Science Rocks on It's Playtime!

Science is messy!  Science is exciting!  Science Rocks!  Check out these fun science features from It's Playtime.

Frugal Fun 4 Boys uses popsicle sticks to Build a Chain Reaction.    

Science Sparks shared 50 Summer Science Ideas.  50 people!  That's a whole summer of fun and learning.  

Also check out:

• Adventures with Earthworms from Mama Rosemary 
• Water Bead Science from Gift of Curiosity 

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.

Reusing Plastic Eggs on It's Playtime

This week I'm rushing. I have two other posts I want to get done and a baby who's being less then cooperative; ahhh the life of a mother. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. As we speak I'm typing one handed so I won't make this long.  There were many amazing ideas shared last week.  Thank you all for joining in.  With Easter around the corner, here's one post with many ideas....

KC Edventures posted 10 Fun Ways to Recycle Plastic Easter Eggs.  Science, reading, crafts, plastic eggs aren't just for jelly beans.

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.

"

Eggcellent Fun on It's Playtime

Easter activities are in full swing: eggs, chicks, bunnies, they're everywhere!  Thanks to all of our friends here at It's Playtime, you can find a good chunk of those activities shared on our linky.  Thank you to all of those who joined us for last week's play date and shared your wonderful projects.  This week I'm featuring EGGS, EGGS, and more EGGS.

Over at Putti's World, the girls created 3D Easter Egg Decorations using contact paper and tape as the canvas.  Creative and decorative!

Don't let the name fool you.  These Jello Eggs from Momma's Fun World look sweet but  are a bubbly science project your kids are sure to enjoy.

Do you have a ton of plastic eggs you don't know what to do with?  Try making these Yogurt Berry Popsicle Eggs found over at Play Eat Grow.

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.

Documentaries Your Children Will Love

Let me begin by telling you I am in no way being paid for this promotion.  Oh, and I haven't received anything for free either....except knowledge...O.K. that's cheesy, but it's true.  Now that I've gotten that out of the way....

I love documentaries but they have to be a specific genre.  Nature mostly, with some historical thrown in there if they cover Egypt, or secret societies, or mysterious treasure.  I want my kids to love them too but that's a little harder.  I can't seem to get them to sit with me long enough to enjoy a good documentary....until now.

Last year I saw a recommendation for one called Microcosmos.  It's about bugs.  If you have a child who LOVES bugs, this is perfect.  There's very little talking; only some at the beginning.  The rest is visual.  It's bugs in a meadow: ants, snails, caterpillars, beetles, water skis, etc.  and they are doing what bugs do.  The ants collect food and battle, a dung beetle attempts to move a big ball of poo up a hill, and the caterpillars eat leaves.  It sounds mundane, but it's visually stunning.  My son fought me tooth and nail when I suggested watching it, but loved it by the end.  I found it stunning.

    

The other documentary I came across is called MicroPlanet.  This one, narrated by a child, brings life in and around a pond up close in vivid detail and beauty.  It was educational, without being overly complicated.  Great for a good day of snuggling with your little one while learning.
   

The great part?  I found both of these documentaries on Netflix!  We have the subscription which allows us to watch shows and movies instantly so I didn't even have to wait for it to arrive in the mail.

Have you watched any kid friendly documentaries lately?  Please share in the comments below.

It's Playtime with Shamrocks and Rainbows

March is a busy month for kid bloggers: Dr. Seuss's birthday, St. Patrick's Day, Spring, and this year, Easter.  It's an exciting month filled with Cat's hats, rainbows, flowers, shamrocks, and Leprechauns.  Check out these It's Playtime features for a colorful playtime with your kids.

Inspiration Laboratories shows us that it's easy to make a rainbow from items you have laying around the house....literally.  This activity is sure to keep your toddler/early preschooler busy and teaches color word recognition.

Combine art and science with these Magic Fizzing Shamrocks from Gift of Curiosity   Kids will love the messy fun and fizzy reaction they get from exploring this project.

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
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

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.

Math Fun on It's Playtime!

I never enjoyed math much.  I always managed good marks in the subject but I simply didn't like numbers.  Maybe if I'd been introduced to math through activities like these, posted on It's Playtime, I would have excelled.

Maro's Kindergarten shared two fun activities last week: Winter Play with Numbers (picture above) and Penguin and Fishes Number Game.

 Have a bunch of Pom Poms you don't know what to do with?  Check out Math & More with Pom Poms!! from Preschool Powol Packets.  Included are some fine motor skill and exploration activities.

For older kids, head over to An Idea on Tuesday for their Maths Fun games centered around a die you can make yourself.

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
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

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.

Fall Learning and Fun on It's Playtime

I laugh at fall posts these days.  Only because I'm in Southern California and while everybody else is enjoying Autumn in September and October, it doesn't really hit us until the middle of November.  It's the hottest time of year for us (it was 110 degrees last week!), the leaves are still green (or simply turning brown from lack of rain), and we batten down the hatches for fire season because it's extremely dry.

But I love fall; I wish we had an earlier one.  I love the colors, the pumpkins (and the pumpkin eats!), the apples, and all the fall activities.  This week on It's Playtime, I'm going to pretend it's not 95 degrees, imagine the trees are changing color, and share some of the wonderful fall activities you all shared with us last week.

I love this Letter and Math Game with Autumn Leaves from the NutureStore!  They use real leaves but if you are in a place like mine where they aren't available yet, craft stores often carry faux leaves that would work just as well.

Join My Buddies and I by creating your own Not-Yet-Fall Tree on a glass door or window in your home/preschool.  It can easily be changed to a fall tree as needed.

 Who needs to cut their pumpkins when painting them can be easier and more fun!  Check out the ArtClubBlog for one way to Decorate your Pumpkins without all the carving and gooey mess (which has it's place but you can't really carve a pumpkin this early; it would be disgusting by Halloween!).

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!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

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.