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Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

August 26, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have rounded up some easy apple crafts. Too, you’ll love this fun and easy apple sailboat to keep your little one having fun. Too, you’ll love the other ideas I have on my page Apple Lapbook and Apple Unit Study.

No glue and no glitter. And no paint-stained fingers. It’s a low-mess, low-stress activity that can be done in under 15 minutes, using things you probably already have at home.

In addition, while having fun, you can naturally introduce science terms such as buoyancy, and balance and symmetry.

Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

And your little ones are learning foundational STEM principles through play.

Too, kids are learning how to think, create, problem-solve, and play all through an easy apple craft.

In addition, not every sailboat floats perfectly on the first try so your kids learn patience.

BOOKS ABOUT APPLES FOR KIDS

Next, I’ve rounded up some fun books about apples to make this a full unit study.

8 Fun Learning About Apples Books and Resources

You will of course need a few great books that not only teach but that your kids will enjoy, a fun game or two, and maybe a few other items to make a fun apple unit.

Image for Apples (New & Updated Edition)

Apples (New & Updated Edition)

Discover the well-loved tradition of growing and picking apples - a fruit that has been in existence for about two million years. Explore the history of the apple but also the way that families and farmers grow and care for apple trees today, from planting to selling, to turning them into delicious treats and using them for classic games like "bobbing for apples" .

Image for How Do Apples Grow?

How Do Apples Grow?

This is a clear and appealing environmental science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom.

Questions addressed in this book include:

  • Did you know that when you bite into an apple, you're eating part of a flower?
  • Why do apple trees need bees to make apples?
  • How does the tree feed the growing apples and make them ready to eat?

Read and find out in the proven winner How Do Apples Grow!

Image for My Little Golden Book About Johnny Appleseed

My Little Golden Book About Johnny Appleseed

In this simple yet lively book, preschoolers will be introduced to John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. Lyrical text and bright, appealing artwork capture the essence of this important American and early conservationist who traveled the country planting apple trees. Little ones will enjoy engaging anecdotes about Johnny Appleseed, beginning with the young John, who liked to walk barefoot in the cool, quiet woods.

Image for Ten Apples Up On Top!

Ten Apples Up On Top!

Don't let the apples drop! Three animal friends practice balancing apples on their heads in this hilarious introduction to counting, illustrated by Roy Mckie. The sturdy board book teaches all about numbers, with a dose of signature Seuss charm. Kids will learn to count to ten--and want to start all over again!

Image for SmartGames Apple Twist Travel Puzzle Game with 60 Challenges

SmartGames Apple Twist Travel Puzzle Game with 60 Challenges

  • An "apple" game board with five twisting levels to create different puzzles!
  • Includes 60 challenges and is great for on the go fun.
  • Helps develop Spatial Insight, Problem Solving, Planning and Logic Skills
  • All SmartGames are made with the highest quality materials to ensure long product life
  • Set Includes twisting apple game board, 3 caterpillar puzzle pieces and challenge booklet
Image for How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Dragonfly Books)

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Dragonfly Books)

Bake a delicious apple pie--and take a trip with this culinary global adventure!An apple pie is easy to make...if the market is open. But if the market is closed, the world becomes your grocery store. This picture book takes readers around the globe to gather ingredients for a delicious apple pie. First hop a steamboat to Italy for the finest semolina wheat. Then hitch a ride to England and hijack a cow for the freshest possible milk. And, oh yes! Don't forget to go apple picking in Vermont! A simple recipe for apple pie is included.

Image for LeapFrog Tad's Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set

LeapFrog Tad's Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set

Choose a level and push the letter tiles into the letter slot to reinforce letter names, phonics and word skills
Magnetic back makes it great for fridge play in the kitchen
26 magnetic letter tiles stick to the fridge and help kids learn the shape of each letter
Three photo tiles can be customized with your own photos for a unique, personalized play experience.

Image for Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World

Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World

Get your recommended daily allowance of facts and fun with Food Anatomy, the third book in Julia Rothman’s best-selling Anatomy series. She starts with an illustrated history of food and ends with a global tour of street eats. Along the way, Rothman serves up a hilarious primer on short-order egg lingo and a mouthwatering menu of how people around the planet serve fried potatoes — and what we dip them in. Award-winning food journalist Rachel Wharton lends her expertise to this light-hearted exploration of everything food that bursts with little-known facts and delightful drawings. Everyday diners and seasoned foodies alike are sure to eat it up. 

Then, look at some easy apple crafts for all ages.

EASY APPLE CRAFTS

Next, look at these easy apple crafts for kids of all ages.

  • Apples Unit How to Make a Fall Kids Garland Apple Craft
  • Alphabet Letter A is for Apple Craft for Preschool | Fun Apple Study
  • Apple Lapbook and Apple Unit Study.
  • Kids Fun Hands-on Apple Unit Make Dried Apple Slices
  • 8 Facts About Johnny Appleseed and Sweet Johnny Appleseed Cookies
  • Dried Apple Crafts: Hands-on Fun Shrunken Head Apple Craft for Kids
  • 10 Fall Apple Crafts and Make a Caramel Apple Craft on a Stick
  • Apple Themed Back to School Crafts & Fun Calming Apple Jar Craft
  • Fun Apple Crafts And How To Make Apple Butter & Pretzel Truffles
Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

Finally, look at how to make this fun apple sailboat.

HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE SAILBOAT

First, look at this easy list of supplies.

  • Large plastic bin
  • Water
  • Apples (cut in half)
  • Toothpicks
  • Small pieces of paper (for sails)
  • Child-safe scissors (to cut sails)
  • Straws (for blowing boats across the water)
Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

Prepare the bin – Fill a large bin with water. Make the sailboats – Cut apples in half.

Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

Cut small paper sails and poke them onto the toothpicks.

Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

Push a toothpick into each apple half.

Easy Apple Crafts and How to Make a Fun Apple Sailboat

Launch the boats – Place the apple sailboats into the bin of water.

Race the boats – Give kids straws and let them gently blow air toward the sails to make their boats glide across the water.

Experiment & play – Try different sizes of sails, blow from different directions, or see how many boats can move at once.

Benefits for Kids:

  • Social Skills – Promotes cooperation and friendly competition when racing boats together.
  • STEM Exploration – Introduces concepts of buoyancy, wind power, and cause-and-effect.
  • Fine Motor Skills – Strengthens hand-eye coordination while building and sailing the boats.
  • Creativity & Imagination – Encourages playful storytelling as kids race or “sail” their apple boats.
  • Sensory Play – Water play is soothing, engaging multiple senses at once.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: apples, crafts, fall crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, science

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

August 20, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have an easy DNA extraction from a banana fun experiment.

DNA might sound like something straight out of a high-tech laboratory. However, you don’t need fancy equipment or even a lab coat to explore it.

For example, you can pull visible strands of DNA from an everyday piece of fruit: a banana.

This simple experiment is safe, kid-friendly, and a great way to spark curiosity about biology.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

If you’re looking to dive deeper into food science The Biology of Bananas (Curious World of Kitchen Science) offers an engaging look at their history, growth, and biology.

Combining science experiments like this with reading activities turns a hands-on project into a full learning unit.

Hands-on science like banana DNA extraction makes abstract ideas tangible for kids.Instead of just reading that “bananas have DNA,” they can see it with their own eyes.

THE BIOLOGY OF BANANAS

By pairing experiments with books like The Biology of Bananas, you help kids connect curiosity with deeper knowledge, creating a memorable learning experience.

The Biology of Bananas (Curious World of Kitchen Science)

Get ready to play (and learn!) with your food! Discover the truth about yeast, learn how to count calories, conduct experiments with rubbery eggs, and more.

Image for The Biology of Bananas (Curious World of Kitchen Science)

The Biology of Bananas (Curious World of Kitchen Science)

Explore the key principles and practice of everyday science by using analogies, experiments and research with food and drink in the home kitchen environment.

Then look at more kitchen science experiments.

MORE FASCINATING KITCHEN SCIENCE IDEAS

Kitchen Chemistry: Cake Baking Experiment for Kids– Experiment with different ingredients to see the effect it has on the baking process.

Strawberry DNA Extraction – Similar to bananas but even more dramatic since strawberries have extra copies of DNA.

Raspberry DNA Activity For Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

Build a DNA Model – Use candy to construct a delicious double helix you can snack on once you are done.

How to Turn a Pizza Into a Fun Edible Human Cell Model – Use toppings to represent cell organelles for a tasty biology lesson.

Food Chemistry: Gummy Juice Noodles Kids explore the magic of molecular gastronomy by turning fruit juice into long, colorful gummy noodles using gelatin or agar powder. This tasty activity introduces concepts like gelling agents, polymers, and the difference between liquids and solids.

Turn Milk Into Plastic–Using only warm milk and vinegar, kids can transform a liquid into a moldable substance called casein plastic. Afterward, the plastic can be molded into beads, buttons, or small trinkets.

Popcorn Science Mini Unit Study Which Brand Pops the Best?-This mini investigation compares popcorn brands to see which produces the fewest unpopped kernels. Kids record their observations, measure and graph results, and discuss variables that affect ws,Epopping—like moisture content, kernel size, and cooking method. It’s a perfect blend of snack time and STEM learning.

How to make Fizzing Lemonade. Edible Science for Kids-By mixing lemon juice and baking soda, kids create a fizzy, bubbly drink while learning about acids, bases, and carbon dioxide gas.

5 Facts About Ice Cream | How to Make Ice Cream In A Bag Science– Kids discover cool facts about ice cream and then make their own ice cream using milk, sugar, and ice in a sealed bag. Shaking the mixture chills it quickly while adding a dose of fun and a little arm workout.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Finally, look at how to extract DNA from a banana.

DNA EXTRACTION FROM A BANANA EXPERIMENT

First, you will need:

  • 1 ripe banana (the softer, the better)
  • Ziplock  bag
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dish soap
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Coffee filter or fine mesh strainer
  • Small clear glass or cup
  • Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl, chilled in the freezer)
  • Wooden skewer, toothpick, or popsicle stick
Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Peel your banana and place a chunk into the zip-top bag. Seal it and gently mash until it’s smooth and lump-free, this step breaks apart the banana cells physically.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

To make the extraction solution, mix the water, salt, and dish soap in a small cup. The salt helps release the DNA by breaking up protein chains, and the soap dissolves the cell membranes.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Pour the extraction solution into the bag with the banana mush.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Seal and gently mix for about 1 minute. Avoid shaking too hard—you don’t want to break the DNA into pieces.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Place the coffee filter over your glass and pour the banana mixture through it, letting the liquid drip into the glass. This separates the solids from the cell-rich liquid.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Slowly pour chilled rubbing alcohol down the side of the glass so it forms a layer on top of the banana liquid..

Because DNA is not soluble in alcohol, it will rise into this layer.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

In a few minutes, you’ll see white, stringy, cloudy material in the alcohol layer. That’s the banana’s DNA! Use the skewer or toothpick to gently spool it up.

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

Continue gathering more and more of the DNA

Easy DNA Extraction From A Banana Experiment For Kids

How it works:

Every living thing contains DNA, the genetic instructions for life. In bananas, DNA is stored inside the cell nucleus.

The mashing, salt, and soap help break down the cell walls and membranes, releasing DNA into the liquid.

Adding cold alcohol causes the DNA to clump together, making it visible to the naked eye.

BANANA DNA EXTRACTION EXTENSION ACTIVITY IDEAS

  • Banana Genetics – Learn about the differences between wild bananas and cultivated varieties, and how cloning is used in banana farming.
  • Compare Fruits – Try the experiment with strawberries, kiwis, or grapes. Which fruit gives the most visible DNA?
  • Banana Botany – After reading The Biology of Bananas, explore how banana plants grow, their reproduction process, and why most bananas in grocery stores are seedless.
  • Microscope Investigation – Place a drop of your banana DNA on a microscope slide and view it up close.
  • Banana Life Cycle Chart – Draw and label the stages of banana growth from flower to fruit.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: banana, DNA, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, science

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

August 16, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

II have some fun facts about sunflowers for kids and a fun Dollar Tree sunflower craft. Also, I have a free pattern template you can download at the bottom of this post. And look at my page Free Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook.

Sunflowers are bright, cheerful flowers that follow the sun. Young sunflowers love the sunshine so much, they turn their heads to follow it across the sky.

Also, you can include different science topics like plants, photosynthesis, life cycles, or seasons.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

Too, you can include topics like growth and their importance in nature, pollinators, seeds and agriculture.

And for art you can include color theory and spatial awareness.

In addition, include some easy math like counting seeds, measuring petals and discussing geometric shapes.

BOOKS ABOUT WILDFLOWERS

Then, add some books to include other flowers.

10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.

Image for Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

Image for National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.

Image for Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!

Image for Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.

Image for Wildflower Bingo Game

Wildflower Bingo Game

Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.

Image for Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested. 

Image for Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!

Image for Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.

Image for Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty. 

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. 

Image for Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.

Next, look at some activities about sunflower.

MORE SUNFLOWER ACTIVITIES

  • How To Make Sunflower Craft Like Van Gogh For Young Crafters
  • Bundled Q-Tip & Leaf Print Sunflower
  • Is Sunflower A Wildflower | How to Make a Canning Lid Craft
  • Beautiful Chalk Pastel Sunflowers
  • Paper Sunflower Collage Art
  • How to Make a Cute Sunflower Paper Craft
How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

Then, look at these fun facts about sunflowers for kids.

FACTS ABOUT SUNFLOWER FOR KIDS

  • Sunflowers are not just one flower. It is thousands of flowers.
  • They can grow super tall.
  • Birds and bees love sunflowers.
  • They come in different colors.
  • They’ve been planted in places with polluted soil (like near nuclear power plants and after oil spills) to help clean the ground.
  • Sunflower seeds make a tasty snack.
  • Sunflowers inspired artists.
  • A process called heliotropism is when young sunflowers face the sun.
  • They belong to the Asteraceae family, which also includes daisies, zinnias, and marigolds.
  • In addition to ornamental use, sunflowers are grown for biofuel, livestock feed, birdseed, and cooking oil.

Finally, look at how to make a Dollar Tree sunflower craft.

DOLLAR STORE PAPER PLATE SUNFLOWER CRAFT

First, look at this easy list of supplies:

  • Paper Plate – Dollar Store
  • Pom Poms, Black Tinsel – Dollar Store
  • Craft Paint – Golden Yellow
  • Cardstock – Brown, Green
  • Glue Gun and Glue Sticks – Dollar Store
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors 
  • Permanent Marker
  • PATTERNS Paper Plate Sunflower. Free template. You can grab it at the bottom of this post by adding your email.
How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP ONE

Gather all supplies. Base coat the inside of the paper plate with golden yellow acrylic craft paint.

Set aside to dry and apply a second coat, if necessary.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP TWO

Download and print the Sunflower Patterns, then cut out with scissors. You can grab the template at the bottom.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

Trace the center of the flower once onto brown cardstock. You could also use colored craft foam or craft felt for this project.

STEP THREE

Cut out the flower center pattern with scissors making sure to cut inside the traced lines for a clean, finished project.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP FOUR

Attach the brown cardstock flower center to the middle of the sunflower with a glue gun and glue sticks.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

TIP: You can use liquid craft glue for this project, but you will have to wait for it to dry.

STEP FIVE

Cut triangle shaped wedges from the paper plate with scissors to create the thick petals of the sunflower.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP SIX

Attach black tinsel pom poms to the brown sunflower center using a glue gun and glue sticks.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP SEVEN

Trace the leaf patterns onto green cardstock with a pencil.

You could also use colored craft foam or craft felt for this project.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP EIGHT

Cut out the leaf patterns with scissors making sure to cut inside the traced lines for a clean, finished project.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP NINE

Outline the leaves and draw a center vein with a black marker.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

STEP TEN

Attach the leaves to the back of the sunflower with a glue gun and glue sticks.

How To Make A Dollar Tree Sunflower Craft & Fun Facts About Sunflowers For Kids

This is a fun activity to keep the kiddos busy with coloring, counting and motor skills.

Make this super cute paper plate sunflower kids craft in just about 30 minutes! 

HOW TO GET THE FREE SUNFLOWER TEMPLATE PATTERN

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, science, sunflower

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

August 7, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, we’re making an adorable leaf paper plate mask. Also, look at my page Fall Season Unit Study {Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More} for more fun ideas.

And this is a fun craft whether you’re learning about plants, seasons, or ecosystems.

Too, while collecting leaves, children can identify different tree species, observe textures, and note how leaves change with the seasons.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

Cutting, gluing, and arranging are all essential fine motor skills.

Start with a walk to gather natural materials. It’s a great opportunity for some fresh air, movement, and sensory exploration.

Also, it’s a chance to introduce basic art concepts like symmetry, balance, and color theory.

FALL BOOKS FOR KIDS

First, look at these books about fall for kids.

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.

Image for Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic

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.

Image for Autumn Harvest

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.

Image for Autumn Leaves

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.

Image for The Apple Pie That Papa Baked

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!

Image for Sophie's Squash

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?

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

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?

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

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.

Image for Dance Like a Leaf

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.

Image for The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night

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.

Image for Down Buttermilk Lane

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

Image for Fall Leaves

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.

Image for Hooray for Fall!

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.

Image for Hopefully the Scarecrow

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.

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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.

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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.

Next, look at more fall activities.

MORE FALL ACTIVITIES

  • Fall Y’all:Pumpkin Pie in a Bag (Easy Homeschool Co-op Idea)
  • Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study
  • Fun Corn Life Cycle Preschool Sensory Bin and Printable Lifecycle Foldout
  • Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art
  • Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study
  • Fun Candy Corn Stem Activity Which Liquid Dissolves Candy Corn Faster
  • 20 Fun Fall Arts And Crafts For Kids and 8 Facts About Acorns
  • Easy Fall Crafts To Make And Sell By Kids & Scarecrow Candy Jar
  • How To Make Confetti Fall Leaves Crafts For Preschoolers
  • 10 Fall Felt Crafts & How to Make a Kids Felt Pie Garland
  • Easy Pumpkin Salt Painting: A Creative Fall Activity For All Ages

And look at more paper plate craft.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

PAPER PLATE CRAFTS

  • How to Make a Winnie the Pooh Craft Using Paper Plates
  • Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray
  • Tick-Tock! How to Make a Hands-on Time Cool Paper Plate Clock
  • How to Make a Fun Paper Plate Fish | F is for Fish
  • Fascinating Life of Red Squirrels | Paper Plate Squirrel Craft
  • Alphabet Letter G is for Gorilla Fun Paper Plate Preschool Mask
  • 8 Pig Facts and a Cute Wilbur Paper Plate Charlotte’s Web Craft
  • Carnivorous Plants For Kids and Make a Fun Paper Plate Venus Flytrap Craft
  • 8 Facts about African Elephants and a Cute Paper Plate Elephant

HOW TO CRAFT AN ADORABLE LEAF PAPER PLATE MASK

First, look at this easy list of supplies.

  • Paper plate
  • Scissors
  • Real or fake leaves
  • Glue or glue stick
  • Wooden dowel or craft stick
  • Tape or hot glue (for attaching dowel)
How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

Cut the plate. Cut a paper plate in half. You’ll only need one half for a mask.

Create the face openings. At the bottom center of the cut edge, cut a small U-shape to make room for the nose.

Use a pencil to lightly mark where the eyes should go. Carefully cut out two eye holes.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

Decorate with leaves. Glue leaves all over the front of the paper plate half, covering it completely.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

Overlap the leaves for a layered, natural look. Let the glue dry.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

Attach the handle. Flip the mask over.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

On one side, glue or tape a wooden dowel or craft stick to the back so kids can hold the mask up to their face like a masquerade mask.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: fall, fall crafts, fall leaves, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, homeschool preschool, preschool, science

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

August 6, 2025 | Leave a Comment
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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.

Image for Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi

Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi

This mushroom foraging book is packed with vital information that will help you identify the exact types of mushrooms you are looking for when you’re out foraging. You’ll learn how to identify the caps, stems and gills, which all have different physical characteristics like shape and texture, and color.From the Neobulgaria pura and the Mitrula paludosa, discover newly-found fungi species and complex ones which can only be viewed microscopically. The detailed illustrations and identification charts will help you name the mushrooms you find or hope to search for. 

Image for Back to the Roots Organic Mini Mushroom Grow Kit

Back to the Roots Organic Mini Mushroom Grow Kit

GROW YOUR PLANT ALL YEAR-ROUND: This organic mushroom indoor kit allows you to grow your own crop all-year round; Just place the box near a window with indirect light, mist twice a day, and you'll see delicious, beautiful mushrooms growing within a week; Included in this kit is an organic plant-based soil infused with mushroom spawn and a booklet with instructions

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

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.

Image for National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

Featuring a durable vinyl binding and over 700 full-color identification photographs organized visually by color and shape, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms is the perfect companion for any mushroom hunting expedition. Each species is accompanied by a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.

Image for The Mushroom Fan Club

The Mushroom Fan Club

Elise Gravel is back with a whimsical look at one of her family’s most beloved pastimes: mushroom hunting! Combining her love of exploring nature with her talent for anthropomorphizing everything, she takes us on a magical tour of the forest floor and examines a handful of her favorite alien specimens up close. While the beautiful coral mushroom looks like it belongs under the sea, the peculiar Lactarius indigo may be better suited for outer space. From the fun-to-stomp puffballs to the prince of the stinkers―the stinkhorn mushroom―and the musically inclined chanterelles, Gravel shares her knowledge of this fascinating kingdom by bringing each species to life in full felt-tip-marker glory.

Image for Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

The 2017 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

Image for Ridley's Funky Fungi

Ridley's Funky Fungi

FUN FAMILY GAME: See if you have what it takes to be the mushroom master in Funky Fungi from Ridley's Games! In this card-collecting game that will definitely grow on you, forage for the best fungi to be the first player to reach ten points and win the game.

Image for Let's learn about mushrooms

Let's learn about mushrooms

Introduces the characteristics and uses of a variety of mushrooms and discusses some of the beliefs and customs connected with this plant family.

Image for Katya's Book of Mushrooms

Katya's Book of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are exciting to find, beautiful to look at, fascinating to identify, and delicious to eat. When you know what to look for, a mushroom hunt is as safe and enjoyable as a treasure hunt. Katya Arnold ranges through the world to find hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, as well as fascinating anecdotes and fun facts that make these wonders of nature exciting and immediate. A walk in the woods will never be the same!

Also, look at more resources about mushrooms.

MORE MUSHROOM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

  • Fungi Fun: 11 Unconventional Mushroom Gift Ideas for the Adventurous Spirit
  • Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities
  • Free Life Cycle of a Mushroom Worksheet & Fun Meringue Mushrooms

And also look at more preschool activities.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

  • Fun Bat Anatomy Toilet Paper Roll Craft | 8 Bat Science Activities Preschool
  • Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers
  • 10 Egg Carton Crafts For 2 Year Olds and Fun Nature Color Match Activity
  • Fun Resources and Books About The Human Body For Preschoolers
  • Fun Corn Life Cycle Preschool Sensory Bin and Printable Lifecycle Foldout
  • Fun Hands-on Coral Reef Activities and Play Dough Invitation to Play
  • Fun Ice For Kids Inexpensive & Easy Nature Sensory Activity
  • How To Make Confetti Fall Leaves Crafts For Preschoolers
  • Over And Under The Snow Activities For a Free Literature Unit Study
  • How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft
  • Fun and Easy Preschool Hibernation Science Activities to Nurture Learning
  • Explore the Magic: Easy Northern Lights Crafts for Preschoolers
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.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, homeschool preschool, mushroom, preschool, science

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