# data[].attributes.body
Rules:

1. Roll 2 dice.

2. On a piece of graph paper, make a rectangle with the side lengths you rolled

3. The rectangle must be connected to your existing territory.

4. The first player’s first rectangle is placed in a corner. The second player’s first rectangle in the opposite corner.

5. If you cannot make the rectangle from the  numbers you rolled, you skip your turn.

6. When all space is filled, you end the game.

7. The one with the most area wins.

# data[].attributes.body
Cut a shape out of cardboard and then find beautiful scenery to frame with it!

# data[].attributes.body
Is your family crazy for Disney’s new broadway musical, Hamilton? Here’s a web site that offers some extra reading and learning activities about the real Alexander Hamilton.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meet the ten-dollar Founding Father whose way with words and mastery of money helped shape America into the financial powerhouse it is today!

# data[].attributes.body
One of my favorite pastimes when I was young was creating newspapers. I would act as reporter, editor and even make advertisements! I would write articles about my family members or things we did, or whatever was going on in my community. Sometimes I made up silly stories too! Nobody checked my spelling or corrected my grammar. Everyone just loved reading my news stories. I liked doing it on oversized paper like butcher paper or newsprint, but any paper you have available can be your newspaper!  My mom saved this newspaper I made when I was around 8 years old!

# data[].attributes.body
How many of these can you check off the list before school starts on Aug. 3?

# data[].attributes.body
Nobody wants to start the new year having forgotten all they learned in the previous year! Keep your mathematical neurons firing with fun geometry activities like this! All you really need is marshmallows and pretzel sticks. Get into some more technical shapes like a rhombus, a trapezoid, pentagon, and even irregular shapes that you will have to identify by their sides and angles!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Activity for ages 4 to 6.

Marshmallow geometry is a fun way to teach the names and characteristics of 2D shapesincluding triangles, rectangles and squares. Kids love having the chance to build 2D shapes with food and grown ups love watching children practice important math skills. It's a win-win! For a printable version of this activity, hop over and grab our popular toothpick challenge cards!

Getting Ready

To prep, I gathered together a few simple supplies:

Pretzel sticks {toothpicks are easier to build with so grab them if you have some on hand}

Mini marshmallows

Card stock {or construction paper}

Marker

I quickly drew four 2D shapes on a sheet of card stock and labeled each one {equilateral triangle, isosceles triangle, square and rectangle}.

Since my daughter's knowledge of geometry at this point consists of basic shape names, I wanted to help her look more closely at shapes to notice how they are built; how many sides and vertices they have, whether they have parallel lines or perpendicular ones, and how long their sides are. That's why I decided to start with the simplest 2D shapes she could build: the triangle, square, and rectangle. I labeled each one with its name then left a spaces for A to write out how many sides and vertices each one had. Then I called a very eager A over the play.

Marshmallow Geometry

"Can you tell me the name of these shapes?" I asked as I pointed to each one.

"Triangle, triangle, square, rectangle," A easily replied.

"Yes! And can you point to and count the sides of this triangle?" I asked pointing to the first triangle. My daughter quickly counted three. Next, I explained that the spot where 2 sides meet to make a corner is called a vertex. I showed her how to label the vertices with a red dot and helped her label the vertices on the rest of the shapes.

"Ok, here is a bowl of vertices," I explained, handing her the bowl of marshmallows. "And here is a bowl of sides," I continued, passing her the pretzels. I demonstrated how she could build the shapes using the marshmallows and pretzels.

A couldn't wait to start building and even though the pretzels were a little tricky to manipulate, she kept at it. I had toothpicks on hand just in case the thicker pretzels were too troublesome, but A didn't want to swap them.

"Can I eat it now?" she asked as soon as she finished building her first triangle. She was pretty disappointed when I said, "no". I placed the triangle on top of the one I'd drawn with marker and asked her to count the sides and vertices again. Then she wrote the totals on the blank lines.

We moved on to the next shape. "Another triangle?!" A said confused.

"Look closely at the two triangles. Are they the same or different?" I asked.

When A replied they were the same I had her use a pretzel to measure each of the sides. She noticed the second triangle had longer sides but the top triangle had sides that were the same.

"Yes, this one has equal sides and is called an equilateral triangle," I explained. "The other has two sides that are the same and one shorter side. That one is called an isosceles triangle."

These were new terms for A and I was not expecting her to memorize them - I just wanted her to notice that not all triangles are the same.

"How should we build the isosceles triangle if it has 2 long sides and 1 short one?" I asked A. She thought for a moment, then bit off a piece of pretzel and proceeded to build the isosceles triangle.

We continued counting sides and vertices and building more 2D shapes. When we got to the square and rectangle we talked again about side lengths.

"What is the difference between a square and a rectangle?" I asked A.

"A rectangle is bigger than a square," A said after a moment of thinking.

I grabbed a piece of chalk and drew a square house with a rectangle door on it and a rectangle skyscraper with small square windows. I asked her in each picture which was bigger - the square or the rectangle? After realizing her mistake, A again used a pretzel stick to measure the sides of the square and rectangle.

"The rectangle is LONGER!" A shouted when she discovered the difference. I gave her a high five and she was thrilled she came up with this discovery on her own. While building the rectangle A made it lean to one side. She laughed at the wonky rectangle.

"That is actually a different shape called a parallelogram." I said. Maybe it was the sugar from the broken marshmallows she had been eating, but she thought that was the funniest word she'd ever heard. Eventually after the giggles died down, I explained that a parallelogram had two sets of parallel lines. Then I explained what parallel and perpendicular lines are.

"Can you point to the perpendicular lines in this square?" I asked, reminding her that perpendicular meant crossing by making my fingers into a cross. Then she pointed to and counted the pairs of parallel lines.

When we had finished talking about the four 2D shapes, I let A build whatever shapes and structures she wanted with the left over materials. Later that day, I had A set the dinner table asking her to place the fork and knives parallel to each other for the kids and perpendicular for the adults. I'm pleased to report that she's got the new terms down!

Grab the 2D Shape Activity Pack

For print and play ways to learn shapes, hop over and grab our Shape Activity Pack! Clip shape sandwiches, color by shape, make interactive flap books and so. much. more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Marshmallow Geometry - Playdough To Plato

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Activity for ages 4 to 6. Marshmallow geometry is a fun way to teach the names and characteristics of 2D shapes including triangles, rectangles and squares. Kids love having the chance to build 2D shapes with food and grown ups love watching children practice important math skills. It's a win-win!

# data[].attributes.body
I absolutely love this idea! Before you go on a family adventure/hike/outing/vacation, take a piece of cardboard and put double sided tape down the side. Then all the special treasures that you find along they way get attached to it! It will tell the story of your adventure without writing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Making a journey stick is such an easy, fun outdoor craft to do with the kids - and a great low-cost way to have some fun family time.

We learnt what a journey stick is and how to make one at our local nature reserve in Nottingham, which is part of the Wildlife Trusts.

What is a journey stick?

A journey stick (also known as a story stick or nature stick) is essentially a memento of a nature walk, featuring items collected whilst on the walk. These might be things like leaves, twigs, flowers, feathers, or anything else natural that you find along the way.

The history of journey sticks

I'd never heard of journey sticks before, but apparently they've been around for a very long time. Native Americans and Aboriginal people used them to track their journeys and tell stories about their travels.

Items collected on a journey would be tied to a large stick in the order that they were found. Symbols could also be painted or carved onto the stick. Each item on the stick would help to build up a picture of the journey, including things such as natural features, weather and adventures. The stick would then be used as a prompt for the retelling of the journey upon return, and also as a way to navigate the trip in the future.

It's not hard to see why journey sticks make a great nature activity for kids, is it? They're perfect for when you want to keep a walk interesting, and you can also use them to introduce lots of discussion about nature and how to take care of it.

How to make a journey stick

To make a journey stick, you will need a few basic supplies.

Younger children can use a piece of cardboard with double sided tape attached to secure their items to the card. Older children can make a journey stick the traditional way by choosing a stick and attaching items to it using string or wool.

With all nature activities, you need to be mindful of protecting your surroundings. Make sure you spend a couple of minutes explaining this to children before you start, and only collect things that have fallen to the ground.

This activity really appeals to kids; it involves hunting, collecting, comparing with other children, as well as the opportunity to get creative with the stick design. We found lots of different items with a variety of shapes, colours, textures and sizes.

A Wildlife Trusts Ranger was on-hand to help us identify each item we found. If you were doing this on your own, it would be nice to have a nature spotters book with you to help with identification.

By the time we finished our walk we had two lovely records of the nature we'd seen along the way.

Some ideas for creating your journey stick

Here are a few ideas for questions you could explore with children while making your journey sticks.

Do you want your journey stick to have a theme? For example, a colour, all flowers, all leaves.

How long does your stick need to be? Think about how long your walk is!

What senses does each item stimulate?

What is the story that your journey stick is telling? Let your imagination run wild!

A journey stick is such a great activity to do with children during an outdoor trip. It keeps them busy, helps them learn about nature, and provides them with a memento to take home. You also need very little in the way of preparation; just some string or sticky cardboard, depending on which type you're making.

Since we learned how to make journey sticks, we've repeated this fun nature craft again and again, building up a little gallery of journey sticks from our nature walks. We really like being able to compare journey sticks from each season, and each one always prompts some lovely reminders of fun family days out.

The Wildlife Trusts have a nice visual guide to making a journey stick here:

More nature crafts for kids

If you'd like to explore some more nature crafts for kids, take a look at these fun projects:

Do you think you'll have a go at making journey sticks on your next nature walk?

Pin for later

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nature Crafts for Kids: how to make a journey stick - Growing Family

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Making a journey stick is such an easy, fun outdoor craft to do with the kids - and a great low-cost way to have some fun family time. We learnt what a journey stick is and how to make one at our local nature reserve in Nottingham, which is part of the Wildlife Trusts .

# data[].attributes.body
For this art practice exercise, fill a page with circles (drawing around the bottom of a juice glass might be an easy way to get good circles). Then set a timer - the paper suggests 40 minutes, but you can choose how long you want to spend. Then turn every circle into some round object! It's great creative practice!

# data[].attributes.body
Parents can learn more about the benefits of this workout from hes-extraordinary.com here:
https://tinyurl.com/y9whxhf6

# data[].attributes.body
Five Steps to Feeling Calm

1. Spread your hand and stretch your fingers out like a star. You can choose your left hand or your right hand. Pretend the pointer finger of your other hand is a pencil and imagine you are going to trace around the outline of your hand and fingers.

2. Start at the bottom of your thumb and slide your finger up your thumb, pause at the top, and then slide your finger down the other side. Now slide your pointer up your second finger, pause, and slide down the other side. Continue tracing your fingers up, pause, and down. Slide your finger slowly, watch your finger move and notice how it feels. Keep going until you have finished tracing your fifth finger (pinky).

3. Now you are ready to add some breathing. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Remember to keep it slow and steady.

4. Place your pointer finger at the bottom of your thumb, and breathe in as you slide up. Breathe out as you slide down. Breathe in as you slide up your second finger, and breathe out as you slide down. Keep going until you have finished tracing your fingers and you have taken five slow breaths.

5. How does your body feel now? Do you feel calm or would you like to take another five?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Today I am excited to team up with the lovely Leonie MacDonald of Relax Kids Canberra to bring you part four of the Managing Big Emotions printable poster series (you can find all of the other posters in the series in our Feelings & Emotions resource collection) - this newest addition is a simple breathing exercise that is super awesome for kids as it can be performed discretely and literally used anywhere.

When we are stressed or upset nature's 'fight or flight' response takes over - increasing our heart rate, making our breathing fast and shallow, and sending blood from our brain out to our limbs ready to escape or challenge the perceived threat or danger. While stress hormones are flooding our bodies and we are gripped by this programmed response it is very hard to slow down, become calm, express our feelings or think rationally about what is happening to us and how we are responding. Our thought processes and self-control are actually hindered by our biological stress response.

When stressed, children may experience an additional layer of fear or distress as they feel out of control and overwhelmed, not understanding what is happening to them or why. As adults, we are more aware of our feelings and of the physiological changes that come with these, but even we may have a hard time managing our own behaviour.

This Take 5 Breathing Exercise is a wonderful way to switch off the stress response. It brings the body back into balance, slowing and deepening the breath and slowing down the heart rate, while harnessing the need to move with an action that requires focus and provides sensory feedback to our brains. Best of all, Take 5 Breathing is simple, enjoyable, free, and you can use it anywhere, anytime.

Be sure to also check out our brand new Social Emotional Learning Journal - perfect for encouraging students to creatively explore a wide range of emotions; and develop emotional awareness and relationship building skills.

What is Take 5 Breathing?
During take 5 breathing, children concentrate on taking five slow breaths in through their nose and out through their mouths. Children may need to practice this first as they may be mouth breathing. If you notice that your child finds breathing through their nose a challenge, invite them to imagine they are smelling a beautiful flower or their favourite food as they breathe in, and then to breathe out with a big sigh. (Breathing in and smelling a beautiful smell and breathing out with a sigh because it smelt so good.) At the same time as breathing, children will focus on the action of tracing up and down the fingers of one hand and the gentle sensations this creates. Here is how it works:

Five Steps to Feeling Calm (use this as a guide to teach your child)

1. Spread your hand and stretch your fingers out like a star. You can choose your left hand or your right hand. Pretend the pointer finger of your other hand is a pencil and imagine you are going to trace around the outline of your hand and fingers.

2. Start at the bottom of your thumb and slide your finger up your thumb, pause at the top, and then slide your finger down the other side. Now slide your pointer up your second finger, pause, and slide down the other side. Continue tracing your fingers up, pause, and down. Slide your finger slowly, watch your finger move and notice how it feels. Keep going until you have finished tracing your fifth finger (pinky).

3. Now you are ready to add some breathing. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Remember to keep it slow and steady.

4. Place your pointer finger at the bottom of your thumb, and breathe in as you slide up. Breathe out as you slide down. Breathe in as you slide up your second finger, and breathe out as you slide down. Keep going until you have finished tracing your fingers and you have taken five slow breaths.

5. How does your body feel now? Do you feel calm or would you like to take another five?

Most children find the sensory aspect of this breathing method very soothing and settling. You can see a demonstration of the technique here:

If your child dislikes the sensation of sliding their finger up and down their hand try one of these adaptations;

Trace an outline of their hand on a piece of card and they can trace their finger along the outline. You can create a textured outline or cut out the shape if this works better.

An alternative that involves no touching is to stretch their fingers out like candles on a cake and slowly blow each candle out and tuck the finger into the palm.

Practising Take 5 Breathing
The best time to practise the Take 5 Breathing Exercise, or any calm down method, is when everyone is happy and no one feels stressed. Children find it hard to learn or use these techniques when they are already overwhelmed by big feelings (so do adults!) and it is important that we don't force, push or demand that children use a calm down method. The last thing our children need is pressure to succeed at relaxing! Letting a poster or picture act as a reminder rather than verbally telling our children what to do when they are feeling overcome with emotion and stress can be more effective.

Helping Your Children Process Their Emotions Once They Are Calm
While Take 5 Breathing addresses the stress response, our children need to know that their big feelings are important and we do want to hear what is going on for them. There is a difference clamping up and shutting our feelings away and calming down so that we can talk about our feelings and express them in a safe way. If children feel angry, hurt or worried, their feelings will probably still be there once they have calmed down. That makes it the perfect time to connect, reassure and listen to your children.

How To Print Your Take 5 Breathing Exercise Poster

Click here to download: Take 5 Breathing Exercise for Kids. Save the PDF to your computer. Open the PDF and print the page you require. When printing, select "Fit to printable area" (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size (this has been created at A4 size). I suggest printing onto card stock or matte photo paper. Laminate the printed poster for durability.

Having trouble accessing or downloading the file? Please try a different internet browser.
Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.

About Leonie: Leonie MacDonald is a qualified primary teacher, a Relax Kids coach and mother of two boys aged 9 and 6. She lives with her family in Canberra. Leonie loves cooking, growing her own food with occasional success, knitting, craft, making gifts, reading and meditation.

While mothering a sensitive, easily over stimulated and overwhelmed toddler, Leonie realised that the same relaxation and meditation techniques she had learnt in pregnancy could help children to cope with stress and unwind. So she began to create her own simple bedtime meditations and massage to help her children fall asleep. During this time Leonie discovered Relax Kids products and began to use these to bring calm into her home. Massage and meditation helped Leonie to gently wean both her children and continues to help them to relax and unwind. Connect with Leonie via the Relax Kids Canberra Facebook page.

If you haven't yet, print each of the first three posters in the series by clicking on each image below

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Take 5 Breathing Exercise for Kids: Learn to Manage Big Emotions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today I am excited to team up with the lovely Leonie MacDonald of Relax Kids Canberra to bring you part four of the Managing Big Emotions printable poster series (you can find all of the other posters in the series in our Feelings & Emotions resource collection) - this newest addition is a simple breathing exercise that is super awesome for kids as it can be performed discretely and literally used anywhere.

# data[].attributes.body
Time to Move your body! Grab a dice and follow the directions! Can you do 15 rolls, one minute each?

# data[].attributes.body
Sometimes when we are full of emotions it helps to write them down. You may already keep a journal. Here is a creative way to explore what's going on inside you. An "I Am" poem! Give it a try!

# data[].attributes.body
Did anyone get to watch the SpaceX launch? Imagine going to outer space! You can find images of galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and then draw them using chalk pastels and black paper. It's so fun!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I love how this galaxy chalk pastel art turned out! This is a great art project for kids to explore layering and blending chalk pastels together. It would also make a great addition to any space theme in the classroom.

Pastels are so fun for kids to explore! Take a look at my collection of chalk pastel art for more creative ideas kids will love.

This was such a fun project for us to do! We spent some time looking at galaxy photos, looking for the different shapes and colors of galaxies we wanted to use.

If kids are new to using chalk pastels, take a look at these 5 essential chalk pastel techniques for beginners for some tips!

Create your own galaxy chalk pastel art

This post contains affiliate links, which come at no cost to you. If you would like more information please review my privacy & disclosure policy.

Supplies

Instructions to make your space art

1. First, start by getting your paper ready. We used black drawing paper but you can also use black pastel paper, scrapbook paper or even black construction paper.

I cut our paper to 6 x 6 inches, I find that sometimes working on a smaller scale with chalk pastels makes it a bit easier for kids.

2. Have kids decide on a shape for their galaxy, we used a simple spiral shape for this tutorial. Looking at real galaxies for this project helped to inspire the colors and shapes of our galaxy art!

Take some time to really look at different galaxy photos, and have kids notice the subtle difference in colors and shapes of all the amazing space photos out there!

3. Use a pencil to lightly draw in your galaxy spiral.

4. Pick out your chalk pastel colors. We use white, blue, pink, purple and an orange-yellow color.

Color in the center of your spiral with white pastel.

5. Follow your spiral drawing and draw thick lines with your blue pastel. Do the same with pink and purple chalk pastel, like in the photos above.

Remind kids to leave lots of space around the edges of the paper to add in the stars at the end.

Kids will also love: How to Draw a Beautiful Chalk Pastel Christmas Tree
6. Blend these colors together with your fingers, a blending tool or a q-tip. Blend in the direction of the spiral to keep the spiral shape. Remind kids not just take their fingers and smudge the colors all over the page.

7. Add in some white and orange chalk pastel around the spiral, do not blend these colors. Adding colors on top that don't require blending adds interest and texture to your art!

8. Finally, take white chalk pastel and dot around the paper, adding in your stars.

You can choose to spray a workable fixative on your pastel drawing to prevent smudging, but it's not necessary. This step should be done by an adult in an outside area.

These little galaxy chalk pastel drawings are so fun for kids to make! I love the bright colors and the swirly shapes that we used. They would make a wonderful project idea for kids and tweens at home or in the classroom!

Tips for working with chalk pastels

Chalk pastels can be messy (but so fun!). There are a few things you can do to keep some of the mess contained:

Put newspaper down on desks or tables

Put your project on a tray or a shallow cardboard box which will keep the most of the mess inside the tray

You can try doing your project outside

Have lots of paper towels handy to wipe off hands and work surfaces

Once you are done with your project, take it outside to gently blow or shake off the excess dust

If you are using chalk pastels in the classroom and the kids are ready to take their artwork home, simply place the art between some newspaper to keep it from smudging and for easy transport.

We love creating and exploring with different art supplies. If you are looking for more art projects to try, take a look at our ultimate collection of amazing art projects for kids!

More art projects kids will love
Easy Galaxy Spin Painting Art Project for Kids

Easy Kandinsky Art for Kids with Chalk Pastels

Follow me on Pinterest for more amazing project ideas.
Pin this galaxy art for later

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Awesome Galaxy Chalk Pastel Art Project for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This chalk pastel galaxy art project is out of this world! Kids will love using easy chalk pastel techniques to create this stunning galaxy craft.

# data[].attributes.body
Use these writing prompts to get your creativity started. Email your short stories to me and I may publish them here for friends to read! (You'll have to zoom in on the file to read them)

# data[].attributes.body
Wow! I found a website with classic stories you can read for free! Find one that interests you and be sure to comment below which ones you read!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
celebrated jumping frog of calaveras county

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
the forest bride: the story of a little mouse who was a princess

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how gimme the ax found out about the zigzag railroad

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Short stories for Children, fairytales, nursery rhymes and fables; The Three Little Pigs, Snow White, Tom Thumb, Little Red Riding Hood, and other childhood favorites are here in the Children's Library.

# data[].attributes.body
Use these with the post below from 123Homeschool4me to make Pipe Cleaner Constellations

# data[].attributes.body
Are you spending your summer stargazing? Use pipe cleaners and beads to replicate the constellations! (Constellation flashcards available for download above)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Calling all space lovers! Whether you enjoy star-gazing on a clear summer night or are in planning mode for an upcoming solar system unit, this hands-on STEM activity will help your kiddos learn about constellations. Using a few simple manipulatives, your child will enjoy this fun, Pipe Cleaner Constellations activity.

Constellations for Kids

After exploring about constellations for kids through books and websites, allow your kiddos to build a few popular constellations with pipe cleaners and beads! This pipe cleaner constellations STEM activity is such a simple and fun engineering and science activity the kids will love. And because it is hands-on and involves critical thinking and many other skills, I am hoping it'll help your child remember the constellations in the sky for when they are out star-gazing at night.

This is a fun, hands on science activity for preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students.

Constellation Activity

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler this is such a cute, clever science project that makes a perfect addition to your astronomy for kids or solar system for kids unit. Hands on learning activities are always a great way to keep kids engaged and help them retain what they've learned. This educational activity is great for science centers, summer learning, school at home, summer camps, and more with kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students.

Constellation Activities for Kids

To try this fun, hands on constellation activities you only need a few simple supplies:

Start out by grabbing the constellation flashcards (click link) and scroll to the bottom of the post, under the terms of use, and click on the text link that says >> Download <<. The pdf file will open in a new window for you to save the freebie and print the constellations flashcards.

Provide your child with several pipe cleaners and beads. We used some star beads found at the Dollar Store, however, regular pony beads would work, too!

Stars Activity

With the supplies and flashcards ready, build away! We found it easiest for this stars activity to string the correct number of stars onto the pipe cleaner first and then used the flashcard to help guide us in where to bend and how to shape the pipe cleaner.

Of the three, the Ursa Minor was probably the most difficult to put together because we had to add the beads and then bend and twist the pipe cleaner to create the dipper part the correct way. If you choose more difficult constellations to create, provide more pipe cleaners and possibly some scissors to help make the correct shapes.

Pipe Cleaner Constellations

This fun hands on star activity is a great for kids to begin learning about all the different constellations in our night sky. Hopefully it will spur their natural curiosity to want to look for these constellations the next time your are camping or sitting around the campfire. And maybe they will be able to tell you what you are looking at!

Plus, don't miss these fun, engaging, and FREE constellation activities for kids!

Solar System for Kids

Did you enjoy this hands-on constellation building task? You will love these other fun, creative space themed activities:

Fun Activities for Kids

If your looking for more fun kids activities that are not necessarily solar system related, try these!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Calling all space lovers! Whether you enjoy star-gazing on a clear summer night or are in planning mode for an upcoming solar system unit, this hands-on STEM activity will help your kiddos learn about constellations. Using a few simple manipulatives, your child will enjoy this fun, Pipe Cleaner Constellations activity.

# data[].attributes.body
Have you written a story that just belongs on the stage or screen? Make it happen!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I completely underestimated how much the girls would enjoy playing with shadow puppets. Whenever something so simple makes them so happy, I can't help but smile!! And this was SUPER simple. Added bonus - the perfect entertainment for whenever a power outage occurs.

Our little shadow puppet theater was made from an empty cardboard box with the bottom cut out, and replaced with two sheets of white tissue paper held in place with packaging tape.

As for the shadow puppets - you didn't think I sat there and cut them all out by hand did you?? I am far too lazy for that!

Instead, we attached some fairy tale foam stickers to toothpicks with a bit of tape. Of course, just about any kind of foam sticker would work well for this, and they are available in so many different themes: Under The Sea, Dinosaurs, and Fairies to name a few. Very very easy, and the girls LOVED their shadow puppets! They could not wait to put on a show!!

A bit of styrofoam (recycled from some left over packaging) inside the box made it easy for them to position their puppets.

Dim the lights, turn on a flashlight (my girls adore this Melissa and Doug Mollie Ladybug Kids' Flashlight), and enjoy the show for hours of creative playtime fun!

Have fun!!

Free Printable

Want more fun craft ideas and activities?? Sign up for our weekly-ish newsletter (it's free!) and after signing up, you'll be sent a link to a free printable list of 100 Rainy Day Activities for Kids - exclusively for our lovely newsletter subscribers! To sign up, click here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Build a Simple Shadow Puppet Theater - Inner Child Fun

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I completely underestimated how much the girls would enjoy playing with shadow puppets. Whenever something so simple makes them so happy, I can't help but smile!! And this was SUPER simple. Added bonus - the perfect entertainment for whenever a power outage occurs. Our little shadow puppet theater was made from an empty cardboard box ...

# data[].attributes.body
It seems like it would be so obvious, but many beginners make these 5 mistakes. Holding it right will make playing easier!
https://www.playukulelenow.com/2018/01/are-you-holding-ukulele-wrong-avoid.html?m=1

# data[].attributes.body
Watch this quick video and then try doing 30-60 seconds of each exercise!

# data[].attributes.body
Have you heard of a book called The Secret Garden? It's a classic! Whether or not you read it, you should try this imaginative art project. Start by drawing a keyhole, about 2/3 the height of your paper. inside the keyhole draw a glimpse of a beautiful garden (or any magical land you would love to find a doorway into!) It's ok if you get out of the lines a little because the final step is to color the door around the keyhole!

# data[].attributes.body
Have a ton of LEGO? Want to send secret messages? Try creating a code out of LEGO!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Oh my goodness, this is such a fun activity, and you can put it together with any LEGO® bricks you own! Use bricks to create a code. Then kids can build and de-code secret messages!
Create Your Code
The concept of this activity is quite simple - create a code using a different brick for each letter of the alphabet.

Owen worked with me to develop our code. We went through our LEGO® bricks and selected small pieces that would not take up much room on a baseplate. We also made sure that we could find at least 5 of the same piece. It's especially important to have plenty of the bricks that you choose for the most common letters like A or T.

We had fun choosing a couple of silly things, like a steering wheel for J! Want to change your code? It's super easy to swap out pieces, or start all over.
Build Secret Messages
Then it was time to write a code! I constructed a code for Owen to solve. I wrote out blanks for each letter, which made it easier for him to keep up with where he was as he decoded it.

So much fun cracking the code!

Here's what the code said - and he wrote an answer back for me to decode!

Jonathan is only 5, but he had fun with decoding messages also. We started with just building his name, and then I wrote him a message to decode. Perfect literacy practice - it doesn't even feel like work!

Need more LEGO® ideas? We are participating in LEGO® Week this week with some awesome bloggers! Be sure to check out the rest of the LEGO® Week Activities.
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO® group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this site.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Secret Codes! Write Coded Messages with LEGO Bricks - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Oh my goodness, this is such a fun activity, and you can put it together with any LEGO® bricks you own! Use bricks to create a code. Then kids can build and de-code secret messages! Create Your Code The concept of this activity is quite simple - create a code using a different brick for [...]

# data[].attributes.body
HOW TO MAKE MOOD OF THE DAY CUPS:

1. Start with two plain white cups.

2. Carefully cut a large square shape out of one of the cups using scissors.

3. Insert the second cup inside the cup with a square cutout on the side.

4. Write “Mood of the Day” on the outside cup around the square cutout.

5. Use markers to draw pictures of different feelings inside the square. Once you draw one feeling, turn the inside cup to another blank space and then draw another.

6. You should be able to draw 4-5 feelings on their cups. Need ideas?

Happy

Sad

Silly

Loud

Grumpy

Angry

Mad

Goofy

Nervous

Quiet

Tired

Excited

Sick

Cool

7. Write your name on the bottom of the cup so you know it’s yours.

8. Make more than one inside cup that you can switch out, to have more selection of emotions.

That’s it! Now spin the cup inside to see all the emotions scroll by. When you're having some emotions, you can use the cups to figure out what you're feeling and express it to someone.

Check out the below video of our cups in actions:

# data[].attributes.body
as soon as my finger heals up!

# data[].attributes.body
Try one of these activities to get you thinking deeply about what you've been reading!

# data[].attributes.body
Have you tried Blow Painting? It's fun! This mommy blogger gives step by step instructions and even a video to show how its done! Included in her post is a kids' book recommendation about germs and some germ worksheets!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This germ blow painting art is perfect for preschoolers when learning about sickness, the human body, and the immune system.

Today marks the first day of our new week-long series all about the human body.

To start out this new series, we're going straight to germs and making them a little more kid-friendly with this cute and fun art activity.

This art project is so much fun for kids because they're making the germ art by painting with straws!

Read on below or watch the video to see how to make this art with your kids or students.

Cute Painting Idea For Kids

Blow Paint Art Supplies

If you're learning all about germs, you'll love these free printable germ worksheets for kids to work on!

Germ Art Directions:

Pour your liquid watercolors into an art palette or paint cups.

Use a paintbrush to add a small puddle of paint onto the paper.

Place the straw about an inch away form the puddle. Use the straw to blow the paint blobs around in all directions.

Try blowing down directly onto the puddle, blowing from the left and blowing from the right. See how many different shapes you can make with the watercolors.

Repeat this step with each of the colors.

Let the paint dry completely (ours took about 15 minutes; if you need these done quick, you can use a blowdryer as well).

Cut circles from the white paper and glue them onto the blow paint germs.

Use a black marker to draw the eyes onto the germs.

With the black marker, draw lines coming out from the center of each germ. Paint small circles at the ends of these lines with a coordinating paint color.

Glue the white paper onto a piece of colored construction paper to finish it off.

That's all there is to it!

Now you can have fun at home making all sorts of germy artwork and best of all, there's no need to worry about getting sick from these little germs!

Blow Art Painting Tips

We recommend you try this activity out yourself before you do it with your children or students.

It sounds a bit silly, but depending on the paper you use, the paint can be hard to spread around.

If you use paper that is too light, it will become wrinkled. If you use paper that has too much of a tooth (it's thicker and has more texture to it) the paint gets really hard to blow around with the straws.

We ended up using this art paper for kids but we just recommend trying what you have on hand first.

Another thing you want to be considered is your liquid watercolor choice. Please, please be sure you buy a washable watercolor paint, like this one.

This art project can get messy if kids use too much paint!

Once they start blowing the paint around you can be pretty sure some of it will fall off the side of the paper and onto whatever surface you're working on.

To keep it clean, you can use a drop cloth on the table, do it outside or just make sure it's a hard surface that you can clean up afterward.

We've had zero problems with the liquid watercolors coming off of hands, tables, and clothes but it's something to consider.

More Human Body Unit Ideas

We've got lots of other resources that will help kids learn about germs and the human body! Check them out and see which will fit best with your children.

Germs vs. Soap is a book about the secret world of germs and their quest to take everyone's "energy cupcakes" but only if soap doesn't get in the way...otherwise it's all down the drain for them.

Do Not Lick This Book is a fun way to teach kids about the microscopic world that lives on everyday objects!

For very young kids who don't know what germs are, we recommend the book, Germs Aren't For Sharing . It doesn't go into great detail about germs, but it helps teach kids the basics and how to have good personal hygiene.

Teach kids more about the human body with these human body wooden puzzles. For a larger scale option, this felt human body is perfect! Put it up on the wall and let the kids explore!

Share With Us

Did you make this straw painting with your kids or students? We love seeing how your projects turn out, so don't forget to stop by our Facebook page and post them to our wall.

We can't wait to check out your masterpieces!

Want More Fun & Easy Activities? Try this!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Make This Cute Germ Blow Painting Art With Straws

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This germ blow painting art is perfect for preschoolers when learning about sickness, the human body, and the immune system. Today marks the first day of our new week-long series all about the human body. To start out this new series, we're going straight to germs and making them a little more kid-friendly with this cute and fun art activity.

# data[].attributes.body
Use the following definition to design a whole new world. Landscape, climate, plant life, creatures, language and more! Once you've made another paracosm, it could be used for a board game, video game, movie series, book series - the sky is the limit!

# data[].attributes.body
Make your own invisible ink!

# data[].attributes.body
Been sitting in front of a computer too long? Get up and do the exercise listed for every letter of your name!

# data[].attributes.body
See if you can figure out this mind bending apartment building!

# data[].attributes.body
It's time to learn something about how your family's crazy little minds work!

# data[].attributes.body
Scavenger hunts are fun! Try these or create your own!

# data[].attributes.body
Scavenger hunts are fun! Try these or create your own!

# data[].attributes.body
Make a kite using one regular sheet of paper and a string. They fly really well!

# data[].attributes.body
We learned about this in Ms. A's class this year! Sometimes a fun visual aid helps stick it in your brains. Try this easy demonstration at home.
https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/how-fold-mountains-are-made

# data[].attributes.body
A short video to help you get started.