Shaving Cream Sensory Art Activity

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Click here to read Shaving Cream Sensory Art Activity on Hands On As We Grow

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Help your child explore their inner artist with this shaving cream sensory activity from Rachel!

Recently, I was unpacking yet another box and came across an art project that I did with my older two girls a few years ago. All I needed was shaving cream and food coloring.

This is one of my all-time favorite art activities!

I loved them so much that I actually framed them and hung them in the girls’ playroom over their art table. It was time to do this with Hannah!

Check out these other fun sensory ideas with shaving cream!

You can take this shaving cream sensory activity in a few directions, depending on what you and your child are up for.

It can be purely sensory play (incredibly messy or not-so-messy!), more focused color mixing and exploration or a creative art activity.

I love easily adaptable activities!

Prep the Shaving Cream Sensory Pan

First, I filled a baking sheet with shaving cream.

Word to the wise, it’s more fun with a lot of shaving cream, so I always buy the cheapest can I can find.

Also, your house will probably smell like Barbasol for the rest of the day. I think it’s totally worth it!

Next, I gave Hannah the bottles of food coloring and showed her how to gently squeeze out a drop at a time. She dripped and dropped until she decided it was ready.

When she was done with that, she started swirling.

She started with a toothpick to experiment with some color mixing. I gave her a plastic knife when she was ready to do the major swirling.

This is one of the spots where you can change up the activity.

If you are purely in it for the squishy, colorful mess, then, by all means, go for it!

Add tools to avoid some of the mess or just let them dig in with their hands! Let them swirl and play their hearts out.

If you want to make the marble art, you will need to guide the swirling a little. At a certain point, the pretty streaks and swirls turn a not-so-pretty brown.

I just had Hannah stop every so often and asked if she was ready to stamp. She LOVES stamps so I knew this would help her stop.

Firmly but gently press a piece of white cardstock evenly across the surface (cardstock really does work best at holding up to the moisture and not letting the colors bleed).

Lift it up and use a straight edge (I used a ruler) to scrape all of the shaving cream off. You will be left with the swirls of food coloring stamped to the paper!

After making her picture, Hannah was ready to play some more. She still didn’t want to put her hands in the shaving cream so I gave her more toothpicks and a plastic fork.

She could have added food coloring and mixed it up for the rest of the day!

Would your child stick to the tools or go elbow deep in shaving cream?

Check out this shaving cream art activity for even more fun!

 

Shaving Cream Sensory Art Activity

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2Ca5rFb

Click here to read Shaving Cream Sensory Art Activity on Hands On As We Grow

---

Help your child explore their inner artist with this shaving cream sensory activity from Rachel!

Recently, I was unpacking yet another box and came across an art project that I did with my older two girls a few years ago. All I needed was shaving cream and food coloring.

This is one of my all-time favorite art activities!

I loved them so much that I actually framed them and hung them in the girls’ playroom over their art table. It was time to do this with Hannah!

Check out these other fun sensory ideas with shaving cream!

You can take this shaving cream sensory activity in a few directions, depending on what you and your child are up for.

It can be purely sensory play (incredibly messy or not-so-messy!), more focused color mixing and exploration or a creative art activity.

I love easily adaptable activities!

Prep the Shaving Cream Sensory Pan

First, I filled a baking sheet with shaving cream.

Word to the wise, it’s more fun with a lot of shaving cream, so I always buy the cheapest can I can find.

Also, your house will probably smell like Barbasol for the rest of the day. I think it’s totally worth it!

Next, I gave Hannah the bottles of food coloring and showed her how to gently squeeze out a drop at a time. She dripped and dropped until she decided it was ready.

When she was done with that, she started swirling.

She started with a toothpick to experiment with some color mixing. I gave her a plastic knife when she was ready to do the major swirling.

This is one of the spots where you can change up the activity.

If you are purely in it for the squishy, colorful mess, then, by all means, go for it!

Add tools to avoid some of the mess or just let them dig in with their hands! Let them swirl and play their hearts out.

If you want to make the marble art, you will need to guide the swirling a little. At a certain point, the pretty streaks and swirls turn a not-so-pretty brown.

I just had Hannah stop every so often and asked if she was ready to stamp. She LOVES stamps so I knew this would help her stop.

Firmly but gently press a piece of white cardstock evenly across the surface (cardstock really does work best at holding up to the moisture and not letting the colors bleed).

Lift it up and use a straight edge (I used a ruler) to scrape all of the shaving cream off. You will be left with the swirls of food coloring stamped to the paper!

After making her picture, Hannah was ready to play some more. She still didn’t want to put her hands in the shaving cream so I gave her more toothpicks and a plastic fork.

She could have added food coloring and mixed it up for the rest of the day!

Would your child stick to the tools or go elbow deep in shaving cream?

Check out this shaving cream art activity for even more fun!

 

January Desktop Wallpaper

A to Z Kids Stuff-Educational ideas and activities for young children http://ift.tt/2C7GVVf

January Desktop Wallpaper with Calendar

Penguins

A to Z Kids Stuff-Educational ideas and activities for young children http://ift.tt/2C9SR9b

Activities for educators and others to use with preschool and kindergarten children to learn about penguins.

Penguins

A to Z Kids Stuff-Educational ideas and activities for young children http://ift.tt/2C8Ks5N

Information and resources for educators and others to use with school-age children to learn about penguins.

Polar Bears

A to Z Kids Stuff-Educational ideas and activities for young children http://ift.tt/2C8admz

Information and resources for educators and others to use with school age children to learn about polar bears. Learn fascinating information and facts about the polar bear. Enjoy fun printable and online activities.

Antarctica

A to Z Kids Stuff-Educational ideas and activities for young children http://ift.tt/2C8MzGG

Information, history, facts, and activities on Antarctica for school-age children.

Pirates

A to Z Kids Stuff-Educational ideas and activities for young children http://ift.tt/2C9qTdK

Ahoy there mates! Pirate theme ideas, activities, games, projects, and more for school-age children. Arrgh!

Learn Letters with DIY Sensory Bins

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2DeLvAm

Click here to read Learn Letters with DIY Sensory Bins on Hands On As We Grow

---

Today’s sensory bin activity from Heather is a snap to create, but gives at least a week of letter learning fun! 

Living in a small house brings its challenges for sure. Especially when you have kids and all that comes with them.

Our Activity Room member of the month, Heather knows all about this.

In a small house, you don’t have a lot of room for all the toys to be out, which means that they often get forgotten about because they’re stored away in closets and chests.

Heather has a system where every morning, she gets out four toys that haven’t been out for a long time and places them on the four corners of her living room rug.

She’s found that it helps her kids play more independently and helps make cleanup easier!

What a simple solution to try if you live in a small house (or any house for that matter!)

Let’s meet Heather and learn how she teaches her children their ABCs!

How many kids do you have and how old are they?

2 kids: Sarah 4, Matthew 2.5

How long have you been in The Activity Room?

At least a year?

(In fact, Heather started back in November of 2016 and has been an active member of our Members only Facebook the entire time!)

What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room?

Rainbow of toys!

What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments? 

Love going on nature treasure hunts.

What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids? 

Relax (this is for me primarily LOL) – these projects and activities are all about the process rather than product.

Things more than likely will NOT go the way you planned and sometimes that’s the best reward of all! Listening to these little creatures will teach you more than you ever knew!

If you were to tell a friend about The Activity Room, what would you say to them? 

The Activity Room gives me a running list of “go-to” activities that I can set up quickly and easily.

Being able to share and talk about the things we experience in our own little pocket of home with others all over the world is a lot of fun and gives me a little more incentive to keep up with my end.

I love seeing the variety of ways a simple activity can be interpreted and many times evolve into a totally different activity.

Anything else you’d like to add in regards to The Activity Room? 

Connecting with other caregivers who are experiencing the same struggles AND successes as you, even if they are thousands of miles away, is very comforting! The Activity Room engages us all in connecting with others to share a very unique journey of watching and encouraging these little people. LOVE IT!

Share your favorite quote: 

“It is what it is….” ~Anonymous

What activity would you like to share with us that you’ve done?

I’m sharing a DIY sensory bin activity for learning letters. I plan a letter a week but usually end up taking two weeks because we always find more to do than I plan!

Build a Learn-a-Letter Sensory Bin

I start by selecting a letter my 4-year-old daughter is struggling with and start building the sensory bin.

This week was the letter “B.”

I try to use stuff around the house just like Jamie so I search through their smaller toys and my stash of Dollar Store items for things that start with the letter sound. I also dyed white beans in rainbow colors.

This time, I had some light-up butterflies, wire butterflies, candy bones, buttons, and balls.

I try to find 3-4 books that highlight the letter in either our home library or from the public library.

For each book, I find free activities on Pinterest that I can print, cut out, and add to the sensory bin each day.

I also do a shape puzzle by tracing the outline of each item in the box.

By the end, there are all sorts of things floating around in the bin that satisfy the needs of both the 2-year-old and the 4-year-old. They spend quite a bit of time each day sifting and working!

Weekly Sensory Bin Activity Plan

On the first day, we read one of the books.

Then they sift through the bin, familiarizing themselves with the goodies. They can match each new discovery to the shape puzzle I already created.

Some days, we will reread a book and add an activity. Other days, I will introduce a new book with a new activity.

For the letter B, I picked:

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle. I added circles with the characters to match and a number puzzle 1-5 of the brown bear.
• Whose Butt? by Stan Tekiela. I hid tops and bottoms of animals for them to find and match.
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Then, I set up a new sensory bin of all outdoor items that matched the story.

The only thing we spent money on were the beans and a few Dollar Store items. Tons of learning occurred and we had so much fun!

I also keep a binder to keep their letter past activities in. I include a handprint letter, a tactile letter (glued/outlined the letter B with some of our beans), and a few other freebies we like to do with each letter.

Once you do a few letters, it becomes routine and takes very little time to set up!

Start getting daily activities sent to you. Join the Activity Room today!

Learn Letters with DIY Sensory Bins

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2DeLvAm

Click here to read Learn Letters with DIY Sensory Bins on Hands On As We Grow

---

Today’s sensory bin activity from Heather is a snap to create, but gives at least a week of letter learning fun! 

Living in a small house brings its challenges for sure. Especially when you have kids and all that comes with them.

Our Activity Room member of the month, Heather knows all about this.

In a small house, you don’t have a lot of room for all the toys to be out, which means that they often get forgotten about because they’re stored away in closets and chests.

Heather has a system where every morning, she gets out four toys that haven’t been out for a long time and places them on the four corners of her living room rug.

She’s found that it helps her kids play more independently and helps make cleanup easier!

What a simple solution to try if you live in a small house (or any house for that matter!)

Let’s meet Heather and learn how she teaches her children their ABCs!

How many kids do you have and how old are they?

2 kids: Sarah 4, Matthew 2.5

How long have you been in The Activity Room?

At least a year?

(In fact, Heather started back in November of 2016 and has been an active member of our Members only Facebook the entire time!)

What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room?

Rainbow of toys!

What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments? 

Love going on nature treasure hunts.

What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids? 

Relax (this is for me primarily LOL) – these projects and activities are all about the process rather than product.

Things more than likely will NOT go the way you planned and sometimes that’s the best reward of all! Listening to these little creatures will teach you more than you ever knew!

If you were to tell a friend about The Activity Room, what would you say to them? 

The Activity Room gives me a running list of “go-to” activities that I can set up quickly and easily.

Being able to share and talk about the things we experience in our own little pocket of home with others all over the world is a lot of fun and gives me a little more incentive to keep up with my end.

I love seeing the variety of ways a simple activity can be interpreted and many times evolve into a totally different activity.

Anything else you’d like to add in regards to The Activity Room? 

Connecting with other caregivers who are experiencing the same struggles AND successes as you, even if they are thousands of miles away, is very comforting! The Activity Room engages us all in connecting with others to share a very unique journey of watching and encouraging these little people. LOVE IT!

Share your favorite quote: 

“It is what it is….” ~Anonymous

What activity would you like to share with us that you’ve done?

I’m sharing a DIY sensory bin activity for learning letters. I plan a letter a week but usually end up taking two weeks because we always find more to do than I plan!

Build a Learn-a-Letter Sensory Bin

I start by selecting a letter my 4-year-old daughter is struggling with and start building the sensory bin.

This week was the letter “B.”

I try to use stuff around the house just like Jamie so I search through their smaller toys and my stash of Dollar Store items for things that start with the letter sound. I also dyed white beans in rainbow colors.

This time, I had some light-up butterflies, wire butterflies, candy bones, buttons, and balls.

I try to find 3-4 books that highlight the letter in either our home library or from the public library.

For each book, I find free activities on Pinterest that I can print, cut out, and add to the sensory bin each day.

I also do a shape puzzle by tracing the outline of each item in the box.

By the end, there are all sorts of things floating around in the bin that satisfy the needs of both the 2-year-old and the 4-year-old. They spend quite a bit of time each day sifting and working!

Weekly Sensory Bin Activity Plan

On the first day, we read one of the books.

Then they sift through the bin, familiarizing themselves with the goodies. They can match each new discovery to the shape puzzle I already created.

Some days, we will reread a book and add an activity. Other days, I will introduce a new book with a new activity.

For the letter B, I picked:

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle. I added circles with the characters to match and a number puzzle 1-5 of the brown bear.
• Whose Butt? by Stan Tekiela. I hid tops and bottoms of animals for them to find and match.
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Then, I set up a new sensory bin of all outdoor items that matched the story.

The only thing we spent money on were the beans and a few Dollar Store items. Tons of learning occurred and we had so much fun!

I also keep a binder to keep their letter past activities in. I include a handprint letter, a tactile letter (glued/outlined the letter B with some of our beans), and a few other freebies we like to do with each letter.

Once you do a few letters, it becomes routine and takes very little time to set up!

Start getting daily activities sent to you. Join the Activity Room today!

25 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2g47sIP

Click here to read 25 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids on Hands On As We Grow

---

Fa la la! ‘Tis the season for some easy Christmas crafts for kids! Ready to get creative this holiday season?

What do you think of when you think Christmas? Santa? The Christmas tree? Candy canes?

These are all things that come to my mind… and I’m positive that’s what my kids are thinking about (beyond presents!) when they think of Christmas. What’s the best way to get them excited about Christmas (as if that’s needed….)?!

Do some Christmas crafts to get them in the mood!

Here are the 25 Christmas crafts I found that I absolutely love, including Christmas trees, Santa and his reindeer, and of course, candy canes.

Easy Christmas Tree Crafts for Kids to Make:

When the big tree is done being decorated, why not give the kids their own homemade version of a tree too?

Here are even more Christmas tree crafts for kids.

Santa & His Reindeer Crafts for Kids to Make:

Get out the milk, cookies, and carrots for these adorable Santa and his reindeer crafts!

Can’t get enough? Here are more Santa Crafts!

Easy Candy Cane Crafts for Kids to Make:

Too much junk food during the holidays? Try these sugar-free candy cane crafts with the kids.

Plus! Homemade Ornaments for the Kids:

What are your favorite and easy Christmas crafts for kids to make?

Not quite sure where to start?

These simple craft kits make is super easy to make Christmas crafts! These affiliate links are to products to help make your holiday season easier and more enjoyable.

• Paper Houses to Make & Decorate for the Holidays
• Make Your Own Snow Globes Kit
• Gingerbread House Kit
• Santa Clause Foamies Craft Kit

25 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2g47sIP

Click here to read 25 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids on Hands On As We Grow

---

Fa la la! ‘Tis the season for some easy Christmas crafts for kids! Ready to get creative this holiday season?

What do you think of when you think Christmas? Santa? The Christmas tree? Candy canes?

These are all things that come to my mind… and I’m positive that’s what my kids are thinking about (beyond presents!) when they think of Christmas. What’s the best way to get them excited about Christmas (as if that’s needed….)?!

Do some Christmas crafts to get them in the mood!

Here are the 25 Christmas crafts I found that I absolutely love, including Christmas trees, Santa and his reindeer, and of course, candy canes.

Easy Christmas Tree Crafts for Kids to Make:

When the big tree is done being decorated, why not give the kids their own homemade version of a tree too?

Here are even more Christmas tree crafts for kids.

Santa & His Reindeer Crafts for Kids to Make:

Get out the milk, cookies, and carrots for these adorable Santa and his reindeer crafts!

Can’t get enough? Here are more Santa Crafts!

Easy Candy Cane Crafts for Kids to Make:

Too much junk food during the holidays? Try these sugar-free candy cane crafts with the kids.

Plus! Homemade Ornaments for the Kids:

What are your favorite and easy Christmas crafts for kids to make?

Not quite sure where to start?

These simple craft kits make is super easy to make Christmas crafts! These affiliate links are to products to help make your holiday season easier and more enjoyable.

• Paper Houses to Make & Decorate for the Holidays
• Make Your Own Snow Globes Kit
• Gingerbread House Kit
• Santa Clause Foamies Craft Kit

Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break (Winter Break Bucket List for Kids)

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2kReMcJ

Click here to read Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break (Winter Break Bucket List for Kids) on Hands On As We Grow

---

I’ve been on the hunt for some fun things to do over winter break and made a ‘Winter Break Bucket List‘ free printable for the kids to enjoy a fantastic winter break! And if you have a snow day coming up, I also have some fun ways to spend a snow day.

This year has been another amazing year to put in the books. I’m excited to spend the next two weeks with family and friends, enjoying the holidays. So, I may be quiet here on hands on as we grow. In fact, this will likely be my last post of 2015. Of course, you can find activities to do every day on the hands on as we grow Facebook page and in The Huddle group.

The kids will be home from school for two weeks over the holidays, and as I started thinking of things we could do, I took a trip down memory lane.

Winter break was such a fun time as a kid! What did you do over winter break?

Share in the comments:
What did you do over Winter Break as a Kid?

These are some of the fun things I did over winter break as a kid, and some of them are new traditions I want to start with my kids.

Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break:

• Color a coloring page completely
• Cut paper snowflakes
• Make a fort to cover the living room
• Watch a favorite movie inside the fort
• Build a snowman (real or a craft)
• Donate old toys & books to a local charity or daycare
• Make a gingerbread house
• Do a puzzle bigger than you’ve ever done before
• Write a thank you letter for a favorite gift
• Go on a flashlight scavenger hunt
• Make a magazine collage
• Do the ivory soap experiment
• Make a lava lamp
• Have a sleepover
• Stay in pajamas all day
• Play dominoes
• Go sledding
• Drink hot chocolate
• Look at photos from the year
• Do a year-end interview

Print the Winter Break Fun for Kids Free Printable

• Make a card house
• Play cards with family, or learn a solitaire game.
• Go bowling
• Head to the playground, with or without snow
• Make big, BIG art
• Bake cookies
• Make an obstacle course
• Make homemade play dough
• Make a puzzle from a cereal box
• Build a snow fort
• Play dots & boxes
• Play hide & seek
• Solve a Rubik’s cube
• Make a tape maze
• Go ice skating
• Camp out by the Christmas tree
• Create a family tree
• Make a tin can snowman
• Deliver treats to a local care center
• Take an end-of-year family photo

Print the Winter Break Fun for Kids Free Printable

Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break (Winter Break Bucket List for Kids)

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2kReMcJ

Click here to read Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break (Winter Break Bucket List for Kids) on Hands On As We Grow

---

I’ve been on the hunt for some fun things to do over winter break and made a ‘Winter Break Bucket List‘ free printable for the kids to enjoy a fantastic winter break! And if you have a snow day coming up, I also have some fun ways to spend a snow day.

This year has been another amazing year to put in the books. I’m excited to spend the next two weeks with family and friends, enjoying the holidays. So, I may be quiet here on hands on as we grow. In fact, this will likely be my last post of 2015. Of course, you can find activities to do every day on the hands on as we grow Facebook page and in The Huddle group.

The kids will be home from school for two weeks over the holidays, and as I started thinking of things we could do, I took a trip down memory lane.

Winter break was such a fun time as a kid! What did you do over winter break?

Share in the comments:
What did you do over Winter Break as a Kid?

These are some of the fun things I did over winter break as a kid, and some of them are new traditions I want to start with my kids.

Fun Things to Do Over Winter Break:

• Color a coloring page completely
• Cut paper snowflakes
• Make a fort to cover the living room
• Watch a favorite movie inside the fort
• Build a snowman (real or a craft)
• Donate old toys & books to a local charity or daycare
• Make a gingerbread house
• Do a puzzle bigger than you’ve ever done before
• Write a thank you letter for a favorite gift
• Go on a flashlight scavenger hunt
• Make a magazine collage
• Do the ivory soap experiment
• Make a lava lamp
• Have a sleepover
• Stay in pajamas all day
• Play dominoes
• Go sledding
• Drink hot chocolate
• Look at photos from the year
• Do a year-end interview

Print the Winter Break Fun for Kids Free Printable

• Make a card house
• Play cards with family, or learn a solitaire game.
• Go bowling
• Head to the playground, with or without snow
• Make big, BIG art
• Bake cookies
• Make an obstacle course
• Make homemade play dough
• Make a puzzle from a cereal box
• Build a snow fort
• Play dots & boxes
• Play hide & seek
• Solve a Rubik’s cube
• Make a tape maze
• Go ice skating
• Camp out by the Christmas tree
• Create a family tree
• Make a tin can snowman
• Deliver treats to a local care center
• Take an end-of-year family photo

Print the Winter Break Fun for Kids Free Printable