From the category archives:

Preschooler Projects

Kid Project: Easter Egg Hunt – Eggs With Only Words Inside

by A Frugal Friend on March 29, 2013

I’ve never been a big fan of filling plastic Easter eggs with items. You know, things like candy and coins.

We generally have Easter egg hunts all day long the week before Easter.  Most (99.9%) of the time we are indoors. My 5 yr old loves them.

The eggs. Empty.

Her smile isn’t any smaller.

Her laughter isn’t any more quiet.

Pure joy.

She came home from school on Thursday and told me she had an Easter Egg Hunt at recess. Oh, I wish I could have seen it…..all the kids running around on the grass hunting for eggs.

She told me they weren’t empty.  Not candy. Not coins.  Words.

Sight words. Words they are working on in the classroom.

Once the hunt was over, they would bring the words to the teacher and read them to her. They could then exchange for a small something.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Fun yet educational.

Another idea to tuck away.

TIP:  Can adapt to make it to include math problems, shapes, etc.  All age-appropriate.  :-)

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100th Day of School – We’re Reading the Perfect Book to Celebrate

by A Frugal Friend on January 30, 2013

It’s almost the 100th day of school for my 5 yr old. I can’t believe Kindergarten is going by so quickly!

We have a lot of activities we are working on for school, but there is one thing we are doing here at home…..reading the perfect book to celebrate 100.

Let’s Count to 100!

I’ve written about this book before. You can read my review of Let’s Count to 100 here.

What do you do, if anything, to celebrate the 100th day?

*Affiliate link in post

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Back to School Countdown – Apple Tree (Tutorial)

by A Frugal Friend on August 16, 2012

My daughter is starting kindergarten. I’m a firm believer that helping her realize exactly how many days until a big event helps her process everything….information, feelings, etc. So just as we do for our favorite vacations, we made a countdown.

Back to School Countdown – Apple Tree

*This is also a great way to get the kids involved…coloring, using scissors, etc.

Tree Trunk and Stems:

  • Trace any shape tree trunk and smaller stems onto large white paper
  • Color with brown crayon
  • Cut out with Scissors and tape to door/surface

Leaves:

  • Using green paper (we used tissue paper for a different texture), trace leaf shapes
  • Cut out with scissors and place onto tree stems

Apples:

  • Create your own red apples from construction paper
  • OR I found a 20ct at Wal-mart for $1.00
  • Mark numbers from 1-14 for a 2-week countdown (or make it longer/shorter)

Yes, it’s super easy, but you can make it as elaborate and detailed as you and your child wants.

We take one apple off each morning!

I think this will be a tradition we carry on each August…..and I’m already planning on changing it to an autumn tree come September.

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SeaWorld Scavenger Hunt for Kids (Tutorial)

by A Frugal Friend on July 10, 2012

Heading to Sea World with the kids? I’ve got some extra fun that won’t require much on your part, but will reap tons of fun for your kids.

I’m talking about a SeaWorld Scavenger Hunt!

Many of you followed along as I headed to SeaWorld San Antonio last month as a SeaWorld Wildside Blog Ambassador. While I knew the visit to the park would be nothing but fun for my 4 year old, I thought I would make it even more interactive by creating our very own scavenger hunt.

It couldn’t be more simple.

Supplies Needed:

  • Cardstock cut into equal measurements (heavy cardstock worked well and held up all day long)
  • Markers
  • Glue Stick
  • Hole Punch
  • Book Ring to hold everything together

I quickly did some research to find out what we were certain to encounter along the way.  I noted animals, attractions, and even Sesame Street characters (yes, SeaWorld San Antonio has Elmo and friends)!!!  I also specifically noted what was not available at the park.  Not all SeaWorld parks feature the same animals or attractions.

I then visited the SeaWorld Fun Zone to find printables. I found Orca Whales, Penguins, and more. For other printable images, I just googled what I was wanting.

I re-sized the images so they would fit on my small cardstock.  I then printed, glued and added a caption along with a box to check when the item is discovered.

TIP: One thing that I should have added……a line  for my daughter to practice writing/copying the word.

I put them in order, gave them each a nice hole punch in the corner, and attached them together with a book ring (found in most craft stores).

Then I tucked it away for our trip…………

It was a HUGE hit!  As soon as she spotted a roller-coaster or walrus, she’d grab her pen and booklet!

Thank goodness we spotted Bert & Ernie near the end of the day……they were our last items on the list!  Whew!  :-)

We’ll be heading back to SeaWorld soon.  Yes, I’ll be making another, completely different, Scavenger Hunt!  :-)

(I am a SeaWorld Wildside Blog Ambassador and have been provided annual park passes for myself and my family in addition to other perks throughout the year. I was not asked to write this post. All opinions are my own.)

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First Day of Spring: Food Fun Plate for Kids

by A Frugal Friend on March 19, 2012

While I never enjoy my allergies this time of year, we are excited about what Spring brings….especially playing outdoors.

March 20th is almost here…….tomorrow is the First Day of Spring!  Finally! :-)

We had some fun in anticipation of Spring, and created this fun lunch plate……super easy!

Spring Lunch Plate

Flower:

  • Chicken Salad
  • Cucumbers, sliced
  • Carrots, sliced

Butterfly:

Fun Food Plates are great way to introduce kids to new foods, especially fruits and vegetables.  If it looks fun, they are more likely to try it.  You could add a row of dressing on the bottom of this one for dipping too.

Enjoy!

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Preschooler Project: Letter Sounds Scavenger Hunt

by A Frugal Friend on February 2, 2012

I love finding creative ways to reinforce teaching lessons in our house. My 4 year old knows all her letters, uppercase and lowercase, and sounds. She’s even starting to read a bit. Such fun….as reading is a favorite hobby of mine.

We’ve been doing a lot of different types of scavenger hunts lately…..this one was to reinforce letter sounds.

It’s easy to ask a child what does “dog” start with. But, it’s a bit harder to say “Find something that begins with a D”. So that was the purpose of this activity.

I simply used letter flash cards we had and sent her on her way throughout the house to find items that began with that letter.

A great activity, and one that you can set up and then go about your chores. :-)

**Be sure to check out all the other “Preschooler Projects” on the tab above! I’ll be adding to this throughout the year!

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Preschooler Project: “My Plane Trip” Coloring Book

by A Frugal Friend on June 25, 2011

Traveling this week without a preschooler has been completely different. All I had to worry about was myself, which was particularly nice when we were stuck on the plane before takeoff for 2 hours (lavatory flooding).

Keeping children (especially young children) occupied on a plane is something all parents deal with.

Look what I found:

My Plane Trip Coloring Book

From the reviews…..it looks like this coloring book also talks about the roles of everyone from the flight attendant to the air traffic controllers.  Sounds great!    Think I’ll order it for my daughter’s next airplane trip.

BUY IT: Only $2.95 on Amazon (a great filler item on an order)

Eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping with orders of $25 or more.

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