I'm a huge fan of simple yet flexible crafts and activities for young children! Cotton balls, glue, and paper are three things that I find endless use for in my home, especially in combination with one another. This cotton ball craft is super easy to modify and use for a variety of ages. Here are some ways to do the activity in your home!

You'll want to either trace a sheep shape, or download one of my templates (they are free and available for immediate download... no strings attached!). You can use these as coloring pages as well as for the cotton ball sheep crafts described below. 

Toddlers are just developing fine motor abilities, and this activity is a great way to help build them! Allow your child to paint glue onto the stencil, pick up cotton balls and place them within the lines of the sheep.

Have your child color the sheep's face, then use glue to apply the cotton balls. Once done, help you child cut out the sheep. 

Start by decorating the sheep's face; color, paint, or use another medium to give it some color.

Then, laminate the entire paper.

Once the paper has set, heat up a hot glue gun. If your child is super cautious, you may choose to have them help with the glue, but you will probably want to be the one using the glue to help avoid burns. Apply small dots of glue onto the sheep's body, then add cotton balls (they can be pulled a bit to make a more woolen texture, or applied as is).

Have your child cut out the sheep once dry/cool.

​Using the hot glue again, apply two popsicle sticks in a cross shape to the back of the sheep. Then, glue two more popsicle sticks together, one on top of the other. Apply those to the bottom back of the sheep, sticking out towards the bottom. Now you have a sheep puppet or planter decoration! 

Want to dress up the sheep more? You can use food coloring or water colors to dye to cotton balls for a rainbow sheep, apply glitter using regular craft clue, add googley eyes, and more! Your imagination is the only limit!

Want to build on this craft with other educational activities? Here are a few ideas!

Old McDonald (Had a Farm): Perfect for toddlers, Old McDonald is a great way to work on animal sounds and vocabulary! We love pairing it with farm puppets or my child's farm yard play set!

Take a trip to the local community farm/farm museum: In our area, we have tons of community farms and farm museums, and growing up, we had plenty near us as well. A quick Google search can help you identify the resources available near you. ​If you are in the Metro New York area, here are a few options you'll love:

And in the Boston Metro area, be sure to check out Drumlin Farm!

Use this activity along with these great printables to create a spring thematic unit!!

Check out these other great crafts, which pair perfectly with the cotton ball sheep craft, books, and printables for a spring thematic unit!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. You can learn more here.

How exciting is it that spring is here? With Easter around the corner, I've been working hard on some great Easter content, including this adorable Easter themed iSpy activity. And they are all free, but only to members of my Mindfully Scientific Caregivers group on Facebook. Not in my group? Be sure to sign up here. I'll be adding more group exclusives as time goes on. Connect with other caregivers, plus find great tips and tricks for raising kids from a place of evidence, mindfulness, and love. The group is 100% FREE, and comes with the added benefit of being run by a seasoned educator and cognitive scientist specializing in education. 

I also have three great Easter printables available for immediate download, no strings attached! These include a cute coloring page, and two themed biggest to smallest activities. Also be sure to check out my other great Easter and spring content! ​

• Tips for Food Allergy Friendly Easter, plus Candy Free Easter Egg/Basket Options
• Footprint flower art
• Plastic Easter Egg Crafts

This activity is super simple, and can easily be used on your favorite device for an eco friendly solution. Just have your child count the number of each item in the array. I've provided an answer sheet to help you with scoring. You can also print and either laminate, or add to your child's seasonal busy book. This printable fits with however they play!

Also up on the group is an Easter Basket printable activity, bunny ears printable activity, hanging easter eggs printable, and a crossword puzzle. 

Binder books are easy to put together. Simply print 2 copies of all pages, other than the cover. Insert the cover in the front of a binder, and one copy of each page into plastic page protectors. Laminate the second copy, and use velcro on both the plastic page protectors and the backs of the laminated pictures. Cut out each of the laminated pictures, and apply to page protectors. Insert into the binder, and you are all done! You can find an example of a fall themed binder book and detailed instructions here. 

These great printables are available for immediate download! For the small to big activities, I recommend cutting and laminating the cards. This will allow your child to play over and over! You can also laminate the coloring page and use dry erase markers, which is an eco friendly solution enabling your child to color again and again!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in this program comes at no added cost to you, and helps support my small business. Learn more here.

One pot meals are a lifesaver for my busy family. Managing being a working professional, mom, and homemaker keeps me on my toes, and dinner time is one area where efficiency counts. This chili recipe is not only delicious and kid friendly, but healthy and easy!

You may notice cinnamon listed in the ingredients. Look strange to you? I promise, you won't taste it, but you will notice the difference it makes! This tip comes directly from my chef husband... who just happens to have won a local chili contest a few years back. 

Here is my family's favorite chili recipe, guaranteed to be a new favorite in your meal rotation!

• Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
• Sand Cups
• Recipe Pinterest Board
• Food by The Mindfully Scientific Mama