Recently I’ve been helping out with a class of 5 and 6 year olds, and over the last few weeks we’ve been working a lot on cutting. Learning to use scissors can be a really tricky thing for some kids. There are a lot of prerequisite skills that a child needs before they can be […]
Loose Parts and Pattern Pages
The other day we used some loose parts and our free printable alphabet pages to practice some of the letters Noah has trouble remembering. We had so much fun with that simple loose parts activity that I decided to make some pattern pages to play with too. Noah loved the creativity of filling the patterns […]
Yarn Painting.
Would you like to paint without using any paint? My kids thought I was nuts when I asked them that question this morning, but my nutty ideas are always my best ideas, and this one worked out a treat! We painted without paint… instead we painted with yarn! This is a really low mess, easy […]
Designing Robots – a simple STEAM activity.
This post is sponsored by Moose Toys. The older my kids get, the more they enjoy making things. While they still love doing art just for the sake of experimenting and creating, they also love to make plans and work on inventing and creating a finished product. This kind of STEM or STEAM activity (science, […]
Ten Ways to Encourage a Child Who Doesn’t Like Drawing.
I was asked this question a lot when I was teaching preschool, and even now friends, family and blog readers still ask me – “My preschooler doesn’t like to draw, what should I do?” The short answer to that question is ‘nothing’. And the long answer? Well… Sure, drawing is a great way to work […]
Four Recycled Tubs, Three Easy Ways to Play
Setting up an invitation to play for my kids is fun, it can be a great learning tool, and it encourages independent play, but if it takes too long to organise then it kinda defeats the purpose. If I’m after a little time to do other things I want to set up an activity that […]
Pin Prick Drawing
It began as an experiment, I was going to make a lantern… but then my kids took over and it became something totally different and so much cooler! I love it when that happens – an idea, becomes an experiment, that turns into something fun, creative, and even educational, something all four of my kids […]
Woodworking with Kids
I asked my facebook followers for gift suggestions for my turning five year old who already has everything, and they came up with a winning idea – a woodworking set! My smallest child has been watching us renovate our old house his entire life, he loves to help, he loves tools, he has a set […]