DIY
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Patriotic Ribbon Wands
For Memorial Day I shared a tutorial for paper pinwheels that would be perfect for a parade or party decorations, so today I wanted to share another fun party toy that is easy for kids to make: Ribbon Wands. I know that this is not a new or novel idea in the slightest, but young children often love he simplest things and there are so many different variations and materials that you can use to create a basic ribbon wand. It is easy for children to personalize their own, and you can select materials that meet your budget constraints as well as the theme or tone of your party. For…
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Memorial Day Pinwheels
I have fond memories of summer days playing with pinwheels when I was a child and I love that they are so easy for preschoolers to make and explore. These are a perfect project for Memorial Day because they can be taken to a parade or celebration and they are easy to color coordinate. Start by collecting the following supplies: Scrapbook paper or colored copy paper (avoid construction paper and card stock because they are too heavy to turn in the wind) Sturdy plastic straws Metal brads Next, determine what size you want your finished pinwheel to be. If you are using 12″x12″ or 8″x8″ scrapbook paper, which is already…
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Recyclable Jewelry
Yesterday I shared some thoughts on open-ended recyclable art, and today I’ve rounded up some more ideas for those recyclable materials. These fun projects all use recyclable materials to create jewelry, so if you love the way they turn out you could use them as Mother’s Day gifts too! Coiled magazine pendant Soda Bottle Jewelry Washer pendants Yarn wrapped bracelets Fabric and paper straw bracelet I can’t wait to try a couple of these ideas myself, I’d love to know how they work for you too!
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DIY Ribbon Rings
I have a hard time believing that I’ve never shared this easy DIY – It’s my all time favorite indoor movement activity, and I’ve been known to gift Toddlers and preschoolers on my shopping list with some favorite music and their very own sets of DIY ribbon rings. I’ve seen a number of varieties of ribbon wands over the years, but I’m partial to the rings because they are easier for little hands to hold onto, and they pose fewer opportunities for accidental injuries when the dancing gets wild. Rings also require no glue or tape at all because you can tie the ribbon right around the ring itself, so…
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Sewing for the classroom
This beautiful piece of equipment just arrived at my house and I cannot wait to get it out of the box, but I promised myself that I would post something before I get sucked in by the sewing machine and no one can find me for the rest of the week! Singer Modern Quilter Quilting and Sewing Machine (Amazon affiliate link) Since sewing is just about the only thing on my mind right now, I figured I’d share a list of all the wonderful things that I’ve sewn for my classroom. The photos below aren’t mine, because I’m notoriously bad about remembering to take classroom photos, so if you want…
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DIY: Easy Dramatic Play Cookbook
I have the easiest DIY ever for you today! I always struggle with making materials for the dramatic play area because I know how much wear and tear they are going to take, but this one is perfect, I encourage teachers to add written materials to their dramatic play areas, and cookbooks are an easy fix for any kitchen or restaurant theme. You could find cookbooks at Goodwill or garage sales, but I really love cookbooks that have plenty of pictures too, and these can be harder to find. So for this “cookbook” I just used the recipes from the backs of boxes! There are a couple of ways that…
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Dollar Tree Math With Clear Glass Stones
This week I’m on a mission to share some fun math activities that your kiddos will love – the best part is that all of the materials you will to put them together are from the Dollar Tree. I went to my local Dollar Tree store and I spent $11. That $11 bought materials for 15 different math activities that are perfect for preschoolers. I’ll share one set of materials each day, and show you different games that you can use them for. Here are the items that I purchased: Today I want to share what I made with the larger flat glass stones. I focused on three different math…
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Felt Tassel Decoration
I’m all for decorations that can be used more than once. I made this cute felt tassel garland in colors to match my preschool graduation set, and it’s durable enough that I can put it away with my decorations and pull it out again next year. This will be adorable on the refreshment table! It was incredibly easy to make, and super cheap too, so of course I had to share how I did it! It only took felt, cord, and a hot glue gun. The amount of felt you need will depend on how long you want your garland to be. Mine ended up being approximately 3 feet long…
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DIY Geoboards
Geoboards are one of those amazingly simple things that can keep children occupied for an extraordinary amount of time. They inspire exploration of geometric shapes, as well as persistence and fine motor practice. Geoboards are also easy to make yourself, so with a few simple supplies you can add a couple of these to your classroom. Here are a few DIY geoboards that I rounded up, choose whichever works best for your budget and your students! A board and nails (and a tutorial) from Little Bins for Little Hands Cork board and push pins – from An Every Day Story A CD case and clear screw fasteners – from Left…
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Preschool Graduation Decorations
I’ve learned that when it comes to decorations for preschool graduation, less is more. This is a problem for me because I LOVE to decorate, but ultimately, too many decorations cause more stress that necessary because they take time to put up, time that I just don’t have on graduation day. I keep my decorations minimal by reminding myself that what parents really want is to see their children. This helps me focus and prioritize when it is time to decorate. I try to make sure that the ceremony space, where the children will receive their diplomas looks nice, but not busy. Parents want photos of their children, not photos…
