preschool

How to Make an All-in-one Valentine Envelope

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This post was first shared in February 2011. If you like to make your own Valentines but you’re pressed for time (or have a small and impatient child), all-in-one Envelope Valentines could be the way to go. Turning a heart-shape into both a Valentine and an envelope is a delightful way to surprise the card’s [...]

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DIY Fabric Ornament With Kids

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This post is sponsored by Gymboree. Bring a friend to a Gymboree store and sign up for Gymboree Rewards together and you’ll both SAVE 25% off an in-store purchase.  Kids Crafts Ideas: DIY Fabric Ornaments These sweet fabric ornaments teach children hand sewing techniques while building fine motor skills, and they don’t demand that parents have a lot of fancy sewing skills [...]

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Winter Craft Collage Invitation

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How do you feel about holiday activities? I love it all…the tree trimming, wreath making, cookie decorating, Santa sighting, and latke cooking. Yes, it’s only December 7, and we’ve already done it all! But I’ve learned that I can only take it in small doses before I need to bury my head in a pillow. [...]

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Toddler Watercolor Painting, Keeping it Neat

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I’m not afraid of messes, but I’m also not looking for them. Are you with me? So when my almost 2-year old said that she wanted to paint, I was ready with my spill-management toolbox: an ice cube tray and a wooden serving tray. In case you’re wondering how the wooden tray is paint-free (I’d wonder [...]

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12 Doll House Games and Ideas

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Did you grow up with a dollhouse? I grew up with a beautiful hand made dollhouse, built by my cousin’s father about twenty years before I was born. It was a family treasure that got passed around from cousin to cousin. I always imagined that my own children would play with this imagination-building house, but [...]

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Self-serve Valentines for Kids

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I’m working on a project with the San Francisco Children’s Creativity Museum, and one of the ideas we’re playing with is to create a buffet-style selection of materials for children to choose from in our DIY art zone. I’ll share some of our activities with you soon, but in the meantime I thought you might [...]

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Sensory Play with Tapioca Pearls

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Have you ever had Boba Tea or Pearl Tea? You know those chewy, soft balls that sink to the bottom of milky tea that you suck up through a fat milkshake straw? The drink originated in Taiwan as a novelty for children, and has since taken the world by storm with bubble tea houses popping [...]

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Recycled Weaving Fence

When I saw this awesome weaving installation on display at the Bay Area Discovery Museum I knew it was something that I wanted to recreate at home. If I were running a preschool I think I would have taken the time to build such a structure because it would be a stellar group project, but [...]

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Simple Balloon Yo-Yo

News break  If you like TinkerLab, please click on over here and give us your vote. We won’t win anything, but the attention sure is nice! ++++++ This springy toy is fun to play with, easy to make, and can be created with things that you may already have in the cupboard. It can also teach children [...]

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