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25 Beach Crafts for Kids

July 10, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Have you made it to the beach yet this year? We’re planning a quick trip to a local one in August, so I thought I’d look for some fun and adorable beach crafts for kids that we can make together before we leave!

What I love about studying the beach with kids is that the topic is so broad! You can learn about the sun, the ocean, ocean animals, beach sand, animals that live on the beach, seashells, ice cream, and so much more! So there are crafts for all these things below!

Read on to find some fun beach crafts you can try too!

25 Beach Crafts for Kids

25 Beach Crafts for Kids

1. Beach Diorama for Kids from Look! We’re Learning!

2. Puffy Paint Ocean Collage from ArtsyMomma

3. Seashell Keepsake Craft from Moms and Crafters

4. Beach-Themed Sand and Shell Art from Happiness is Homemade

5. Sand Footprint Craft from Paging Fun Mums

6. Newspaper Shark Craft from I Heart Crafty Things

7. Paper Plate Sun Craft from Buggy and Buddy

8. Starfish Ocean Button Craft from A Little Pinch of Perfect

9. Shell Sunflower Craft from Rhythms of Play

10. Sand Handprint Keepsakes from The Imagination Tree

11. DIY Beach Sand from Look! We’re Learning!

12. Cupcake Liner Sun Craft from I Heart Crafty Things

13. 3-Ingredient Ocean in a Bottle from Happy Hooligans

Fun Beach Crafts for Kids to Make

14. Paper Plate Seashell Craft from Artsy Crafty Mom

15. Sand in a Bottle Craft from Gift of Curiosity

16. Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft from Look! We’re Learning!

17. Popsicle Stick Mosaic Sun Craft from Kids Activities Blog

18. Cupcake Liner Lighthouse Craft from Sugar Aunts

19. DIY Seashell Mobile from Nurture Store

20. Egg Carton Ocean Craft from The Imagination Tree

21. Bubbling Shell Painting from Mess for Less

22. DIY Moon Sand from Look! We’re Learning!

23. Paper Plate Beach Ball Craft from Glued to My Crafts

24. Sun Craft Scissor Skills Activity from A Little Pinch of Perfect

25. Beach Keepsake Craft from Fireflies and Mudpies

Fun Beach Crafts for Kids

Need more summer learning ideas? Try these with your kids!

Summer Books for Kids

50 Free Summer Printables for Kids @ Look! We're Learning!

Your preschooler will love working on fine motor skills and number sense with these beach number 0-9 playdough mats!

Plus, get even more ideas on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest Board!

And don’t miss my All About Beaches Printable Pack – perfect for keeping kids learning over the summer!

All About Beaches Printable Pack

This post is part of the Summer Activities for Kids Blog Hop! Check out more summer fun for kids below!

Flower Suncatcher Nature Craft – Messy Little Monster

Make a Bee Bath – Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Water Play Car Wash – Play and Learn Everyday

Tic Tac Toe Races – Royal Baloo

Finding Dory Wind Sock Craft – The Gingerbread House

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: beach, beach crafts, beach crafts for kids, crafts, crafts for kids, fun crafts, kids craft ideas, kids crafts, summer, summer activities for kids, summer crafts, summer crafts for kids

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

March 17, 2016 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

A while back, we made a Beach Shoebox Diorama and the kids had so much with it that I thought we should make another one. So for this linkup with the Early Elementary Blogging Team, we decided to make a simple and fun Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft!

If you’re looking for a low-prep, easy craft that will keep your kids entertained, this is it! Roo, my most active child by a mile, actually sat in one spot and played quietly with the diorama after we finished. Talk about miracles!

Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft for Kids - Look! We're Learning!

Read on to see how to make this craft with your kids!

If you love this activity, don’t miss our other farm learning ideas, including our list of Kids’ Books about Farms and our printable Farm Animal Flashcards!

Super Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

To make this craft, you’ll need the following:

  • An empty shoebox (a child’s size shoebox is perfect)
  • A copy of our free Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack
  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer paper
  • Play sand
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Markers

Our Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack has a background and farm props such as a barn, a tractor, and some farm animals. But you can also have your child draw his or her own farm pictures if you want to add a bit more art to the project.
Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack - Look! We're Learning!

After we cut out all of the pictures, Roo got to work on the background. We just used a blue marker for the sky, then he glued the farm scenery onto the bottom of the shoebox.

Making a Farm Shoebox Diorama

Then it was time to add the props! You simply fold each prop on the dashed line, then unfold it slightly to make them stand up!

Farm Shoebox Diorama Scenery

Roo placed everything where he thought it should go.

Assembled Farm Shoebox Diorama

Then we poured in about a cup of play sand. (Note: Resting the shoebox in the lid is a HUGE help when it comes to clean up.)

Making a Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

And we’re done!

Finished Farm Shoebox Diorama

If you look at Roo’s face, it’s basically saying “Hurry up and take the picture so I can play with it, Mom!” 🙂 And that’s what he did. He sat there for over an hour playing with his farm set.

Finished Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

And it only took 10 minutes to make!

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

Round out your farm theme with these other farm resources!

Printable Farm Animal Flashcards - Look! We're Learning!

Farm Do A Dot Mats - Look! We're Learning!

10 Kids Books about Farms

Get even more craft ideas from my Simple Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest!

Check out the other fun farm-themed posts by the Early Elementary Blogging Team!

Early Elementary Farm Theme

Farm Odd Numbers Skip Counting Puzzles at Life Over C’s
Montessori Farm Activities (Free Printables) at Natural Beach Living
Are You My Mother? 13 Baby Farm Animal Puzzles at 123 Homeschool 4 Me
Make a Farm Diorama (Printable Sets Included) at The Natural Homeschool
Farm Animals Worksheets for Kids at Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading
Fun {FREE} Farm Writing Prompts! at Preschool Powol Packets
Animal Nutrition: Why Cows Eat Grass and We Can’t at Schooling a Monkey
Farm Books for Kids (Farm Study Unit) at The Jenny Evolution
Beginning Sounds on the Farm at Parenting Chaos
Farm Skip Counting Math Worksheets at Living Life and Learning
Kindergarten Math with Farm Fingerprint Art at Sugar Aunts


Filed Under: Crafts, Unit Studies Tagged With: crafts, crafts for kids, dioramas, farm, farm activities, farm crafts, farm printables, farm unit study, printables, shoebox dioramas, simple crafts

Hands-On Learning about Taste Buds

February 11, 2016 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

Studying the human body is always a fun unit with kids. And one of the basic concepts is the five senses, right? But it turns out that every time I cover this unit, I learn something new. This time it was about how our taste buds work.

Now I’m probably exposing myself as an ignoramus, but I really never thought much about taste buds. Not what they did, not what specific tastes they detect, and certainly not where they were located. But I know a lot more about them now and so do my kids!

Check out our hands-on learning about taste buds, including a fun paper craft that you can recreate with your little ones!

Hands-On Learning about Taste Buds

Learning about Taste Buds

What really got me started on this activity was reading the Sesame Street book My First Book About the Five Senses with the kids.

Learning about Taste Buds Book

This is going to be really pathetic, but I didn’t know that there are different taste buds on different parts of our tongues!

Learning about Taste Buds for 1st Graders

See? The taste buds at the back of the tongue are for bitter tastes, while sour and salty taste buds are located on the left and right sides. The tip of the tongue is where the sweet taste buds are located. Neat!

Learning about Taste Buds on the Tongue

So I created a similar “tongue” on pink construction paper with taste bud “zones”.

Learning about Taste Buds Paper Activity

Pretty close, right?

Learning about Taste Buds Activity

After we read the book, I handed Roo the paper tongue and some torn pages from a magazine so he could find pictures of food and glue them in the correct taste bud “zones”.

Learning about Taste Buds Activity Prep

Any time there’s a chance to use scissors, he’s raring to go.

Learning about Taste Buds Scissor Activity

See that image of coffee on the table? Roo didn’t know where to put that picture on the paper tongue. After all, he’d never tasted coffee.

Learning about Taste Buds Cut and Paste Activity

Time to do a taste test and find out!

Learning about Taste Buds Taste Test

He was super excited to taste a grown-up drink. But afterward, he came to the instant conclusion that…

Learning about Taste Buds Tasting Activity

Black coffee definitely belongs in the “bitter” zone.

Learning about Taste Buds Taste Test Activity

So, he finished finding pictures and gluing them in the right places.

Learning about Taste Buds Cutting Activity

And while he worked, I read about taste buds with Piglet. As you can see, she had a pretty good time.

Learning about Taste Buds with Toddlers

And Roo is all done! Coffee and onion are in the “bitter” section, pickles and grapefruit are in the “sour” section, salted nuts and chips are in the “salty” section, and a brownie and a clementine make up the “sweet” zone.

Hands On Learning about Taste Buds Activity

A tad bigger than the tongues in our mouths, but you get the idea.

Learning about Taste Buds Paper Tongue Craft

We really enjoyed this project and Roo was so proud of his work that he ran out into the living room to show the rest of the family.

Learning about Taste Buds

For more hands-on science fun, follow my It’s Science board on Pinterest!

And don’t miss the other fun human body learning activities this week from the Early Elementary Blogging Team!

STEM Respiratory System Investigation Asthma versus Healthy from Life Over C’s

What’s Inside Your Blood – An Edible Model from Preschool Powol Packets

Human Body Printables for Kids from Living Life and Learning

Telling the Time – Body Clock from Rainy Day Mum

Human Body Games for Kidsfrom The Natural Homeschool

5 Senses Unit from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Bones from Sugar Aunts

Human Body Math from Planet Smarty Pants

Parts of the Eye Painting from Still Playing School


Filed Under: Crafts, Science Tagged With: 1st grade, crafts, first grade, hands-on science, human body, science

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

January 26, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Is anyone else kind of “over” winter? It seemed like the weather was never going to get cold and then BOOM! we all got hit with a massive winter storm and I was like “Okay, that’s enough cold for now.”

To get back to enjoying the fun of winter, I put together a quick roundup of fun winter crafts for kids that you can do in just a few minutes!

Today is also another Laugh and Learn linky party! Check out our favorite posts from last week and read more great posts from awesome bloggers below!

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

Honestly, crafting is not one of my natural gifts. I’m the type of person that needs step-by-step directions to do most tasks. But these crafts are so easy even a non-crafty person (like myself) can do them in no time!

To get the scoop on how to make these crafts with your kids, stop over at Thinking Outside the Sandbox to get the details!

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids – Thinking Outside the Sandbox

Resources to Make Winter Crafts for Kids:

To make winter crafting even easier, try these great resources!

  • Carson Dellosa Snowmen Shape Stickers
  • Little B Decorative Paper Tape, Winter Snowflakes
  • Snowflake Hanging Swirls – 30ct

For more winter fun, follow my Winter Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!


Onward to the linky!

This week we have some great links to share with you. We are very excited to bring you another great opportunity to linkup with us!
Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!
Welcome to our 67th week of Laugh and Learn – Home & Family Linkup! Laugh and Learn Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.
New: We have decided to expand our linkup to home and family categories! You are still welcome to share homeschooling or parenting posts with us. That will always be part of the #LaughLearnLinkup!

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on three blogs.

We are also sharing the top four posts on Pinterest: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!
Reminder: Please share this linkup! You can help us build a great family, home, parenting, and homeschool group.
Laugh and Learn Linkup was created by Tina from Los Gringos Locos. We want to thank her for this opportunity and send her big hug on her new adventure.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Selena
Selena - head shot Look We're Learning

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah
sarah-dedicated-homeschooler Dedicated Homeschooler

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Haley
Haleys Vintage Finds & DealsHaley's Vintage: DIY ~ Parenting ~ Blogging

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Stumble Upon

 


Grab a Button / Badge:

If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

I was featured at Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!

We would also love if you could use this badge on any post you shared with us. Or a text link would also be greatly appreciated. More shares and links helps us build a better and bigger linkup for all us to benefit from.

Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!


Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!

Most Clicked on Link

10 Fun Cookbooks for Kids #LaughLearnLinkup
 


Selena’s pick for this week…

 
11 Awesome Ways to Learn Geography #LaughLeearnLinkup
Note from Selena:
I love these ideas for making geography fun and hands-on in your homeschool!


Sarah’s pick for this week…

 
5 Things You Can Do to Beat Mid-year Slump
Note from Sarah:
We’ve actual conducted an experiment this year. With bipolar, ADHD, aspergers, and anxiety all in the mix, January is our most difficult month. So this year we just took it off. It’s been nice not feeling guilty about being to tired to get school done. I love Lindsey’s ideas for easing back into the routine.


Haley’s pick for this week…

Carrot Truffles

 
Note from Haley:
These look amazing and I may even be able to get my kids to eat them!


Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!
Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.


Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!

 

Now give us your best posts!

An InLinkz Link-up


Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: activities for kids, crafts, kids crafts, laugh and learn linky, winter, winter activities, winter crafts

Easy Fall Snow Globe Craft for Kids

December 13, 2013 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

Easy Fall Snow Globe Craft for Kids @ Look! We're Learning!

I love fall. I just love it. It’s such a rich season – full of colors and textures and scents. It’s a perfect time of year to go into full-on crafting mode.

Since we had a lot of leaves left from our Fall Leaf Garland, I thought we could make a fall “snow” globe with them. And since I love easy kids’ crafts, it seemed like a quick and fun project to make. See how you can make this easy fall snow globe craft for kids!

Simple Fall Snow Globe Craft

If your kids love making this craft, check out some of our other fall learning ideas, including our Leaf Painting Activity, our Coffee Filter Owl Craft, or our Fall Leaves Unit Study!

Make this easy and lovely fall snow globe craft to celebrate autumn with the kids!

Easy Fall Snow Globe Craft for Kids

This is a super dee duper craft to make with your kids. Just so you know – I’m all about the super easy here. 🙂

DIY Fall Snow Globe Craft - Look! We're Learning!

To get started, we just scrunched up a lot of our leaves.

Simple Fall Snow Globe Craft - Look! We're Learning!

If I ever want my kids to have fun instantly, all I have to do is give them the chance to destroy something. Look at that face! That is pure glee.

DIY Fall Leaf Snow Globe Craft - Look! We're Learning!

All ready!

Fall Snow Globe Materials
A quick look at our supplies: crushed leaves, brown paint, a baby food jar, and baby oil.

Did I mention that this is really, really easy?

Fall Snow Globe Painting

Paint a few barren trees on the outside of the jar.

Fall Snow Globe Project

If you want, go back and add a few white clouds.

Fall Snow Globe Craft

Turn the jar right side up and add the crushed leaf pieces.

Easy Fall Snow Globe Craft

Pour in the baby oil.

Fall Leaf Snow Globe

Screw the lid on top. If you want to add extra hold, you might hot glue the lid on.

Kids Fall Snow Globe Craft

Turn the jar upside down and give it a shake!

Baby Food Jar Fall Snow Globe

Ooooohhhh….purty.

This entire activity takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s a great craft to put together in a hurry.

If you want to add a bit more decoration, you could hot glue a scarecrow figurine to the lid so that the scarecrow would be “caught” in the leaves when you shake the jar. You could also add a bit of glitter for extra sparkle!

Oh – one quick note: If you paint the jar first, give it time to dry before you go on to the other steps. I had to use the very tips of my fingers to finish the rest of the project…lol.

Want to make fall learning fun for your kids? Try these ideas!

This All About Leaves Printable Unit Study is a perfect way to study the science of fall foliage with kids!

Use these printable fall playdough mats to teach your little ones to form letters and numbers!

These printable leaf identification flashcards are a fun way to get kids interested in nature!

If you’d like to check out even more fall crafts and activities, be sure to follow my Fall Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!

And if you want to get awesome educational ideas and resources in your inbox, use the widget below to sign up for our email newsletter!

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: crafts, fall

20 Kid Crafts for Winter

December 12, 2013 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Winter’s fast approaching and it’s a great time to break out some winter crafts for the kids! I’m not in love with winter, but I do love to make cute crafts and that’s usually enough to perk me up out of the winter blues. 🙂 Now that we have a very active preschooler, she always wants to make things with scissors and glue, so crafting is a perfect way to spend some time with her.

I’ve rounded up some of our favorite kid crafts for winter from around the web and I’m sharing them here today! We’ll be trying out a few of these this month and through the season, but I’d love to hear which ones catch your eye as well!

By the way, if you want more winter craft ideas, don’t miss our lists of penguin crafts for kids and snowman crafts for kids!

These easy kid crafts for winter are a perfect way to pass a cold winter's day!

20 Kid Crafts for Winter:

1. Printable Snowflake Math Factors Craft – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Winter Snowflake Slime – Little Bins for Little Hands

3. Glittery Snowflake Suncatchers – Happiness is Homemade

4. Sensory Blizzard in a Bottle – No Time for Flashcards

5. Snowman Factory – Buggy and Buddy

6. Foam Ball Winter Snowman – Crafty Morning

7. Cardboard Snowflake Printing – The Jenny Evolution

8. Paper Snow Globe Craft – Housing a Forest

9. Snow Puffy Paint – The Imagination Tree

10. Salt Truck Shape Craft – Sugar Aunts

11. Snowy Paper Collage – A Little Pinch of Perfect

12. Paper Polar Bear Craft – Crafty Morning

13. Fine Motor Ice Skates Lacing Craft – I Heart Arts and Crafts

14. Ice Wreath Bird Feeder Craft – Hands On As We Grow

15. Melted Snowman Shape Collage – Mom Inspired Life

16. Winter Necklace Craft – Domestic Mommyhood

17. Q-Tip Painted Snowman Craft

18. Ice Sun Catcher – Kid World Citizen

19. Children Catching Snowflakes Winter Craft – Crafty Morning

20. Winter Playdough Creation Station – No Time for Flashcards

Fun and Easy Kid Crafts for Winter - Look! We're Learning!

And if you love these, try some of these other fun ideas for kids!

These winter books for kids are great for sharing as a family!

These easy snowman crafts for kids are perfect for exploring winter this year!

Paper Snowflake 2nd Grade Math Factors Craft

Plus, see more winter learning ideas on my Winter Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: crafting, crafts, crafts for kids, kid crafts for winter, winter, winter activities, winter activities for kids, winter craft ideas, winter crafts, winter crafts for kids

Simple Straw Bead Necklace Craft for Kids

August 30, 2013 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

If your kids are anything like mine, they’re always asking for the necklaces in the 25-cent machine at the grocery store. You know those fake gold necklaces that turn your neck green? Yeah, those.

I got tired of saying “no” over and over again, so I thought we’d come up with a simple jewelry craft that the kids could make and then wear on their own. That’s when we found this simple straw bead necklace craft and it was a perfect alternative! Plus, it didn’t turn their neck green, which was a plus. 🙂

Read on to see how to make these with your kids! And don’t miss my list of super easy preschool crafts you can make in just 10 minutes!

Make some simple jewelry with the kids with this fun straw bead necklace craft!

Simple Straw Bead Necklace Craft for Kids

This week, we jumped into the great book The Arts & Crafts Busy Book: 365 Art and Craft Activities to Keep Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy and found a super easy craft for kids of all ages: straw beads! And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

Here’s what you need to make this craft:

  • Plastic drinking straws
  • Colored tissue paper
  • Glue
  • Yarn
  • Scissors

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

We passed out tissue paper to the kids. They chose their own colors. Surprisingly, Roo picked blue as his new “favorite” color. He’s been hung up on red for years.

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

Then we spread glue over the paper. At first, we used glue sticks and they worked somewhat, but we ended up reinforcing them with liquid glue. So, to save yourself some time, use regular glue in the first place.

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

After that, you just place the straw at one end of the paper…

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

and roll it up tightly. We ended up adding a bit more glue to the very end of the paper just to make sure that the ends stayed closed.

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

Cut the straw into small pieces with a pair of scissors to make stringable beads. Have the kids string the beads onto a length of yarn, tie it around their neck, and you’re done!

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

Roo adored his necklace. He wore it the rest of the evening.

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

Pooh fiddled with his most of the day afterward, but he’s asked to wear it everyday since.

Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

Tigger just loved her necklace! Right now, anything even remotely girly is a big hit with her.

Simple Straw Beads: Look! We're Learning!

Have you tried this straw bead necklace craft? How did it go? Share your experiences in the comments!

Easy Straw Bead Necklace Craft for Kids

Don’t miss these other craft ideas!

These DIY Pop Up Thank You Cards are a perfect craft for kids to make and share with loved ones!

This edible play dough dairy free recipe is perfect for kids who love sensory play but avoid eating dairy! It's super sweet and soft for play!

This easy DIY pinwheel craft is a fun way to study wind with the kids!

Plus, see more crafting fun on my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!


Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: crafts, crafts for kids, easy crafts, easy crafts for kids, easy kids crafts, straw beads, straw beads craft, straw beads craft for kids

Simple DIY Pinwheel Craft for Kids

August 16, 2013 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Windy days are made for pinwheels, am I right? Remember getting a pinwheel at the county fair or the book fair at school (my favorite place ever) and running outside to watch it turn in the wind? As a child, I could stare at a pinwheel turn for hours. They were just mesmerizing.

I had never made a pinwheel myself, so I thought the kids would enjoy learning how to make one as an easy spring craft. Like a lot of our projects, this DIY pinwheel craft is very simple and only requires a couple of supplies. If you like this activity, don’t miss our easy spring toilet roll butterfly craft!

This easy DIY pinwheel craft is a fun way to study wind with the kids!

DIY Pinwheel Craft

To make this pinwheel craft, you’ll need the following:

  • Lightweight 12 x 12 scrapbook paper
  • Pencils
  • Push pins
  • Scissors

DIY Pinwheel Craft: Look! We're Learning!

To get started, all you have to do is cut the paper into squares and then make a diagonal cut toward the center on each corner.

Actually, I didn’t even cut the paper into squares. I did the old school thing where you fold the paper in fourths and then tear it. (I know I’m not the only person who does that, am I?)

DIY Pinwheel Craft: Look! We're Learning!

After you’ve made the diagonal cuts, take each cut and fold the right corner toward the left so that the end lands in the center of the paper.

You don’t want to actually “fold” by making a crease in the paper, because you need the paper to remain curved in order for the air to move through it. So you’re really just pulling the corners toward the middle here.

DIY Pinwheel Craft: Look! We're Learning!

Once you have all the corners folded toward the center, just hold them down with one hand and then stick the push pin through with the other.

Make sure you catch all the corner ends and don’t stick yourself! I pushed the pin through first and then stuck the end into the pencil eraser.

DIY Pinwheel Craft: Look! We're Learning!

And we’re done! The kids were so excited to try them out that they sat at the table trying to perfect how to blow across the sails to move them properly for about 20 minutes afterward.

Easy DIY Pinwheel Craft for Kids

I will say that these are not the most permanent pinwheels you can make, so if your kids get a little rough with them (like ours did), you’ll have to put them back together. But you just have to push the paper corners back down and re-pin. Easy peasy!

DIY Pinwheel Craft: Look! We're Learning!

If you enjoyed this spring activity, check out our other spring learning ideas!

Get ready to welcome warmer weather with these fun spring crafts for kids to make!

50 Spring Books for Kids

50 Free Spring Printables for Kids @ Look! We're Learning!

And get more ideas on my Spring Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: crafts, crafts for kids, diy, diy pinwheel, diy pinwheel craft, diy pinwheel craft for kids, kids crafts, pinwheel craft, pinwheel craft for kids, spring, spring crafts

Textured Sponge Painting Preschool Craft

August 9, 2013 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Art is one my favorite subjects to teach in our homeschool lessons. But when you’re starting with young children, I’ve found it best to keep the projects as simple as possible. After all, they’re not quite ready to study post-modernism. 🙂

So we tried this easy textured sponge painting preschool craft with our kids and they absolutely loved it! It was a simple way to study color and painting while giving them a bit of sensory input at the same time.

Read on to see how to do this simple art project with your kids! And if you love this craft, try our list of super easy preschool crafts you can make in 10 minutes!

This easy textured sponge painting craft is a perfect preschool art activity! It only takes a few minutes!

Textured Sponge Painting Preschool Craft

To do this craft, you’ll need the following:

  • Large kitchen sponge
  • Scissors
  • Fingerpaint
  • Painting paper
  • Paint cups
  • Newspaper
  • Sketching pencil (optional)

To set up this craft, we cut a large kitchen sponge into four pieces and handed them out. (This step should be done by an adult.)

Then we added a bit more texture by having the kids crumple up their paper before beginning. We found some super old fingerpaint (I mean, from when Tigger was a toddler) and added a bit of water to thin it out and then it was time to get started!

Textured Sponge Painting: Look! We're Learning!

When we asked Roo if he wanted me to sketch his design for him, he said “I want to make whatever I want to make.” Got it.

Textured Sponge Painting: Look! We're Learning!

Tigger wanted to paint a picture of a tree, so I sketched it for her to give her a little guide since the sponge tips are so large.

Textured Sponge Painting: Look! We're Learning!

Pooh wanted to paint a train and it ended up not going as well as he would have liked. But the experience of painting was so fun that he was all smiles anyway at the end. I think that’s what art should be like for kids!

Textured Sponge Painting: Look! We're Learning!

Here’s everyone’s work. Mine is at top left, Tigger’s is at top right, Pooh’s train is bottom right, and Roo’s unique individualist expression is at bottom left.

To give the pictures a bit more flair, we sprinkled glitter and colored salt on them before they dried. A simple introduction to Impressionism, perhaps?

Have you tried this textured sponge painting preschool craft with your kids? Let me know how it went in the comments!

Textured Sponge Painting Preschool Art Activity

Like this post? Try these other ideas for preschoolers!

These super easy preschool crafts are so simple you can make them in just 10 minutes!

Ten Minute Preschool Activities

Help your preschooler love reading with this preschool homeschool reading list!

And get more ideas for preschool learning on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Crafts, PreK Homeschooling Tagged With: art, art for kids, crafts, crafts for kids, crafts for preschoolers, prek, prek homeschooling, preschool art, preschool craft, sponge painting, sponge painting craft for preschoolers, sponge painting preschool craft, textured sponge painting, textured sponge painting craft

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Hi! I'm Selena, a teacher and a veteran homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
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