Opps, end of the year fog!

So we are now looking at the calendar and the new school year is going to start!! Looking at my last post, it seems as though I was in the "end of the year fog" that I think most parents get.  All the end of the year events, booking summer fun, etc...  So instead of posting the old projects, I will just say that we worked on Ocean animals and learning about the ocean. Like most of my projects, I went to good old Pinterest.  We did an octopus using it's legs as a counter.  I had each leg have an amount of dots and they had to place them in order, 1-8.  We did a rainbow fish.  We read the story and did a craft using a fish template and we colored and cut out foil scales.
I thank you for joining me this school year.  It was an amazing year and I am so happy that I documented it using this blog!!!  Now onto another adventure!!

Preschool Pond Fun!

This week we talked about Ponds.  Who lives in ponds.  What ponds look like.  Where they are located. Etc.  We read stories, sang songs, and even watch a little toad and frog.

I had them color the pictures and cut out the pond shape.  Then they pieced it all together.

Then we talked about frogs.  The noises they make, how they jump, how their hands are..etc. We jumped like frogs and sang some songs.  This was our adorable frog craft. 

Happy Mother's Day!!

We made our Mother's Day surprise...and boy did the moms (and Mom-Mom) love it!!
I had some dollar store block frames and I put painters tape on it.  The kids then painted the box and we pulled off the paint.  It made such a nice gift.  And the best part is, you can change it up any way you would like.  Instead of LOVE you can do MOM or a name, etc.

Earth Day Preschool Craft

This week we only had school one day.  Since it was Earth Day we talked about how we can help our Earth, what is Earth, and what the Earth is made up of.
We read stories, had a great circle time talking about protected our Earth, and went outside exploring.

Here is our easy craft.  This can be changed to fit all ages!!

Bug! Bugs! And more Bugs!

This week we talked about BUGS!! . We read some stories, went outside on a bug search, Dug for bugs (fake yes, but still so much fun) and created our very own bug.  We also did a cute craft turning out thumb prints into bugs.

I had cut outs of circles, ovals, rectangles, legs, eyes, wings, etc, etc.

They created their very own bugs.  I love how they each are unique just like them!!

They loved digging in the dirt to find the bugs. I just got 2 bags of bugs from the dollar store and some regular planting soil.

Here are their thumb prints turned into a jar of bugs.  Too cute!!

April Showers...

April Showers bring may flowers, right?  It has been super rainy here and windy.  What a great opportunity to chat about weather and why it's important during some months.  We talked about rain and how it waters our gardens.  We did some science and a fun craft.

First we talked about rain and clouds.  We did a fun science experiment where we took paper towels (our clouds) and poured blue water (our rain) on top of it.  It showed them how clouds hold the water and then it rains down on earth.  This experiment can be done with a sponge also.

They had a blast and each got a turn to make it rain!

Then we talked about things we like to do when it rains and in the rain.  

Spring is in the Air!!!

Ahhh...Finally it's Spring ( as I write this today we are expecting some snow..haha).  Thankfully, the kids haven't questioned our spring unit...yet!

We talked about seeds, flowers, planting, etc.  We had a lot of fun exploring and learning.
Because our school is only 2 days, this was 2 weeks worth...but this lesson is SO easy to stretch!

Here we are...AGAIN...painting with something other than a paint brush.  I had them make colorful dots all over the petals with q-tips. 

They learns all the main parts of a flower.  Isn't this craft the cutest!!??!!

While we made the next craft for preschool, I wanted them to take something home to watch with their family.  So we painted a tiny pot and added seeds to it.

For our seeds at school, We added some wet cotton balls and some seeds (green bean) to a zip lock bag.  Then we decorated a green house. (found on pinterest)

We hung them up on the glass door (don't mind the construction on our deck). And now...we wait and watch.  I have a paper that they can draw their observations each day they are here.  Fingers crossed they sprout!!

Then we had a fun, free of directions, all on your own, craft. "Build a flower".  They had a lot of fun making their own creations.

All of the flowers were different and unique. 

My daughters end result.  Love it! 

What's next you ask??  How about a little Science!!!!  What FUN!  We took apart a flower.  We smelled it, we touched it, and then we pulled it apart!!  

They had a blast with this. 

Update 20 days later....

Preschool Easter Fun!!

You all know by now that I love painting in different ways!  What better way to paint and have fun, than with the Easter egg?
Our first activity we took a plastic easter egg, some paint, a box, and paper to make a EGG-Cellent color egg craft!!

Now, I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product:(  BUT you can see it in the last picture.  I just cut it out in the shape of an egg.  You can leave it like that or put it on a piece of construction paper to make it POP!

The next craft was a coloring and cut craft.  At this age they need all the practice they can with cutting.  They colored the eggs (there were a lot so I let them choose how many they wanted) and then they cut them out (again, there was a lot so I helped them with this.  But they did a great job!). 

I cut out the basket and had them glue it on the paper (only glue around the basket so they can fill it up with eggs later). 

St. Patricks Day Preschool style

It's really hard to explain what St. Patricks Day is to 3/4 year olds.  We read some stories, talked about how we are lucky, a little about Leprechauns.  So we did a craft, a coloring page, and then had some kitchen fun!

Cute, meaningful, and fun!

Next it was time to do some hands on learning.  I took green food coloring and butter and soaked popcorn kernels in them.  Then we made popcorn the old fashion way.  They each had turns turning the handle while the kernels heated up.  They were so excited when it finally started to POP! 

Up, Up, and AWAY! Space theme

I LOVE marble painting!  We made colorful planets using a marble, a box, paint, and paper.  Place the paper in the box. Add some paint and a marble (or bounce ball).  Close lid and shake!!  Shake some more!  

Heres a before shot.                                                                        

 She's ready to shake it up!!                                                                      

Here is the end result.  Super cute and fun to do!

Now lets make a moon using homemade puffy paint.  I used shaving cream and glue.  

 It was fun to paint with and gave it a soft and bouncy feel to it. 

Let's not forget about our rocket.  3, 2,1 blast off!!            

Along with talking about astronauts and space, we talked about stars and moons.  We ended our week 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!!

It's Dr. Seuss's Birthday this week!! We decided to read a bunch, learn from the lessons he is trying to teach (BOY are those some deep thoughts...but O'h so true!!) and do some fun crafts and games!

We read The Lorax.  We talked about how important trees are to us, animals, and how they were important in the book. Again...I love painting in different ways!!  This time we painted using pom poms. 

I had them paint all over the page.  Make sure they try their hardest to make full circles.  There were times I asked them to go over the spots again.  Great listening skills in full effect!!

            We turned those pom pom circles into                                                                     Truffulla Trees!!!

O'h The Places You'll Go!!  We read the story and talked about how you can do and be whatever you want.  You can visit places, you can explore, you can do anything if you put the work into it. They colored and cut the hot air balloon.

We added some clouds, stickers, a cute little                                                                                        smiling buddy and made an adorable craft! 

Oh how we love Green Eggs and Ham!!  I introduced "little letters" for the first time (I have in the past but not in a lesson).  I made these green eggs and had them match the "big" letter to the "little" letter.  This was a struggle, but we are just starting. 

I didn't do the entire alphabet.  I stayed away from the letters that look exact, like the letter C, L,M,N,O,S, U, and V.  I think I will add them to give them a couple easier ones since this seem to be harder for them. 

They said this was their favorite craft yet (but lets be honest, they are 3/4...all crafts are their favorite).  This is from the book, Put Me In A Zoo.

What's a week of Dr. Seuss without reading The Cat In The Hat??  We talked about patterns and made sure we stuck to his hat pattern!!  Also practiced coloring in the lines.

And, like always, Rhyming goes hand and hand with Dr. Seuss.  We did this great activity that I got from Pinterest!