Click here to read 3 Simple Science Experiments that are Perfect for the Backyard on Hands On As We Grow®

Here are 3 backyard science experiments that all use the hot summer sun you are going to want to try with your preschoolers! They are so simple and so fun!

We are going to make our very own rainbows, paint with sunscreen and watch as the sun can’t reach the paper through it, and make shadow prints!

My kids love science, and the love being in the backyard.

But sometimes I find they want to have something a little different to do back there halfway through the summer.

My favorite thing to add to the mix is a little learning activity that keeps their minds active through summer break.

What better way to do this than with a little summer science experiment fun right in the big outdoors of our own backyard.

Download FREE Science Experiments Week HERE!

Make Garden Hose Rainbows with the Sun

My kids absolutely love rainbows.

Coloring them in, naming the colors, sorting things into rainbow order.

The one thing that I always find disappointing is how rare it is to see a real rainbow.

And when we do, I find it’s not always easy to have my kids actually locate it in the sky.

It’s like they don’t really know what they are looking for because they are so much smaller than the cartoon ones they are used to.

This backyard science experiment is all about seeing real rainbows.

And making your own rainbows with your hose and the sun!

For this Backyard Science Experiment, All You Need is:

• A super sunny day
• A garden hose (spray nozzle recommended)

Execute Garden Hose Rainbows Experiment

There are 2 key elements to creating rainbows with a garden hose.

First you want to make sure the sun is at your back and not behind clouds.

The sun needs to be shining bright and directly on the water spray for this experiment to work well.

The second key thing for this backyard science experiment is that it needs to be a water spray and not a thick stream.

Just shoot the water upwards so it kind of rains down allowing it to catch the light.

If you don’t have a spray nozzle on your hose, you can use your thumb to press against the opening and restrict the water to create a spray.

Note: If you use your thumb then be prepared to get wet. It is hard to control.

I made sure to have Maisie standing beside me for the first few times so I could be sure she would see the rainbows.

Note that your kids probably can’t see the rainbow from the opposite side of the water spray.

So for this science experiment you will need to be sure that your kids come to your side of the backyard before running through it so they will actually see the rainbow.

Maisie loved running around in the rainbows.

After a while I gave my preschooler the hose and let her create the rainbows for Mommy to run through!

This got the laughs for sure.

We also discovered that at some angles we got bigger rainbows!

And we even were able to create a faint double rainbow at one point when the sun was hottest.

The Science Behind This Experiment

While you have fun making and running through rainbows in your own backyard, why not teach a little science with this experiment?

You can take the time to talk about how the light from the sun is shining through the water and making colorful arcs called rainbows.

For older kids you can share about how when the sunlight shine on the water it reflects off the water droplets like a mirror. Then it bends, called refraction, and splits into 7 different colors!

Sun Bleached Shadow Puzzle

This experiment is super fun, quick and simple too.

It’s also one that you can keep to play with again later.

For this Backyard Science Experiment, All You Need is:

• A super sunny day
• Dark construction paper (black is perfect)
• Small toys and objects
• Flat surface in the sun (a tray works also)

Execute Shadow Puzzle Experiment

First thing we did was place the dark construction paper down on a flat surface.

I held the paper from blowing away while I sent my preschooler on a hunt to find small toys from around the yard.

We continued searching for different items with some prompting.

Can you find a LEGO blocks man from inside the treehouse?

Are there any fish in the water table?

What about a diving ring from the pool?

Once we had a good variety of items we left them to soak in the sun.

We came back out the next day to find out what had happened.

Maisie was amazed with this backyard science experiment.

She had no idea what was going to happen.

We promptly removed all the objects to reveal a shadow puzzle.

This was a great opportunity to talk about why wearing a hat in the sun is a good idea.

And why Mommy likes us to take breaks and sit under the shade of a tree for snack time at the park or beach.

Maisie went right to work trying to match her toys and objects to the shadows on the paper.

She also enjoyed teasing me and pretending she believed it went in the wrong places.

Oh how I love the sense of humor in preschoolers!

She was so proud of herself as she matched all the items to their shadows.

Maisie even took the time to try and match the correct stones to each corner.

Though, I am not sure if there was any way to be sure which one went where.

Note: If you want to keep this backyard science experiment to play with again later then be sure to use objects that don’t need to quickly be returned to their original place.

We repeated this over and over.

Maisie asked me if we could get a new paper and do it again with new toys.

I love when an activity is so successful that my kids ask to repeat it the next day.

The Science Behind This Experiment

Here are some science facts in case you want to talk about the experiment while playing in the backyard.

So why does the sun bleach put colors from construction paper?

The suns light waves are how some of its energy travels to earth.

Some of these light waves contain something called ultraviolet rays that are strong enough to break down the bonds of chemicals in the dye of the paper.

This is how the color fades away in the areas that are not covered by a solid object.

The darker the paper, the more dye chemicals are present.

And that means there is a more drastic effect than if we used a light colored paper.

Painting with Sunscreen Backyard Science Experiment

Have you ever tried to explain to a preschooler why sunscreen is so important and have them still balk at the idea?

I have. And then I thought that I could find a way to explain to them why we can’t just do arms and legs and ignore the face.

It came to mind that painting with sunscreen would be a great science experiment for the backyard.

A perfect example of how sunscreen protects us by blocking the sun completely!

For this Backyard Science Experiment, All You Need is:

• Sunscreen (lotion, not spray on)
• Dark colored construction paper
• Paintbrush (or fingers)
• Small dish
• Small stones

Execute Sunscreen Painting Experiment

This is quite simple to execute.

Squirt some sunscreen in a dish and paint a picture.

The more you use the better. Which goes over very well with my preschooler!

At first Maisie wasn’t sure what to do. And squiggles and lines would have done just fine.

But I offered to draw a flower for her to color in and she loved the idea.

After coloring in the flower I prompted her to ask if she wanted to add a sun, or grass, or a bird in the sky.

I find little prompts like that can really help to get her wheels turning and the creativity flowing.

Maisie chose to add a sun and then declared that one was complete.

The creativity is all in their hands for this one.

As long as only part of the paper is painted and part is left dry then this backyard science experiment will work.

On the next one she asked me to draw another flower and she decided to make a pattern.

We alternated between polka dots and fully colored petals on this flower.

And then we added a pattern in the grass to with long grass, short grass.

I joined in on this one at her request and did the long blades while she took her turns painting the short ones.

I try to add patterns into anything I can to help her see how easy they can be and get used to them more before she starts at school.

We had some fun with finger painting too which added an element of sensory for her.

She loved that for sure.

We talked about using sunscreen and my preschooler decided to wipe off her fingers after by applying the sunscreen to her face.

This was a miracle since she always protests the facial application of sun lotion.

Win win for sure!

Now that the creative part was complete, it was time to let the science of this experiment take place in the backyard.

We brought the paintings over to a flat surface in the direct sunlight.

Added some stones to the corners to hold them from blowing away.

And then we went off to play.

When we returned about 4 hours later, we found that the sun had bleached the pages quite a lot.

But every spot with sunscreen was protected and held its color.

The Science Behind This Experiment

As with the backyard shadow puzzle science experiment above, you can note that the ultraviolet rays break the chemical bonds of the construction paper to bleach it.

On the other hand, why does sunscreen stop that from happening when it isn’t a solid object blocking the energy of the sun?

Sunscreen works in 2 ways (depending on what kind you buy and what ingredients are in it.)

Sunscreen sits on top of the skin. It doesn’t soak in.

And it blocks the UV rays from penetrating the skin and burning it.

Some sunscreen acts as a shield that reflects the rays and solar heat from touching the skin.

Other ingredients in sunscreen act like a sponge and soak up the suns energy before it can reach the body.

What are some of your favorite science experiments to do outdoors?

Click here to read 7 Tips for How to Keep Toddlers Busy While You’re With the Big Kids on Hands On As We Grow®

Check out these amazing tips and tricks for how to keep your toddlers busy while you are doing activities with older kids at the same time! It’s easy than you may think!

Today is an exciting day! Today, we’re bringing the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Pinterest to our blogs.

I am super thrilled to have Alissa of Bounceback Parentingsharing with you today. She is the guru of solving problems, especially when doing activities with kids.

And today, she’s sharing how to do activities with both the big kids, and the little kids… at the same time.

Want to know how to keep your toddlers busy while your occupied with your big kids? She will show you how.

And by the way… you’ll want to head over to Bouceback Parenting and sign up for her newsletter (its one you’ll be waiting for every week).

While Alissa is here, I’m over at Val’s blog, Inner Child Fun sharing a train activity that got Henry thinking and solving problems. Its amazing what a couple questions can do for a child’s mind.

While you’re there, see where Val is at today too (and keep going through the 20 Moms until you make it back here)!

Anyhow. Here’s Alissa.

7 Tips for Keeping Toddlers Busy WITH Big Kids Activity Time

Has the toddler in your life caused quite as much chaos in your arts and crafts as my busy toddler has here?

You know how it is – you find a fun activity for all of your kids, you have all the supplies and you even have a clear table to work at. Things are going great!

Until the toddler quietly makes off with the scissors and cuts a hole in the couch cushions.

Or perhaps you keep your toddlers at the table and they bite the tips off of the markers while you’re busy helping her older brother…. ARGH!

How can you do activities with a toddler AND big kids?

As a homeschooling mom to three kids ages 2, 5 and 7 some days activities with my kids have amounted to an aerobic exercise routine.

As I start to work with an older child only to frantically bounce back up to grab messy/dangerous/breakable items from the toddler.

But, how to keep toddlers busy and safe without taking away from what the older kids are doing?

Luckily I’ve learned a few trick that make it easier to do activities together, with a minimum of bouncing.

7 Tips For How to Keep Toddlers Busy During Activities with Big Kids:

1. Make a Spot for Toddlers Away From Mess’ables and Breakables

Move the permanent makers, liquid paint and glass of water out of reach.

Unless you’re in an easy to clean space and you really want to keep replacing spilled supplies by busy toddlers.

This might mean the toddler is in a highchair or at the opposite end of the table.

2. Give Your Toddlers Similar Materials to Play With to Keep Busy

You can do more complex projects with the older kids if you give your toddler similar materials to play with.

• If you’re sewing with the big kids, maybe your toddler would like a lacing card
• If you’re painting you can bet your toddler wants to paint too!
  • A younger toddler can finger paint on his highchair tray.
  • An older toddler can be given a brush and a bit of paint. They will want their own and they probably don’t need quite so many colors as their older sibling.
  • Painting with water on construction paper is always a great way to keep toddlers busy when your doing a painting project.
• If you’re making a toilet paper animal, your toddler might enjoy drawing on a tp-roll with washable markers, or stringing the tp roll onto ribbon.

3. Have a Basket of Toys Near by to Keep Your Toddlers Busy Longer

Before you get started, grab a couple easy to hand over toys for the toddler.

I have a list of “sit by me activities” to do with toddlers that don’t need a lot of parental attention.

I suggest watching for the toys and activities your toddler loves that aren’t too messy. Try putting aside about 5 of those as your go-to independent play activities.

4. Don’t Put Out More Supplies Than You Want to Clean Up

You’re likely to get distracted from the busy toddler by the other kids.

As soon as your back is turned your toddler will be pouring her water into her paint tray and across the entire pad of paper. This may keep your toddlers busy, but how much do you really want to clean up?

Or she’ll take all three play dough blobs and crumble them onto the floor.

Eliminate a lot of frustration by starting with a more limited amount of supplies in reach of the toddler.

You can always add more.

5. Start With a Simple Activity and Be Prepared to Extend It

Start simple for the busy toddler’s activity and then have ideas of how to extend the activity as they lose interest.

Your older child may be content to work away at a project, while your toddler is ready to move on 2 minutes into it.

You can extend the original activity to keep toddlers busy longer.

This is when you start adding supplies.

Go with tried and true activities that your toddler loves.

My daughter is happy to put stickers on anything.

If your child has recently discovered cutting with kid scissors – hand over the scissors and let them cut up their art.

Does he love his toy cars? Grab one and ask if he can paint with it/draw around it/ roll it over his art.

Nothing wrong with a little destruction when it comes to toddler art! Your toddler might enjoy ripping or tearing the paper.

6. Be a Lap for Your Busy Toddlers

If you can get the other kids going by giving them their own supplies and teaching them how to use them, you can sit with your toddlers when they get restless.

One important thing I tell the older kids is about wiping their hand!

This way I don’t panic when I’m holding the toddler and they head off with glue and glitter hands to add more grunge to our poor house.

For instance – “Here is a wet rag, wipe your hands before you leave the table so you don’t get glue and paint on our furniture.”

My kids sometimes like if I read a story while they color, or we might put on kid music.

Both are perfect for keeping toddlers busy with some snuggle time.

7. Remember the Value of Snack Time to Keep Toddlers Busy

Finally: always remember the value of snack time.

SO entertaining for small folk who’ve gotten board with the activity at hand.

Some Final Thoughts…

I admit – activities with toddlers and big kids still require quite a lot of energy on my part. If I’m not “on” my daughter is taking off to write on the bathroom walls.

But with a little preparation I can easily keep toddlers busy. And things do go much more smoothly.

Plus I find that I enjoy creating with the kids because I can relax a little knowing I have some fall-back toddler activities.

Good Luck!

Did you get a new idea from these tips?

Scroll down to leave a comment to tell me one thing that you’ll try to keep your toddlers busy next time you’re crafting with them and older kids together.

So glad to be here on Hands On : As We Grow today, I look forward to chatting more!

Click here to read 14 Birthday Books That Are FUN to Read Aloud on Hands On As We Grow®

Colorful balloons, shiny presents, chocolate cake piled high with frosting. There is so much to love about the fun birthday traditions we share with our children, why not start a new tradition of reading aloud some birthday books?

Many libraries offer ways to order books from nearby libraries, so ask a librarian if you can’t find these at your local library!

Below you will find some of the very best birthday picture books that you can share with your children. These have wonderful illustrations and are books that adults will actually enjoy reading aloud!

Check out other low-key birthday party activities you can enjoy with your kids.

For those just learning to read, I recommend starting with a week of learn any letter activities!

14 Birthday Books that are Great to Read Aloud on Their Special Day!

All the books are affiliate links to Amazon for you to easily buy if they're not available at your library, and you help support Hands On As We Grow!

Birthday Monsters
Author: Sandra Boynton

You really can’t go wrong with Sandra Boynton. Her illustrations are whimsical and fun, the text is often laugh-out-loud funny for both kids and adults.

This one about some sneaky birthday monsters has a fun twist at the end.

Great for toddlers and preschoolers.

Happy Birthday, Little Pookie
Author: Sandra Boynton

Another great birthday book from Sandra Boynton.

Parents everywhere will relate to Pookie waking at 6:42 AM to begin birthday celebrations!

Don’t miss this one.

Happy Pig Day!
Author: Mo WIllems

Not technically a birthday book, but a celebration of a special day, nonetheless. The endearing Elephant and Piggie delight toddlers through school-age kids.

Mo Willems is simply another can’t-go-wrong author for kids!

Also check out I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems.

Bear Can’t Wait
Author: Karma Wilson

This is another wonderful series that your preschoolers will adore. The gorgeous illustrations by Jane Chapman pair perfectly with the rollicking rhyme.

In this one, Bear is planning a surprise birthday party for a dear friend! Will he be able to pull it off, or will his excitement get the best of him?

Happy Birthday, Moon
Author: Frank Asch

My three year-old got the biggest smile on his face as we read this book about a bear who wants to give the moon a birthday gift.

A sweet and gentle book for preschoolers.

Have a child who is learning to read? Here are some helpful phonics activities.

Carl’s Birthday
Author: Alexandra Day

We love the Carl books! These are wordless picture books, but don’t let that scare you.

There is plenty of story to pore over in the delightful birthday illustrations in this book.

If your kids like this one, be sure to check out the other Carl adventures.

Whopper Cake
Author: Karma Wilson

Yes, another Karma Wilson. If you see her name on a book at the library, just grab it. You won’t regret it.

Preschoolers and school-age kids will love this funny book about Granddad who bakes the biggest cake known to man, adding heaps of sugar and buckets of flour!

A Piece of Cake
Author: LeUyen Pham

Sweet little Mouse makes his friend Bird a birthday cake, but gives it all away on his way to meet Bird. What will he do? Clever Bird has an idea!

This birthday book is delightful for preschoolers with super fun illustrations and surprises.

Moira’s Birthday
Author: Robert Munsch

The books by Robert Munsch are funny and irreverent in all the right ways.

Moira ends up with 200 birthday guests after being instructed to invite only 6 people. What will happen next?

Robert Munsch is a great bet for preschoolers and school-age kids. And be sure to find the Spotify list of him reading aloud his own books!

Beyond Birthday Books: Here are some great ideas for ABC books to read aloud!

Cranberry Birthday
Author: Wende and Harry Devlin

An oldie but a goodie. Mr. Whiskers is always getting into predicaments. Burned birthday cake? His specialty. Good friends like Maggie and Grandma make birthdays so much sweeter!

Check out all of the other Cranberry books. This birthday book is great for preschoolers and school-age kiddos.

Happy Birdday, Tacky!
Author: Helen Lester

Tacky is the most charming penguin you’ll ever meet. He keeps his fellow penguins on their webbed toes. His birthday party doesn’t go the way the other residents of Nice Icy Land have in mind, but it wouldn’t be a Tacky adventure if everything was perfect.

The whole series is funny and sweet.

Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday? Check out these ideas!

The Seven Silly Eaters
Author: Mary Ann Hoberman

Everyone in my family adores this perfect rhyming book by Mary Ann Hoberman. The illustrations by Marla Frazee are SUCH a treat.

A total power combination, these two! Day in and day out, Mrs. Peters dutifully meets the (yes, silly!) culinary requests of her children. How will they return the favor on her birthday? Not in the way you might expect!

One of my most favorite books to read aloud.

If you like these Birthday Books, you’ll enjoy these Christmas books to read aloud, too!

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party
Authors: Shannon and Dean Hale

LeUyen Pham’s full color illustrations on every page make the entire Princess in Black beginner chapter book series by Shannon and Dean Hale a must-read in your home!

The darling Princess Magnolia is not your average princess, so of course her birthday party will not be your average princess party, either!

Most perfect for reading aloud over a few nights to anyone 3 and up, and older children might love to read it on their own. Don’t be put off by the label of “beginner chapter book”–the vocabulary and syntax are spot-on and rise well above the average early reader.

Eeyore Has a Birthday
Author: A.A. Milne

If you’ve never read aloud any of the original Winnie the Pooh stories, you are missing out. The text is gentle and sweetly humorous.

This one is on the longer side, but look for an unabridged version to read aloud during dinner or over a few bedtimes.

Don’t miss these animal books that you’ll love to read aloud with your kids!

What birthday books have you discovered over the years? Share with us!

Click here to read Cute Leaf Man People Fall Craft for Kids on Hands On As We Grow®

This time of year, as the leaves start to fall, it’s fun to create a cute leaf man people fall craft for kids!

Getting outside, walking through nature, and noticing the changing colors of the trees is an activity that the whole family can do together.

While you’re on your nature walk, collect some great leaves.

Then, use them in a funny, cute, and memorable craft that your family will want to do year after year.

Here’s more ways to use leaves in crafts this fall.

Leaf Man People Fall Craft

You’ll need just three items for this creative craft:

• Real leaves (Try to get colorful leaves from different types of trees.)
• Googly eyes with adhesive backing (or googly eyes and glue)
• Black permanent marker

Make Your Own Sweet and Festive Leaf People Fall Craft With Your Kids!

First, go out on a nature hike.

With your kids, notice the colors of the leaves on the trees and on leaves that have fallen.

Collect leaves of different colors and sizes. Try to find leaves from a variety of trees.

Kids can notice the shapes of leaves and the trees they come from as they walk and collect leaves.

Be sure to grab a lot of leaves so you can also do activities like these leaf rubbings.

Later, pull out a sheet of adhesive back googly eyes to make your leaf people.

You can use non-adhesive googly eyes and glue to attach them to the leaves. But using the adhesive back type makes this activity super simple and great for all ages.

My two year old loved this leaf man activity. And he was able to easily pull the googly eyes from the plastic sheet and place them right on the leaves.

Try these Fall Activities for Toddlers!

Show your kids how to stick the eyes onto the leaves to create eyes.

With the marker, add facial features such as eyes, nose, mouth, ears, or hair to your leaf man.

While you craft, talk about the facial features to help younger ones with naming body parts.

Preschool-aged children can discuss emotions and how facial features indicate a person’s emotions.

You’ll want to use dry, but not crumbly leaves for this activity. Leaves that have recently fallen from trees should work well.

If your leaves are wet from being outside, use a towel to dry them before sticking the googly eyes on them.

Work on Fine Motor Skills with a Leaf People Craft

Working on these leaf people is a great way to incorporate fine motor skills into a fun and easy craft.

By pulling the googly eyes from its backing sheet, kids will develop and strengthen a pincer grasp while strengthening the intrinsic muscles of the hands.

These skills are needed for many tasks including pencil grasp and clothing fasteners.

Sticking the eyes onto the leaf man work on eye-hand coordination skills that are necessary for written work and scissor use.

Try using this craft to develop fine motor skills in your little one!

This simple leaf garland is another fun way to develop fine motor skills.

My kids had SO much fun with this leaf people fall craft.

It was a great way to use colorful leaf collections in a craft that was perfect for all of my kids.

My two-year-old, four-year-old, seven-year-old, and nine-year-old all got into the leaf man making project.

They couldn’t stop laughing as we created funny leaf people faces.

And that is it!

With just a few materials, you can create a fun and memorable fall tradition that will bring on the laughs!

Have you ever made a fall craft out of leaves? Share your craft ideas with us!

Click here to read Gratitude Tree Activity for a Thankful Thanksgiving on Hands On As We Grow®

This is a super simple (and fun!) gratitude tree activity to help you get into the thankful spirit this Thanksgiving by focusing on gratitude and thankfulness with your kids.

Get into the spirit even more with these Thanksgiving Conversation Starters.

We did it for the first time last year, my older girls were 6 and 4. They loved it so much that I knew we had to do it again.

Here is our finished Thanksgiving Thankful Tree of Gratitude activity from last year.

All you need to do this Gratitude Tree Activity:

• a brown paper grocery bag (or whatever material you will use to make your tree)
• construction paper in fall colors
• tape
• scissors
• pencil

How do you make a gratitude tree?

We used a paper grocery bag to create our tree.

If you don’t have one on hand there are lots of other options: you could use brown construction paper, draw or paint a tree on a really big piece of paper, or even use lightweight cardboard (like a cereal box). Use whatever you have on hand.

Last year, I did most of the activity prep work creating the Gratitude Tree for Thanksgiving. But this year, at 7 and 5, I felt like Izzie and Emma were ready to take more ownership of the project.

Cut Out the Bare Tree Parts for the Base of the Thankful Activity

They took turns cutting the sides out of a paper grocery bag to form the tree trunk for our gratitude tree activity.

Izzie (7) then drew branch shapes on the remainder of the bag and Emma (5) cut them all out.

Then they worked together to tape the Gratitude Tree trunk and branches to our basement door.

Lots of Fine Motor Skills at work, cutting out leaves!

I helped them trace leaf shapes onto the construction paper.

If you aren’t confident in your free hand drawing leaf shapes you can easily use a free leaf template. Simply print it right onto the colored paper, or trace it!

Let the kids cut out a bunch of leaves in different fall colors. Help them if it becomes too much.

Izzie made a sign out of the last piece of the grocery bag that says, “We Are Thankful For…” and hung it above the tree.

We keep the leaves, a pen and tape in a baggie.

Add to the Gratitude Tree Every Day

Every morning in November we add to the activity!

Each of us writes something we are thankful for on a leaf. Then we hang it on the gratitude tree.

Last year, I didn’t include Hannah but now that she is almost 3. I think she is old enough to talk about it in basic terms. What makes her happy? Also, her sisters get so into it that she will be excited too.

Download Thankful Conversation Starters to help get the conversation going!

Besides the gratitude conversation, this activity also provides a great learning opportunity.

Hannah and I will practice her colors every morning when she is choosing her leaf.

I will challenge Izzie to spell everything herself when she writes her leaf.

Emma is working hard on her writing in kindergarten, so she will love to write her leaf by herself.

I love starting our day talking about gratitude. The sincerity of their answers is so sweet, even when they are being silly.

What are you and your family thankful for?

What did your kids decided to be thankful for in their gratitude tree activity?

Click here to read Playing “Marbles” with Monster Trucks on Hands On As We Grow®

Bring back the classic game of Marbles in a modern way your kids will absolutely love. Use the toy cars and monster trucks you already own (and are stepping on constantly), and let’s teach your kids a NEW way to play!

If you DO happen to have real marbles, then you can always teach your older kids the real game (see bottom of this page for some more advanced rules) or use them in this cool magnetic marble maze activity!

Truck “Marbles” Game Supplies that You’ll Need:

• Chalk to designate your playing circle
• 15 or more toy cars (or choose your child’s favorite toy you have a lot of)
• 1 monster truck per player

Get lots of ideas to play with vehicles!

Why Play Marbles with Monster Trucks?

I would like you to know that I am NOT old enough to have lived through the era where playing Marbles was a popular game.

In fact, I don’t think I have actually EVER played the real game.

I did, however, collect marbles. I assume it was because my parents liked to frequent antique stores, and marbles were a small and inexpensive toy for me to pick out on each trip. Smart!

My boys love playing with the marbles. Chinese checkers (they just fill all the holes), rolling them through wrapping paper tubes, using them to earn rewards, etc.

One day, I looked up how to play the real game. I decided it would be more fun for my boys to play with cars and trucks.

Try Monster Truck Marbles out – I’m willing to bet your parents will enjoy playing it with the kids! (Cue the song “Memories”.)

Any car knocked completely outside of the playing circle is then collected by that player to their own personal “junk yard”, and it becomes the next player’s turn.

Cars half-in and half-out should remain in the arena until someone completes the knock-out.

Once all cars have been knocked out of the arena, players count their own junk yard. The player with the most cars wins!

When you’ve had enough of Monster Truck marbles, use those cars and trucks with these other five activities.

Download FREE Week of Activities for Preschoolers! (3-5 year olds)

Tell me, have you ever played classic Marbles? If so, what rules did you follow?

Click here to read Make an Easy Rubber Band Splatter Painting with Your Preschooler on Hands On As We Grow®

Make beautiful art with a creative painting technique in this easy rubber band splatter painting tutorial from Francis! This fun activity was created by Activity Room member Michelle Anderson.

The Activity Room is a great place for daily activity ideas! It’s also a wonderful place to get to know other families and be inspired by how they spend time with their kids.

My girl, Melissa, and I were excited about Michelle’s idea and decided to have a go at it!

I don’t know what it is about messy play, but my kids love it. Their motto could well be “the messier the better!”

Make messy play a snap to clean up with super simple kid-friendly ideas!

Super Simple Rubber Band Splatter Painting

We used:

• Scissors
• Paper
• Washable paint
• Cardboard box
• Rubber bands

Best of all, we already had everything we needed at home!

I didn’t need to go shopping for anything in this activity.

We used an old cardboard box for this, but a shoe box will work great too. We’re always keeping cardboard boxes because they are useful for many creative activities!

We fit the rubber bands over the box, spacing them out evenly. Depending on the size of your box, you can use as many rubber bands as you want.

Melissa chose her paint colors and we started making our rubber band splatter paintings!

Let me tell you, it was a good thing that they were washable paints!

I covered the table with a plastic sheet we use when we’re having a messy activity day.

Next, I slid the paper she was going to paint, underneath the rubber bands and into the bottom of the box. You might need to cut the paper to fit the box like we did.

How to make rubber band splatter painting art

Melissa started covering each rubber band with paint. We found that a generous amount of paint works best!

She used just one color for each band first, but the second time around she had fun mixing more than one color on each band.

Now for the messy part!

I told Melissa that she could pull the bands and then let them go to see what would happen.

Her reaction made me smile. She giggled as she watched the paint splat all over the paper!

She decided to go back, adding more and more paint to make a bigger splatter. It was great fun to watch!

Melissa also experimented with different ways of pulling on the rubber bands to see what effect it would have.

When she decided she was done with one piece of paper, I swapped in a new one so she could make herself another work of art!

Try out even more creative painting tools, techniques, and ideas!

Grab a whole week of messy play activities! It’s FREE! Download here.

Do your kids like making messy art too?

Share your favorite tips in the comments. You might just end up being featured in a tutorial in the future!

Click here to read 20+ Measurement Activities for Preschoolers to Learn About Weight, Volume, Length & More on Hands On As We Grow®

Measurement activities can be simple, fun, and educational!

These 20+ measurement activities for preschoolers are sure to measure up to your expectations. Not only can you explore weight, length, volume, and capacity, but you can also practice opposites. For example: is it tall or short or is it heavy or light?

Don’t weight any longer to start these measurement activities today! (See what I did there?)

Lots of Measurement Activities, Coming Up!

We’ve got three sections of measurement activities below:

• Weight Measuring Activities
• Length Measuring Activities
• Volume & Capacity Measuring Activities

Weight Measurement Activities

If your children enjoy outer space activities, then make sure to check out and discuss Your Weight on Other Worlds. Here, you type in a weight on Earth to get the equivalent weight on the moon and other planets. Apparently, a 40-pound child on Earth would only be 8.3 pounds on the moon but 126.4 pounds on Jupiter!

No worries if outer space is not for you, stay right at home and try one of these weight measurement activities. No travel required!

• Compare weights on a balance as seen on Hands On As We Grow. But before weighing the objects, guess which one is heavier.
• Practice numbers as you compare weights like Little Bins for Little Hands. For example, will 1 stone be heavier or lighter than 3 shells?
• Build a balance as shown on Hands On As We Grow. All you need is a plastic hanger, two paper or plastic cups, string or yarn, and a hole punch.
• Sort objects as heavy or light like Siggiewi Primary. Similarly try this heavy lifting activity to discuss heavy and light.
• Make a heavier and lighter list as seen on Kindergarten Kindergarten. But first, is an empty water bottle heavier or lighter than a full water bottle?
• Weigh objects on a kitchen scale as shown on Hands On As We Grow. Then try one of these 40 number activities for preschoolers.

Length Measuring Activities

There are so many fun ways to measure the length of objects. Grab a tape measure, ribbon, some paper clips, pipe cleaners, or blocks to begin these fun measurement activities.

• Play a roll slide game as seen on Hands On As We Grow. Then measure how far each toy rolled or slid. Which toy will go the furthest?
• Take some frog jump measurements like Coffee Cups and Crayons. Great for gross motor skills!
• Make a candy catapult as shown on Stir the Wonder. Then measure how far the candy travels across the room.
• Determine the length of objects with paper clip measurements as shown on Savor the Days. For example, how many paper clips long is a pencil? What about your favorite toy?
• Measure objects with ribbon measurements like Hands On As We Grow. This is another great way to compare object lengths.
• Try a unifix cubes measurement as shown on Little Bins for Little Hands. Similarly, use blocks if you don’t have unifix cubes.
• Cut pipe cleaners for pipe cleaner measurements like Simply Kinder. Then sort the pipe cleaner pieces from smallest to largest.
• Go on a measurement hunt as seen on 123Homeschool4Me. For example, can you find an object that is longer than a specific length or a specific object?
• Measure a melting snowman as shown on Hands On As We Grow. Will the snowman get taller or shorter as it melts?

Download FREE Week of Preschooler Activities to do this week!

Volume & Capacity Measuring Activities

The science behind these measurement activities, if you are interested: read the differences between volume and capacity at Difference Between Volume and Capacity on Key Differences.

Otherwise, go straight to these volume and capacity measurement activities for preschoolers to try.

• Explore volume with a water activity as seen on Hands On As We Grow. First, grab two large bowls with some water, measuring cups, teaspoons, and a bottle or jar. Then let the fun begin.
• Watch the changing shape of water as found on Stir the Wonder. It’s amazing how the same amount of water looks in jars of different shapes!
• Try volume exploration like Pre-K Pages. The blue food coloring is a great addition!
• Answer questions through volume experimentation as seen on Nature Store. For example, how many spoonfuls of water does it take to fill a small jar? What if you use a smaller spoon or a larger spoon?
• Play with a rice sensory bin as shown on Learning 4 Kids. I love the added color of the rice in this sensory bin! If you don’t have rice, then you could use dry beans or noodles instead.
• Fill jars with a colorful rice volume exploration activity like Little Bins for Little Hands. Using a funnel makes this even more fun!
• Fill jars for a dry bean measurement as seen on Kindergarten Kindergarten. If you use small containers, you might even be able to count the number of beans. Great for counting practice!
• Bake foods kids can help make like Hands On As We Grow. Letting kids help in the kitchen is a great way to improve math skills. For more tips, make sure to check out measuring techniques with kids in the kitchen from Land O Lakes.
• Make some monster sandwich cookies as shown on Hands On As We Grow. Yum!

What activities have you done to explore measurements with your children?

Click here to read Be Grateful with a DIY Thankful Wreath Craft on Hands On As We Grow®

Thanksgiving is a great reminder to have intentional conversations about giving thanks. Brigitte shares her family's simple thankful wreath idea to get you started!

Over the years, my daughters and I have enjoyed creating Thanksgiving chains and thankful trees as we discuss all we are thankful for. This year, I thought it would be fun to show our thanks with a fall-inspired thankful wreath.

It’s nice to mix things up a little bit. I love that this is a simple activity we can all do together. Even three and four year olds can join in on the fun!

Kid-Made Thankful Wreath to Show Gratitude

For our thankful wreath, we used:

• construction paper (red, yellow, and orange like autumn leaves)
• leaf templates from First Palette
• writing utensils (my daughters chose gel pens)
• scissors
• glue sticks
• thin cardboard (we used a pizza box)
• 2 different-sized circular items (to trace for the wreath shape)
• hole punch (optional)
• small piece of yarn (optional)

First, I traced two different sizes of circular lids onto the cardboard. Then, I cut the cardboard on those lines to make the wreath’s shape.

I printed the leaf templates directly on to the colored construction paper. No need to trace them at all!

Once that was done, it was time to cut leaves. We chose a couple of different styles of leaves.

Get more cutting practice for your kids with tons of simple, fun activities!

The more advanced leaf shapes are great for older kids. All those nooks and crannies really build fine motor cutting skills!

The simple leaf outlines are more appropriate for younger kids still learning how to cut.

Talking & Crafting Helps Kids Grow Gratitude

This can take a while. Discussing what we were thankful for while cutting the leaves made the task go quickly.

Once we had all of the leaves cut, it was time to write one thing we were thankful for on each leaf.

My kids are older, so they wrote their own thankful and grateful things on their leaves.

Younger kids could dictate their ideas or even draw pictures on each of the leaves if they would like.

We glued the leaves on to the cardboard one by one. Make sure to face the words up so that your thankful wreath showcases all your blessings!

It slowly started to look like a wreath. My daughters tried mixing the colors up a little as they glued them down so there was some variety.

They also tried to not cover the words, which proved to be a challenge since we had so many leaves.

Once all of the leaves were added, I punched a hole and tied some yarn to the wreath.

Now, it is displayed on our wall as a reminder of some of our blessings.

How does your family show what you are thankful for? We’d love to check out your Thanksgiving craft ideas for kids!

Click here to read 12 Shape Books for Preschoolers That Are Simply Shape-tastic! on Hands On As We Grow®

Shapes are a building block of elementary mathematics and picture books are a wonderful way to introduce this important concept. Check out these favorite books about shapes from Rosemary D’Urso, the Library Mom!

Books are a great way to not only introduce shapes but also teach children that the world around them is made out of shapes. Children can start to see how shapes can be combined to create everyday items.

12 Amazing Books About Shapes for Preschoolers

We hope you and your children have fun learning with these adorable books about shapes. Happy reading!

Affiliate links are included for your convenience and to help support Hands On As We Grow®.

Color Zoo

Author: Lois Ehlert, 1989
Best for: Ages 2-4

In this classic picture book, children will be amazed to see different animals formed with a variety of shapes stacked together. With each turn of the page, a new shape is highlighted using vivid colors and die-cut pages.

The final two-page spread presents all ten shapes together opposite boxes of colors making it easy to reinforce these two important concepts for children.

Big Box of Shapes

Author: Wiley Blevins; Illustrated by Elliot Kreloff, 2016
Best for: Ages 2-5

When Lulu and Max discover a box of shapes, there is no end to their imagination as they combine the shapes to make new creations.

Lulu and Max exude curiosity and kindness as they share the shapes with each other and work as a team while they build.

Bright colors set against a white background make the shapes easily identifiable.

This cheerful book is a great way to introduce shapes to young children and inspire them to experiment with their own shapes.

Walter’s Wonderful Web

Author: Tim Hopgood, 2015
Best for: Ages 2-5

Walter, a determined little spider, builds his web into a variety of different shapes only to be blown away by the wind each time.

Finally, inspiration hits, and he combines all of the shapes to create a truly amazing web that withstands the mighty gusts of the wind.

This book not only provides a terrific introduction to shapes but also a nice lesson in persistence.

We Love Squares (Our Favorite Shapes series)

Author: Beatrice Harris, 2018
Best for: Ages 2-5

This nonfiction series pairs short, simple sentences with colorful photographs of everyday items in the clear form of a shape.

While I wish there was an introductory page describing the attributes of each shape first, this attractive nonfiction offering still successfully demonstrates that the world is made up of a variety of shapes.

This book is perfect for promoting a shape scavenger hunt around a classroom or home.

There are six books in this series highlighting the following shapes: circles, squares, triangles, diamonds, ovals, and rectangles.  

Mouse Shapes

Author: Ellen Stoll Walsh, 2007
Best for: Ages 2-5

When three little mice hide from a cat in a pile of shapes, they discover that they can combine the shapes to make different objects.

A triangle and square quickly become a house, while a rectangle and a triangle form a tree, etc.

The brightly colored paper collages are very child-friendly and will inspire most children to cut or tear paper to create their own shapes.

Apples and Robins

Author: Lucie Felix, 2016
Best for: Ages 2-6

Children will delight in the beautiful die-cut illustrations of this innovative book.

Using vibrant colors that practically pop off the page, children are presented with several shapes including circles, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, semi-circles, ovals, and squares.

The story itself focuses on an apple tree that is the home to a family of birds. Readers will travel through a seasonal journey as the shapes are combined to create familiar objects such as apples, ladders, a birdhouse, etc.

The transformation of the shapes by the die-cut pages gives the book a magical feel that children are going to love.

Circle Rolls

Author: Barbara Kanninen; Illustrated by Serge Bloch, 2018
Best for: Ages 3-6

Filled with cheerful colors, rhyming text, amusing illustrations, and an action-packed storyline, this book is perfect for introducing shapes to children.

A sneeze causes a chain reaction of motion that highlights each shape’s attributes.

“Circle rolls, oval rocks, square sits like a box. Circle rolls, rectangle stands, triangle points without any hands.”

The playful illustrations use color and size to highlight the shapes while the inclusion of glasses and stick figure-like arms and legs gives them personality making this book entertaining and educational.

When a Line Bends…A Shape Begins

Author: Rhonda Gowler Greene; Illustrated by James Kaczman, 1997
Best for: Ages 3-6

This excellent choice for storytimes uses rhyming text to explain the characteristics of 10 common shapes along with examples of the everyday items they form.

“An octagon has many sides. All counted, there are eight. You see it at the corner. It tells the cars to wait.”

This book is a lot of fun to read aloud and perfect for helping children become more familiar with various shapes.

Shape Shift

Author: Joyce Hesselberth, 2016
Best for: Ages 3-6

This inventive book introduces nine classic shapes and encourages readers to use their imagination to see everyday objects when the shapes are combined.

This book not only teaches shapes but also celebrates creativity. As an extra bonus, it demonstrates point of view, reminding children that there is not always a right or wrong answer.

This helps encourage children to take risks without worrying they might make a mistake.

The final double-page spread features additional combinations challenging readers, “What do you see?” It creates a perfect prompt for play-based learning.

Round is a Tortilla

Author Roseanne Greenfield Thong; Illustrated by John Parra, 2013
Best for: Ages 3-6

Like many books on shapes, this offering uses rhyming language to identify everyday objects made of shapes. What makes it stand apart, however, is its peek into the Hispanic culture.

Most of the Spanish words sprinkled into the text are easy to identify, but a glossary is located in the back to provide a translation and give more insight into the objects highlighted in the story.

This is a wonderful concept book that not only helps teach children about shapes but also the world around them.

Shapes That Roll

Author: Karen Nagel; Illustrated by Steve Wilson, 2009
Best for: Ages 4-8

Rhyming text, bright colors, and glossy paper make this attractive offering almost irresistible to preschoolers. They will love following along as an anthropomorphic circle, triangle, and square lead them through an active world of shapes pointing out their different attributes.

While many of the shapes are not named in the main text, a two-page spread at the end introduces all of the shapes and invites readers to look through the book a second time to find them.

What’s your favorite book about shapes? Share your favorite shape books in the comments!

Rosemary D’Urso is a school librarian turned stay-at-home mom who constantly racks up late fines to read that perfect book with her kids just one more time. She spends her days going on adventures with her family, running, listening to audiobooks, and reviewing children’s books. She hopes her reviews will help parents and teachers find the best books for the children in their lives.

Discover your child’s next favorite book at her blog, Librarymom.com. Follow all of Rosemary’s reading adventures on Instagram, @librarymombooks. 

Click here to read Measuring Activity Made So Simple with Ribbon on Hands On As We Grow®

We love hands-on learning! This simple measure with ribbon activity is perfect for exploring measurements while you play a game together.

For more math fun, try this easy Measuring Activity: How Far Does it Roll & Slide?

What do you do with a rainy day?

Are your kids stuck inside with nothing to do?

Get busy with indoor hands-on learning!

We love finding new activities and creative ways to use things around the house.

This simple measuring activity uses ribbon, toys, and household objects to build understanding of size, measurement, and math vocabulary.

If your toddler or preschooler is like mine, she loves playing with ribbon and comparing objects.

Measurement is one of the earliest concepts that toddlers and preschoolers learn. “I’m taller than you! You have more toys than me.”

It’s all measurement!

For toddlers and preschoolers it’s OK to still use non-standard units of measurement. They’ll get to inches and centimeters later, no rush!

For now just have fun exploring the basic building blocks of comparing sizes and experimenting with measurement concepts.

In this simple measuring activity, your child will take that awareness of measurement and apply it!

For more measuring fun, be sure to try this simple Toddler Busy Play: Measuring Cups & Pots.

Measuring Activity: Measure with Ribbon!

For This Measuring Activity, You’ll Need:

• ribbon
• random household objects
• marker

First thing to do for this measuring game is have your child run around the house to collect a few objects for the activity.

Get some extra energy out to help keep them focused.

Try to grab a few objects that have varied lengths and sizes.

Next, take a long length of ribbon.

We marked a tiny star at one end of the ribbon so that we could remember where our “start” end was.

You can help your child hold it up to the objects one by one.

Carefully line up the star with one end of the object and stretch the ribbon straight toward the other end.

For little ones, it may take a few tries to learn how to hold the end of the ribbon up to the object correctly.

Give those little hands plenty of practice!

Love fine motor fun? Try this easy Clothespin Activity for Toddlers: Fine Motor Exploration.

As you measure each object in this activity, use the marker to make a mark at the length or height.

Once your objects are all measured and marked, take a look at your ribbon.

Look at all the different lengths and heights!

More ribbons! Check out this Ribbon Fine Motor Play for Toddlers.

Talk about vocabulary words such as “longer, shorter, taller, etc.”

Ask questions to get your child thinking and problem solving. “How can you tell which is taller? What else could we use to measure something?”

More Games to Play with this Measuring Activity:

• Match it up! Point to a mark on the ribbon and have your child match the mark to the object that matches the size.
• Line it up! Place the objects in order from smallest to biggest.
• Measure up! Take your ribbon again and measure your child from top to bottom. Is she taller or shorter than the objects you measured?

Share your ideas in the comments below!

What are your favorite ways to encourage math and measurement skills?

What’s your favorite measuring activity or game remix?

Click here to read Simple Sorting Animals Activity to Create a Zoo to Work on Grouping on Hands On As We Grow®

Encourage your child’s imagination and critical thinking by letting them create a zoo! This sorting animals activity is super simple and tons of fun!

Sorting is a great way to build your child’s understanding of matching and putting the world in its place.

Animals are a favorite at my house.

Between stuffed animals, plastic animals and counting creatures we have a very diverse menagerie.

So one thing that my girls love to do with their animals is sorting them into groups and create their very own zoo.

Set Up a Zoo for Animal Sorting Activity

My older daughters will create their own spaces for the animals to be sorted into using blocks, yarn or simply spacing them out in their bedroom.

For my youngest, I used painter’s tape to form the different areas of the zoo.

Sort Animals into Groups

Since we have such a variety of animals, we started by sorting the farm animals from the zoo animals.

After we had separated them into the two groups, each girl started their zoo activity by putting the animals in the pens.

Since the tape was blue, that is where the ocean animals went.

It was so fun listening to them discuss where they were going to put their animals and why.

Play is an amazing way to build language skills.

Download FREE Week of Active Indoor Fun for Kids!

More Ways to Sort

Because the three year old kept knocking over the blocks while she was sorting her animals, we started our own sort using frogs.

I created squares out of tape and let her decide where to start putting frogs.

As we pulled frogs out of the bucket, she would place them in the square she thought they went best.

We would talk about the color of the frog and look for an exact match.

If there wasn’t one just like it, we would put it with the closest color.

You can find another fun color matching game here.

If you don’t have molded animals, stuffed animals work well for this also. Try sorting the stuffed animals into laundry baskets and other bins for pens.

This activity could even be done with pictures of animals for more variety.

Click here to read Board Games for Kids (Beyond Candyland) That You Love on Hands On As We Grow®

What are your favorite, most beloved, always out, ones you come back to, games you play as a family?

And I mean board games, or card games… not activities like we love so much here. We’re on a little kick of board games lately in our house and always love to break out of the mold for a bit.

Of course, Candyland is a favorite here. But I’m over it. So… so over it… I beg that someone draws the chocolate swirl thing (what is that anyway? A cinnamon roll?). Okay, maybe I don’t beg, but sometimes it just gets old. And honestly, my kids are outgrowing it (except for Louis… I’ll have another turn at this with him in a few months I’m sure)!

I don’t like taking a chance on games that look like they might be fun. I wanted to know for sure. So, I went to the best source I know. I asked hands on : as we grow readers, parents that are down in the trenches, just like me.

I asked readers on the somewhat new Facebook group for hands on : as we grow called, The Huddle (come join us!).

This is their list of favorite, most beloved, board games for kids (and mostly for the younger crowd). I love the list, some we have and play, some I remember from my own childhood and glad to be reminded of, and some are completely new to me that I’m checking out!

The Most Beloved Board Games for Kids

This list contains affiliate links to help support Hands On As We Grow® at no additional cost to you. Its a big help, so thank you!

• Hungry Hungry Hippos
• Uno
• Sorry!
• Spiderman Yahtzee
• Snug as a Bug in a Rug
• Trucks 2-in-1 Memory & Floor Puzzle
• Hisss
• Monopoly
• Connect4
• Mouse Trap
• Snakes and Ladders
• Guess Who?
• King of Tokyo
• Mancala
• Spot It
• Sequence
• Quirkle
• Cookin’ Cookies
• Doodle Dice
• Hi Ho Cherry-O
• Snap
• Trouble
• Go Fish
• Cupcake Race
• Mastermind

Add to the list!

What is your favorite board game to play with the kids?

Click here to read How to Make Easy Monster Slime for Halloween on Hands On As We Grow®

Learn how to make this easy monster slime for Halloween! With just a few ingredient you can whip up this squishy, stretchy slime in minutes!

We love getting our hands into squishy, stretchy slime!

This easy monster slime is so simple to make.

There’s no Borax required, and your kids will be playing in no time!

For more awesome Halloween fun, check out 26 Icky & Ooey Halloween Activities for Toddlers.

Kids love sensory play! The more the better.

Thankfully, sensory play is incredibly important for growing kids.

Why Is Sensory Play So Important?

Play that stimulates their senses encourages kids to explore and investigate. It also helps build motor and verbal skills.

Sensory play is definitely something kids and parents alike can love.

When we can’t get outside and into nature, there are a ton of ways to add in sensory play indoors.

Slime is always a favorite sensory activity!

More Ways to Try Sensory Play at Home

There are so many different ways to engage in sensory play both inside and outside.

• make mud pies in the backyard
• play with dry cereal or noodles
• create a texture scavenger hunt
• go outside and record different bird calls or insect sounds
• smell and taste herbs and spices from the pantry
• the list goes on and on!

This easy monster slime is a fun way to incorporate sensory play this Halloween!

For This Monster Slime Activity, You’ll Need:

• a bottle of glitter glue
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon eye contact solution
• googly eyes

How to Make Easy Monster Slime for Halloween

Ready to whip together this simple slime recipe?

Let’s get slimy!

Mix Your Monster Slime Ingredients

This monster slime recipe really couldn’t be any easier!

First, pour the whole bottle of glitter glue into a mixing bowl.

Don’t worry about making a mess.

I promise once you add the other ingredients, the bowl will clean up really easily!

Next, stir in the baking soda.

This adds a little more substance to the slime and makes it a bit more puffy feeling.

It also makes the slime slightly less translucent.

Want more spooky fun? Try these Easy Edible Slimy Eyes Sensory Bag for Halloween.

Finally, add in the eye contact solution.

Start with one Tablespoon.

If your slime is too sticky, add a few more drops in and stir again.

The eye contact solution is what reacts with the glue to decrease stickiness and create the stretchy substance you’re looking for.

Add Googly Eyes to Your Monster Slime

Next, separate the slime between the kids.

It’s time to add the eyeballs!

They had so much fun squishing in the eyeballs to make their monster slime.

My littlest chose the jumbo eyeballs, while the boys squished in tons of tiny ones.

For more sensory play ideas, you’ll love 39 Edible Sensory Play Ideas for Little Ones.

Stretch and Squish Your Gooey Monster Slime!

My kids spent the better part of an hour just stretching and rolling their slime.

They made alien monsters, snakes, and slime balls.

They had a blast!

This Halloween, be sure to give Gingerbread Mummy Halloween Treats a try!

If their hands get sticky at any point, just squirt a few drops of eye contact solution on their fingers.

This will help the slime stay stretchy and not get stuck to their hands or the table.

Your Turn

What are your favorite ways to encourage sensory play?

Does your family have a favorite slime recipe?

Share your best tips and slime-tastic ideas in the comments below!

Click here to read Number Line Activity with Place Values on Hands On As We Grow®

We decided to try a number line activity. Have you ever done one? They are great for learning about numbers (in almost any way you can think of) plus getting the kids moving.

I first did a number line with George, which is geared better for preschoolers and recognizing numbers (I shared how we did it on PBS Parents).

This version is for Kindergarten on up, kids working on place values. Henry thought this was awesome and George got to be a part of it too.

I taped three number lines on the floor using painter’s tape. (You know how I love to use tape!)

I used three for three place values. Ones, tens and hundreds. Make this simpler or harder by adding or removing number lines.

Each number line counted from 1 to 9. Looking back, I should have used a 0 to be true for place values. A deck of cards would have never played into that though.

Where does the deck of cards come into play?

That’s what made the number! I removed all the 10s and face cards from the deck, leaving only numbers 1 through 9.

George drew three cards and put them in whatever order he wanted (he loved having this control).

Once the cards were in order, Henry would put them together to make a number.

So if George drew a 4, 7 and 9, and put it in that order, it would be 479.

Henry then moved paper plates up and down the number lines to make that number.

He would move the hundreds plate to the 400 line.

And the tens plate to the 70 line.

And again with the ones plate to the 9 line.

They repeated it over and over again while I got dinner ready.

Did you see the easy activities for keeping kids busy? Try them when you need to get something done! (This isn’t one of them…)

Henry had an easier time by moving the plates back to the beginning with each round. He didn’t like moving it back and forth from the last one. He wanted to start fresh each time.

I honestly don’t remember when Henry began learning place values. I’m pretty sure it was last year in Kindergarten. It might have been only tens and ones though.

He absolutely loves math and figuring out problems like this (something he got from me)!

More move and learn ideas:

• Hanging Sight Words from The Pleasantest Thing
• Teach Kids about Measurement at Coffee Cups & Crayons
• Alphabet Target Practice at Toddler Approved
• See all our Move & Learn Activities

Click here to read Easy DIY Life Size Board Games To Create & Play with the Kids on Hands On As We Grow®

It’s easier than you think to take those sit-still board games and make them life-size to really engage our little wiggle worms!

Little ones aren’t made to sit still; and yet those stationary board games offer so many great lessons like taking turns, counting, and following directions.

While we’re thinking big-scale, be sure to check out how to create a big chalk maze for your preschoolers.

Supplies for Simple Life Size Board Games

• Construction Paper & Marker (Indoor)
• Chalk (outdoor)
• Dice, Spinner, Deck of Cards, or pebbles (for advancing along the board)

Indoor Life Size Board Game for Kids

This can be adapted to many situations and use a variety of materials, but first let’s start with what I did.

First, I cut construction paper into quarters

Then I wrote a variety of activities on them (leaving some blank).

I asked my preschooler to set up a “board” in the play room like a winding path on the floor.

We rolled a single die, advanced that number of spaces, and performed the activity written on the card.

Voila! You now have a life size board game right in your home to play with the whole family!

After you’re all done with the game you can save the paper spaces for next time, or recycle them with this simple paint-with-water art.

Download FREE Week of Active Indoor Fun for Kids!

Steps to Make It Your Own Indoor Game

Step 1: Prepare your board!

Use construction paper to create your life size board game spaces.

Make them big enough to stand at least one foot on.

You could also skip the paper entirely and use Uno cards, or make use of your already symmetrically laid kitchen tiles.

Step 2: Decide on the actions.

My next step was to write different activities on each board space (see end of post for a list of ideas).

But you could easily designate activities for each number rolled on a die or each color on a spinner.

Be sure to coordinate your spinner colors with paper colors if you’re going to play this way.

Step 3: Design your board.

Lay out your life size game board as you wish.

Have the kids lay out the design, make it neat, make it messy, add chutes and ladders with painter’s tape, design it after a favorite family game, etc.

You just need to have a clear path.

Step 4: Determine HOW you’re playing.

Are you drawing colored cards like Candyland and advancing to that color?

How about spinning a spinner or rolling dice for a number count?

Will you be advancing one space on each turn and rolling an activity die to decide what to do?

In general, use what you have and have fun with what you use!

After burning energy with your life-size game, you can then learn how to create small-scale board games.

Outdoor Life Size Board Games

Apply all the same ideas above, but draw it with chalk!

I first picked out some favorite chalk colors.

Next, I colored chalk scribbles across the driveway in a path.

Lastly, it was time to assign an action to each color.

I didn’t have dice outside with us, and it wasn’t worth the effort of bringing my toddler inside to search for some when I decided to play this (am I right?).

Instead, I picked up some pebbles and we tossed them along the board (hop-scotch-style).

Ideas for Life Size Board Game Actions

Here are some ideas to get you started with your own life-size game board!

Gross Motor Activity Ideas

• race around the house
• jumping jacks
• front roll
• toe touches
• burpees
• high kicks
• arm circles
• squats
• lunges
• spin around
• high knees
• calf raises
• plank
• dance
• hops
• jumps
• leaps
• skip in circle
• side stretches
• bum/heel kicks
• star jumps
• and don’t forget traditional game spaces like “move ahead” or “move back”.

Other Ideas

• sing a song
• say the alphabet
• count to 10 or 20
• skip count by 2s or 5s
• find something that begins with the letter …
• find an object in the shape of a …
• find something that begins with a “buh” sound
• say something kind to your brother/sister
• count the flowers/balls/pillows
• ask trivia questions, or quiz older kids on spelling words or simple math

What is your favorite family board game for little ones? Comment below and we’ll brainstorm how to make it LIFE-SIZE!

Click here to read Easy Tin Foil Boat Money Float or Sink Experiment on Hands On As We Grow®

Work on counting money then dip into science with a tin foil boat float or sink experiment for President’s Day by Brigitte.

President’s Day is a great time to talk about US history. Making history real for kids is kind of hard though.

But money is very, very real – and many US presidents are on our coins!

I was inspired by Washington Crossing the Delaware, the famous Emanuel Leutze painting, while dreaming up this President’s Day activity. For this tin foil boat sink or float experiment, it’s all about the water.

Easy Tin Foil Boat Money Float or Sink Experiment

To get prepped for this tin foil boat experiment, you’ll need:

• coins
• aluminum foil
• bowls
• tub, big container, pot or sink
• water

We searched through our coin jars to find four presidents: Abraham Lincoln (pennies), Thomas Jefferson (nickels), Franklin D. Roosevelt (dimes), and George Washington (quarters).

We sorted the coins into piles while looking at the faces, talking about each president the whole time.

I did a rubbing of a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter to show the presidents’ faces along with their names. I had to do a second rubbing of a nickel when we noticed there are two different pictures for Thomas Jefferson.

Even children as young as three (with adult supervision) can practice sorting and matching the coins!

Add a Little History to Your Science Experiment

As we sorted and did coin rubbings, we also chatted about history. It is President’s Day, after all!

If you’d like to share some fast facts, talk about these:

• George Washington: on the quarter, 1st president and helped win the Revolutionary War
• Thomas Jefferson: on the nickel, 3rd president and wrote the Declaration of Independence
• Abraham Lincoln: on the penny, 16th president and was president during the Civil War
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: on the dime, 32nd president and the only president elected 4 times

While we talked and learned, my daughter decided to make her own “coins” by pressing aluminum foil around a couple of coins. She had seen the aluminum foil I had out for the next step and wanted to experiment.

Her coin copies turned out so much better than my coin rubbings!

Float or Sink? Tin Foil Boat Experiments to Test with Kids

After all of our talk about history and investigating the coins themselves, it was time to get down to experimenting. Up first: building tin foil boats for our float and sink experiment.

This is the reason the aluminum foil had been sitting out to begin with.

I used a plastic bowl as a mold so that all of the boats would be about the same size. Tear or cut a piece of aluminum foil slightly larger than the bowl.

Next, wrap the tin foil all the way around the bowl, tucking it in over the edge. Press down fairly firmly to really mold the foil to the bowl’s shape.

Then, I gently unwrapped the bowl just enough to remove it from the aluminum foil.

Finally, fold edges that had been in the bowl back in again so that the walls of the boat is really strong. Repeat four times to make four similar-sized tin foil boats.

Will the Tin Foil Boat Float or Sink?

My goal was to fill one with President Abraham Lincoln (pennies), one with President Thomas Jefferson (nickels), one with President Franklin D. Roosevelt (dimes), and one with President George Washington (quarters).

I thought it would be a fun science experiment to see what floats.

Our Challenge: Which presidential coin will we get more of in each boat before it sinks?

My plan changed when I realized we didn’t have enough quarters and dimes to actually sink the boats.

Here’s my original plan for the tin foil boat experiment:

1. Count pennies into one tin foil boat, making tallies until the boat sank
2. Repeat with nickels, dime, and quarters into the other tin foil boats
3. Compare the different tally marks to see which boat needed to least coins to sink and the most coins to sink
4. Talk about other things we observed
5. Repeat with combos of coins or just float boats + coins around the water

All the Presidents Money Counting Tin Foil Boat Game for Kids

Okay, so my first idea didn’t quite pan out. I’m already on the hunt for more coins so we can actually do the tin foil boat float or sink experiment.

However, my activity plan didn’t totally fail since we were able to turn it into a cool money counting game!

First, we talked about how much each coin was worth:

• Penny = $0.01 or 1 cent
• Nickel = $0.05 or 5 cents
• Dime = $0.10 or 10 cents
• Quarter = $0.25 or 25 cents

Then, we talked about how to count to 100 with each coin and made a chart:

• Pennies: 100
• Nickels: 20
• Dimes: 10
• Quarters: 4

We counted out $1 worth of each of the coins. One hundred pennies and twenty nickels were easier to count when stacked in piles of ten.

Counting coins is great skip counting practice!

Slightly older kids might not need assistance counting, but be sure to lend a hand or have pre-portioned coins for the little ones.

With our kitchen sink filled with water, we put $1 worth of coins into each of the boats. They all floated!

President Abraham Lincoln’s boat and President Thomas Jefferson’s boat did get a little bit of water in them, though. It was fun to talk about why that might be with my kids.

Fun Twists to the Tin Foil Boat Money Float

My daughters didn’t want to stop there. They decided they each wanted to create their own tin foil boats.

One created her own round boat. She used the plastic bowl upside down as a mold.

My other daughter decided to create a long rectangular boat, freestyle.

They were both happy when their boats actually floated on the water. We did need to make some adjustments before everything was perfect, but it’s all part of the process.

They decided to put pennies into each of the boats one by one as we counted. It became a competition to see which boat could hold more of President Abraham Lincoln.

We considered some questions as they did this:

• How many pennies do you think you can get in your boat before it sinks?
• What happens if you stack all the pennies in one spot?
• Is it better if you spread the pennies across the bottom of the boat?
• Should we throw the pennies on the boat?
• Would it be better if we set the pennies gently on the boat?

We counted 169 pennies into each boat before we ran out of pennies. But neither boat sank.

So, we decided to just use one boat to see how many pennies it would take before it sank. The round boat ended up sinking with 267 pennies in it.

We switched and filled the rectangle tin foil boat, which ended up sinking with 185 pennies in it.

My daughters ended up experimenting for quite a while with the aluminum foil and water. They saw that their empty aluminum foil boats floated, but other objects sank.

We love this fun fireworks-theme science experiment, too!

Thankfully, George Washington’s boat was sturdier than our tin foil boat!

How do you blend different types of learning, like history and science? We’d love to check out your creative ideas!

Click here to read 50+ Fall Leaf Themed Activities, Books, Crafts, and Snacks on Hands On As We Grow®

Fall is the perfect time to enjoy apples, pumpkins, and beautifully colored leaves. Try these leaf themed activities, books, crafts and snacks that Brigitte’s collected!

Everything about Fall just begs for cute crafts and yummy snacks. It’s a great season to cozy up with a good book or enjoying a fun activity.

50+ Fall Leaf Themed Activities, Books, Crafts, and Snacks

Even if you don’t live where leaves turn vibrant colors, you can still have fun with these leaf themed activities, crafts, books, and snacks.

Super Fun Leaf Themed Activities

If you would like to do something more than jumping and playing in leaves, look no further.

Learn colors, count, perform science experiments, and get moving with these leaf themed activities.

• Learn how to preserve leaves with this idea from Buggy and Buddy.
• Practice color matching and counting with this fall leaf sorting activity found on Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds.
• Work on counting with this fall leaves number matching activity from Schooling a Monkey.
• Have fun gathering and sorting leaves with this fall leaf hunt as seen on This Little Home of Mine.
• Match letters, color leaf pictures, and practice graphing with these fall freebies found on Flying into Learning.
• Make some leaf rubbings and then do a leaf rubbings nature match up as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Discover why leaves change color with an experiment from How Wee Learn.
• Explore colors and chlorophyll just like A Little Pinch of Perfect’s experiment.
• Learn how leaves breathe with an experiment from Edventures With Kids.
• Find out how water travels through leaves as seen on Buggy and Buddy.
• Use leaves to learn about symmetry without worksheets as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Try a fall leaf match to practice symmetry using colorful craft foam leaves as seen on Little Family Fun.
• Practice fine motor skills with this leaf lacing activity as seen on Happy Hooligans.
• Let your kids “blow leaves away” with these homemade leaf blowers as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Play with a leaf sensory bin as seen on Teaching Mama.

Make the season more fun with 22 Simple Fall Activities for Toddlers.

Get Crafty With Leaves

Decorate your house this fall with these leaf themed crafts.

• Create a zoo of animals with these leaf animals as seen on Crafty Morning.
• Make a family of leaves with these leaf people as seen on Fantastic Fun and Learning.
• Cute little leaf people, as seen on Hands On As We Grow, with brighten your day.
• Brighten up your windows with this fall leaf suncatcher collage from Hands On As We Grow.
• Create beautiful marbled fall leaves with Teaching with TLC’s craft.
• Have fun sculpting and painting your own beautiful diy leaf clay bowls with an idea from Emma Owl.
• This marker leaf print, seen on 123 Homeschool 4 Me, could be used to make beautiful wrapping paper.
• Try a painted leaf print from Meaningful Mama.
• Make a beautiful leaf wreath as seen on Crafts For All Seasons.

We love these ideas for  45 Fall Tree Crafts for Kids to Make!

Enjoy a Leaf Snack

Doing activities and crafts can build up quite an appetite. You can continue with the fall leaf theme and enjoy one (or more) of these tasty treats!

• Enjoy some cheesy crescent roll leaves as seen on Hungry Happenings.
• Make and enjoy a leaf cheese wreath platter as seen on The Yummy Life.
• Talk about colors as you enjoy this fall leaf snack as seen on Pre-K Pages.
• Try painting before eating this fall leaves painted toast as seen on Homestead Mama.
• Make some cheese snack crackers with only three ingredients as seen on Buggy and Buddy.
• Create a colorful fall tree before eating it as seen on Fantastic Fun & Learning.

Go beyond jack-o-lanterns with 40 Pumpkin Activities for Kids.

Leaf Through Some Books

Curl up together and read all about fall leaves with some books you may be able to find at your local library.

Attention: These are affiliate links to help support this website for your convenience at no additional cost to you. 

• A Tree for All Seasons by Robin Bernard
• Autumn is Here! by Heidi Pross Gray
• Fall is Here! by Fhiona Galloway
• Autumn Leaves Fall From the Trees by Lisa Bell
• Awesome Autumn by Bruce Goldstone
• Fall Leaves by Don L. Curry
• Count Down to Fall by Fran Hawk
• Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland
• Crayola Fall Colors (Crayola Seasons) by Mari Schuh
• Fall Leaves by Erika L. Shores
• Fall Leaves Change Colors by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
• Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage by Jane O’Connor
• Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
• I Love Fall (A Touch & Feel Boardbook) by Alison Inches
• Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall
• I See Fall by Charles Ghigna
• Fall Leaves Colorful and Crunchy by Martha E. H. Rustad
• I See Fall Leaves by Mari Schuh
• Leaves by David Ezra Stein
• Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
• Leaves Fall Down by Lisa Bullard
• Leaves in Fall by Martha E. Rustad
• Let it Fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
• Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson
• Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
• Squirrel in Autumn by Lizelot Versteeg
• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro
• We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
• What Happens to Leaves in Fall? by Rebecca Felix
• Why Do Leaves Change Colors? by Betsy Maestro

What is your favorite activity to do in fall? Share your best ideas in the comments!

Click here to read Easy Cupcake Liner Flowers! Simplified for Toddlers to Practice Threading on Hands On As We Grow®

This easy cupcake liner flowers threading activity has it all! It combines fine motor skill practice, a craft project, and pretend play into one!

Threading Flowers Fun Using Cupcake Liners!

This activity was inspired by this popular cereal threading activity!

Cereal threading makes for some delicious fine motor fun, but my 2 year old, Clara, is more into snacking on cereal than threading it. 

While looking for something less edible for her to thread, I spotted some cupcake liners in our craft supply closet. 

Cupcake liners make great craft supplies, especially for any craft or activity requiring a paper circle.

From learning activities like this silly name a pelling one, to jump and grab sight words!

I’ve used them to make snowflakes and paper flowers with my children in the past.

Why not use the cupcake liners in a flower-inspired threading activity?

Download our FREE Go-To List of Fine Motor Pre-Writing Activities PDF here!

Prepping Your Cupcake Liner Flowers Activity

For this Fine Motor Activity, You Will Need:

• Cupcake liners 
• Dowels, popsicle sticks, or twigs to make the stem
• Play dough
• Scissors

Making Flower Petals from Cupcake Liners

To prepare for this project, I folded the cupcake liners (the flower petals) in half and used scissors to snip a small hole in the center of them.

Make sure the hole is wide enough for the “stem” to thread through!

I also cut some petal shapes along the edge of some of the cupcake liners to make them look a bit more like flowers.

Setting Up the Stem!

I used a lump of play dough to mount a small dowel (the stem!) onto our table.

I found the dowels at our local dollar store, but popsicle sticks or twigs from the backyard would work just as well!

Threading Cupcake Liner Flowers for Toddlers

Once the “petals” and “stem” were ready, I called Clara in to start threading!

I showed Clara how to line up the hole in the cupcake liner with the dowel and to push it down to thread it through.

She quickly got to work threading the rest of the liners to assemble her first flower.

After the cupcake liner petals were in place, I gently pushed them up the dowel and added a ball of orange play dough to make the flower’s center.

With the first flower finished, Clara started building a wild bouquet!

More Ways to Thread and Play!

This threading project could easily be turned into a color sorting activity! Use cupcake liners in a variety of designs and encourage your child to sort and thread them by color and pattern. 

You could also turn this activity into scissor practice by allowing your child to cut the edges of the cupcake liners into different flower petal shapes themselves.

How would you use cupcake liners in a craft project with your child?

Click here to read Introduce Possible Or Impossible to Preschoolers with Simple Game on Hands On As We Grow®

Try out this super simple no-prep gross motor game to learn the concept of possible or impossible for preschoolers. Get silly to make them laugh!

Looking for an activity that takes no-prep, but gets your kids moving and having fun?

This silly gross motor indoor game can be played with one kid or many kids to introduce and practice the concept of things that are possible versus things that are impossible.

They listen, they choose, they move, they celebrate!

Check out these indoor gross motor activities for a full week of fun.

Possible Or Impossible Game Setup:

Supplies Needed:

• 2 Post-it Notes (or two pieces of paper with tape)
• 1 marker

Take the two Post-it Notes and write an “I” on one of them (for impossible) and a “P” on the other (for possible).

For younger kids you may want to use green paper for Possible and red paper for impossible to help differentiate them simply.

Red light vs. green light.

Choose a good space indoors where you can hang up the Post-it Notes opposite from one another.

Place the “P” on one wall and the “I” on another, with enough room for the kids to move back and forth.

Possible Or Impossible Game Rules:

The object of the game is for kids to listen to statements and decide whether they are impossible or possible.

Check out this great listen and move following directions game too!

Begin by having your kids stand in the middle of the room.

Explain that possible means things that could actually happen. And explain that impossible means that this thing could not happen in real life. Maybe even add that it would just be silly.

Say a statement that would lend itself to something that is impossible or possible.

For example, a dog went swimming on the moon.

They have to decide whether that statement is possible or impossible and run to the “I” or “P” Post-it Note.

Then discuss their reasoning together and have them move back into the middle of the room.

Continue to play by saying statements of things that are possible or impossible.

The statements can be silly or straightforward.

Start off by talking about things your kids are very familiar with.

If your kid is really into cars and trucks maybe use phrases like “the truck digs up dirt.” and then “the truck ate a whole tree of apples.”

If your child is into pets try phrases like “the dog drove his car to the park.” and “the dog barked at the squirrel.”

Some More Possible Or Impossible Example Statements:

• You can walk through the wall.
• Your friend ate breakfast today.
• There is a living dinosaur on the couch.
• The school bus is full of kids.
• The computer gave me a hug yesterday.
• The ant crawled into the ant hill.
• The balloon was bigger than the Statue of Liberty.
• The cat danced across the kitchen.
• A cow went swimming in the fountain.
• The cup of coffee was steaming hot.
• A family rode their bikes into town.
• The robot ate a carrot.
• A monkey swung from a tree.

Impossible Or Possible Extended Game Play:

This fun indoor game can continue for as long as there is interest and the statements can be simple or more complex.

For example, the boy jumped or the boy jumped over a shiny piece of foil in the road.

The statements can also be written down ahead of time or you can just think of them as you go.

If you have a child who is reading, they could read the statements for the younger kids to play.

As your kids move from one side of the room to the other, you could have them do a variety of movements.

They could run, jump, skip, crawl, crab walk, any variation of movements could work for this game.

Check out this crab walk transfer gross motor game too!

You may also find that your kids want you to join in the fun, by having them make up statements for you to play.

Have fun, be silly, and get moving!

An indoor game that gets your kids moving and learning, may seem impossible, but this game makes it totally possible.

What other indoor gross motor games does your family enjoy?

Let us know in the comments below.