Pages

Monday, April 11, 2011

Spring Has Sprung: Activities for the Greenest of Seasons

My St. Patrick's Day activity list was so popular I figured I would begin one for Spring (including some Easter) as well.  Here you will find my favorite spring themed, play based activities from around the web.

Art/Fine Motor:
  • Ribbon Painting: Easter Eggs: House of Baby Piranha
  • Tye Dyed Coffee Filter Easter Eggs: The Chocolate Muffin Tree
  • Flower Painting: Family Education & Flower Prints: Kat's World (similar ideas)
  • Crack Open the Egg and Paint in Preschool: Teach Preschool
  • Butterfly Sensory Bags for Preschoolers: Teach Preschool
  • Wellie Boot Printing: The Imagination Tree
  • Glue and Bead Sun Catchers: The Chocolate Muffin Tree
  • Butterfly Costume Wings: alphamom
  • DIY make your own colorful Easter grass!: Teach Preschool
  • Easter Eggs-Not Just for Hunting: Creative Connections for Kids
  • Balloon Painting Bunnies: Strong Start
  • Frog Eggs: Using small bubble wrap, spread white paint over the bubbles, then press blue construction paper on top.  This creates many tiny circles.  Add a black dot to the desired amount of circles, creating the appearance of frog eggs.  
  • "Worm" Painting: Cut desired length of yarn or rubber bands in half.  Dip the yarn or rubber band in paint, then drag it over your sheet of paper.  
  • Egg Shell Sculptures: Messy Kids
  • Ladybug spots: using corks as stampers, dip into black paint, then stamp onto red paper.  Then read The Grouchy Ladybug.
  • Ladybug and Easter Egg Sun Catchers
    • Version 1: You'll need contact paper, red tissue paper, black construction paper, and a hole punch.  Cut a length of contact paper which you can fold in half.  On one side (on the plastic), trace a medium to large sized circle with a permanet marker.  Use a bowl or large yogurt container for the template.  Remove backing.  Your child should be able to see the black circle on the plastic.  Have them place bits of red tissue paper in the circled area.  Then have your child use the hole punch with the black construction paper, making ladybug spots.  Place the spots within the circle on the tissue paper.  When decorating is done, fold the sticky sides together closing up the contact paper.  Be very gentle so not to create bubbles or creases.  Then, you or your child can cut the circle out.  punch a hole and hang in a window.
      • For Easter Eggs: Draw an egg shape on the contact paper.  Use spring colored tissue paper instead of red.  No black spots.      
    • Version 2: You'll need wax paper, cheese grater, peeled red crayons, black construction paper, hole punch, iron, and a towel.  Cut a large length of was paper, one you can fold in 1/2.  After folding, open wax paper like a book.  Have your child grate red crayons with a cheese grater (but monitor closely because they are sharp!) onto the open wax paper.  The more crayon the better but allow them to choose when they stop.  After the crayon is grated, give them the black paper and hole punch so they can punch the ladybugs spots.  place the spots on the grated crayon.  Fold over the wax paper.  Place a thin towel over the paper, then place the iron on the towel and iron over it, melting the crayon and wax paper together.  When everything has cooled, cut out circles of desired shape from the crayon and spotted area.  Punch a hole and hang.  
      • For Easter Eggs:  Instead of red crayon, grate spring colors (green, pink, yellow, purple, etc) onto the wax paper. No black spots.  Melt together, then cut egg shapes out of the wax paper and hang.    
  • Marbled Easter Eggs: Tot School
  • Rolled Easter Egg Painting: Tinker Lab
  • Shake, Rattle, And Roll Egg Decorating: StrongStart
  • Wool Birds Nests: Mermaids Creations
  • Raindrops: The Life and Times of Angelyn
  • Giant Earth for Earth Day: Little Running Teacher
    Sensory/Discovery
    Science
    Cooking:
    Learning Games
    Outdoor Play & Exploration
    Music and Movement
    Literacy (Books in my collection that I feel capture the essence of spring!)

    3 comments:

    1. Oh my goodness! That is a fantastic list! I love it!

      ReplyDelete
    2. An amazing list of fabulous ideas! thank you

      ReplyDelete
    3. Great list! Thanks for including my blog :)

      ReplyDelete

    LinkWithin

    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...