Category: Activities

Materials
1 large potato
Tempera Paint
Strips of construction paper approx. 4×12 inches

Directions
Cut the potato into 4 thick sections. Pour tempera paint onto paper plates. Tape a strip of construction paper onto the table surface. Make an interesting shape or simple design into each section of the potato. Invite your child to dip 1-2 sections of potato into paint and create their own own repeating pattern, copy an example of a pattern, or extend a pattern that has been started.

Ingredients
Favorite pancake mix
Food coloring or paste
Mixing bowl
Spoon
Griddle
Zip-loc baggies (sandwich bag size)

Directions
Make batter according to the instructions on the box.  Pour batter into each of 4 Zip-loc baggies.  Add food coloring or paste and encourage your child to mix in the color by gently squeezing the bag. Cut the tip of the bag and squeeze the batter into the griddle in pancake shapes. Squeeze all colors into individual pancake shapes to make colorful pancakes.  What happens when the batter begins to cook? Flip and cook through.  Place pancakes on plate and enjoy for a special snack.

Spring colors and spring cookie cutters!

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar (alum works well, too)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
food coloring (use icing gels for more vibrant colors)

Instructions

1. Heat water, oil, and food coloring in saucepan until boiling.
2. Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar and add to heated water mixture, mixing until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not let mixutre stick to the pot. 
3. Dump the mixture onto a cookie sheet or tray and let it cool slightly.
4. Knead, knead, and knead! The secret to great play dough is in the kneading. Knead until soft and smooth. When it’s cool enough, children can help with this part.

Play dough will keep in a tightly lidded container for a few months.

Materials
Colored sand
Jello Roll Pan or light table

Directions
Invite your child to explore the colored sand, make patterns with his fingers or using other materials. Your child will have hours of fun making patterns, erasing patterns, and creating new patterns in the sand.

Materials
Salad spinner
Paper Plates
Tempera Paint in Rainbow Colors

Directions
Place a paper plate in the salad spinner. Help your child place one drop of each color paint onto the paper plate. Place the lid on the salad spinner and invite your child to turn the knob. Observe your child’s delight when the lid is removed! Allow to dry and display.

Materials
Skittles
White plate
Warm water

Directions
Place Skittles in a circular pattern on a white plate. Pour warm water into the center of the plate and watch what happens to the colors of the Skittles as they make a rainbow pattern.

Materials
3 cups of water
Food coloring (red, blue, yellow)
1 can of shaving cream
1 larger jar filled with clear water
Pipettes

Directions
Invite your child to place several drops of food coloring in the smaller cups of water. Take the larger jar filled with clear water and spray shaving cream on top of the water to represent a cloud. Using a pipette, invite your child to squeeze and drop colored water onto the shaving cream cloud.  Observe what happens as the water seeps through the shaving cream and falls into the clear water. 

Materials
Tempera paint in rainbow colors
Long white bulletin board paper
Rolling pin
Tape

Directions
Tape a long piece of white paper to the table or workspace. Place a drop of every color paint in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) on one end of the paper. Using a rolling pin, you take one end of the rolling pin and your child takes the other end and rolls the pin through the paint and down to the other end of the paper.

Materials
Pony beads in rainbow colors
Pipe cleaners in rainbow colors
Foam block used for floral arranging
Container for beads

Directions
Invite your child to stick one pipe cleaner of each color into the foam block. Next invite your child to place a bead one at a time onto the matching color pipe cleaner. Count how many of each color once all the beads have been placed on the pipe cleaners. How many red beads? Orange? etc.

Ingredients
White bread
Sweetened Condensed Milk
New, clean paint brushes
Food coloring
6 Small blows

Directions
Pour a small amount of sweetened condensed milk in each bowl and add food coloring to make the colors of the rainbow. Using new paint brushes, invite your child to paint a rainbow or colorful design onto a piece of bread.  Toast in toaster oven.  Enjoy as a special snack!