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How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

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I’m showing you how to put together a fun mushroom preschool sensory tray. It’s a great way to include the littles when you’re doing a study of mushrooms together. Also, look at my pages How to Homeschool Preschool and Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities for more ideas.

If you’re looking to combine sensory exploration, nature-based learning, and imaginative play, a mushroom sensory tray is the perfect hands-on activity.

A sensory tray is a container filled with materials that stimulate the senses—touch, sight, sound, and even smell.

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

Mushrooms are fun to preschoolers. They’re colorful, oddly shaped, and part of so many fairy tales.

It’s a great opportunity to talk about nature, fungi, forest animals, and even safe vs. unsafe plants with not just preschoolers but with all your children.

And although mushrooms are not plants, but fungi even little children understand that fungi help recycle dead trees and plants.

MUSHROOM BOOKS FOR KIDS

Next, look at some of these fun mushroom books for all ages.

9 Mushroom Unit Study Books

Grab some of these fun books to learn about mushrooms, the part of a mushroom and the life cycle.

Also, look at more resources about mushrooms.

MORE MUSHROOM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

And also look at more preschool activities.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

Finally, look at how to design this mushroom preschool sensory tray.

HOW TO MAKE A MUSHROOM SENSORY TRAY

First, look at this easy list of supplies.

  • Craft foam sheets
  • Pre-cut mushroom tops (semi-circles or domes)
  • Pre-cut mushroom stems
  • Small craft foam circles (to use as mushroom spots)
  • Pom poms in various colors
  • Tray or bin
  • Optional: glue dots or double-sided tape for sticking pieces together

And you could even change this out and add in bark or moss pieces, wooden mushrooms and forest animals.

Set up the tray. Arrange the foam mushroom tops, stems, and spots in a divided tray or scattered in a bin. Add a handful of pom poms for extra decoration options.

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

Build a mushroom. Let kids pick a top and a stem, then match them together to form a mushroom.

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

Decorate. Use the foam circles to add spots to the mushroom tops. Kids can also stick pom poms on top or around the mushrooms.

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

Make a mushroom patch:  Encourage children to build several mushrooms and lay them out to create a magical mushroom patch.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Enjoy some watermelon play with your preschooler through fun hands-on activities. Also, look at my post 4 Week Free Watermelon Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas. Too, see my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.

Grab my busy book summer preschool printable and a simple idea for paper plates to practice letter recognition.

Letter recognition and phonics instruction should be child’s play and using a few paper plates and some craft paint will make it be just that.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Watermelon isn’t just a delicious treat — it’s a wonderful way to learn about growing, cooking, and health.

Whether you’re counting seeds, matching letters, making a craft, or tasting a sweet slice, watermelon is a wonderful fruit for children to learn about.

It combines fun, education, and health — all in a single, delicious package.

WATERMELON BOOKS FOR KIDS

Next, look at these fun books for kids.

5 Watermelon Books & Resources

Add these fun books about seeds, gardening and watermelons. You can use them for a unit study or add to your home library.

COOL WATERMELON FACTS

Before you get started share some share cool watermelon facts with your child:

  1. A watermelon is a kind of fruit that grows on a vine that trails along the ground.
  2. Watermelon starts from a tiny seed, then a vine grows from it, flowers bloom, and a small watermelon starts to form. The small watermelon grows and grows until it’s big enough to eat.
  3. The outside, called the rind, is thick and green with light green or yellowish patterns.
  4. Inside, the flesh is usually a rich red or pink color.
  5. It’s sweet and filled with water, in fact, watermelons are about 92% water! That’s how it got its name: water + melon.
Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Here are some great ideas to get you going with your watermelon play.

WONDERFUL WATERMELON PLAY IDEAS

There are matching pattern activities, counting, sorting, letter recognition, life cycles, find it pages, and so much more.

To use the busy book summer preschool pages throughout the season you can laminate the pages and cut out the ones that say cut at the top.

 Use velcro dots if you like to attach the matching pictures as they work on them.

Use small plastic bags to hold the pieces and tuck everything inside a folder, alternatively, you can place your sheets inside 3 hole page protectors and keep them in a 3 ring binder.

 HOW TO MAKE A FUN MATCHING LETTERS ACTIVITY

You will need:

  • 10 paper plates
  • Red craft glue
  • Green craft glue
  • Black marker
  • Scissors
Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Start by painting or having your child paint the center of the paper plates red, you will need to do this on all 10 plates, you want to go pretty close to the ruffled edge of the plates.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Set aside and allow to dry.

Paint the outer edge of half of the plates green.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Allow this paint to dry and then stack the plates with only the red center painted on top of the fully painted plates.

Cut into 6-8 wedges, by stacking you are assuring they stay uniform.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Cut the white edge off of the plates that have just been painted red in the center.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Use a black marker to write the capital letter on the green rind of one piece and the lowercase counterpart on the red only slice.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

To make it a bit more fun and playful keep the matching wedges a little more obvious by cutting “bite” marks or other shapes into the edges of them while they are stacked.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Store the pieces in a plastic bag and take them on the go too.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

This activity is a wonderful way to practice letter recognition, matching, and phonics.

Here are a few more ideas to make it even more fun and helpful…

Say the letter aloud when you match it.
Say the letter’s name and its short or long phonics sounds.
 For example:
 “This is the letter B. B says /b/ — b, b, b — like in baby, ball, blue.”
 “This is the letter S. S says /s/ — s, s, s — like in sun, sand, sweet.”

Spend extra time practicing letters that look similar or often stump children like b and d.

HOW TO GET THE SUMMER BUSY BOOK

This is a 57 page pdf download for a simple summer busy book.

Here is what it contains.

  • Build the word
  • Summer months
  • Count the bees
  • What comes next
  • Which is different
  • Summer dress up
  • Let’s go for a picnic
  • Sandcastle puzzle
  • Count and mark
  • Create your own summer necklace
  • Summer sport matching
  • Summer season sorting
  • 10 frames and numbers
  • Trace the alphabet
  • Match the summer scene
  • Summer I Spy
  • Match the ice cream shadows
  • Match the color
  • Sort by size
  • Find the summer objects
  • Sort by size and color
  • Match the emotions
  • Trace by size
  • Watermelon life cycle
  • Ice cream scoop stacking
  • Count and match
  • Fruit matching
  • Match the patterns
  • Match the shapes

All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store.

Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.

Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (take out the space and substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. Also, you can email me at my personal email tinahomeschools at gmail dot com.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching preschoolers and kindergarteners fine motor writing activities should be fun. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more learning and playing ideas.

Besides preschool is a magical time full of exploration, creativity, and foundational learning.

And preschool means pre- or before formal learning. It is NOT the time to hold the pencil, but to teach a child to get ready to hold it and to get ready to write.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Activities should be age appropriate and fun. Gradually, a child’s muscles should be strengthened.

Additionally, I have a fun hot air balloon craft using buttons. Sticking and glueing down buttons may seem like just fun but again it’s an activity to coordinate a preschooler’s fine motor grasp.

Too, there are many ways to help a child to strengthen them. For example, q tips, painting, “writing” in salt trays, and dabbing paint are a few ways to do this.

HOW TO MAKE A HOT AIR BUTTON BALLOON CRAFT

First, look at this fun hot air balloon craft.

  • Cardstock or construction paper
  • Cardboard scrap
  • Marker or pen
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Assorted colorful buttons
Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Create the basket.
 Cut a small square from cardboard to be the hot air balloon basket.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Use a marker to draw diagonal or criss-cross lines to decorate it.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Attach the basket.

Glue the cardboard basket near the bottom of your cardstock.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Draw the balloon.

Above the basket, draw a large balloon shape (a circle or oval works well).

Draw two lines connecting the basket to the balloon to represent the ropes.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Glue the buttons.

 Fill the balloon shape with colorful buttons! Mix sizes and colors for a playful, eye-catching look.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Glue them inside the outline to form the shape.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

And then here are a few more preschool activities to add these activities.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Finally, look at these fine motor writing activities.

7 Fine Motor Writing Activities

Preschoolers have short attention spans, so aim for 5–10 minutes at a time.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Do you think that the idea of tackling how to teach the 50 states to preschoolers seems too big of a task? Also, look at my page Hands-On Simple And Best Homeschool Geography Ideas & Tips.

Too, see my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.

Preschoolers are naturally curious, hands-on learners who absorb knowledge through exploration, stories, and interactive activities.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

We are going to walk through some activities to make state studies come alive for your little ones.

Focusing on Florida is a starting point with a “State Box” that you can use as the same format with for every state study.

I also have a 50 States busy book printable for you that can be laminated or slipped into page protectors to use more than once.

BOOKS ABOUT FLORIDA FOR KIDS

5 Books About Florida

Add these fun books about the great state of Florida to your home library.

Look at how to teach geography.

WHY TEACH GEOGRAPHY TO PRESCHOOLERS

Preschoolers are developing their understanding of their surroundings: their home, their community, their country, and their world so this is a great time for a gentle introduction to US geography.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

Geography lessons help connect their small, familiar surroundings to a much bigger picture. It lets children appreciate the rich diversity of people, landscapes, food, traditions, and wildlife across the country.

HOW TO TEACH THE 50 STATES TO PRESCHOOLERS IN 10 WAYS

1. MAKE IT HANDS-ON

To make this experience rich and memorable, kick off each new state by creating a “state box”, a small container filled with items that represent a particular state.

Each time you introduce a new state, you can pull it off your shelf and let the child explore its content. Details below!

2. ADD PICTURE BOOKS

Keep a colorful engaging book like The 50 States Book on hand for your child to explore during free time as well as structured learning time.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

3. PAIR STATES BY REGION

Start with your own state, then move to neighboring states or a geographic area (like the Southeast or Pacific Northwest).

4. FOCUS ON A FEW STATES AT A TIME

Consider focusing on 2–4 states each month. That lets you dig deep into each without being overwhelmed.

5. CREATE A “PASSPORT BOOK”

Design a small “passport” for each child and stamp it with a sticker or a small state-shaped stamp every time you learn about a new state. It’s a wonderful, interactive way to track progress.

6. USE FLASHCARDS

Use flashcards to familiarize your child with the shape of each state and for learning simple facts, these can be reused throughout several years.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

7. MAKE AN ONGOING ART PROJECT

Next, make a large USA poster where children can color each state as you learn it.

8. USE A MAP PUZZLE

Besides just using it to put together a puzzle you can use individual state pieces in your state box, in sensory bins for each state, for tracing, stamping in playdough.

9. USE COLORING PAGES

Then as each new state is introduced, put out a coloring page for it on the desk/table, or incorporate it into morning time as you read about the state.

10. MAKE A CRAFT FOR EACH STATE

Incorporate a craft that highlights each state as you learn about it like this Statue of Liberty torch craft for New York.

Too, incorporate this 50 States Busy Book, with a page for each of our great states with cut outs highlighting state birds, name, flower, and more.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

Next, look at a quick glance of Florida facts.

FLORIDA STATE FACTS FOR YOUR BOX

  • Capital-Tallahassee
  • Nickname-The Sunshine State
  • State Flower-Orange Blossom
  • State Mammal: Florida Panther
  • State Reptile: Alligator
  • State Bird: Mockingbird

And Florida is a peninsula, which is a piece of land almost surrounded by water or projecting out into a body of water.

Florida has beaches, forests, lakes, rivers, and the Florida Everglades, a wetland full of diverse wildlife.

Finally, look at how to make this fun state geography box when you’re learning how to teach the 50 states.

MAKE A STATE GEOGRAPHY BOX: FLORIDA

Using a state box filled with postcards, food, souvenirs, and photos transforms a geographic concept into a rich, hands-on experience for young children. The main activity — putting together a Florida box — is a perfect starting point for a multistate journey.

If you have family or mom friends in other states, reach out and ask them to help you gather items to fill a box for their state.

You will need:

  • A sturdy cardboard or plastic box with a lid
  • Postcards-Picture postcards from Florida featuring landmarks like Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, or South Beach.
  • Stickers
  • Photos-Printed photos of orange groves, alligator habitats in the Everglades, manatees, and Palm trees.
  • Small souvenirs-Seashells collected from Florida’s Gulf or Atlantic shores; tiny orange figurine; miniature alligator; keychain from a Florida attraction.
  • Food samples- An orange, key lime cookies, or small jars of orange juice to taste.
  • Activity cards-Printed facts about Florida flashcards, etc

First, try to gather at least 5–10 different items.

Design a “State Box” label, create a large label or cover for your box featuring the Florida state flag or a map of Florida. Slip it into a page protector and tape to the top of your box so it can be easily switched out for other states.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

Begin adding items as you collect them. You can print out state flags and other images to fill it in.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

Hand over the box and first let your child shake it, listen to its rattle, and predict what might be inside.

HANDS ON FLORIDA STATE GEOGRAPHY BOX

Open the box together, slowly unveil each item, and talk about it “This is a key lime. Did you know key limes come from Florida?” or “This is a picture of a manatee. Manatees live in Florida’s warm waters”.

Pair your state box with a short story or picture book about Florida. Look for children’s books featuring Florida wildlife, landmarks, or food. I have several listed above you can purchase or check out from your library.

How To Teach The 50 States To Preschoolers | 50 States Busy Book

Repeat the same “open the box” routine each time you introduce a state. That predictability lets children become comfortable and engaged in their own exploration.

Then another easy way how to teach the 50 states is use my 50 states busy book.

HOW TO GET THE 50 STATES BUSY BOOK

This is a 100 page pdf download for a simple 50 states busy book.

This is a busy book for all 50 states.

It includes facts like:

  • Capital city
  • State emblems (flowers, birds, trees!)
  • Fun fact
  • State flag

There are two pages per state. Your child can cut and paste from one page to match to the information on the first page.

Keep all the pages in a notebook with page protectors and add to it as you child is interested in each state.

You can get it now!

All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store.

Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.

Dynamic Simple 50 States Busy Book For Kids Who Love Learning

The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.

Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (take out the space and substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. Also, you can email me at my personal email tinahomeschools at gmail dot com.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a fun preschool jellyfish button activity your kids will love.  Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more learning and playing ideas.

And look at my page Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook for more ocean activities. I have a creative and engaging way to help your preschooler build fine motor skills.

My jellyfish button practice activity is a perfect blend of fun, learning, and tactile play.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

Besides having fun, your preschooler will learn more.

For instance, they practice button skills which is an essential life skill.

Also they will explore jellyfish life and learn about the ocean.

And working on fine motor skills helps your preschooler to get ready for things like writing, calculating math and reading.

But too it teaches confidence and independence from an early age

BOOKS ABOUT JELLYFISH FOR KIDS

Then use some of these books as read aloud or just to include your older children in learning about jellyfish.

Younger kids practice their fine motor skills while they older learn too is a win win for the day.

7 Books and Resources about Jellyfish

Add some of these books and resources to your study of jellyfish.

Also, look at the benefits of learning through playing.

BENEFITS OF LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

  • Fine Motor Skills:
  •  Strengthens small hand muscles and improves finger coordination by practicing buttoning.
  • Hand-Eye Coordination:
  •  Helps children align the slit with the button and manipulate the felt accurately.
  • Color Recognition & Patterning:
  •  Kids can match or alternate tentacle colors to make creative combinations.
  • Creative Expression:
  •  Encourages imaginative play and design choices as kids build their own jellyfish friends.

Then, look at more how to preschool activities.

MORE ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOL

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

And then look at more jellyfish activities.

MORE JELLYFISH ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Finally, look at how to do this fun activity to strengthen fine motor skills and teach an essential life skill.

PRESCHOOL JELLYFISH BUTTON ACTIVITY

Here is your easy list of supplies.

  • Felt sheets
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun.
  • Buttons (small to medium size). Note: Bigger buttons can make this easier but adjust accordingly.

And of course your child can help as you make it, but your child will really love playing with it more.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

First, create the jellyfish head.

Cut a large jellyfish head shape out of felt.

A rounded dome with a flat bottom works best.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

Then attach the eyes.

Hot glue two buttons onto the top portion of the jellyfish head to act as eyes.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

Next, add buttons for tentacles.

 Along the flat bottom edge of the jellyfish head, glue several buttons spaced evenly apart.

These will be used to attach the tentacles.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

Finally, prepare the tentacles.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

Cut long strips of felt in coordinating or contrasting colors to create the tentacles.

Fold over one end of each strip and cut a small vertical slit through both layers.

This slit should be just wide enough to fit over a button.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

Kids will use the slits in the tentacle strips to “button” them onto the jellyfish head.

They will stretch the slit over each button and pull it down until it’s secured, just like buttoning a shirt.