Fine Motor Fun: Pipe Cleaner Spider Web

I surprised the girls with this fun little set up after quiet time today. 

What I love about this Halloween project is that not only is it a cute little craft but it's a great way to practice those fine motor skills. 

The materials used: 

- Silver and white pipe cleaners cut up into various lengths. 

- Glue

- Black construction paper

-White crayons 

- Foam spider stickers 

I drew the spider web shape onto the black paper ahead of time. When the girls arrived I demonstrated how to line up the pipe cleaners to the spider web and glue them on. I also explained that there are various sizes to fit the small, medium and large lines. 

My 3 year old enjoyed lining up the outside of the spider web. 

My 5 year old started off lining the outside and then quickly made her way to the inside as well. 

It takes some strength to press down on the pipe cleaners and hold them in place with the glue. The girls didn't know it but they were hard at work practicing fine motor skills! 

I let them tell me when they were done and since it took awhile to hold each pipe cleaner in place neither of them filled up the entire web or even came close. We like to encourage the process NOT the product so that was just fine! :) 

Next they placed these cute adorable spider foam stickers (purchased from Michaels) on their spider webs and they were done. 

*We all know that not everything turns out as planned and even with lots of glue some of the pipe cleaners were not sticking. I waited until they were dry and the ones that didn't stick I placed a small piece of clear scotch tape over them and that seemed to do the trick. Upon reflection this probably would work better with yarn. 

There you have our fine motor fun with a Halloween spider web!

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Valentine's Day Play Dough

I realize this is nothing new here but just wanted to share how we kicked off Valentine's Day week! And perhaps by chance you haven't seen this done before. :)

  Play Dough Recipe 

- 1/2 cup salt 
- 1 cup of water
- 2 Tb cream of tartar
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 Tb oil
- red food coloring
- peppermint extract (for minty smell)

Mix all the ingredients together, stir well.
Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir often.
Remove from heat and knead until desired consistency.


We added red sprinkles to the recipe as well!!


I included heart shaped cookie cutters as well as other play dough utensils/toys.

The play dough can be stored in the refrigerator in a concealed container and it should last for a good 6 months.  Enjoy!!

Fine Motor/Math Pom Pom Activity

I love the dollar store almost as much as I love Target! Speaking of the dollar store be sure to check out this post from growingajeweledrose.com: 100 things to buy from the dollar store

Her list is fantastic and she gives examples of how she uses each item for play. We already used many of the materials she suggested but I was also inspired by many other ideas I hadn't thought to use before. She also has wonderful sensory play and bath play ideas on her site so be sure to check it out!

A recent trip to the dollar store inspired this activity. It's not ground breaking or anything, it's been done many times but it's the first time we did it and the girls loved it.  One of the best parts is it all was purchased at the dollar store for $5 and it can be used over and over again!

The materials are simple: pom poms, ice cube trays and tweezers.





The girls used the tweezers to sort the pom poms in the ice cube tray.

 

My 4 year old sorted them by color and counted each color after sorting.

 

 My 2 year old had fun simply using the tweezers to pick up the pom poms. Great fine motor skill activity! Also an example of how this activity lends itself to different skill levels.

 

So simple and fun all for $5!!