Painting with Spoons

Painting is such a great way to express yourself, but sometimes paintbrushes just don’t tell the whole story. I find that this unorthodox method of painting is a great way to help children express their high powered emotions, like anger or excitement. Try it out the next time your little one gets mad and doesn’t […]

Homemade Finger Paint Recipes

Creative Wednesdays Making finger paint with the kids is an easy and fun project to do. These homemade recipes are great because they are non-toxic and the ingredients can be found in most kitchen pantries. Simply cover the kitchen table with thick paper and let the kids feel the different textures while painting with their hands. Allow youngsters […]

How to Make Silly Putty

Creative Projects Recipe By James Clinard for About.com, Photos by Stephanie Felzenberg One of my charges loves doing science experiments at home and asked if we would make Silly Putty last week. Since Whitney is still on her honeymoon I decided to share this project with our readers today. Whenever making arts and crafts or science experiments […]

10 Gifts Nannies Can Help Kids Make for their Parents

Inexpensive Gift Giving By part-time Nanny Kids typically love to give their parents gifts, but they often lack the money needed to buy them, and it can seem silly to spend mom and dad’s money to buy them a gift. Instead of buying a gift, there are many things that kids can make for their […]

Colored Rice

Rainy Day Sensory Play By Whitney Tang The wind is growling, the rain is cascading, the children are whining. What is a nanny to do after puddle jumping, spontaneous dancing, and storytelling have all been exhausted? Brighten up your stormy afternoon by making colored rice. It’s fun to make and will give grubby little fingers […]

What Are Your Favorite Fingerplays?

Fingerplays to Use With Preschoolers A fingerplay is a rhyme to sing using our fingers or hands with the words of the song. Preschool songs and rhymes offer many life-long benefits to children. Fingerplays develop fine-motor co-ordination, sequential memory, and body awareness.  Be sure to teach the young children you care for preschool fingerplays, action rhymes, […]

Painting With Colored Ice

colored ice finger paint Colors and Creativity Flow With Exciting New Art Materials By Scholastic Children use fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and creative expression as they paint with colorful ice cubes. Invite children to help you make frozen paint-brushes. Fill two to four ice-cube trays with warm water. Using different colors, add a teaspoon of powdered […]

In What Direction Do Seeds Grow?

It doesn’t take much to actively engage children in fun springtime learning activities. Plants have growth hormones that respond to the Earth’s gravitational pull. This causes roots to always grow down and stems to always grow up. This is called geotropism. Here is an easy science experiment to do with the children in their home. […]