Preschool Activities

I haven't blogged about preschool activities in awhile . . . here's what we've been up to in April and May. . .

CRYSTALS

Jason did this with all the boys . . . (remember science isn't my thing). They put equal amounts of water in the jars and dangled string into the glass. One glass had sugar mixed in it, one had salt mixed in it, and the other was just water. Then they sat on our window sill for weeks, which was a lovely decoration (ha!) and watched them. It really was cool, the sugar and plain water one did nothing (the sugar one should have, not sure what happened), and the salt one made real crystals. Maybe science is cool! Just watching the water evaporate was neat for the boys.

BUTTERFLIES

This was the coolest thing I've ever done with my kids. A friend of mine told me where to get the small kits to grow butterflies. I knew most preschools did this so I thought it could be really cool for Carter and Coleson. It wasn't expensive either, we just did the small one. We got to watch them go from tiny caterpillars, into large caterpillars, they positioned themselves into a "J" shape at the top of the jar and put themselves into a cocoon. You never actually see them make the cocoon it just sort of happens, amazing! (I even peeked when I'd get up through the night.) Then we transferred them to the net container and one by one they opened up into butterflies!!

I could get very deep with you on how amazing it was to watch something transform into something else. I had many "life thoughts" as I watched the process. It's amazing they were created to just do those things - no one teaches it to them. God is pretty creative. I made a note to myself . . . whenever I teach again, regardless of the grade we'll be watching the butterfly process. My mind went crazy with things you could link to this activity in school!

CATERPILLAR ART PROJECT

Supplies: styrofoam balls (cut in half), pipe cleaners for ears, washable paint, glue, strip of cardboard or a ruler for the base

Tips: The glue won't be dry for a long time. We still glued them and painted right away, they slid around a little but then the paint and glue dried at the same time. I tried cement glue, Elmer's glue, and super glue . . . Elmer's WON!

Coleson's Quote while painting : "This is art. We are doing art. Art is when you make a mess and don't have to pick it up. This is art."

Tatum's Quote when I asked them if they wanted to do some preschool time. "I do. My pink bus come to my house." It will be a sad day when she realizes the same YELLOW bus that picks everyone else up will also pick her up, a PINK bus won't be stopping at Princess Tatum's door!

BUTTERFLY ART PROJECT

Supplies: markers, coffee filters, spray bottle of water, clothespin

Tips: Do outside on sunny day! It was fun and simple

Steps: 1. Color the coffee filter 2. Spray it with water 3. Let it dry 4. Group it together with a clothespin and you have a butterfly. 5. Put them somewhere cool . . . garden, tree, or a bike (boys wanted them to fly so they came up with that idea)

One of the best parts is watching all the color mix and run down the driveway.

SMOOTHIES

We also made SunnyD Smoothies.

Ingredients : Sunny D, ice, banana, and little water

(you could add yogurt or anything else too)
Simple fun, they all add stuff, and then cover there ears while they turn the button on!