3-D Pumpkin Puzzles

(from I Can Teach My Child blog)

3-D Pumpkin PuzzlesPosted: 28 Sep 2011 11:48 AM PDT Sometimes people ask me where I come up with my ideas.  I’m REALLY not a very creative person (I’m not even a fan of crafting, at least on the adult level…mostly because I am completely inept).  In all honestly, a lot of times I look at a piece of trash and wonder what I can do with it.  This activity was no exception. Here’s what you’ll need:  an egg carton, either an orange Sharpie or orange paint (depending on whether your egg carton is styrofoam or cardboard), and a black permanent marker. Start cutting your egg carton into individual cups (pumpkins). Color your egg carton with the Sharpie.  If you have a cardboard egg carton, use paint.  The paint flakes off the styrofoam…hence the need for the Sharpie. Use a black marker to write the numerals on one side and the number of corresponding dots on the other side. Use scissors or an Xacto knife to cut your pumpkins.  Try to make each one different. Throw all the pieces on the floor… And let your little one get started putting the 3D pumpkin puzzles together! This activity is great for number recognition… and one-to-one correspondence!

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Bee Craft

“Bee-ware”! This cute-as-a-button bee may create quite a buzz in your classroom! To make the body, use yellow tempera paint to cover the bottom of a small, thick paper plate. When the paint dries, paint stripes using black tempera paint. For the wings, flatten two coffee filters. To make the bee’s head, add facial features to a yellow construction paper circle. Then, to make antennae, tape the middle of a V-shaped piece of black pipe cleaner to the back of the head. Glue the wings and head to the body and this honey of a bee is ready to take flight!

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Butterfly Craft

Have your preschoolers flutter on over to the art table to make these easy butterfly paintings! To make one, fold a 12” x 18” sheet of white construction paper in half. Open the paper; then have the child choose two to four different colors of tempera paint. Spoon a bit of each color onto the fold of the paper. Refold the paper; then have the child press from the fold outward to spread the paint. Open the paper and allow the paint to dry. Then use a marker to add features. There you have it, a one-of-a-kind butterfly!

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Ladybug Craft

When youngsters make this adorable ladybug, you’re sure to spot them enjoying themselves!

Materials for one ladybug:

• 9″ x 12″ green construction paper leaf
• 1/4 of an apple
• red tempera paint
• black tempera paint

Steps:

1. Make two red apple prints side by side on the leaf to resemble a ladybug. Allow time for the paint to dry.
2. Use a finger to paint a black line down the middle of the ladybug.
3. Make black fingerprint spots.
4. Make a black fingerprint head.
5. Use a finger to paint six black legs.

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Perfect for Spring: Make a Pinwheel!

What you need:

• 5 inch square of construction paper
• Pushpin
• 12-18 inch stick or dowel, about 1/2-inch thick
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Crayons

What to do:

1. Decorate the square however you want using crayons.
2. Using a ruler (or other straight-edge), draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner, diagonally across the middle.
3. Repeat for the other corner.
4. Using the scissors, cut along all four lines up to within 1/2 inch of the center, where the lines cross.
5. Lift each corner in turn towards the center, being careful not to crease the paper, and push the pushpin through the ends of all corners into the center.
6. Carefully push the end of the pushpin into the side of one end of the dowel to make a handle.
7. You can run around outside to make the pinwheel spin, or you can stick the end of the dowel in the ground and watch the wind catch it.

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Dazzling Dragon for Chinese New Year

Materials for one dragon:

• one row of a foam egg carton, cleaned and sanitized (body)
• green construction paper scraps (ears)
• white construction paper scraps (teeth)
• green tempera paint
• white glue
• paintbrush
• glitter
• scissors
• black permanent marker
• hole puncher
• curling ribbon

Setup:
To make paint that adheres to foam, mix two parts glue with one part tempera paint.

Steps:

1. Paint the egg carton green. Then sprinkle glitter on the wet paint. Allow time for the paint to dry.
2. Cut out ears and teeth and then glue them to the dragon.
3. Draw eyes with the black marker.
4. To make the dragon’s tail, hole-punch the end of the carton and thread several lengths of curling ribbon through the hole; then tie them in a knot under the dragon.

This could be more of a collaborative activity where pairs of students or small groups of children make one dragon together (each focusing on different steps/parts of it) to use as decoration for the classroom or as props during Circle Time while reading the Chinese New Year read aloud, Dragon Dance, by Joan Holub which I own and can let you borrow!

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Groundhog Mask for Groundhog Day

To make a mask, help a child cut two eyeholes from a brown paper plate. Then direct her to cut ears, cheeks, teeth, and a nose from construction paper scraps and glue the cutouts on the plate. To complete the mask, have her tape a large craft stick to the back of the mask. If desired, take the group outside for a shadow search, inviting each child to wear her mask.

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Sparkling Snowflakes

To make a snowflake, a student glues cotton swabs to a three-inch tagboard circle as shown. Next, he squeezes glue on the tagboard circle and sprinkles glitter on the glue. When the glue is dry, attach these glistening snowflakes to bulletin boards, to your classroom walls, or send them home with your students to enjoy.

 

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Sparkly Snowflakes

Stack and glue three craft sticks together to make a snowflake shape. Glue puzzle pieces along the length of each stick. Allow the glue to dry. Then use white acrylic paint to paint the front and back of the snowflake. After the paint dries, squeeze lines of glue on the front. Sprinkle on glitter and then gently shake off any excess. To make a hanger, knot the ends of a length of metallic thread. Use a generous amount of glue to attach it to the back of the ornament.

 

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Peace and Love: In honor of MLK Day

Materials for one:

• white tagboard
• tissue paper squares in a variety of skin tones
• shallow dish of thinned glue
• paintbrush
• copy of the poem shown below
• scissors
• glue

Steps:

1. Brush a thin layer of glue over the tagboard.
2. Place tissue paper squares on the glue.  (Let children place them where they want to).
3. Brush another layer of glue over the squares. Allow time for the glue to dry. Cut a heart shape from the tagboard.
4. Glue the poem to the center of the heart.

The poem reads:

Hand in hand across the land,

For Martin’s dream we choose to stand.

We say it loud; we say it clear–

Peace and love throughout the year!

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