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Pool Noodle Apples and Pumpkins
Fall is officially here! Recently we had the opportunity to visit a local farm and enjoyed a great time picking out a variety of apples and pumpkins. I made some pool noodle apples and pumpkins with the kids to extend our fun at home and wanted to share this simple craft as well as all the learning fun we have completed using them. These pool noodles apples were so simple and inexpensive to make. They require minimal supplies. You only need pipe cleaners, straws, and a pool noodle. Using a knife and cutting board, I sliced up a red pool noodle and poked a hole on top for the kids…
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Labor Day Printable Activities for Kids
I made a few printable activities for my kids to help observe the holiday and understand why we celebrate it. There is an I Spy coloring activity, writing, as well as mystery math activity. They are all free to download below for personal, single classroom, or library use. We also pulled out some activities I made last year (Labor Day mini-book, coloring pages, and community helper popsicle stick puppets) to add to the fun. This file is best printed out onto regular paper and given to your child to color, count, and complete. My kids love I spy games. This can also be laminated or placed in a laminated pouch…
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First Day of School
Wow it’s September already and school is starting. I made a few printable activities to help my kids celebrate their first day of school and wanted to share them. There are free coloring pages that can double as photo props for the first day. There is also a printable banner and some fun cupcake toppers. Everything coordinates with the printables I made for their last day of school last year and is free to download below. Feel free to download, print the grade you need, and save the rest for future years. My kids love coloring and often hum while they complete their coloring sheets. It’s fun, calming, and helps…
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Peach Yogurt Popsicles
We are fortunate to live close to some local farms and recently had the opportunity to take the kids peach picking. They were so ripe and sweet, that of course we had to taste test a little and couldn’t just bring home a few. With some record hot weather surrounding us, they were destined to turn into cool treats. These homemade popsicles are both healthy and delicious, perfect to make with your kids to enjoy the last bits of summer. Ingredients: 8 cups of peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped peaches 32 oz plain whole milk yogurt 1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar (depending on how sweet your peaches are and…
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Princess Jasmine Birthday
Recently we transformed our home into magical Agrabah to celebrate my daughter’s 4th birthday. This is how I created a whole new world complete with flying carpets, genies, and magic lamps, using a small budget, little time, and everyday supplies. Decorations: I used clear fishing wire and hung up the kids’ dancing scarves that I purchased years ago from Amazon. These are a favorite from all the storytimes we used to attend at local libraries and schools. They are great for sensory play as well as for encouraging movement and singing songs. I used more fishing wire to tie little bits of yellow curling ribbon at the four corners so…
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Baseball Party
A few weeks ago, we threw an end of the year celebration for my son’s little league team. It was my husband’s first year coaching baseball and the team did amazing! With most people around us being double vaccinated, we also felt much safer about hosting. This was also before we knew about the Delta variant. The kids were just so thrilled to have people come into our home and not just drive-by. Decorations: I always start by looking at what we already have to turn into themed decor. White glitter Christmas ornaments that I used as pearls for my daughter’s mermaid birthday became baseballs with the addition of a…
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Shark Week
It’s shark week, a week to increase awareness about sharks and binge watch about them too on the Discovery Channel. We had a fun week enjoying some shark themed learning. I made a printable baby shark craft, shark week word activity, and math mat that the kids really liked. We also made pool noodle sharks. Everything is free to download below. Hope it can help your family to join in the fun as well! This file is best printed out onto regular printer paper (or cardstock) and used as a template to cut out additional pieces from construction paper. As construction paper is pretty thin, you can hand cut through…
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Summer Pool Noodle Crafts
Hope everyone is having a great summer! I can’t believe it is half over already. We have been busy with a lot of water play. I wanted to share five simple crafts that I recently made with the kids using pool noodles and minimal supplies to create some new very inexpensive toys to enjoy some summer fun. These frogs were a cinch to make plus the kids really enjoyed putting them together….and taking them apart. Simple provide your child with cut pool noodles, googly eyes, green straws, and slices of cut up red pool noodle. Alternatively you can use pieces of pink straw for the frog tongues. I found it…
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Fourth of July
If you need some low prep, kid friendly activities for the fourth, I’ve got you covered! I have a free coloring sheet as well as printables that you can use to create patriotic wands and/or party blowers, and United States lacing cards. They are all free to download below. Hope they can help to add some simple fun to your Fourth of July celebration! My kids love coloring… so much that you can actually hear them hum while they color. Print this out and encourage your kids to decorate a cake for our nation’s birthday. I paired the coloring sheets with a tray of various crayons, markers, and stickers and…
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Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day! Today we celebrate all the super dads who help guide, teach, and provide for us! I made a free coloring sheet as well as a writing activity for the kids to complete for their special dad. Everything is free to download below. When you think about it, dads (like moms) have a lot in common with superheroes. They work hard, are pretty strong, and are all around very amazing people. Dads are the real life heroes your children look up to and depend on. Feel free to download and print off as many copies as you need. My kids always like to hang up a few to…
