C is for Caterpillar

Check out our caterpillar! This craft goes perfect with our "Bug/Insect" theme. Here is how we did it...
Materials:

Paper Towel Holder
Paint
Paintbrush

Glue Stick
Stapler
Craft Google Eyes
Scissors
(Optional:Black Construction Paper)

1.First,my son painted the paper towel holder.

(Watch him work!):)
2.When the holder dried,I cut it into sections.

3.Next, I stapled the sections together.

4. I added on eyes, with a glue stick.
I even glued on little antennas.(Optional)


Extra:
Pair this activity with literacy.Read Eric Carle's,"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"! :)

A is for Ant

Our caterpillar project went so well the other day, that we expanded on it. We made an ant to go with our caterpillar!Here is how we did it...
Supplies:


Paper Towel Holder
Black Construction Paper
Scissors
Wax Paper
Paint
Paint Brush
Paint Container
Stapler
1.Have the child paint the paper towel roll.We let ours dry on wax paper, so it would not stick.

2.After the paint dried, I cut the roll into sections.

3.Next,I stapled three of the sections together.

4.Then,I glued on the google eyes,six legs and "feelers".


My son loved it! He even used it during dramatic play!

S is for Sun

Yesterday, we made our own moon. It turned out great! Since we have been talking about the “Sky”, we might as well make our own Sun too!

Supply List:

Yellow Poster Board
Scissors
Tissue/Construction Paper
Glue/Glue Stick
Pencil/Sharpie

1. First, I drew a big circle on the poster board and cut it out.


2. Next, I cut up several sheets of tissue/construction paper and set out the glue.
3. I invited my son to glue the paper to our “Sun”.


4.When my son was done, I added some poster board scraps the back of his work.


Now we just have to find a good place to hang it! :)

Pumpkin Crayons

I try to provide lots of opportunities for my son to practice his Fine Motor Skills. Sometimes, it is all about novelty. New supplies are always a hit. Our "new" pumpkin crayons are actually recycled.I melted our old crayons and made new ones! Here is what I did...

1. I gathered our broken /old crayons.


2. I peeled all of the paper off the crayons.


3. I put the crayons in cupcake liners and put them on a cookie sheet.


4. Next,I put the oven on 225 degrees Fahrenheit and melted the wax. It took about 15 minutes.


5.  I poured the wax into a Pumpkin Ice Cube Tray (Dollar Store),like this one..



6. Finally,I popped the crayons out of the mold.
.
I put out paper and encouraged my son to draw. Although he does not "mouth" things,he did ask me if he could eat them. Proceed with caution my friends. :)

M is for Moon

Lately, my son has been infatuated with the sky. He always looks for the Moon in the sky. I am running with his interest, as I often do. Today, we made our own moon. He was really excited about it.


Materials:
Foil
Tissue Paper
Glue/Glue Stick
Glitter
Blue Poster Board
Scissors
Pencil/Sharpie

1. While my son was napping, I drew a moon on a poster board.

2.Next,I cut the moon out.

3. I cut up pieces of foil and tissue paper. I also set out the glue.

4.When my son woke up, I invited him to decorate the moon with the tissue paper and foil.

5. Then, he added a little glitter.

6. Finally, our moon was done. I was impressed that my son covered most of the moon. It seems the older he gets, the more time he takes with his work. What a big boy!

Red,White and Blue Necklaces

We just made some awesome necklaces,in honor of the Fourth of July. Scroll down and see how we did it!

Materials:

Yarn or Thread
Paper Towel Roll
Scissors
Red,White and Blue Paint
Wax Paper
Paint Brushes
Paint Cups

1.First,I cut the paper towel roller into sections.

2.Next,we painted the sections. Some were painted red,some white and some blue.We let the sections dry on wax paper.

3.Once the sections were dry,we strung them with thread and tied a knot at the end.

Mama's Work

Toddler's Work


Enjoy! :)

Let's Make a Bumblebee Necklace

Since we have been talking about bugs,we made a Bumblebee Necklace. This activity facilitates fine motor development.Let's get started!

Supplies:

Paint Containers
Yellow and Black Paint
Wax Paper
Paintbrushes or Q~Tips
String or Yarn
Scissors
Rigatoni

1. Lay out materials.

2.Encourage the children to paint some of the noodles black and some of them yellow.Talk about the colors.Bees are the same colors!


3.Once the noodles are dry, it is time to string them. My son is not quite ready for lacing,so I helped him. If children are old enough for lacing, encourage them to do so. It will be great pattern practice too, as they alternate the colors.

Check out our work! :)





Extra:
Make a "Ladybug Necklace" instead, using red and black paint.

Comb Painting

As you know, I am all about the Dollar Store. One day, we went to the Dollar Store in search of cool things to paint with. Then...I saw them...a package of combs. Twelve for a dollar...you can't beat that!

1.With combs in hand we gathered everything else we would need for painting...

Plates
Paint
Paper

2.I put paint on the plates and added the combs.

3. I put the paper down and explained that we were going to paint with the combs. I encouraged my son to explore the materials...and he did!

(I found that he used the combs with the thick handles best).

The results were beautiful.
What a great activity for art and motor development!

Try it! :)