Preschool Powol Packets

Halloween is a fall favorite around here!  Our preschoolers love cute ghosts, friendly witches, fall crafts, and fabulous Halloween books!   I have been building a list of our favorite preschool-friendly Halloween books for several years, and I hope you find some here that you and your kiddos can enjoy too!  I've also been able to find a lot of these in the library, but you may want to reserve them 2-3 weeks before you need them because they get very popular in October.  August and September are the best times of year to buy Halloween books because they are on the shelves, but not running out of stock yet.  My favorite places to buy children's books are Amazon.com and ThriftBooks.com. Below you will find Amazon affiliate links.  They are fabulous places to get a good look at the book and see what other people think about it too.  If you do purchase the book through Amazon, I get a small commission for referring you.  You never pay more for using these links. (Amazo

This month's theme for Poppins Book Nook is When I Grow Up.  Before I give you preschool activity ideas for it, I want to introduce you to my absolute favorite book about dreaming about growing up:   When I Grow Up  by Al Yankovic! (Amazon affiliate link below:) What I love most about this book is that it makes the future seem entirely in the hands of the child.  It encourages kids to dream big and do what they love.  And that is a message that I think kids everywhere (even grown up kids!) can use sometimes! One of my other favorite things to do with preschoolers is to act out or dramatize...anything!  A growing up theme is especially fun!  It gives children a chance to imagine something and then create and become the precise thing they have imagined in just a matter of moments.  It is wonderful for developing confidence, creativity, and even problem solving! So, here are 10 Dramatizing Activities for When I Grow Up!: 1.  Place a bin with pr

Our yard may need a warning sign: any ladybug that lands here can expect to be held, named, loved, and temporarily relocated to an observation-friendly habitat by very little hands.  And you can expect to have a ladybug preschool craft created in your honor. Yes, our kids love ladybugs!  We also love egg carton crafts, so these little bugs were extremely popular! The best part?  They use very  common materials.  I literally opened our craft drawer and said, "How can make a ladybug craft today?"  And these adorable little bugs were born! Your kiddos can make their own set too!  Here's the easy How-To.  Of course, you can easily adapt the concept to whatever supplies you happen to have on hand or whatever mood you are in.  Go on...have fun!  And, just for you ladybug-loving friends out there, I included ten Fun Ladybug Facts below too! Egg Carton Ladybug Preschool Craft Simple Supplies: * Egg carton cups, cut out * black or brown fuz

When a child is born, he has about 100 billion neurons.  Most of them are not connected at birth, but by the time he is three years old each neuron can have over ten thousand connections!  And it doesn't stop there.  The brain continues to wire and re-wire as your child grows. As a new school year begins, I love the new book buying, new curriculum writing, new goal strategizing, and just the general back-to-school season. I do not, however, love the pressure. The pressure is everywhere...and it is worse every year. The preschools want to make sure their kiddos are ready to read by kindergarten.  The homeschoolers want to make sure nobody thinks their kiddos are falling behind or missing out.  Almost every parent of a preschooler that I have watched wonders if their child "knows enough." People!  The pressure has got to stop!  And not just because it isn't healthy for caregivers (which it's not!), but because this pressure ignores research abo

Those hot summer days are almost over, but this Ice Castle Science Experiment Play (inspired by Elsa, of course!) can also work wonderfully in an indoor tray! This easy and fun science project is perfect for teaching kids about melting points.   Our kiddos had a fabulous time building their own ice castles out of real  ice cubes and a secret ingredient that helped them stick together faster!  This science play takes almost zero prep time, is super easy to clean up, and appeals to a huge age range, making it the perfect group activity! Some of the towers were simpler than others, but all the kiddos loved sticking the ice together and adding color! You can make an ice castle too!  The ingredients are super simple: lots of ice, salt, and liquid water colors (see note at bottom). I also put out a big blue blanket for everyone to work on.  This helped the ice on the bottom of each tower hold still better and gave everything a cool blue tint!  Our younger childr

These apple science experiments are great for preschoolers and even older children too! These science projects are a lot of fun and get the kids excited to learn about their world. Last week we went to the grocery store and were blown away by all the varieties of apples coming into season!  No wonder everyone likes to do Apple themes in the fall for preschool!  Today, I'm sharing more than a dozen fun apple-y preschool science experiments that you can do with an Apple theme, or just for fun!  And if you'd like even more apple-themed ideas, including crafts and recipes, be sure to check out my Apple Fun Pinterest Board ! 12+ Apple Preschool Science Experiments: 1.  Make fun and colorful eruptions flow from your apples! 2.  Learn how to make apple seeds bounce and jump by mixing a few common ingredients! 3.  Discover the science behind apples turning brown ! 4.   Measure, predict, and record observations with apples! 5.  Use apples to see

Space is a super fun preschool theme, and I'm sharing a science experiment you can do with one of our preschoolers' favorite space books at Rainy Day Mum !  Be sure to hop over there and see how your preschoolers can combine art and science in this hands-on exploratory, sensory science project!  And while you're there, be sure to check out Rainy Day Mum's other Story Book Summer themes, like Dinosaurs, Bugs & Butterflies, and more! I may share at any of these parties !

It's Back-to-School Time!!  Fly back to school this year with this fun, free owl-y printable ! I love doing things when we start the new year that help me grab a "snapshot" of my kids. They grow up SO fast! It is so easy to think we will remember their favorite breakfast or subject forever, and... we just don't! This little booklet is perfect for celebrating a new year and grabbing one of those little snapshots in time! Do you love owls?  We do!  Here are some more great ideas and printables with owl themes : * Owl Finger Puppets and Rhymes * Egg Carton Owls from Life With Moore Babies * Mix and Match Owls Felt Board Play from And Next Comes L * Owl Paper Bag Puppets from Reading Confetti * Paper Plate Owl Craft from Own a Day Care * Owl Art Crafts from Deep Space Sparkle * Owl Book Page Craft from 29 Black Street * TP Roll Owls from Fresh and Fun * Owl Themed Classroom Door Mrs. Lee's Kinder Kids * Paper