“Hooray for Hat!” and Make Paper Hats

Creative Wednesdays There’s a pervasive dark cloud of grumpiness among the animal friends in Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won, until Elephant gets a delivery of a box containing hats. So he puts all of the hats on his head, and goes visiting his friends, who are also grumpy, giving each of them a hat […]

Phonics Wheel

Creative Wednesdays Phonics are an important method of teaching to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters. Phonics Wheels are a fun, easy to make, and engaging activity for young learners. Allow children to create wheels by using word families or make a variety of real and nonsense words. Click here to […]

Cardboard Roll Butterflies

I found this easy project on the patchwork parent blog. For little kids I recommend putting primary colored paint close to each other on a paper plate so they can play with mixing the primary colors to make secondary colors when making these butterflies. Older children can decorate the tubes with paint and markers in […]

“Little Dandelion Seeds the World” and Cotton Swab Dandelion

Creative Wednesdays Who doesn’t love blowing fluffy dandelion seeds? My Nanny Kids literally spend hours blowing the soft flowers in the parks and fields we visit each summer. So, I was so excited to find Little Dandelion Seeds the World by Julia Richardson. This is a wonderful book for young readers that teaches that the […]

Salt Painting

I’m always looking for new activities to do with the creative kids in my care. Salt Painting came to our summer boredom buster rescue! We already had all of the supplies in the playroom and kitchen pantry to make Salt Paintings. This is an inexpensive activity that will keep children that love crafts and painting […]

Sea Shell Necklaces

All children love hunting for beautiful sea shells along the beach. Here is an easy way to save the children’s favorite sea shells they gathered at the shore this summer. Click here to see some other projects I have made with children with their sea shells collections. Be sure to read our favorite children’s books […]

“Are You a Bee?” and Honeybee Bubblewrap Painting

Lesson Plans Many people are afraid of bees but honey bees are incredible. Are You a Bee? by Judy Allen with illustrations by Tudor Humphries shows that — from the perspective of a honeybee — the backyard is a busy place. A young bee faces many challenges as it takes its place in the hive. […]

Crayola Model Magic

Creative Projects I love Crayola Model Magic. It provides hours of fun as the perfect clay alternative for young sculptors. Its naturally stretchy, porous texture makes it easy for small hands to mold their next masterpiece! Crayola Model Magic doesn’t stick to hands, making it easy to roll out, cut, mold, and clean up. The […]

Painted Fireworks

Fourth of July means fireworks in America. Read “The Night Before the Fourth of July” by Amy Wummer then have your Nanny Kids make painted fireworks. To help keep the colors separated we made one toilet paper roll for each color of paint, (red, white, and blue). This craft is great because it is simple […]

“The Ugly Duckling” and Swan Craft

Weekly Trip to the Library The Ugly Duckling is an infamous story by Hans Christian Anderson whose fairytales have become loved around the world, including The Little Match Girl and The Little Mermaid. Born different, The Ugly Duckling is mocked by his siblings, rejected by other ducks, and even shunned by his own mother. The […]