Preschool Powol Packets

Light is the perfect experiment tool for preschoolers...and older kids too! We are surrounded by light!  As young as infants, babies are fascinated by light and dark objects.  As they grow older, their curiosity about light only increases!  You can feed this curiosity by letting your kiddos experiment with light.  This is super easy if you just have a flashlight!  If you don't, you can grab one for as little as a dollar.  If you're in a classroom, grab a set so (at the least) your kids can experiment in groups of 2-4.  Other fun (but optional) supplies include mirrors, clear colored plastic, colored tissue paper, and colored balloons. I start out by turning out the lights and shining a flashlight around.  Look at the shadows and wave the light on the ceiling or floor.  See if your kids can "catch" the light as you move it around! Then show them how the light passes through some things and not others.  Ask what happens when it passes through

Today I'm excited to be joining in the Storybook Summer at Rainy Day Mum!  Hop over there to see our favorite ladybug book, this fun button ladybug craft, and great ideas for play and learning with ladybugs ! While you're there, be sure to check out other kid activities like these salt dough dinosaur fossils and this train counting activity! Do you love ladybugs?  These clip-able ladybugs would be loads of fun to use with these ladybug count and clip cards !  You can also make egg carton ladybugs and learn about the ladybug life cycles with these cute cards ! I may share at any of  these parties ! Never miss another post again!   Sign up for our weekly updates newsletter and get links to all our posts once a week in your inbox!  Sign up here !!

Dinosaurs and preschoolers just seem to go together!  This simple challenge, though, becomes a relationship builder with one little addition. STEM seems to be a bit of a buzz word in certain educational groups.  It makes sense...an activity that combines science, technology, engineering, and math will appeal to a huge range of kids, use more cross-connecting parts of their brain, and encourage girls in fields that are often dominated by boys.  But it can also be a little intimidating to parents and teachers.  It doesn't need to be.  Look how simple this activity is, and how much it encompasses.  Also, watch how it can create a communication opportunity for you and your kiddo! 1- The challenge and invitation:  As you open a new jar or two of play dough (or mix it up on the stove!), ask your preschoolers if they knew that dinosaurs were born in eggs.  What do you think dinosaur eggs looked like?  Can you make some dinosaur eggs today?  Make sure tools like measuring spoons,

This is another dinosaur themed activity in my no-prep series this summer!  And, it also happens to be a super fun STEM challenge! As I planned activities that would take "no-prep," I allowed for anything I could do while I maintained the attention of my kiddos.  This basically amounted to about 30 seconds of time to pull 1-3 supplies out of a cupboard or turn on a song!  None of these activities require advanced preparation of materials...and this activity requires nothing more than time for instructions! So what are the instructions?  To build a Dinosaur Nest!  Let your kiddos choose their tools and the dinosaur they are building for--it could be a big one or a little one!  If you don't have a yard where they can grab grass, sticks, mud, and dig holes, take them to a forest, beach, or park and let them get to work! Science concepts : dinosaurs, appropriate size, cohesion and adhesion of mud and other supplies, problem solving/scientific reasoning Tec

Did you know that the longest animal to ever live on the Earth (longer even than the dinosaurs!) is the blue whale?  Yep...today, W is for Whale! I'm sharing some fun blue whale measuring activities that you can do with your kids!  These help reinforce math skills like counting and science processing skills (using a ruler or other measuring tool).  I used them with our Under the Sea theme, but you can do them whenever you feel like it.  They go great with an Ocean Theme or Summer Theme, but they are also fun on their own. And, as an extra bonus:  these measuring activities take NO preparation!  Unless you count the 30 seconds it takes you to grab some rulers, a measuring tape, and/or sidewalk chalk...then it requires about 30 seconds of prep time.  :) Activity #1:  How big is a blue whale?  The biggest blue whale ever recorded was about 108 feet long!  Mark a "starting spot" with your sidwalk chalk on the sidewalk and start measuring 108 feet.  Use either a 1-

Dinosaurs needed drinks too!  They also played in water and used it to cool down! This fun preschool dinosaur activity requires no preparation, and only takes a few seconds to pull your supplies out of the cupboard...or garage! Grab a bucket or bowl and fill it about half way full with water!  If your weather is nice, take it outside.  Let your little "dinosaurs" dig in!!  To make it even more fun, give them a couple manipulative items like a washcloth or smaller bucket with holes in it (like in the picture above).  Odds are your kiddos will find an item or two to play with in the water too! This activity is part of my huge series of 40+ preschool activities that require no preparation time!  While super easy to set up, these activities are wonderful experience and sensory builders for your preschoolers!  You can use them for a daily themed activity during the summer or as a hands-on part of a regular curriculum!  I'd love to know if you use it and what you and y

Sunflowers are definitely one of my top 10 favorite flowers!  Do you love them too?  Or are you scheduling a sunflower theme?  Then you will love this collection of the Top 10 Sunflower Activities for Preschool! 1- Learn about famous art as you make these Van Gogh inspired Sunflower Paintings ! 2- Use bubbles, paint, and cut paper to make these Mixed Media Sunflowers ! 3- Use a fork to make this brilliant sunflower ! (pictured) 4- Grab an empty egg carton to make these super cute sunflowers ! (pictured) 5- Use clothespins to make these big hands-on count & clip sunflowers ! (pictured) 6- These handprint sunflowers have a fun twist: they sparkle! 7- These sunflower suncatchers use real sunflower seeds! 8- This recycled craft  makes HUGE sunflowers! (pictured) 9- Grab some bubble wrap to make this unique sunflower ! 10- Use doilies to make th ese adorable sunflowers!  (pictured) Here are more super FUN flower ideas: Top 10 Flower Sensory Play Ide

I'm starting a summer series of themed preschool activities that require very  little or no preparation time!  The first preschool theme will be DINOSAURS!!   And today's no-prep activity: a Dinosaur Stomp! As I planned activities that would take "no-prep," I allowed for anything I could do while I maintained the attention of my kiddos.  This basically amounted to about 30 seconds of time to pull 1-3 supplies out of a cupboard or turn on a song!  None of these activities require advanced preparation of materials! For the Dinosaur Stomp, tell the kids that we are all going to be dinosaurs!  Ask them what they look like, and pretend to put on your "dinosaur claws" and "dinosaur tail."  Turn on an awesome dinosaur song, and stomp around the room like a parade!  I *love* We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner because it is so fun to march around to: We usually have to repeat this one about three times before everyone has had enoug

Dinosaurs, fairy tales, recipes, and more!  If you and your kiddos enjoy book-themed activities, you will *love* this month's Virtual Book Club! Every month the  Virtual Book Club   brings you over a dozen activities focused around one children's book.  This month's book is  Goldilocks and the 3 Dinosaurs  by Mo Willems, and the hosts' activities revolve around dinosaur and story themes.  Learn more and get fantastic ideas all month long at the  Virtual Book Club's Facebook Page !! Amazon Affiliate Link: Goldilocks and the Three DInosaurs by Mo Willems is a fun dinosaur-themed twist on a classic fairy tale.  It is perfect for preschoolers who love dinosaurs, hilarious to children of all ages, and can be used for lots of learning activities for older kids (think fractured fairy tales, creative writing, writing prompts, and more)! Here are the fairy tale and dinosaur activity ideas from the Virtual Book Club hosts: Learn about states of matter and h

STEM, science, and outdoors are some of our favorite activity themes!  I'm putting together a series of STEM challenges and science experiments for our kids to do this summer in a STEM Summer Camp, and this is the first science project challenge that I thought of! The set up is SO easy!!  Simply write the following instructions on a slip of paper and place it inside a lunch baggie: "Build a catapult using materials you find outside." The rest of the project, the materials, the format, the building, and the final structure are all up to your kiddos!  You can answer questions or encourage them, but the challenge is to build a catapult themselves.  When they are done, they can try (carefully!) launching sticks, rocks, pinecones, or other small objects! This projects requires your kiddos to use scientific reasoning, team work, language and discussion, creativity, problem solving, and more skills!  It integrates science (physics), technology (any tools they