Preschool Powol Packets

This is a super easy, amazingly engaging, inexpensive, fall-themed sensory bin that your preschoolers will love! If you have not taken the plunge into sensory bins, this is a fantastic place to start.  Corn is easy to get and the kids love the texture!  When I put out the bin full of corn, the first thing our preschoolers did was run their fingers through the corn...over and over! They seriously loved the texture and the way it fell through their fingers.  Then, of course, they had to see how it fell on their arms and feet too: Pretty soon, though, they wanted to get "tools."  Our preschoolers took to the kitchen and pulled out spoons, ladles, spatulas, and several other kitchen tools to make their sensory bin a regular kitchen work box! Even the one-year olds pulled out little buckets to put handfuls of corn in! I had to laugh when my daughter wanted to use a spoon to see if she could catapult the corn through the air!

Today we are celebrating the Wild West theme with the Poppins Book Nook! However, we have spent the last month immersed  in electronics and pumpkins...the two themes my kiddos cannot get enough of lately!  I am a huge fan of child-directed learning , and trying to pry them away from their pumpkins and circuits this week was just not happening. So , I am sharing 7 fabulous {FREE} Wild West themed printables that are appropriate for preschoolers.  I hope you love them!! *  Free Wild West Printable Pack for children 3-8 from 123 Homeschool4Me * Free  Cowboy Printable Packs for Preschool and Kindergarten from Homeschool Creations * Free Sheriff Badge Template from She Knows * Free Cowboy Word Search from Family Theme Days * Free Cowboy Alphabet Match-up, Clothespin Cards, and more from Mrs. Home Ec * Free to subscribers Do You Want to be a Cowboy unit for PreK - 5th grade from In All You Do * Free Wanted Dice Number Roll game from Melissa Freshwater

These beaded pumpkins are so much fun to make, use real-life practical skills, strengthen fine motor skills, and let your kiddos express their own creativity in a safe, fall-themed decoration! Last year I told you how hammering golf tees into pumpkins  has been an annual tradition here for many years.  This year, I wanted to try something just a little bit different...something that would be easy for our youngest kiddos to participate in.  They always love  hammering the golf tees, but this year we have more toddlers that would get frustrated with trying to balance the golf tee and the hammer at the same time.  I decided to try using real  nails (because they have a small head) and putting colored pony beads on the nails.   Everybody , regardless of their age, enjoyed choosing colors and placing the beads.  The "older" kiddos (three and up!) were beyond thrilled to hammer real nails into the pumpkin! Simple Supplies * pumpkin * nails * h

My preschoolers have been asking a lot of questions about electricity, lights, and batteries lately, so I wanted to start an electronics and electricity unit with all the kiddos.  It seemed like a perfect subject for some fun science experiments.  After a little research, I discovered Squishy Circuits.  They make the perfect science project for undestanding electricity. The concept behind squishy circuits is brilliant: children use child-friendly components to experiment and learn about electricity.  The best part: the components are "plugged in" to play dough!  The kits are wonderfully safe! Our first lab was building a simple circuit to "light up" an LED.  Before we started we talked about one simple rule in simple preschool-language:  do not touch any metal pieces together.  This was to prevent shorting out any components. The kids got right to work: I showed them how to make the simplest circuit: each end of the battery pack is plugg

In a massive collaboration with your favorite kid bloggers and our recent pumpkin theme, I am beyond thrilled to bring you this collection of more than 25 Pumpkin Science & Math Activities...perfect for your preschoolers!  AND, make sure you read to the end of this post so you can enter the mega cash giveaway... four lucky people will get $500 !  *Closed!* If you've been following this blog, you know that science is one of the most popular subjects around here.  You also know that we have been celebrating fall with a pumpkin sensory series.  Every one of the 25+ experiments below is a fabulous sensory experience.  Science is actually learned best when two or more senses are involved...and many of these use much more than two! Go ahead and check them out...have you tried any before?  Which would you like to try most...I'd love to know! Chemistry Bubble Science With Pumpkins : Bubbles and pumpkins just go together, right?! Pumpkin-Cano : (pictured) It's a