broadcloth or cotton material (old sheets work fine)
Ahead of time: Cut the material to 12x10 inch piece. Turn under a 1 inch seam at top. This can be sewn in place or use fabric glue. Cut a piece of dowel rod 12" to fit across top into seam opening. Tie a piece of yarn or ribbon to each end of dowel rod for hanging. At the top of fabrinc, just below the seam write in permanent marker childs name ex, "Zachary's" and at bottom write "Garden". Leaving the middle of fabric open.
Craft time: Allow the children to pick three (3) buttons, encourage them to use different colors. Glue them down, spacing well between them. Each child gets a turn to put their pointer finger in glue and follow the button around making the petals. Use three (3) different paint colors if possible for a colorful garden.
Makes a bright spring craft and also captures those tiny fingerprints. A real parent pleaser.
games to play...
songs to sing...
Cat and Mouse
One child is the cat and hides. The rest of the children are mice and sneak up to the cat's hiding place and scratch. This is the signal for the cat to chase the mice and try to catch one. Then choose another child to be the cat until each child has had a turn.
Have children lying on the floor, pretending to sleep as the set up for this song. It can be done even in a relatively small space.
All the bunnies fast asleep
All the bunnies not a peep
If I should sing my song today
Will all those bunnies get up and play?
(Children get up and hop around room)
Get up little bunnies hopping, hopping
Get up little bunnies hop, hop, hop.
Get up little bunnies hopping, hopping
Get up little bunnies hop and stop!
I do this several times in a row, and preschoolers just love it. The song can easily be adapted for any other animal or theme. ie.balloons - floating, frogs - leap, etc.
Paint the bottom of the child's feet. Make imprints of each foot with the big toe facing outward and the outer edge of the feet touching each other. You will notice the results looks like a butterfly. It helps to clean one foot before you paint the other. Can't seem to keep the little ones still? I do this project while they are in high chair eating a favorite snack.
blue jello mix
gummy fish
crushed graham crackers
Teddy Grahams
gummy Lifesavers
Sea creature crackers
paper umbrellas
clear plastic cups
This is the blue jello ocean cups with a little twist. Mix the jello according to the package. Pour the jello in clear plastic cups and add in gummy fish (you may want to wait until the jello starts to firm up a little so the fish don't all sink to the bottom). Let the jello set in your refrigerator. Once set, take finely crushed graham crackers and sprinkle along one side (on the top) of the jello cup to resemble a beach. Next take a Teddy Graham and insert half way in a gummy lifesavers. You may want to pre-stretch the lifesaver so the bear will fit in easily. Then, stick the feet of the bear in the jello. This should look like a bear with a float around it's waist floating in the water. Then, add a bear to the sandy area with a few starfish crackers. Last, insert the umbrella at an angle in the beach area.
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