Love to Laugh and Learn

Fun and interesting learning activities to do with the children in your life

Learning Activities for the Color Blue

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 Learning Activities for the Color Blue
with free printable






Let’s laugh and learn about the color blue today. There are so many wonderful blue things around us; the sky, blueberries, your comfy pair of blue sweatpants or blue jeans. Here are some fun learning activities for the color blue.

Content:

Clothing
Toys
Craft:
Blueberry Pie
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Clothing

Dress you child in something blue; a blue shirt (I have a Thomas the Tank Engine Shirt…remember, I taught preschool), a pair of blue jeans etc. Be sure to join your child and wear something blue too.

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Toys

Go through your child’s toys and pick out the blue ones to play with; Thomas the Train, Cookie Monster from Sesame Street, blue legos or duplos, blue wooden blocks etc. Use these toys for playtime today.

I used sensory bags in my classroom, which the children enjoyed a lot. Take gallon sized ziplock bags and fill each one with something different. Put blue jello or jelly in one bag. There used to be a version of oatmeal that turned blue when you mixed it up; I would use that in one of the bags. If the blue oatmeal isn’t available you could add blue food coloring to regular oatmeal.

Material Used for Oatmeal Sensory Bags

I would run a bead of glue along the “zipper” and let it dry before I let the children play with the bags to help discourage them from opening the bags and making a mess. They can then squish the bags in their hands or lay them on the table and use a finger to “write” and draw; kind of like finger painting without the mess.

B is for Blue and Bowl

Another addition to the sensory experience would be to let them play with the oatmeal bags while the oatmeal was still warm. Discuss the differences between the feel of the bag with the oatmeal and the bag with the Jello.

Blue Oatmeal Sensory Bag

Put the bags in the refrigerator when you are done so you can bring them out and play with them again another day. They should last a week or more before you need to toss them. Please share any other ideas, that you might have, of things to put in your sensory bags.

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Craft

Blueberry Pie Craft

Supplies for Blueberry Pie Craft
Supplies for Blueberry Pie Craft

Materials Needed:

Piece of Pie Coloring Page
Blue paint
Pencil with eraser or Q-tip
Small paper plate

1) Print Piece of Pie Coloring Page
2) Put a small amount of blue paint on the paper plate.
3) Use the Q-tip like a stamp. Dip it in the paint and make “blueberry” dots on your piece of pie.

 

Blueberry Pie Craft with Q-tip: Learning Activities for the Color Blue

I used one of those really large pencils with a big eraser for the next piece of pie. I found the pencil at a Dollar Tree Store. You could also use a regular sized pencil.

Blueberry Pie with Large Eraser: Learning Activities for the Color Blue

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Blue Foods for snack or meal time

Blueberries, blue Jello, blue tortilla chips

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Story Time

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
This is a cute story that I always read to my preschool classes when we were learning the color blue. The story is about a little girl and a little bear cub that follow their mothers to the blueberry patch. Read this adorable book with your child to find out about the funny mix-up that happens at the patch.

Blue’s Clues books by several different authors
I love Blue’s Clues because it gives your child opportunities to think and reason. There are several wonderful titles to choose from.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
I love Dr. Seuss rhyming books. This book works for the colors blue and red as well as numbers.

Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
Reading Level: Birth to 4 yrs old
This is a simple little book but so much fun. It covers several colors and has a very silly turkey that will make your child giggle. You can also encourage observation skills as you discuss with your child the problems that the turkey is having.

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Reading Level: 3 yrs old and up
Ok, I am a sucker for a rhyming book but this one is doubly cute because not only does it rhyme but you get to make a lot of fun sounds while reading it to your child. You will also find out how it pays to be nice to your friends. You may need their help some day.

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Related Posts:

The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview
A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts
Learning Activities for the Color Red
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow
Learning Activities for the Color Green
Learning Activities for the Color Purple
Learning Activities for the Color Orange

Learning Activities for the Color Red

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Learning Activities for the Color Red





Here are some learning activities for the color red. Remember to have fun learning and laughing together.

Clothing

Dress you child in something red; a red shirt, red pants, etc. Join in the fun and wear red too.

Toys

Go through your child’s toys and pick out the red ones to play with; red legos or duplos, red wooden blocks, a fire engine, Strawberry Shortcake, Elmo etc. Use these toys for playtime today.

Make or buy red play dough. Play dough is great for sensory play. If you have plastic colored cookie cutters to use with your play dough, just get out the red ones today. Click the words, play dough, to find a couple of recipes to make your own play dough at home.

Craft

Torn Paper Apple Craft

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Materials Needed for Torn Paper Apple Craft
Learning Activities for the Color Red: Materials Needed for Torn Paper Apple Craft

Materials Needed:

1. Red & green construction paper
2. Small white paper plate
3. Glue
4. Foam applicator or paint brush
5. Scissors

Instructions:

1. Give your child a small white paper plate and a red piece of construction paper.
2. Have him/her tear the red construction paper into pieces. (I just used 1/2 piece of construction paper.)

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft
Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft

3. Squirt some glue onto the small paper plate.
4. Give your child a paint brush or foam applicator to apply the glue to the plate with. (My favorite is the foam applicator. It covers large surfaces quite a bit easier than a paint brush.) Have your child spread the glue all over the plate. Make sure to get the edges.

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft
Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft

5. Then apply the torn pieces of red construction paper one piece at a time. Cover up all the white.

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft
Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft

6. Have a stem and a leaf cut out and ready so your child can glue them to the top of the apple. If your child is a little older let them cut out their own stem and leaf.
7. Some of the red construction paper was sticking over the edge of the plate so I trimmed that off to give the apple it’s circular shape back.

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Completed Torn Paper Apple Craft
Learning Activities for the Color Red: Completed Torn Paper Apple Craft

Red Foods for snack or meal time

Strawberries, cherries, watermelon, raspberries, red pepper, apples

Finger Play

Ten Red Apples

Ten red apples growing on a tree
(hold both hands up and out to make a tree)
Five for you and five for me
(shake one hand, then the other)
Help me shake that tree just so
(act like holding tree trunk and shaking it)
And ten red apples fall down below
(lower hands while fluttering fingers)
One, two, three, four, five
(count fingers on one hand)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
(count fingers on other hand)

– Author Unknown

Story Time

“Apples Here!“ by Will Hubbell
Reading Level: Ages 3-8
I would encourage you to read this to your child before you do the Torn Paper Apple craft. It gives a very simplified story of how apple trees and apples grow. The simple theme is that “there are apples here”; whether looking at buds or blossoms or tiny little knots on the branches, there are apples growing there.

“Clifford The Big Red Dog” by Norman Bridwell
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Several generations of children have fallen in love with Clifford the Big Red Dog. Norman Bridwell has written many different adventures for Clifford and Emily. I’m sure that you will find plenty of adventures that you and your child will love.

“The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (Child’s Play Library)” by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
Reading Level: Ages 5-8
The Little Mouse wants to save his strawberry from the Big Hungry Bear. Do you like strawberries? Maybe you can help the Little Mouse. Read this cute story for some smiles and expect to have a craving for strawberries.

Music and Singing

Little Red Caboose

Bumping Up And Down In My Little Red Wagon

Related Posts

Colors – Overview
A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apple
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts
Learning Activities for the Color Blue
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow
Learning Activities for the Color Green
Learning Activities for the Color Purple
Learning Activities for the Color Orange

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow

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Learning Activities for the Color Yellow

with free printable




Following are some fun learning activities for the color yellow. Find your yellow shirt, put on a big smile and have fun helping your child learn about the color yellow.

Content:

Clothing
Toys
Craft:
Yellow Daffodil
Finger Play
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Clothing

So by now you know where I’m going, right? Help your child find their yellow pieces of clothing and let them help you find your yellow clothing. Get dressed up and ready for Yellow Day.

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Toys

Your child is probably getting the idea of what to do on a special color day. Have them help you go through their toys and find the yellow ones to play with. What can you find?…a yellow truck, Big Bird from Sesame Street, a yellow ball?

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Craft Time

Yellow Daffodil

Materials Needed:

Daffodil Craft Page – click on thumbnail to access the printable craft page
Yellow crayons, markers or paint*
Green crayons, markers or paint
Yellow mini muffin liner
Glue or glue stick

* You can make your own watercolors by mixing a a couple of drops of food coloring with a little water. (This is what I did for my sample.)

This is a fairly simple craft activity but it is so cute. It is a great project for the spring or to give as a homemade Mother’s Day gift.

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Materials Needed - Daffodil
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Materials Needed – Daffodil

Just print the picture, color or paint it and then glue the mini muffin cup to the center of the flower. Presto Chango! You have a beautiful spring flower.

Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Daffodil Craft
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow: Daffodil Craft

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Finger Play

Five Little Daffodils

One little daffodil had nothing much to do,

(hold up on finger)

Out popped another one, then there were two.

(hold up two fingers)

Two little daffodils were smiling at a bee,

(point to mouth and smile)

Out popped another one, then there were three.

(hold up three fingers)

Three little daffodils were growing by the door,

(slowly raise arms up above head like growing toward the sun)

Out popped another one, then there were four.

(hold up four fingers)

Four little daffodils were glad to be alive,

(clap hands and smile)

Out popped another one, then there were five.

(hold up five fingers)

Five little daffodils were wearing golden crowns,

(act like putting crown on head)

They danced in the breeze in green satin gowns.

(sway and dance around)

– Author Unknown

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Yellow Foods for snack or meal time

Bananas, yellow pears, cornbread, yellow peppers, yellow tomatoes, corn,
lemons, lemonade, the yolk out of a hard boiled egg

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Story Time

In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli

Reading Level: Ages 2 and up

What seems like a plain yellow shirt leads to a lot of fun use of a little boy’s imagination. He becomes a duck, a taxi, a lazy caterpillar and several other things. This book inspired the two crafts that I listed in this lesson. Have fun enjoying the book together and then take time to make a craft.

The Yellow Tutu by Kirsten Bramsen

Reading Level: Ages 3 and up

Here is another adorable child with a big imagination. Margo decides to wear her new yellow tutu in a different way. It makes her so happy as she pretends to be many things…that is, she is happy until she reaches school where she isn’t treated very well by the other children. But her friend, Pearl, comes to the rescue; as friends often do.

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

Reading Level: Ages 3 and up

This makes a great story to read, in the fall, as the leaves start falling down. The one little yellow leaf isn’t ready to let go of the tree even though it’s the only leaf left around…or is it?

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Related Posts

The Lessons – Overview

Colors – Overview

A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples

Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Learning Activities for the Color Red

Learning Activities for the Color Blue

Learning Activities for the Color Green

Learning Activities for the Color Purple

Learning Activities for the Color Orange

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Thanksgiving Learning Activities

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Thanksgiving Learning Activities




“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
His loves endures forever.”
Psalm 118:1

Thanksgiving learning activities include a little history. There are several fun learning activities listed below to do while you are gathered together to celebrate this special holiday. I would really enjoy hearing about the fun you had creating pilgrims hats or reading any of the recommended books, so please leave a comment below. If you have pictures to share please post them on the Love to Laugh and Learn Facebook page.

Content:

Crafts
Hand and Foot Turkey Craft
Native American Indian Headband
Native American Indian Vest
Pilgrim Hat for Boys
Pilgrim Hat for Girls
Music
Reading
Toys

Toys

I love using “special” toys to get across a lesson. I had toys that were only gotten out occasionally for a specific lesson or time of year. These toys were not just left in the toy box or in the classroom. I kept them put up in special containers and only got them out at certain times and then they were put back up again. Following is a list of things that I used, in the classroom or at home, for the children to use to learn about the first Thanksgiving.

Horse Costume – I probably wouldn’t have called it a costume but that is what it is called on Amazon.com. It is a plush style horse. The child steps through the center and pulls straps, like suspenders, up over their shoulders. They used the horses when pretending to be Native American Indians. A stick horse would work well too.

Playmobil Native American Indians – Playmobil is made up of a lot of tiny parts, which is another reason why I kept them in a special container and only got them out for specific lessons. The children loved the Playmobil pieces and they promote fine motor skills.

Teepee Tent – A teepee tent adds a lot of fun to the children’s make-believe play. I purchased a big black plastic “cauldron” after Halloween to go with the teepee.

Dress-up Clothes Box – Both boys and girls love playing with dress up clothes. After Halloween is a great time to get items for your dress-up box. You can purchase costumes at very low prices. Be sure to pick up some Pilgrim and Native American Indian costumes to use at Thanksgiving time. There are some great dress-up items that you and your child can make together to add to the dress-up box. I will cover some of those in the craft section.

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Crafts

Thanksgiving Learning Activities: Have fun making turkeys from your child’s hands and feet.

Hand and Foot Turkey Craft

Materials Needed:
Construction Paper; brown, red, orange and yellow
Pencil
Scissors
Glue stick
Wiggly eyes (optional)

This is a fun craft that I got from enchantedlearning.com. This would be a good craft to first do with your child when they are two or three years old. You can then make a new “hand and foot turkey” each year and see how much your child has grown. They will make cute decorations for each Thanksgiving. Be sure to put your child’s name and the date on the back of the turkey. I would take it and have it laminated to help preserve it.

Native American Indian Vest

Materials Needed:
Large brown paper grocery bag
Scissors
Crayons or markers

These vests are very simple and a lot of fun. Cut the bag up the middle of one of the wide sides. Cut a neck hole out of the bottom of the bag and arm holes out of the narrow sides of the bag. Now set your child loose with some crayons or markers to decorate their vest. For older children, show them some Native American symbols. They might enjoy drawing them on their vest.

Native American Indian Headband

Materials Needed:
Brown poster board or cardstock
Construction paper; brown, orange, yellow, red
Feathers (optional)
Scissors
Glue stick
Tape or stapler

I use poster board or cardstock for the headband but I have also heard of people using a paper bag. You will want to cut a 2 inch wide strip that is long enough to wrap around the child’s head. Make sure to cut it an inch or two longer than the width of the child’s head so that you can overlap the ends and staple or tape them together. (Hint: If you staple the ends together, staple from the inside out; so that the folded part of the staple is on the outside. This will keep the staple from getting caught in the child’s hair.) Cut feather shapes out of some colored construction paper or purchase feathers at the craft store and attach them to the band.

Pilgrim Hat For Girls

Materials Needed:
12” x 18” white construction paper
White Ribbon or yarn
Scissors
Stapler and/or glue stick

This hat is enjoyed by little girls of all ages but there isn’t a whole lot for a real young child to do in helping make the hat. Once your child is old enough to use scissors and a stapler they will be able to contribute a little more in the making of this project. If you are doing this craft for a younger child I would add a step and let them use a glue stick and apply some glue to the flaps that will overlap on the back of the hat. I would still staple the flaps to give them extra holding power. As I stated earlier, staple from the inside out; so that the folded part of the staple is on the outside. This will keep the staple from getting caught in the child’s hair.

About.com has great instructions for the girl’s pilgrim hat along with a pattern so I’m going to give you their link to access the directions: Pilgrim Hat for Girls

Pilgrim Hat for Boys

Materials Needed:
black poster board or cardstock
Construction paper: black, white and yellow or gold

Thanksgiving Learning Activities: Creating Boy’s Pilgrim Hat

1) Cut a 2” wide headband, out of black poster board or cardstock, that is slightly larger than your child’s head.
2) Fold a 12″x 9″ piece of black construction paper in half. Draw half of a hat on the folded edge of the paper. I used a ruler to help me make straight lines. Make the brim 2″ wide.
3) Cut a 2” wide strip from a piece of white construction paper. Glue it just above the brim of the hat.
4) Cut 2 ½” x 2 ½” square from a yellow piece of construction paper. Cut a 2” by 2” square out of the center of the square. I again cut the square on a fold to make it easier to cut the center out.
5) Glue of staple the finished hat to the headband.
6) Tape or staple the headband to fit around your child’s head. Cut off any excess poster board.

Thanksgiving Learning Activities: Pilgrim’s Hat

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Music

10 Little Indians

One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian boys.

Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians
Seven little, six little, five little Indians
Four little, three little, two little Indians
One little Indian boy.

Gobble, Gobble
(Sung to “If you’re Happy & You Know It”)

“Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble”, says the bird.
“Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble”, says the bird.
Mr. Turkey gobble-gobbles
And his head goes wobble-wobble
“Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble”, says the bird.

Give Thanks to the Lord – Hide ‘em in Your Heart, Vol. 2 by Steve Green

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Story Time

If You Were At The First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma
Reading Level: Ages 7 and up
This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving books for teaching the history of the holiday. This book contains a whole lot of interesting information about the first Thanksgiving. It is well written. Although it is recommended for ages 7 and up, I read sections of it to my pre-kindergarten classes. It is written in a question/answer format which helps break up all the information into small “bite sized” pieces. This format makes it easy to cover a couple questions at a time or several if your child is really interested.

The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
As the title might suggest, this book is written in the same style as Twas the Night Before Christmas. It is written in as amusing fashion of a family’s Thanksgiving Day from a child’s point of view. Lots of smile will ensue when sharing this book with your child.

‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
Reading Level: (officially) Ages 3 and up (but my recommendation would be 5 and up)
This is a quirky little story about a classroom of children that take a field trip to a turkey farm, the night before Thanksgiving. All is well until someone finds an axe and asks what it’s for. As you can imagine there were many tears over the realization of what was going to happen to their feathery friends. When the teacher and Farmer Mack Nuggett return from getting some water, to hopefully calm the children, they find “the children were calmer (and mysteriously fatter)”. You will need to read the story to find out what transpires but I will tell you that it is a happy ending. I wouldn’t recommend this for really young children, but once they start getting old enough to understand where their food comes from, it would be appropriate. Although this sounds like a dark tale, it is very light hearted. It is written in rhyme and the same style as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” It is one of my favorite fun Thanksgiving books. Each year I read it to my pre-kindergarten classes. I never had any bad reactions from the children (or the parents) just smiles and giggles.

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Related Posts:

Thanksgiving Fun with Turkeys
A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes

by 38 Comments

Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes


 
It’s time for some fun learning activities with ovals. When I was growing up we had an oval shaped swimming pool in our backyard. I enjoyed playing with Silly Putty which was stored in an oval shaped egg. What fun things do you remember doing with ovals? There are some great books listed below that are all about ovals. Be sure to take time to enjoy the craft. I would love for you to stop by my Facebook page (Love to Laugh and Learn) and share some pictures of the ways you enjoyed learning and playing with ovals.

Content:

Toys
Craft:
Abstract Picture of Circles and Ovals
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

What kinds of oval shaped toys can your child find? Can they build an oval train or car track? Are there some play food eggs in their pretend kitchen? How about some plastic Easter eggs? Get some play dough out and experiment with making balls (circles) of play dough and then squishing it slightly to turn the circles into ovals. If it’s warm out fill up some water-balloons and have a fun time in the yard. Ovals can be found everywhere? What else did you and your child find?

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Craft

Learn about the relationship between circles and ovals with this fun craft.

Abstract Picture of Circles and Ovals

Not all arts and crafts have to form a specific picture or item. Experimenting with different materials and creating your own art work can be very fun and extremely educational. In this craft your child can learn the relationship between circles and ovals while creating their own artwork.

Materials Needed:

Toilet paper tubes
Paint (as many colors as you want)
Plate
White Paper

Instructions:

1. Pour a small amount of paint out on a plate.

Preparing for abstract oval/circle painting.

 

2. Dip one end of the toilet paper tube into the paint and stamp it onto the white paper. Have your child be careful not to squish the tube for the first few “stamps”.

3. After making several circles on the paper, gently squish the toilet paper tube. If your child has trouble keeping the toilet paper roll squished into an oval you can use a rubber band to hold it in an oval shape.

You can use a rubber band to help hold the oval shape.

4. Dip it in the paint and “stamp” onto the paper. What shape are you making now?

Learn about the relationship between circles and ovals with this fun craft.

This is a very simple craft that can be used with a very young child but older children will also enjoy making their own abstract art pieces.

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Foods for snack or meal time

Boiled eggs, olives, baked potato, kiwi (if you slice it end to end), grapes, oval-shaped crackers, pumpkin seeds, cucumbers or pickles (sliced end to end)

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Story Time

I See Ovals (All about Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find ovals in many different places. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of every day items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

Ovals around Town (Shapes Around Town) by Nathan Olson
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
There are so many ovals around us. Some windows are shaped like ovals. Watermelons are shaped like ovals. The author does a wonderful job of explaining and showing the difference between a circle and an oval. I especially liked how a couple of the illustrations showed that an arch reflected in water looks like an oval. There are bright fun colors and illustrations throughout the book. You and your child will have lots of fun as you explore ovals.

Ovals (The Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
Dana Meachen Rau has a great series of little books about shapes. In this book you will see several different ovals. You might find some right in your own house. The simple text and bright pictures will give you and your child a lot to talk about. This is a great little book for introducing ovals to your child.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview

 

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