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DIY Valentine's Day Sign or Homemade Valentine's Day Cards Made Easy! This Valentine's Day craft is fun and easy, even for toddlers and preschoolers! Get creative using simple arts and crafts materials. Make a DIY sign, or use for homemade Valentine's Day cards. Here is how to make your own XOXO craft!  WHAT YOU'LL NEED
STENCILS
Download and print! These printable stencils are free and available for instant download.
WHAT TO DO
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We are excitedly preparing for Christmas in our home, and part of that is doing tons of Christmas themed activities. As was the case last year, I put together our seasonal busy book and other printables for my little one to use, and he is still thoroughly enjoying them.
My newly released Christmas printable busy book pack [download] has almost 50 pages of fun and learning! Not ready to buy? You can subscribe here for access to even more free Christmas printables (long time subscribers, you may already have this pack free if you downloaded it previously, as it was made available to you free of charge in 2021). What is available in the paid pack? Alphabet and writing activities, craft templates, fine motor/cutting practice, puzzles, color awareness activity, number and matching activities, and more! Christmas Themed Busy Book
$1.99
$1.50
Celebrate the Christmas season with my holiday themed busy book! Great for ages 2-6, this printable offers nearly 50 pages of fun and educational activities, including:
These pages are best when inserted in page protectors or laminated. You can learn more about building a busy book on my blog here or here. 
Tips for Creating Your Winter Busy Book
Gather your supplies:
Create your book:
Find more great Christmas activities and content!
Grab a Letter to Santa template (available for free and as an instant download), get ideas for winter and Christmas sensory activities and crafts, and more. Find that all in my Christmas Guide!
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Ghost Themed Activities, Free Printables, Crafts, and More!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in the program supports my small business, and comes at no added cost to you. You can learn more here.
 
We have a new addition to our seasonal library: Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell
This book tells the story of 10 ghosts in their haunted house, and an unwelcome visitor. It is perfect for teaching little ones counting skills, and unlike many number books, counts backwards.
We have enjoyed reading it again and again. To keep the fun going, here are some great activities to pair with the book! Whether your are looking for a homeschool learning unit, a preschool class theme, or just a way to keep your child occupied and learning during days at home, this list has something for everyone! Ghost Crafts
Tissue Paper Ghosts (On Paper)
This activity is simple, easy, and perfect for little hands (though big hands can help make it even flashier of a project). Using construction paper, glue, and white tissue paper, have your child form "ghosts" and glue them to the background. You can also use child friendly paint and more construction paper to put together a background scene!
3D Ghosts (More Coming Soon!)
Using a plastic bottle or milk jug, tissue paper, a hot glue gun, and black paint, you can easily create a spooky ghost! Or, use a milk jug and a permanent marker. You can add battery operated lights to either, making them fun evening decorations for Halloween!
Stay tuned for the entire craft, with detailed instructions! Ghost Sensory Activities
Shaving Cream Ghosts
Print the free instant download (below), laminate it, and grab your shaving cream.... it is the easiest sensory activity you can find!
Ghost Sensory Bin
Use dried black beans, some small toy pumpkins (easy to find at the Dollar Store or online), and add large, stretched cotton balls for your "ghosts" (you can also create more elaborate ghosts by gluing a few together and adding googley eyes). Throw in some cups, mini Halloween buckets, tongs, or serving, and you have a great sensory activity. I also added some pompoms and glitter putty to ours.
Play Dough Ghosts (More Coming Soon!)
Use white and black play dough to create adorable ghosts. Add googley eyes when dry (using a hot glue gun) for even more fun!
10 Timid Ghosts Inspired Activity Book
Grab your 10 Timid Ghosts PDF today!
This activity book has 16 pages of fun and learning for your preschooler! Coloring pages, puzzles, counting activities, same/different activities, vocabulary tracing, and more!
Available for Instant Download
Use this free printable as a coloring page, laminate for use as a sensory mat, or laminate and use to practice tracing and coloring again and again!
More Great Book Recommendations!
If you love 10 Timid Ghosts, check out my list offavorite seasonal books for preschoolers!
More Seasonal Content
Also be sure to check out these great seasonal activities this fall!
SAVE OR SHARE!
Grab your free fall color awareness and counting printables on my exclusive parenting group!
What will you find in this latest release?
How can you download these free fall printables?
Simply join The Mindfully Scientific Caregivers Group on Facebook! The group is 100% free, and a great place to connect with other mindful and evidence based parents. Plus, I regularly release new printables there, and it is a great place to stay updated on what is happening on the blog without having to check your emails!
What age are these activities for?
These free fall activities are great for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners, though older children may also enjoy the iSpy activities.
Free Instant Download!
Not interested in joining? Check out this mini activity book; 5 pages of free printables for instant download. Your preschooler or kindergartener will love coloring, practicing their writing, or learning to count with these worksheets. They can be used digitally, or printed.
Disclaimer: By downloading the following workbook, you agree to not reproduce without explicit written permission from The Mindfully Scientific Mama.
Find even more fun and educational activities for your toddler, preschooler, or elementary age child!
Check out these great seasonal educational activities, crafts, and printables... all 100% free!
After a long July enjoying time with family, I am back with brand new printables! My latest pack is a fun, summer themed coloring book. Like my other printables, it is 100% free! So, how can you get yours? Just sign up for my Facebook Group, Mindfully Scientific Caregivers Group.
There you will find tons of other free printable content, and like minded parents, including me. Connect with other parents, ask question, share your parenting victories, and more; all in an environment that is pro-evidence. ​Plus, get early updates about new blog content.
What will you find in this coloring book? Fun beach themed coloring pages, camping themed coloring pages, hiking themed coloring pages, and more! The book is 23 pages long; that is longer than some of the coloring books I've found in stores!
Plus, because this is a digital download, you can print it again and again, instead of getting a single use out of the books you see in stores. ​So what are you waiting for?!?! Sign up TODAY! Looking for other free educational printables, free coloring pages, and free printable activities for kids? Check out these great resources!
Don't forget to share so other parents and educators can find these great resources!!
The teacher in me loves creating great activities for kids, and holidays are an amazing opportunity to share them with you! With Father's Day approaching, I have put together a number of printables, all available FOR FREE. Last week I published an exclusive Q&A About Dad activity, for my newsletter subscribers, and now I'm bring more exclusives to the Mindfully Scientific Caregivers Group!
These four coloring pages are great for little kids who aren't able to make their own cards yet. Create beautiful homemade Father's Day Cards by having your child color the pages (make sure to edit your print settings to scale down the size!). Then paste onto coloring sheet onto folded construction paper to create a card. Help them sign the inside, and you are done!
You can also have your children color the sheets and put them inside of a store bought card. Or, use these in your classroom if you are a teacher! However your kids play, these coloring pages are perfect for them!
BE SURE TO HEAD OVER TO THE GROUP AND JOIN NOW TO GRAB YOURS!
Looking for even more Father's Day content? Head over to my Father's Day blog post, with gift and celebration ideas perfect for every family!
NEW TO THE RESOURCE LIBRARY!!!!
Free Fun Father's Day Question and Answer Printable for Kids, plus 15 more fun questions to ask kids about their Dad!
Grab your copy of this question and answer activity for Father's Day! Guaranteed to get some laughs from Dad, this Q&A for kids is perfect to include in a scrapbook, picture book, card, picture frame, or on its own. Want to see how your child grows? Have them do one every year! "Kids say the darnedest things", am I right?!
You can get yours by subscribing to my mailing list here. There are loads of other great, free printables available on my subscriber's library, too. I'm always adding new content, so once you sign up, check back regularly. Also follow me on social media for updates (my newsletter will be coming out soon with updates as well). 
Are you looking for great gift or celebration ideas for Father's Day? I have you covered with this Father's Day post (more ideas are being added regularly). There are also free cards available for immediate download there.
If you do this activity with your child, be sure to tag me on my social media accounts! I'd love to see what creative thoughts they have about their fathers.
Want to elaborate on this activity? Try some of these questions out:
Have other fun questions to ask the Dads in your life? Comment below to share!
Be sure to share this article!
With food allergy awareness week around the corner, I am back with a new printable available for immediate download. This free food allergy advocacy resource has 100% no strings attached! Why?
Because raising awareness about food allergies is life saving work, and to make a difference we need to include our children in the discussion.
Food allergy bullying is a common problem, and one way to combat it is with early education. Food allergies are a life threatening disability. There is nothing funny about that.
You can find more tips for addressing bullying over food allergies here.
Stay tuned, because even more printables are coming soon!!! And be sure to participate in Food Allergy Awareness Week from May 9th - May 15th. Food Allergy Research and Education has a ton of activities planned; you can find the entire schedule here.
Or, check out my last blog post for access to tons of graphics, an overview of FARE's event schedule, and more!
And, of course, the real reason you came to this post.... the printable! You can download it via the image, or click on the file below.
Free Kids' Food Allergy Awareness Printable for Immediate Download
Be sure to share this post to help other families raise awareness about food allergies!
Fresh spring coloring pages have hit the website and are available for immediate download!
As I do every season, I am making select coloring pages available for immediate download. This new PDF has 6 different pages that are perfect to brighten the entire season. There is something for every skill level, and the printable pack is perfect for rainy days indoors. Be sure to head over to my main Spring resource page to check them out!
Plus, you'll find access to tons of other great content.
And more! Content is being added regularly, so stop back to check out what's new!
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. 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! Cotton Ball Sheep Crafts for Kids of All AgesWhere to StartYou'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.
Other materials you'll need:
For ToddlersToddlers 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. For PreschoolersHave your child color the sheep's face, then use glue to apply the cotton balls. Once done, help you child cut out the sheep. For Elementary Age KidsStart 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! Expand on the Activity Even More!Want to build on this craft with other educational activities? Here are a few ideas! Sheep Themed Kids BooksFarm Songs and ActivitiesOld 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! Educational Spring PrintablesUse this activity along with these great printables to create a spring thematic unit!!
More Spring Crafts & ActivitiesCheck out these other great crafts, which pair perfectly with the cotton ball sheep craft, books, and printables for a spring thematic unit! Be sure to save this on Pinterest for easy access to these great ideas later! |
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