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3 Kids Project to Celebrate National Crafts Month

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Now is the best time to encourage your child to channel their inner artist! Get the art materials and supplies ready because this March, we are celebrating National Crafts Month! National Crafts Month was created by the Craft and Hobby Association in 1994.

This celebration of crafts is designed to encourage everyone to find joy in crafting, learn new crafts and discover or revisit a hobby. It also supports the use of all kinds of mediums. From paints, fabrics, yarns, paper – you can have your child take their pick when it comes to materials.

Celebrate National Crafts Month with these projects your little one will surely love!

Rainbow Windsock Toilet Paper Roll Craft

This Rainbow Windsock Toilet Paper Roll Craft is an adorable craft perfect for rainy days. It can turn your child’s gloomy day into something fun and exciting!

Here are the materials you’ll need:

  • blue paint
  • toilet paper roll
  • scissors
  • white paper
  • black marker
  • string
  • tissue paper in different colors
  • hole puncher

How to do it?

  1. Start by painting the toilet paper roll in blue. You can have your child do this step with your guidance.
  2. Once the roll is painted, you can set it aside until the paint dries completely.
  3. In the meantime, you can make the clouds by drawing a cloud shape and cutting it out. Let your child draw eyes and a mouth to make it more fun.
  4. Then go back to your toilet paper roll and punch two holes on either side where you can insert the string for hanging.
  5. Push the yarn through the holes and tie it up.
  6. Get your cloud and glue it on the toilet paper roll.
  7. Then, cut the colored tissue paper into long strips and glue them around the toilet paper roll.

Once done, it is ready to be hung!

Paper flower crafts

Making paper flower crafts is perfect for kids of all ages. Not only is it a fun activity but it also helps develop their fine motor skills.

These are the materials you’ll need for this craft:

  • yellow paper
  • circle paper punch
  • scissors
  • colored paper
  • green paper straws
  • stick glue
  • clear or patterned tape

How to do it?

  1. Guide your child when it comes to punching a few circles out of yellow paper using the puncher.
  2. Cut strips of colored paper but make sure to pay attention to their size in relation to the yellow circles.
  3. Then, make a paper loop by putting together the ends of the strips with glue. Depending on the flower you are making, you may need to make quite a few.
  4. Have these loops glued on the side of the paper circle until it forms a flower.
  5. The final step is to glue the green paper straw at the center of the flower and secure it with tape.

3D Rainbow Paper Craft

Making rainbow crafts is another activity your little one will surely enjoy. Because rainbows are made of different colors, this craft can be a wonderful opportunity to teach your child about colors. Here are the materials you need to make a 3D Rainbow Paper Craft.

  • Construction paper in rainbow colors
  • scissors
  • cotton balls
  • duct tape

This craft is very easy to make.

  1. Cut 7 strips of paper, one strip of each color to make a true rainbow.
  2. Then, cut out two cloud shapes using your white construction paper.
  3. Arrange the strips according to the correct color order of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, or the other way around) and glue one end on one cloud.
  4. Then, glue the other end on the second cloud.
  5. Use duct tape to secure both ends.
  6. Fold the strips of paper following the line of the duct tape so it’s easier to make an arch.
  7. Apply glue on the clouds and add cotton balls on both sides of the strips to hold the rainbow’s arched shape.

Once done with both clouds, your rainbow craft is complete!

There are plenty of fun and engaging crafts your kids can create this National Crafts Month! Feel free to explore some other crafts and use them as an exciting bonding activity with your kids!

March Reading Madness

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March is full of exciting reading fun! It’s the month to celebrate Dr. Seuss for one! Another newer reading trend is from a non-profit website called Read Aloud. They promote reading to children at least 15 minutes per day from birth through childhood. They even promote reading to your unborn children as well. This month they are hosting a 21-day reading challenge.

  • You sign up on the website and post pictures of you reading for 15 minutes with your children. It’s a great way to connect each day, and it is not so much time that it is unreasonable. If you already have a reading routine, then just continue what you do every day already.
  • http://www.readaloud.org/21daychallenge.html here is a link to the reading challenge. Using social media post what you are doing, then challenge others with children to join in as well. This challenge is to promote daily universal reading habits.

There are so many ways to celebrate the Great Dr. Seuss. Pinterest is full of ideas from painting to cooking to go along with all of Dr. Seuss’s books.

  • It’s a great time to get involved at your child’s school. Ask how you can contribute. Last year at our school we had a teacher potluck of Dr. Seuss goodies. Each person made something and named it after a book. I made “Hop on Pop” candied popcorn that was read and blue.
  • Every year we do spirit weeks for the two-week unit of Dr. Seuss. Each day is themed around one of the books like “Wacky Wednesday” and silly sock day for “Fox in Socks”. Celebrating such an influential author creates so much fun around reading.
  • Make a Dr. Seuss reading challenge. Read each one of his books and plan one activity to go along with it. You can easily spend more than a month doing this. Or extend it into Summer if you need activities to fill the days. Make all the fun messes in the backyard!
  • Rewind to when you were in elementary school and think about what your school did for Dr. Seuss week. I remember always making green eggs and ham in class. We also set up a cozy reading area in the front office full of each Dr. Seuss book our library had. It was a huge deal to get chosen to go read for a little while in it.

March will be kept busy with all these fun plans! Enjoy reading on readers!

Ms. Brooke
Lead Prekindergarten Teacher
Literacy Coordinator

March is for Mini Meteorologists!

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March is such a crazy month for weather in Colorado Springs! I hear that all the time! It is supposed to feel like Spring, yet we see all different shades of the weather. From hail, fog, SNOW, rain, sun, and of course those super windy days. March really can throw you through a whirlwind of different weather patterns. This can be such a great time to engage your preschooler and really dig into learning all about the weather.

Learning about the weather at home is something super easy for parents to do. The topic of the weather is something we are all talking about daily. It comes up in many conversations throughout our day and sharing this conversation and making it fun with your preschooler is a great way to engage in some fun at home science activities.

Start by creating a weather calendar.

I start by printing a blank calendar and then I have my child fill in the month and numbers on his own by tracing what I have written (that is where he is at currently in his stage of writing). You could easily make this easier by writing it yourself as your child follows along or harder by letting your child write the Month and numbers all on their own. So, once you have your calendar all set up you can begin tracking the weather for each day.

Go outside!

Talk about what your child sees, feels, and hears. So many great conversations can be taking place while you are doing this. Decide on what the weather is for the day and then mark it on your weather calendar. Encourage your child to draw and write/trace the weather for each day in March. As you are getting through the month you can discuss patterns that they see and make predictions for what they think the next day’s weather will be.

Create Fun Experiments

Creating fun science experiments for each type of weather is another way to explore the weather elements. This will keep your family busy on the weekends for sure! Here are a few ideas to get you going, although there are tons more if you do a quick search online.

Sunny-Sunblock experiment

Use black construction paper and sunscreen. Have your child put sunscreen on their finger and draw a sun. Then hang the piece of paper up in a sunlit window for the day. At the end of the day, check to see what has happened to the piece of paper! This is a great time to talk about the importance of sunscreen as well.

Rainy

Create your own indoor rain cloud in a jar. All you need is a large jar, shaving cream, and food coloring. Fill the jar with water until it’s about ¾ full, then squirt shaving cream(cloud) on top of the water. Squirt the coloring on top of the shaving cream cloud a few times, get ready for your kiddo to be amazed!

Snowy

Examine the snow! The put a black piece of paper in the freezer, when it snows have your child catch the snow on the paper and examine the snowflakes with a magnifying glass. Measure the snow with your child. Fill a bucket super full to the top, then allow your child to watch it as it slowly melts away. Your child will be amazed at the magic disappearing act and be impressed with how little water remains compared to how much snow you collected.

These are just a few simple and easy ideas to get you started with your mini meteorologist! Kids love examining the weather, talking about it, and doing hands on activities! Make it a fun time for the family and dig deep this month to explore the various elements of weather!

Ms. Whitney
Lead Prekindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator

6 Tips for Parents with a Clingy Toddler

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It isn’t uncommon to see young kids screaming, clinging on to their parents and begging them not to leave. This scenario usually happens when a child doesn’t feel comfortable in their new surroundings. They exhibit clingy behavior when they are anxious. They only want to feel secure with their parents and caregiver. While parents would agree that dealing with this behavior is quite a challenge, it’s important to understand that it is part of your child’s healthy development. Learn how to ease your clingy toddler’s separation anxiety and make them feel safer with these helpful tips.

Be mindful of your responses

Dealing with a clingy toddler, especially when they start throwing tantrums, is enough to make any parent lose their patience. However, it is extremely important to stay calm and in control. Instead of acting distressed, show your toddler that you are in charge of the situation by staying firm. Assure them that there is nothing they should fear and that you’ll always come back for them. Also, never sneak away behind their back. Leaving them without saying goodbye is one of the worst things to do as it will only increase their clingy behavior the next time you’ll have to leave.

Give them a fun activity to practice independence

Another excellent way to deal with a clingy toddler is to give them a fun game or activity that will keep them busy. This activity should be something that will let them practice their independence, such as solving a puzzle. Not only will it help them develop their sense of independence, but it will also help practice their problem solving skills and foster their cognitive development.

Encourage self-sufficiency

toddlers sitting on stairs
Make sure your toddlers play with their age mates

Teach your little one to be less dependent on you by allowing them to make their own decisions. Allow them to perform simple tasks without your help. Some examples are getting their own snacks, putting away their toys, making their bed, and so on. It is also a great idea to get them involved in household chores, like dusting the furniture, cooking and so on.

Encourage them to play with their siblings

If you have other children, it is a lot easier to handle the behavior of your clingy toddler. Encourage your kids to have fun and play together. Talk to the older siblings and have them play your toddler’s favorite game. Let them understand the importance of them spending time with their little sibling. This is one effective way for them to learn how to be comfortable with members of the family other than their parents.

Spend time with other people, too

One of the reasons why young children tend to be clingier is that they have grown used to being with only you. What you can do is have them spend time with other people on a regular basis. For example, schedule visits to a family friend with kids. This will help them increase their level of comfort with other adults and at the same time, enjoy play dates with other children. Also consider establishing a weekend routine where you bring them to visit their grandparents. Doing this is an effective way to get them used to being with other people besides you.

Acknowledge how they feel

Being clingy isn’t something that any child has purposely chosen to be. It is a natural part of their development. Instead of making them feel bad during every meltdown, acknowledge how they feel. Let them know that other children feel the same way at times. Never punish them for their separation anxiety, but reassure them that there’s no reason they should be afraid. Make them feel understood. It will help them a lot. Their only source of comfort is their parents, so empathize and validate their feelings.

Most parents would agree that dealing with a clingy toddler is tough. But with the help of these tips, you can ease your child’s separation anxiety and increase their confidence even when you’re apart.

Sending your little one to preschool is also an excellent way to develop their sense of independence. If you’re looking for the best preschool for your little one, please consider Young Scholars Academy.

What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me About Becoming an Early Childhood Teacher

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Coming into this field I had zero experience. I gave the run of the mill response during my interview of “I love kids, and I was a babysitter in high school, and I took care of my younger siblings”. None of that, I repeat, none of that, prepares you for the demands of early childhood.

Here I am seven years later, and I know I still have so much to learn. With that being said, the first day on the job I fell in love. It was there. My passion. If it doesn’t click early on, it’s not going to. Early childhood requires crazy passion. You’re in for 5 days a week (52 weeks out of the year; no summer and winter breaks like primary school) that are DEMANDING all day long. You will do much more work than you are paid for all while using all your imaginary arms and brain cells constantly. When people hear that you are in the field, they say “awe, that’s so sweet”.
They have no clue!

toddlers hugging
Toddler hugs are the best

You may have just said early child hood was your career. But under that umbrella is pretty much every other job in the world. You’re teaching every subject, being a nurse, a parent, a plumber, handyman, waitress, hairdresser, counselor, librarian, and the list just goes on. Oh and no one can warn you enough about all the bodily fluids you’ll come into contact with!

This field is not for the faint of heart. Some days you will come home, and literally have nothing left to give anyone else. It is a mentally exhausting job. But again, if it’s your passion you find a way without thinking much about it most days. You must know how to refill your own cup every week to keep going. I think all adults could benefit from remembering to fill their own cups first.
You get this picture in your mind of spending days making play-doh or playing with glue like the teacher in Billy Madison. You think it’s about putting together cute bulletin boards, and smiling at children who are smiling back. Yes, you will do these things, BUT not every day, and not the way you imagined it at all.

Your hair will be a mess, sometimes you will be sweating, you will get those various bodily fluids on you, and someone really should have warned that you should keep extra clothes at work. It’s almost like you’re really the child and should have a cubbie with extra clothes and a comfort blanket…
No one ever prepared me for how many damn times I would be washing my hands every hour. Lotions and manicures will become your best friend. (By the way, if any parent is reading this feel free to send in lotion or a manicure gift certificate at any time! insert wink)

At some point every day you will have to be okay with acting like a complete lunatic at a moments notice. Making funny voices for all the characters, pretending you are the injured patient for the doctor in training during dramatic play time, and making up complete nonsense songs on the spot when you realize your brain has run out of ideas for the day.

The most important thing that no one ever told me was the feeling you get EACH AND EVERY time you make a positive connection with a child. And every time you see that sparkle in their eyes when they finally understand something. And my absolute favorite which are those days when you feel like giving up on everything, yourself included; here comes one of your kiddos with the biggest, best hug of your life. No words exchanged. They just knew what you needed in that moment. And it sets your world straight again.

For all of the things that are seen as negatives those positives make it all worth the while.
No one ever told me what is was like to be an Early Childhood Teacher, but I’ll spend as much time as I can changing lives and screaming what I do!

Ms. Brooke
Lead Pre-kindergarten Teacher
Literacy Coordinator