D Pre-school Diary

Myself – Arts and Crafts

Crafts 1 – Diversity Puppets Craft

Reaching out to help and promote understanding of different skin colour. It is something we need to promote all year long. These diversity puppets are a good way to start the conversation.

Supplies

• Foamie Circles
• Wiggle Eyes — 10mm
• Yarn
• Jumbo Craft Sticks
• Permanent Markers
• Tacky Glue or Low Temp Glue Gun

Instructions

• Glue wiggle eyes on to foamy circle.
• Draw on nose and mouth.
• Make hair out of yarn and glue on head. You can braid the hair; make pigtails cut it long or short.   Use white hair for older puppets.
• Glue on a jumbo craft stick.

Have fun!

Craft 2 – Family Tree [No. 1]

Help your pre-schooler remember all of the people who are important in their life with this family tree preschool craft. It’s much less structured than traditional family trees and can be made into a treasured keepsake gift for parents, grandparents, or other family members. So get out the finger paints and give this family tree preschool craft a try.

What You Need

• Finger Paints
• Finger Paint Paper
• Brown Marking Pen
• Green Construction Paper – cut into leaf shapes
• Glue Stick
• Photo of Your Preschooler
• Frame To Put It In – Optional

How to Make It

Step One:
Draw a tree trunk and a few branches on the finger paint paper with the brown marker. The adult should do this to provide a little structure to the finished craft unless your preschooler is capable.

Draw a tree trunk and a few branches on the finger paint paper with the brown marker.

Step Two:
Put a generous amount of green finger paint out on another piece of finger paint paper and let your preschooler put his/her hands in it and smear it around. Now, have your preschooler make foliage on the tree with their hand prints. You may have to help so you get actual hand prints and not a mess. Let it dry.

Have your preschooler make foliage on the tree with their hand prints

Step Three:

Write names of family, friends, and even pets on the green construction paper leaves. Talk with your preschooler about these people as you write them down – Do they live far away? What is the best thing about Uncle Jeff? Tell me what you remember about the time we visited Grandma? Did you know that Auntie Shell is my sister? etc.

Step Four:
Let your preschooler glue the leaves on the tree in whatever manner they choose. There is no need to put them in any sort of order.

Let your preschooler glue the leaves on the tree in whatever manner they choose.

Step Five:
Turn it into a keepsake by adding a photo of your preschooler and writing his/her name with Family Tree. Then put it in a frame and you have a great gift for parents, grandparents or just to hang in your preschoolers room.

Final result

Final Project

More of what you can do:

My House

Use a milk carton cut in half and cover with construction paper. Have children add windows, doors, trees, Etc. cut from construction paper (or draw on details) to resemble the child’s house. Have the children draw the members of their families (they always want to include the pets also) on tongue depressors and place them into the house. When finished the children form a town and take their “family members” to visit other families.

Dough House

The children are given a shape of a house. They are then supplied with play dough cutters that are in the shape of a mother, father, child, dog, cat and fish. The children are instructed to dip the appropriate family members in paint and then put in their home. Label the figures with the family member’s names.

Special Hands

Trace the child’s hand print twice. Cut out. Also cut out a long rectangle (this will be the arms). Glue one hand print on either end of the long rectangle (arms). Write on the arm part: My family is special because ___________________. Have the children finish the sentence.

Friendly Rainbow

Make a rainbow of our hand prints when studying friends. Just lightly draw on the arches of the rainbow on a large piece of butcher paper. Use different colours of paint to paint the children’s hand prints and make a beautiful rainbow.

Collage

Make a collage of pictures of things we like to do with our friends and family.

Hand Mural

You can also make a mural with their hand prints becoming flowers. Paint on stems and some grass with their hand prints for the flowers. Title it “Friendships bloom in our classroom.”

Family Puppets

Give each child a cut out of a person (kind of like a gingerbread man pattern). You can use the multi-cultural coloured paper (of course!) then the kids can decorate and make any family members they wish to. Then attach them to Popsicle sticks and there you go.

Family Collage

Have the children go through magazines and find pictures of all the things their mothers do. Cut them out and glue them onto construction paper. The same can be done for dad. Another variation is to have the children cut out pictures to represent the people in their family and the things they like to do as a family.

Family Diorama

Bring a shoe box for each child.

Have the children:

Paint a background on the inside of it.

Make stand up pictures of your house and family.

Glue the pictures in your box.

Family Mobile

Illustrate a picture of each member of the family. Include the pet if the child has one. Cut out each family member. Glue each picture on strong paper or cardboard. Hang your pictures on a hanger with yarn or string to make a mobile. Print the last name on a piece of paper and fasten it to the hanger. Hang your mobile in the classroom.

Family Tree [No. 2]

Encourage your children to talk about all the people that belong in their family; Mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, aunts and uncles. To make a family tree you will need: an orange juice can for each child, a small branch from a tree for each child, construction paper cut into circles and punched with a small hole, string or wool and some plaster of paris. Cover the can with paper and decorate. Go for a walk and have each child pick a branch to put in the can 2/3rds full of plaster. Allow to dry overnight. Ask the children to draw a picture on one side of a circle and you write the name of the family member on the other side. Punch hole and thread – hang on tree.

Family Tree [No. 3]

Give them each a tree shape drawn on a piece of paper and sponges cut into apple shapes have them sponge paint the apples onto the tree to represent each family member provider will write names on the apples.