and place it on top of the white tree top.  Fold the un-glued half away from the glued half.  Glue the un-glued half to the blue construction paper, according to the picture above.

Let your child glue the tree trunk in place and add any decorations: apples, stickers, etc.

Flip the tree back and forth, saying, "Summer Tree; Fall Tree; Summer Tree; Fall Tree!"

Talk about:

The first day of fall was September 23rd!  What changes have you seen?  Feel free to discuss changes in temperature, trees, plants, birds, and other animals in as much detail as your child wants!