By Gigi on March 13th, 2017
Here is a St. Patrick’s Day activity (free printable) that will allow children to practice their visual discrimination skills. Opposed to comparing a small group of 3D objects, children must rely on their visual discrimination skills to identify differences and similarities of images. It is important for them to hone these skills in order to strengthen their alphabetic knowledge; they will need to spot the differences between letters. For examples, “b” and “d”, and “m” and “n”.
For younger learners, it may be best to work with one line of pictures at a time. Try covering the others with a piece of paper.
Once the child has determined which image is different from the rest, have him/or cover it with a marker. Gold coins work very well and are always popular! For further visual discrimination fun, check out the I Spy 
book series on Amazon.
Download the free St. Patrick’s Day visual discrimination activity here.
By Zoey on March 11th, 2017
Colored shaving cream is inexpensive, and can be used in a variety of ways. It also provides a nice change from using traditional paint.
It can be easily made by adding a few drops of washable water color to shaving cream. Stir slowly until blended.
MATERIALS USED:
– Shaving cream
– Washable water colors
– Containers in desired size
– Paper plates
– Paint brushes
– Cotton balls
– Glue
A couple of weeks ago, my class used it to paint rainbows on paper plates. We added a couple of pieces of cotton to simulate clouds, and the children had beautiful rainbows to take home. This was such a big hit.
More colored shaving cream activities to come!
By Gigi on March 11th, 2017
Collages are a great way for children to creatively express themselves, and a simple way for mothers and teachers to incorporate learning. With these shamrock collages, descriptive words were used to point out various aspects of the materials. We talked about their colors, shapes, textures, compositions, and patterns.
There is an everlasting supply of collage materials. However, it is all about quality and organization. Whether if it’s in an activity or in an art center, a thrown together mishmash of miscellany is unlikely to a inspire a preschooler’s creativity. Be sure to use a method – for example, paper stacked neatly on a shelf, a container for glue bottles and sticks, a bin for recycled materials, and another for buttons and pom poms, and so on. Presenting these things in an orderly fashion will aid children in recognizing artistic possibilities. Here I’ve used a plastic compartment serving tray to display these green goodies.
MATERIALS USED:
– Construction paper
– Glue
– Scissors
– Our free printable shamrock template
– Fabric scraps
– Feathers
– Pom poms
– Tissue paper
– Sequins
– Sequin shamrocks
– Pipe cleaners/fuzzy sticks
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