It's Raining on It's Playtime

Some of you have snow right now but here on It's Playtime, we have rain.  This weeks features were both inspired by the book The Rain Came Down by David Shannon.

Inspiration Laboratories created and shared Drip Paintings.  

Train Up a Child was inspired to create some bathtub Wash and Learn games.  

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 
It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jillian: A Mom With a Lesson Plan

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

By linking up you give us permission to grab a picture and feature you here, on a site we write for, on FB or Pinterest.   If we share your link, we will always credit you, send people to your original post and use only ONE photo.

Recycle Art for Earth Day

Earth Day is approaching on April 22nd.  One of the easiest things people can do is recycle.  Here in California they make it easy by providing a large recycle bin with our trash bins.  I don't even have to sort really.  The waste company tells us what can be recycled, I collect it in the house and throw it all in the recycle bin later: bottles, cardboard, cans, paper, some plastic, etc.  Basically whatever I don't save for projects, gets tossed in the recycling bin. Easy and convenient.

Here on Messy Kids we've done numerous recycle projects including sensory bottles, magazine paper chains, and eggshell sculptures on old cardboard.  Today I'm sharing a Earth Day Tree Scenes.  For this project you will need:

• Tissue paper or scrap pieces of construction paper* (green or fall colors)
• Easter Grass (or shredded paper**)
• Magazines
• Empty toilet rolls

I normally stay away from teacher/parent directed projects, but they do have their place.  This project is in between teacher/parent directed and child led as the kids should follow some directions: create a tree, place grass beneath the tree, place an item under (or next) to the tree, and add an animal.  It's great if you are working on directions (on, under, next, beside, etc) at home or in your classroom.  The child led portion comes from how they create their tree and the magazine items they choose to add to their picture.  You can see the difference in the photos.

   

    Here are some basic directions for your Earth Day scene:

• Have your child glue the TP roll vertically (in the center) onto paper, an old cereal box, or other cardboard.    
• Glue the Easter grass or shredded paper under the tree.  
• Tear tissue paper or scrap paper and glue pieces as the leaves of the tree.  You can say on top of the tree if you are using this as direction art.  
• Have children cut pictures from magazines.  They can glue a pictures under the tree and/or next to the tree.    

*When kids cut paper, there are always scraps.  These can be useful for collages and other recycle projects, such as this.  Waste not, want not.

**Own a paper shredder?  Create grass by running scrap green paper through the shredder.  

How will you be celebrating Earth Day this year?  Will there be art involved?  Leave a comment and tell me more!    

Messy Art on It's Playtime

It's Playtime will keep you busy and a bit messy this week....

Join fantastic fun & learning in the creative paint exploration and Paint with Rocks!  Use a canvas and this will be a keeper to brighten up your home.  

These kids from Mamas Like Me are painting with popcorn!  Check out how they turned popcorn painting into a beautiful Mother's Day card.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 
It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jillian: A Mom With a Lesson Plan

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

By linking up you give us permission to grab a picture and feature you here, on a site we write for, on FB or Pinterest.   If we share your link, we will always credit you, send people to your original post and use only ONE photo.

Chalk Art on It's Playtime

Today I'm off to play with my kids in the mountains.  It's all about exploring nature with hiking, waterfalls and maybe some wild animals.  So in an effort to keep things short and sweet here is my fabulous feature for this weeks It's Playtime!  It's all about the mess....

Creative Playhouse shared their Crushed Chalk Art.  Simple, open-ended, and messy; just the way I like it!  Your kids will enjoy crushing the chalk as much as creating a colorful piece of art.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 
It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jillian: A Mom With a Lesson Plan

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

By linking up you give us permission to grab a picture and feature you here, on a site we write for, on FB or Pinterest.   If we share your link, we will always credit you, send people to your original post and use only ONE photo.

100 Days of Play Challenge

Would you like to reconnect with your children?  Do you need an excuse to turn off the television?  Or how about simply having a good time?  Then join me and 100 bloggers from around the world for the 100 Days of Play challenge hosted by Sun Scholars and Life At The Zoo.  Each day a new activity will be posted on the blog hop as well as the 100 Days of Play Pinterest Board encouraging you to join your children in play.  Play, connect, and share, but most of all, have fun!      

100 Days of Play Blog Hop
Sharing simple ideas on how to connect with your children through play!
New ideas shared each day from 4/1 - 7/9.  

Help us spread the word!

Grab a Button to Share on your Blog!

<a href="http://www.sunscholars.com/p/100-days-of-play.html" target="_blank"><img alt="100 Days of Play" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7xMRCn21cODfJd2ZI2EQFfq6yx6t0ADeta7OiUatrBzhYiD6k1QVCay-O6RAPtxgDFjFxSMH0kxHg1Ny2kZRJ3FQGGxVQdVukz9LNkdd3ijN3zCrU9DCe2xrZO2KhdXZwDResBO6-A3F/s1600/mommy+playdate+button200.jpg"/></a>

100 Days of Play is brought to you by these wonderful bloggers

SunScholars . Frogs, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails . Playful Learners . Train Up a Child . Fantastic Fun & Learning . Scribble, Doodle & Draw . Learn. Create. Love. . Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas . Nothing if Not Intentional . My Little 3 & Me . Buggy & Buddy . Sun Hats & Wellie Boots . Twodaloo . True Aim . The Educators' Spin On It . Blog Me Mom . Life At The Zoo . Putti's World . Kitchen Counter Chronicles . Triple T Mum . Busy Kids Happy Mom . Crystal's Tiny Treasures . Rainy Day Mum . Momma's Fun World . My Little Bookcase . Craftulate . One Perfect Day . MumCentral . Artchoo! . Little Artists . Simple. Home. Blessings. . JDaniel4's Mom . NurtureStore . Me & Marie Learning . Child Central Station . Mamas Like Me . Making Boys Men . Powerful Mothering . Craft to Art . 3 Dinosaurs . Domestic Goddesque . Lessons Learnt Journal . Royal Baloo . Smiling Like Sunshine . Adventures at Home with Mum . B-Inspired Mama . PragmaticMom . Eazy Peazy Mealz . Gluesticks . TheBoy&Me . Learning is Messy . My Nearest & Dearest . Growing Book by Book . How to Run a Home Daycare . Here Come the Girls . Think Magnet . Dandelions Picked . 123 Homeschool 4 Me . Our Ordinary Life . Parenting with Professor Poppins . 2 Little Hooligans . Fun-a-Day! . The Non-Martha Mamma . Angelique Felix . My Very Educated Mother . Creative Playhouse . Go Explore Nature . Zing Zing Tree . Sense of Wonder . Childhood 101 . Crayon Freckles . KZ & Me . Serenity You . This Mumma's Life . Leapfrog & Ladybugs . Blue Bear Wood . Growing Together . KC EDventures . Mommy Lessons 101 . Nature & Play . Like Mama Like Daughter . Mums Make Lists . From Wine to Whine . Messy Kids . Babble Dabble Do . Sugar Aunts . Teaching @ Home . Preschool Powol Packets . Clothed in Love . Curiosity Creates . The Magnolia Barn . Strong Start . Toddler Approved

. Learn with Play at home