14 Cool Science Experiments to Do at Home (using household items!)

14 Cool Science Experiments to Do at Home (using household items!)

Years ago, when we were homeschooling, shopping for science experiments sometimes drove me crazy. I didn’t want to have to go buy a head or red cabbage, and Borox and see if we had an eye dropper somewhere, and order the right kind of test 

17 Adorable Penguin Crafts for Preschoolers & Kindergartens

17 Adorable Penguin Crafts for Preschoolers & Kindergartens

Don’t you just love penguins? Whether of the cartoon variety or the real-life one, there’s something so cute about them. Whether it’s their waddle, their unique black and white coloring, or just the fact that they don’t live in the northern hemisphere, making them kind 

10 Ocean-Themed Under the Sea Snacks (beach party food!)

10 Ocean-Themed Under the Sea Snacks (beach party food!)

Looking for some cute and easy snacks for an ocean-themed party … or just a fun way to enjoy a summer afternoon with the kiddos? Here are 10 fun treats — from mermaid cupcakes to beach pudding cups to starfish sugar cookies — that will 

23 Easy & Fun Bumblebee Crafts for Kids

23 Easy & Fun Bumblebee Crafts for Kids

Here are 23 adorable bee crafts that your kids will surely love. Not only are these crafts fun and entertaining, but they also provide a great way to enhance your child’s fine motor skills. Bumblebee crafts are not only cute and easy to make, but 

Mini Aquarium in a Bottle (ocean sensory play)

Mini Aquarium in a Bottle (ocean sensory play)

These ocean sensory bottles — or, as I like to call them, “mini aquariums” — are ridiculously easy to make and are a sensory activity that will keep young children calm and entranced for quite a while. There’s nothing wrong with making these bottles just 

Tiny Santa Hat Christmas Ornament Craft (made with Dollar Tree items!)

Tiny Santa Hat Christmas Ornament Craft (made with Dollar Tree items!)

Are you looking for a cute and easy homemade Christmas tree ornament that you and your kids can together? Well, look no further. Not only does this craft take about 15 minutes to make, but it’s made with several items that we found at Dollar 

DIY Sensory Bottle Ideas for Kids to Make

DIY Sensory Bottle Ideas for Kids to Make

If your child has sensory processing issues or ADD — or even if they don’t — they will love these simple sensory bottles. Also known as “calm down bottles,” these DIY sensory bottles are a tool for younger and older children alike that can help 

7 Dinosaur Crafts & Art Projects for Toddlers and Preschoolers

7 Dinosaur Crafts & Art Projects for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Do you know a little person who loves dinosaurs? Both both and girls tend to be fascinated by these prehistoric creatures. And why shouldn’t they be? They seem mythical, almost like unicorns … but they were real. How cool is that? Whether you’re looking for 

Mickey Mouse Craft Ideas & Activities

Mickey Mouse Craft Ideas & Activities

There are all kinds of reasons for making a Mickey Mouse craft: An upcoming trip to Disney World A Mickey-themed birthday party A desire to bring a little Disney into your home or classroom Just to show off your love for the mouse! Whatever the 

How to Make a DIY Unicorn Dream Catcher

How to Make a DIY Unicorn Dream Catcher

This cute DIY unicorn dream catcher is a great decoration for a unicorn-themed party or simply to hang in a girl’s bedroom. One of the things I like about this craft is that it was very inexpensive, and you probably have most of these things 

Easy Edible Playdough Recipe for Toddlers (with Nutella!)

Easy Edible Playdough Recipe for Toddlers (with Nutella!)

What’s even more fun than a hands-on craft with lots of sensory appeal for toddlers and preschoolers? One that you can eat when you’re finished! This homemade Nutella playdough has only 2 ingredients and is completely non-toxic and 100% edible. And if you’re a fan 

14 Christmas Snowman Crafts for Kids

14 Christmas Snowman Crafts for Kids

We live in the southeast, so it’s rare that we get to make an actual snowman. (Although it has happened!) But matter what the weather is like, snowmen are an icon of winter and the Christmas season. So if you can’t make one outside (and 

Christmas Snowman Craft for Preschoolers

Christmas Snowman Craft for Preschoolers

Do you ever use store-bought pasta sauce? How about salsa? Jelly? Olives? Pickles? Applesauce? If so, I bet you’re throwing away all those jar lids when you and your kids could be making a cute winter snowman out of them. After reading this post, you’ll 

32 Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Toddlers

32 Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Toddlers

Toilet paper rolls: We all have them. We’re constantly getting more of them. You might as well put them to good use, right? Here are 12 fun and easy toilet paper roll crafts that are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, either at home or in 

How to Make a Sensory Bottle Without Baby Oil

How to Make a Sensory Bottle Without Baby Oil

This snowflake sensory is both beautiful and easy to make — plus it kind of doubles as DIY winter home decor.   So what’s a sensory bottle? If you’re not familiar with sensory bottles (also known as discovery bottles or calm down jars), they’re basically 

Paper Straw Christmas Tree Ornament Craft

Paper Straw Christmas Tree Ornament Craft

This is an easy Christmas craft that perschoolers could do (probably with a little assistance), but that looks nice enough that it doesn’t scream “a little kid made this!” It can obviously be used as a tree ornament … but you can also skip the 

Dinosaur Nail & Wood Craft (Easy String Art for Kids)

Dinosaur Nail & Wood Craft (Easy String Art for Kids)

This dinosaur string art is a unique craft that has the benefit of teaching your kid the real-life skill of hammering (depending on their age.) If you’ve never done string art before, this post has everything you need to know to get started. Not only 

Panda Bear Toilet Paper Roll Craft for Kids

Panda Bear Toilet Paper Roll Craft for Kids

This panda bear is a really simple craft that you can make within minutes of making this post. There’s no set up, nothing messy like paint, and you’re almost certain to already have everything you need. (If you don’t have black paper handy, you could 

School Bus Art Project for Toddlers & Preschoolers

School Bus Art Project for Toddlers & Preschoolers

I admit that I tend to be unfairly biased toward girls when I create kids’ printables and crafts for this blog. I don’t do it on purpose, but I’m guessing that it’s for 3 reasons: I used to be a girl and “girl things” appeal 

DIY Teddy Bear Halloween Treat Boxes (with Templates)

DIY Teddy Bear Halloween Treat Boxes (with Templates)

I love Halloween as much as anybody else, but I always like the “cute” side of it (pumpkins, fun costumes, cartoony ghosts) aspects of it rather than the scary/gory/haunted house element. And, of course, the candy. If you’re looking for a cute-not-scary way to pack 

How to Make a Mermaid Bookmark (with Printable Templates)

How to Make a Mermaid Bookmark (with Printable Templates)

You can never have too bookmarks — and this DIY mermaid bookmark is absolutely adorable. The printable template includes the instructions (written in first person by the mermaid, who I’ve named “Pearl”), so kids can make this bookmark with little to no assistance. All you 

Coffee Filter Leaf & Pumpkin Craft (with Food Coloring)

Coffee Filter Leaf & Pumpkin Craft (with Food Coloring)

This fall garland of leaves and pumpkins made from coffee filters is a fun craft that can kinda sorta double as a science experiment with a bit of creativity. This is one of those crafts — like my Mickey Mouse marble painting — where not 

Printable Slumber Party Activities (Mermaid Style!)

Printable Slumber Party Activities (Mermaid Style!)

If your little girl is planning a slumber party anytime soon, you’ve got to check out this adorable activity. Each girl gets to pick a pillow and sleeping bag for their sleeping bag, then they all get to pick a mermaid name and work on 

Seasons of a Tree: A Q-Tip Painting Idea for Kids

Seasons of a Tree: A Q-Tip Painting Idea for Kids

Here’s a great art project that not only helps kids learn about creating texture and layering colors, but also is a way to learn about the changing seasons. We did our trees by painting with one Q-tip at a time, but I’ve also seen people 

No-Cook Pumpkin Spice Playdough

No-Cook Pumpkin Spice Playdough

This play dough recipe is sometimes referred to as “Cloud Dough” because of how soft and smooth it is. Now I should clarify right off the bat that there is no pumpkin in this recipe. In fact, it’s not an edible play dough, so if 

Toilet Paper Roll Cat Craft for Kids

Toilet Paper Roll Cat Craft for Kids

This cat craft is super easy and requires almost literally no skills other than hitting your computer’s “Print” button and cutting out and gluing shapes. However, if you want to be more creative, you can certainly dress it up by varying the colors, drawing designs 

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder (with or without peanut butter)

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder (with or without peanut butter)

Want to attract some birds to your yard (and maybe even some squirrels and chipmunks?) This Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder is a simple craft that even toddlers and preschoolers can help make. You can make a couple of them to hang at different heights 

Toilet Paper Roll Ghost (A Halloween Craft)

Toilet Paper Roll Ghost (A Halloween Craft)

This paper roll ghost is a fun Halloween craft that can also be used for decorations in your home or classroom, especially if you’re hosting a Halloween party. They would also look great hanging from your porch and trees on Halloween night. This project is 

Dinosaur Dirt Pudding Cups: An Easy Recipe for Kids

Dinosaur Dirt Pudding Cups: An Easy Recipe for Kids

These Dinosaur Dirt Pudding Cups are not only a super-easy dessert recipe that kids can make themselves, but they’re a great snack and activity for birthday parties and playdates. Dirt Pudding Cup Variations There are a few ways you can change this up, depending on 

Free Printable Fall Word Searches (2 easy & 1 challenging)

Free Printable Fall Word Searches (2 easy & 1 challenging)

I just love fall, from the colors (autumn colors look very good on an Irish redhead) to the excitement of starting a new school year to that cozy feeling of sliding on a sweater and pair of jeans for the first time in months. Here 

Free Rainbow Templates to Color & Print

Free Rainbow Templates to Color & Print

Who doesn’t like rainbows? They’re fun, they’re colorful, they represent hope and promises … and you can use them for all kinds of kids’ activities, especially when it comes to learning about colors or the science of what makes a rainbow. I made a few 

Free Printable Summer Coloring Pages for Preschoolers

Free Printable Summer Coloring Pages for Preschoolers

Looking for something cheap and simple for your kids to do inside on a hot summer day? Here are 3 printable coloring pages with summer themes that are geared for preschool and kindergarten ages. Just click on each image to download and print. But wait! 

Raccoon Toilet Paper Roll Craft for Kids

Raccoon Toilet Paper Roll Craft for Kids

This raccoon craft is super easy for even preschoolers to make. Just use the templates to cut out the pieces on colored paper, then glue the pieces in the right spots on a toilet paper roll.   Raccoon Book for Kids Why not create a 

How to Make Puffy Paint Without Shaving Cream and Glue (Super Easy Recipe!)

How to Make Puffy Paint Without Shaving Cream and Glue (Super Easy Recipe!)

Whipping up a batch of puffy paint is a great way to get your kids outside and let them be creative. If you’ve made puffy paint before, you’ve probably used shaving cream and/or glue. While that’s a perfectly respectable way to make it, this recipe 

3 Free Printable Back to School Word Searches

3 Free Printable Back to School Word Searches

These 3 printable back to school word searches are great for homeschool families, teachers, or any kid that loves word puzzles. Word searches may seem like something that’s a “filler” activity or something to do “just for fun,” but they actually help with skills such 

Free Printable Cat Coloring Pages

Free Printable Cat Coloring Pages

Considering the name of this blog, I figured it was about time that I created some cat coloring pages. To make them even more fun, I gave each page a funny cat pun.   Get All 4 Cat Coloring Pages! Get these coloring pages plus 

How to Make a Dinosaur Stick Puppet

How to Make a Dinosaur Stick Puppet

Today you’re going to learn a really easy kids’ activity that’s a double whammy: it’s a craft that doubles as a homemade toy. When my kids were younger, they were constantly putting on shows and making videos. (Mostly it was just my girls, but sometimes 

Mermaid Toilet Paper Roll Craft for Kids

Mermaid Toilet Paper Roll Craft for Kids

One of my daughters was absolutely obsessed with mermaids — particularly Ariel — when she was 5 and 6 years old. We would go to the park and “play pretend” with her little sister being Flounder and me being Ursula. (Yes, I am one of 

How to Make a Fairy House with a Recycled  Milk Jug

How to Make a Fairy House with a Recycled Milk Jug

We have a few people in my family who are crazy about cold cereal, so needless to say, we go through several jugs of milk every week. If you’re tired of having all your milk jugs become sad little smooshed things at the bottom of 

How to Make a Wooden Peg Doll: DIY Little Mermaid

How to Make a Wooden Peg Doll: DIY Little Mermaid

I didn’t even know that wooden peg dolls were a “thing” until I discovered this Little Mermaid peg doll. It turns out that these peg dolls are a toy used in Montessori and Waldorf schools for pretend play, color matching, and other activities. They can 

7 Beach Themed Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

7 Beach Themed Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

If your family can’t get to the beach this summer, you can the beach to your home by doing these crafts with your kids. And heck — if you are going to the beach this summer, these are great crafts to help you get in 

17 Animal Themed Desserts & Party Food Ideas

17 Animal Themed Desserts & Party Food Ideas

When my kids were younger, we had lots of fun in the kitchen together. Sometimes they would just be my assistant and hand me things while I was making dinner. But the best times were when was we made “decorative food.” Here are 17 animal-themed