homeschool preschool

How To Make A Letter Y Handprint Craft Featuring A Yak

September 12, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, we’re making a letter Y handprint craft. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more handprint crafts and preschool ideas.

And we’re featuring a yak, a fun new animal to introduce to your preschooler or kindergartener.

There is just something so precious about those first little handprint crafts with tiny fingers that won’t stay that way for long.

Too, they are so proud of the finished product.

How To Make A Letter Y Handprint Craft Featuring A Yak

My main focus during the preschool years is reading good quality books.

Reading aloud develops imagination, vocabulary, language development, listening skills, comprehension, and helps grow their focus and attention.

I found the absolute cutest story that went right along with our activity and of course “we” had to model our yak after the little hero of the story Gertie.

The book is The Littlest Yak. A cute must read with your littles.

While Gertie is adorable, yaks really are amazing animals that live in the high mountains of the Himalayas. Yaks are very important to the people of the Himalayas

Known for their long, shaggy fur and their big horns, yaks are found in the high mountains of Asia.

What makes them so amazing is that yaks are very strong and can carry incredibly heavy loads.

They are also very gentle and friendly animals.

People in the Himalayas use yaks for many things.

For example, they are used to transport goods, to pull plows, and to provide milk and meat.

Books about the Continent of Asia for Kids

Also, grab some of these books to read about Asia to your child.

I love to use living books when I can find them.

9 Asia Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Asia is a large continent but I try to list some of our favorites.

Prairie Lotus

Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story.

A Single Shard

Tree-ear is fascinated by the celedon ware created in the village of Ch’ulp’o. He is determined to prove himself to the master potter, Min—even if it means making a solitary journey to present Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission . . . or arriving at the royal court with nothing but a single celadon shard.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

The star of her school’s running team, Sadako is lively and athletic…until the dizzy spells start. Then she must face the hardest race of her life—the race against time. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the courage that makes one young woman a heroine in Japan.

The Big Wave

Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain in Japan. His friend, Jiya, lives in a fishing village below. Everyone, including Kino and Jiya, has heard of the big wave. No one suspects it will wash over them, until the rushing water sweeps away the whole village—including Jiya's family.

One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale

Long ago in India, there lived a raja who believed that he was wise and fair. But every year he kept nearly all of the people's rice for himself. Then when famine came, the raja refused to share the rice, and the people went hungry. Then a village girl named Rani devises a clever plan. She does a good deed for the raja, and in return the raja lets her choose her reward. Rani asks for just one grain of rice, doubled every day for thirty days. Through the surprising power of doubling, one grain of rice grows into more than one billion grains of rice - and Rani teaches the raja a lesson about what it truly means to be wise and fair.Demi's exquisitely detailed art, inspired by traditional Indian miniature paintings, combine with her simple retelling to convey the heart and wisdom of this satisfying mathematical tale.

I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade

A moving and heartfelt story about the lengths one would go to help their family.

When Oyuna was a baby, a horse accidentally crushed her foot, cursing her family with bad luck. Oyuna vows to restore good fortune to her family…but how?

One fateful day, soldiers from the great Khan's army invade her village to steal horses and gather new soldiers. In hopes of bringing honor to her family, Oyuna courageously disguises herself as a boy and joins the soldiers on their quest. With only her horse and her cat to keep her company, Oyuna sets off on an amazing journey across deserts and mountains―a journey that will change her life forever.

The Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan

"You must not speak of the Golden Hawks! Word easily flies down the caravan trails to the ears of the Mongols in the land of Genghis Khan. And then, Jalair, the Mongols will come and slay you!"

The Story about Ping

Ping, the spirited little duck who lives on a boat on the Yangtze River. Ping's misadventures one night while exploring the world around his home form the basis of this timeless classic, which is brought to life by Kurt Wiese's warm and poignant illustrations.

The Littlest Yak

A little yak yearns for BIG things in this rollicking, rhyming picture book that celebrates individuality, unique talents, and the importance of not growing up too fast.Gertie is the littlest yak in her pack, feeling stuck in her smallness. She wants to grow up and have BIGNESS and TALLNESS, with the hugest of hooves and humongous horns too! Because there isn't anything a BIG yak can't do.So Gertie devises a growing-up plan. She eats her veggies, exercises every day, and reads lots of books. Still, she isn't any bigger. But when the other yaks come calling for Gertie to help them with a daring and dangerous task, could it be because it's something only a small yak can do?

Then look at some fun facts about yaks to share with your children.

5 Yak Fun Facts

Yak poop doesn’t stink-when they have water and are able to forage to eat, their dung has little to no odor. The Tibetan plateaus don’t have trees, so yak dung is the only easily obtainable fuel.
Yaks have two layers of fur to keep them warm in the high altitude cold mountain air of places like China, Nepal, Mongolia, and Tibet. See if you can find these places on a map or globe.
They have a long social life in the wild and can live for up to 20 years with their herds.
Yaks are herbivores, which means that they eat plants like low lying grasses and shrubs.
Yak butter is big in Tibet, their milk is white or pink and very nutritious. It is also used to make a unique popular cheese.

Also, add a few more letter y handprint crafts to your day.

More Letter Y Handprint And Y Crafts

Y is for Yo Yo, Here you will find some Letter Y craft ideas including a cute little hand that has been traced, cut out, and holding a yo yo.
For a unique take on the letter, check out –Y is For Yacht and take a boating turn on letter learning.
I thought that Y is for Yellow was a clever practice for Y, bright and colorful it catches a child’s attention and is a good representation of the sound.
Loads of activity ideas to supplement and a Y is For Yawn craft that might make you a bit sleepy too ( I recommend this one before nap time).
Make a mess with squiggly piles of yarn to create this Y is for Yarn craft.

More Handprint Crafts

Additionally, here are more activities about Asia if you want to include you older children.

Asia Activities For Kids

Finally, look at how to make this letter Y handprint craft.

Letter Y Handprint Craft Featuring A Yak

We are going to make a handprint craft from two handprints that make an adorable little yak.

We made ours black and white, but you can choose from the wide variety of yak colors to create yours.

Their fur comes in black, brown, white, and yellow.

You will need:

Construction paper
Craft paint
Google eyes
A little hand
paintbrushes

First, gather all your supplies and have them close at hand so you don’t have to leave little painted hands unattended while you run to grab something.

Paint the entire hand white.

Now quickly go over the white with black paint on the 4 fingers only, excluding the thumb.

Then press the hand firmly onto the paper, making sure to press gently but firmly all over your palm and fingers.

Wash the hand clean.

Paint the palm black and the pinky and thumb white and press onto the paper slightly overlapping the body hand print you made.

Again, press the entire hand down firmly to transfer as much paint as you can.

Use a paintbrush to extend the horns or fill in gaps of missing paint if you need to.

To create their cold snowy climate, use the back and of a paintbrush dipped in white paint for snowflakes.

The final step is to draw a large Y in pencil.

Now, let or help your child paint over it with a small paintbrush to become more familiar with the letter.

Once everything is dry, glue googly eyes to the face to finish it off.

Fun and Easy Preschool Hibernation Science Activities to Nurture Learning

September 9, 2024 | Leave a Comment
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Are you looking for fun and easy ways to teach preschool hibernation science activities and resources that really nurture learning? Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.

Keep on reading for a host of wonderful ideas.

You know that hands-on activities are always my go-to for teaching.

Fun and Easy Preschool Hibernation Science Activities to Nurture Learning

But especially with younger children they need play learning.

Play learning incorporates sensory experiences, builds problem solving, and creates positive learning experiences.

When many animals disappear in winter, where do they go?

This is a great nature topic for preschoolers, to learn about hibernation.

Also, add some fun books.

HIBERNATION AND MIGRATION BOOKS FOR KIDS

We love living books so I add them to our reading list when I can find them.

Then some of my kids love reference books too.

6 Hibernation and Migration Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add these fun books to your home library about animals that hibernate or migrate.

Traveling with the birds. A book on bird migration.

Bird migration.

Wild Voyageur

Story of a goose family.

Hibernation Station

Everybody at the station! It’s time for winter hibernation! The sweet rhyming text of this book will calm even the most rambunctious kids and have them dreaming about what it’s like to hibernate. Young readers will be soothed and delighted as this story introduces them to different types of hibernating animals. The creatures on the train are preparing to snuggle into sleep, although with a passenger list that includes chipmunks, bears, snakes, hedgehogs, groundhogs, frogs, turtles, mice, bats, and more, there’s a lot of noise! Will the hibernating critters ever get to sleep? Take a trip to Hibernation Station to find out!

Time to Sleep

A chill is in the air and Bear knows it is time for her winter nap. But first, she must tell Snail. And Snail must tell Skunk. And Skunk must tell Turtle. Each animal who tries to put off going to sleep just a little longer sees, smells, hears, or tastes the signs of the impending season. Finally, Ladybug rushes off to tell Bear--already asleep in her cave--the exciting news.

Animals in Winter

This is a clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. Introduce kids to basic science ideas as part of discussions about the seasons and animals.

Have you ever seen a butterfly in the snow? Probably not. Butterflies can't survive cold weather, so when winter comes, many butterflies fly to warmer places. They migrate. Woodchucks don't like cold weather either, but they don't migrate; they hibernate. Woodchucks sleep in their dens all winter long. How do these and other animals handle the cold and snow of winter?

Over and Under the Snow

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow lies a secret world of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals making their winter home under the snow. This beloved nonfiction picture book reveals the tunnels and caves formed beneath the snow but over the ground, where many kinds of animals live through the winter, safe and warm, awake and busy, but hidden beneath the snow.

WHAT IS HIBERNATION

Hibernation is a special kind of deep sleep that certain animals do to survive the cold winter months.

When animals hibernate, their body temperature drops way down, their breathing slows way down, and they go into a deep sleep.

This helps them save energy and make it through the winter without having to find food.

These creatures usually start preparing for hibernation in the fall by eating tons of food to build up their fat stores.

They also find a safe and cozy place to sleep, like a cave or a burrow.

Once they’re all settled in, they will sleep for most of the winter.

They might wake up every once in a while, for a quick snack or drink, but they’ll mostly just be snoozing until spring arrives.

When spring finally comes around, hibernating animals will wake up and start eating and moving around again.

They’ll be hungry after their long sleep, so they’ll often start looking for food right away.

Hibernation is an incredible way for animals to survive the winter.

It’s like they have their own built-in sleeping bags and fat stores that act as fully stocked refrigerators to live off.

Animals that Hibernate

Snakes
Bats
Deer Mice
Groundhogs
Hedgehogs
Box Turtles
Bumblebees
Fat Tailed Dwarf Lemur
Chipmunks
Ground Squirrels
Ladybugs
Marmots
Skunks
Raccoons
Woodchucks

Next, look at more preschool hibernation science activities.

MORE PRESCHOOL HIBERNATION SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Make A Paper Bag Bear Den for Small World Play and you not only have an art project but also a really cute cave to add to blocks or sensory bins.
Young preschoolers will love this Animals In Winter Hibernation Sensory Activity.
Paper plate crafts are very inexpensive and can be so cute like the Hibernating Bear Paper Plate Craft And Free Template.
Hibernation Habitat Process Art.
Some bats migrate and some hibernate, make this cute Fun Bat Anatomy Toilet Paper Roll Craft | 8 Bat Science Activities Preschool.
Check out this Over and Under The Snow Activities for a Free Literature Unit Study while they are also learning basic nature science concepts.

An invitation to play is a wonderful activity that encourages a child to expand their thinking and creativity.

Children play in a new way, allowing for open-ended play with little to no direction.

HIBERNATION SCIENCE INVITATION TO PLAY

After reading a book on hibernation, watching a video, or completing another activity your child will love diving into creating hibernation habitats for their little animals.

Or they might build a bridge for them to cross, sort the materials, or create a maze- all wonderful exploration ideas!

Grab a divided tray and let’s get started.

If you don’t have one on hand you can find several sizes and styles at Dollar Tree.

If you want something a little more organic and durable these wooden options are beautiful.

You will need:

A divided tray
Fiber fill
Toilet paper roll
Small plastic animals that hibernate
Clay or playdough
Natural items-moss, twigs, bark, small rocks

First, gather as many natural materials as you can from the yard.

For example, sticks, twigs, rocks, large chunks of bark, leaves, and moss all make lovely natural habitat pieces.

I like to also include some small rocks or pebbles to use for building caves.

You will probably want to also include a few toys and household items like small plastic animals, cotton batting makes a wonderful layer of snow.

Also, an empty toilet paper tube can be colored like this to create a hollowed out log (you are not likely to find a miniature version in your yard).

I like to also include some clay whenever it is any kind of building invitation to play because it helps adhere things together in a non-permanent way.

PRESCHOOL INVITATION TO PLAY

You can use Play-Doh but I find that this Crayola air-dry clay is much stickier.

Lay out your items separated into your divided tray and don’t forget to include an on-theme book for them to reference IF they wish.

Start building the base of your cave and use clay as mortar to hold the rocks together.

Continue building up and around until you have it completed.

Don’t forget to make sure it is large enough for your animal to fit inside.

We used our colored toilet paper roll as a hollow log for our squirrel to curl up in for the winter and covered it in a layer of “snow”.

While platypuses do not hibernate for the winter they do go into a state called ‘torpor’ ( which has only been witnessed in captivity)for up to 6 days.

This is a great opportunity to discuss animals that do and do not hibernate and those that partially hibernate.

We tucked ours among some logs.

Let your child play as long as they like exploring, creating, and enjoying.

You may find that if you put it away a few days later and bring it back out with a few new pieces added into it it’ll be like a fresh activity all over again.

Can you spot our hibernating snake?

How To Make Confetti Fall Leaves Crafts For Preschoolers

September 5, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some fun fall leaves crafts for preschoolers. Of course, this is a great activity for kindergarten too. Also, you’ll love my Fall Season Unit Study and Free Lapbook. Too, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

There are many fun ways to develop fine motor skills.

Especially with preschoolers, you want to keep the emphasis on fun and not push them into formal learning.

Too, using a theme like fall leaves crafts for preschoolers you can squeeze in fun learning.

How To Make Confetti Fall Leaves Crafts For Preschoolers

And nurturing fine motor skills are important to fostering self-care.

For example, children should have plenty of time develop fine motor skills to help them with things like tying their shoes and buttoning their clothes.

However, writing is another essential skill.

Children have to learn the physical part of writing before they compose sentences.

But the mistake made by most parents is to stick a pencil in a toddler’s hands. They are not ready to write.

Again, preschool fine motor skills need to be developed first.

With that being said, the best way to develop fine motor skills is for a young child to play and learn.

Books about Fall for Kids

Our theme today is about fall leaves.

And you read aloud a book to your preschooler while they make fun fall leaves confetti.

15 Fall Books For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

With a chill in the air and leaves falling, grab one or two of these fun books for your home library.

Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic

A compilation of Native American speeches affirming the desire to live in spiritual and ecological harmony includes the words of Geronimo, Sitting Bull, and Cochise, covering such topics as fishing rights, peace treaties, and the devastation of their land.

Autumn Harvest

"Mr. Tresselt writes quiet, factual prose about katydids, reapers and threshing, falling leaves, apple-gathering, and the first frost."--New York Herald Tribune.

Autumn Leaves

A concise text and crisp, close-up, color photographs of thirteen different leaves from North American trees teach very young children how to look at and compare the leaves of autumn, and are accompanied by an explanation of why they turn color.

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked

These are the apples, juicy and red,that went in the pie,warm and sweet,that Papa baked...for guess who!

Sophie's Squash

Kids will love this playful story of of a unique fall friendship between a girl . . . and her squash!On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?

Autumn Story: Introduce children to the seasons in the gorgeously illustrated classics of Brambly Hedge!

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the miniature world of the mice of Brambly Hedge!

Bad weather is on the way and the autumn stores are still not gathered in!

Quickly, all the mice of Brambly Hedge set to work to finish the harvesting before the rain begins. Primrose, Lord Woodmouse's daughter, meant to help, but somehow she daydreamed her way over the cornfield and into the Chestnut Woods, and before she knew it, she was lost. The sun went down, the wind rose and it began to rain. Primrose was all alone in the dark and she was frightened.

Poor Primrose, would she find her way home again?

Mr. Hermit Miser and the Neighborly Pumpkin: the green edition |

Mr. Hermit Miser doesn’t like his neighbors, and they don’t like him. But when a pumpkin vine sprouts in Mr. Hermit Miser’s yard and makes its way into the neighbors’ yards, but he wants all those pumpkins for pies … well, what is he to do?

With adventures in pumpkin-snatching, failed attempts at baking pies, and pumpkin goo everywhere, this tale about being neighborly in a not-so-perfect way will be an endearing autumn story for all the readers in your circle.

This reprint of a 1949 classic adds some recipes, a poem, and a bit of pie-history as well.

Dance Like a Leaf

As her grandmother's health declines, a young girl begins to lovingly take the lead in their cozy shared autumn traditions. Poetic prose paired with evocative illustrations by Mexican illustrator Claudia Navarro make for a beautiful celebration of life and a gentle introduction to the death of a loved one.

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night

"[Spier's] finely detailed, action-packed New England autumn vistas are almost startlingly beautiful."—The New York Times Over fifty years after he won a Caldecott Honor for The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, legendary illustrator Peter Spier went back to this time-honored favorite in 2014 to paint the half of the book that was originally printed in black and white. In this glowing, restored vision of Spier’s beloved classic, follow the wily fox as he roams a sleepy New England town in search of a meal, with tones and textures so vivid you can almost hear the crackle of crisp fall leaves and the ripples of the river in the moonlight.

Down Buttermilk Lane

An Amish family, traveling by buggy, spends a day doing errands in the village, visiting, and returning home in time for supper

Fall Leaves

Autumn is in the air: days grow shorter and nights are long. Birds leave, flowers, too. Apples and temperatures fall—then snow!Part poem, part silent stage, this luminous picture book puts autumn on display and captures the spirit of change that stays with us long after fall leaves. Unlock the secrets of this busy and beautiful time of year as the natural world makes way for winter.

Hooray for Fall!

Mama has a surprise for her three little squirrels: three bright red sweaters to keep them warm throughout the fall. Imagine the siblings’ surprise when they find that everything in the autumn woods—the leaves, the berries, even the setting sun—is red too, just like their sweaters.This celebration of a perfect fall day will have young and old alike looking for signs of autumn in their own neighborhoods. Kazuo Iwamura’s books celebrating the seasons (Hooray for Spring!, Hooray for Summer!, Hooray for Fall!, and Hooray for Snow!) are perennial favorites—introducing children to the beauty and joy of each season. Iwamura masterfully captures the small wonders of nature in his illustrations and his stories with their gentle humor warm the heart.

Hopefully the Scarecrow

The perfect Fall book for kids! A poignant picture book about a scarecrow who befriends the young girl who reads to him day after day until one day he's left wondering where she is.A scarecrow stood in the garden. Tall, proud, and smiling. Every day a girl brought her favorite books to the garden and she read to him. He heard tales of courage and of hope. And when she said, "The End," the scarecrow always felt a little bit taller and braver. Year after year, she came and she read to him.Until one spring, two different hands picked him up from the garden shed and placed him in the garden. He waited, but she didn't come to read to him.With poignant words from award-winning author Michelle Houts and lush illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor winner Sara Palacios, Hopefully the Scarecrow is a tender distillation of the enduring power of friendship and a heartwarming look at the ways stories connect us.

Maple & Willow Apart

Funny, relatable sibling dynamics make this story a wonderful way to address navigating big changes. Lori Nichols’s expressive artwork beautifully portrays Maple and Willow’s strong bond, and children will love the creative, kid-powered solution. Maple and Willow have always been inseparable. So what happens when Maple starts big-girl school and Willow stays behind? Well, of course, both girls have marvelous adventures of their own, but the truth is, they miss each other. And when they see that the missing is mutual, they find a unique way to feel connected even when they have to be apart.

Now It's Fall (Lois Lenski Books)

School bells and apples and big ripe pumpkins-all the pleasures of fall come alive in this newly reissued classic by award winner Lois Lenski. First published in 1948, Now It's Fall is a timeless celebration of autumn that will enchant a whole new generation of young readers with its gently recolored illustrations.

Also, there are other ways to develop your child’s motor skills with an autumn twist.

More Fall Leaves Crafts for Preschoolers

Ways for a Preschooler to Use Confetti

Next look at a few ways to use the fall leaf confetti.

Use it in a fall sensory bin. Add some pompoms, scoops and animals or toys to sort.
Have your preschooler create a collage greeting card. Such a fun independent activity they’ll love.
Have your child use tweezers to sort the confetti by color.
Match the confetti with the leaves and talk about the leaves

3 Trees in North America

Additionally, we have many trees whose leaves put on a beautiful autumn scene.

Look at facts about 3 trees.

Oak trees. Their leaves are large and oval, and the leaves turn shades of brown and red.
Maple trees. Maple trees put on of the most beautiful shows in the fall. The leaves are vibrant read and orange and the leaves with their pointed shape are easily identifiable.
Hickory trees. The leaves are long and narrow and have shades of yellow-brown.

Next, look at how to make fun hole punched leaf confetti.

How to Make Easy Hole Punched Confetti Using Leaves

Supplies:

Variety of fall leaves
Hole punch
Paper plate
Small bowl

Directions:

Go out on a nature walk and collect a variety of fall leaves.

Bring them in and set aside to dry. (The hole punching works better when the leaves are dry.)

Use the hole punch to punch holes into the leaves.

Empty the hole punch into the small bowl.

You’ll want to empty the hole punch regularly so that it doesn’t get too full or jammed up.

Continue punching holes in leaves until you get the desired amount of confetti.

Leaf Confetti can be used for a variety of crafts and activities during the fall season.

Fun Preschool Beaver Craft: Simple Projects for Little Hands

August 20, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This preschool beaver craft provides an opportunity for your preschooler to learn about beavers. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.

And they learn about beaver’s habitats but encourages creativity and fine motor skills development.

This time we sewed up our craft on the sewing machine.

So, this is a great basic shape to introduce a child to the basics of sewing on a machine.

It introduces a very simple pattern.

Fun Preschool Beaver Craft: Simple Projects for Little Hands

It allows them to learn how to move the material carefully through the machine as it sews, enjoy filling it, and the reward of the finished product!

However, if you would like to sew this by hand or glue it instead.

I tried to keep the instructions very simple.

So that it is easily adaptable to any method you would like to use.

We are bringing these fascinating semi-aquatic animals to life through our craft to deepen a child’s understanding of the natural world.

Besides, the best way to learn is enjoying a fun and engaging hands-on experience.

I think that they make a wonderful subject for a unit study.

To help you put one together. I have facts and plenty more craft and activity ideas to make it full and interesting.

5 Preschool Beaver Facts

Beaver teeth are actually orange not white; their long incisors get their orange color from an iron-rich protective coating of enamel.
Beavers are amazing animals that live in North America and Europe. They are known for their big, flat tails and their ability to build dams.
And they use their tails to help them swim, to slap the water when they are in danger, and store fat for winter.
They work together to build dams and lodges out of sticks and mud. Dams help to create ponds, which provide beavers with a safe place to live and raise their young- they make great nurseries.
Beavers also use their dams to store food for the winter, smaller logs and twigs.

Next, look at more hands-on activities to learn about beavers.

Preschool Beaver Craft and Activity Ideas

We love a fun puppet and paper bags make a great inexpensive craft supply give this Easy Paper Bag Beaver Craft a try.

A really hands-on activity for younger children this Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam teaches early engineering skills, exploring senses, animal science, and more.

Make a Beaver Paper Plate Craft for Kids {Booking Across the USA}, a quick inexpensive and easy craft while you learn about beavers.

I think that these No-Bake Beaver Dam Cookies are a must for any beaver unit, a tasty way to demonstrate how and why they build them.

This is a really gross but fun idea I had that includes beaver scat-10 Gross Scat Facts and How to Make Edible Scat.

Watch this cute and informative 3 minute video on All ABout Beavers for Children.

Finally, look at how to make this stuffed beaver craft.

Stuffed Preschool Beaver Craft

You can either sew this by hand, use a sewing machine, or even put it together with hot glue or fabric glue as well.

You will need:

Medium brown felt
Dark brown felt
Needle/thread or sewing machine
2 googly eyes
Scissors
Hot glue gun

First, fold your light brown felt in half.

Cut an oval shape out of both pieces at the same time making one end more narrow for the head.

Use another piece of brown felt to cut out four webbed feet or use the scraps that are left from cutting out your oval shape.

Be sure to leave them a little long so you have excess to attach inside the

Fold your dark brown felt in half and cut a tail and two small ear shapes.

Cut out two large teeth from white felt.

Make them a little longer than you want them.

You will be tucking some inside.

Lay out one of your cut light brown pieces.

Use hot glue, fabric glue or some other type of glue to quickly tack the feet and tail pieces into place.

Lay the second tail piece on top and then the second body piece to line up your edges.

Flip it up and attach the tail to the other piece of body, keeping everything aligned.

You can use pins to line up your edges if you like.

For quick projects like this I thought it would be a simpler first time preschooler project to avoid them.

Start just outside the tail and sew a quarter of an inch from the edge all the way around stopping on the other side right at the tail.

Stuff the body as full as you would like with cotton batting through the tail opening.

Now sew the tail.

Sew all the way around the tail, securing across where it comes out from the body.

Leave a couple inches for stuffing.

Fill the tail with cotton batting.

Since beavers have a large flat tail, we didn’t add as much stuffing to the tail.

Attach the eyes and ears with a little bit of hot glue.

Fun Ice For Kids Inexpensive & Easy Nature Sensory Activity

August 15, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This ice for kids frozen nature sensory play makes a great activity to keep toddlers to preschoolers learning. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more learning and playing ideas.

This is an easy nature sensory play activity to do at home.

With just a few items and thinking ahead (freeze water) your child will have as much fun as the ice lasts.

And if you have a theme such as nature, transportation, or even animals with each of your trays, you can teach your preschooler right along with play.

Fun Ice For Kids Inexpensive & Easy Nature Sensory Activity

This ice for kids activity provides children with a unique way to explore different textures and temperatures.

This type of play can enhance their fine motor skills as they manipulate small objects.

Also, it can improve your child’s cognitive development by encouraging curiosity and experimentation.

Additionally, it can foster a sense of wonder and connection to the natural world.

First, grab some of these nature books.

Even non-readers can appreciate the quality of well-written literature as you read aloud.

Nature Books for Kids

In addition, I try to pick quality literature for our home library.

For example, I choose living books first then add science or reference books to our collection.

6 Nature Study Books and Resources

Add one of these resources or books to your study about nature. They all give you a starting point or use one or two of them as a nature spine.

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

Handbook of Nature Study

The Handbook of Nature Study is a classic Charlotte Mason text. A big book full of information on pretty much every area of nature study from tools to birds, weather, and rocks.

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

This beautifully packaged facsimile of Edith Holden’s original diary is filled with a naturalist’s masterful paintings and delightful observations chronicling the English countryside throughout 1906. As one of the few true records of the time in print, the handwritten thoughts and paintings contained in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady transport readers to a more refined, romantic, and simpler time.

Botanicum

Filled with both recognisable, and tropical flora, Botanicum is the ultimate companion guide to the variety of plants, and how they have evolved and grow.

Curiositree: Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature - Jacket unfolds into a huge wall poster!

Discover the interconnectedness of the natural world and learn why living things look and behave the way they do in a series of visually compelling information charts, maps, and cutaways, all illustrated in a nostalgic, vintage style. Packed with incredible facts about the natural world and the animals that populate it, the whole family will enjoy the full-page spreads grouped into the categories of habitats, species, and adaptations.

Nature Study & Outdoor Science Journal: The Thinking Tree Presents: A Creative Book of Observation, Drawing, Coloring, Writing & Discovery

The Thinking Tree presents: A Creative Book of Observation, Drawing, Coloring, Writing & Discovery Through Nature, ideal for all ages (even adults!)

Creativity and discovery at its best, this journal is a bestseller among The Thinking Tree publications! Your nature-loving student will treasure this journal designed to ignite their wonder of the outdoors. With more than 180 lessons and beautiful illustrations, the Nature Study Journal invites the student to read, write, draw, color, explore and appreciate the outdoors while covering a variety of subjects such as science, poetry, observation instructions, and more.

Next, look at more frozen nature sensory play.

More Ice for Kids Nature Sensory Activities

In addition, look at these ideas for sensory play.

More Sensory Play Ideas for Homeschooled Kids

Finally, look how easy and fun this frozen nature sensory play activity is.

How to Make A Frozen Nature Sensory Play Activity

Here is what you need:

Silicone mold
Flowers, leaves, pinecones, etc. whatever nature items you have in your yard or find at the park
Water
Add a magnifying glass, spoons and see what affect salt has on the ice.

And the prep couldn’t be any easier.

Add the nature items into your mold.

Fill with water.

Freeze overnight.

Remove from mold and enjoy!

homeschool preschool

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