Materials

• Various sizes of popsicle sticks (We used tongue depressors for the trunks)
• Hook & loop fastener (Velcro) self-adhesive dots (You can buy these at dollar stores, craft stores, hardware stores etc.)
• Glue (We used a glue gun, but craft glue could work too)
• Brown paint
• Paintbrush
• Buttons (Often you can find large mixed bags of buttons which would be great for this or use some from your existing collection)

Small World

• Play dough (For the trees to stand.  We like the recipe below and add a bit of coco powder or cinnamon to it to make it brown.  Or simply buy some!)
• Figurines
• Items that might help set the scene (Rocks, gems, felt, etc.)

Our Favourite Play Dough Recipe

*This recipe should be made by an adult*

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 salt
• 3 tbsp cream of tarter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Food colouring

Directions:

• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium pan.
• Add water and oil.
• Cook on medium heat, adding the food colouring and spice.
• Stir continuously.
• When the dough mix pulls away from the sides and forms into a large ball, the dough is ready to be placed in a small bowl to cool.
• Store in a plastic container or re-sealable bag.

Source: Japer Place Child and Family Resource Centre

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Create and glue your tree shapes with your popsicle sticks.  We used a tongue depressor (wide craft stick) for the trunk and then formed the branches, using smaller craft sticks.  Allow to dry.

• Paint your trees and allow them to dry.

• Attach the rough side of your Velcro dots to the tree branches where you think leaves would grow.

• Attach the fuzzy side of your Velcro dots to the backs of your buttons.  We tried to pick colours that were typical with the seasons in Canada.

• We put three of the seasons’ buttons into storage containers and then added the button leaves to the trees from the fourth season.  We then played with those, creating a scene with loose parts and figurines.  Use materials that you might have on hand, like construction paper, rocks or fabric scraps to flesh out the setting.

• Switch the seasons by changing the leaves.

Purpose

• Developing one’s fine motor skills.
• Recognizing colours that are typically associated with the various seasons.
• Small worlds are great for imaginative and role play, communication, developing imagination etc.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use a glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Buttons can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

—–

EASTER EGG MATH GAME

This painted rock game allows children to identify matching attributes to find a pair!   

Materials

• Egg shaped rocks
• Acrylic paint or paint pens
• Paintbrushes
• Embellishments (rick rack, beads- use what you have)
• Scissors
• Glue gun/glue
• Containers for paint

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Go out for a nature walk with an adult to collect egg shaped rocks.

• Don your smock.  Paint your rocks.  We find that painting a perimeter around the rock and then filing it in with the paint keeps it contained.  Allow to dry overnight.  You may need to apply a few coats depending on your paint.  We have also used paint pens on rocks before and find they work quite well too!

• Glue on your embellishments, making two rocks look similar.  We chose the various attributes based on the age of the child/children that would play the game.  (This was for a preschooler).  You might vary your pairs by colour, the number of beads, the number of rows of rick rack etc.  You could also vary the complexity within the options with some pairs being quite challenging.  One can draw on different attributes as well, using a paint pen or permanent marker.

• Mix up your rocks and see if your friend can find the matches!

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HOPFEST SCHEDULE:

Monday March 19th:

1) Brainy Beginnings Network: Bunny Pillow

https://www.brainybeginningsnetwork.com/bunny-pom-pom-pillow

2) Handy With Scissors: Carrot Garland

http://www.handywithscissors.com/cardboard-carrot-garland

3) Teach Investigate Play: Daffodil Wreath

 https://teachinvestigateplay.com/2018/03/19/hopfest-easter-week-egg-stravaganza/

4) Raising Kinley:  Chick Terrarium

https://www.instagram.com/p/BggwBhFHRPf/?hl=en&taken-by=raising.kinley

Tuesday March 20th:

1) The Blue Barn: Egg Cup Fairy Garden 

http://bluebarnliving.blogspot.ca/2018/03/egg-cup-fairy-garden.html

2) Make it Your Own (us!) Easter Egg Math Game

www.make-it-your-own.com

3) Mie Laerkerasmussen: Dying Eggs Naturally

https://www.instagram.com/mielaerkerasmussen/?hl=en

4) Red Ted Art: Mermaid Easter Eggs

https://www.redtedart.com/diy-mermaid-egg-diorama/

Wednesday March 21st:

1) Julie Curtin: Paper Plate Easter Basket

https://www.instagram.com/juliecurtin14/?hl=en

2) Hobby Craft: Easter Bonnet

https://blog.hobbycraft.co.uk/make-spectacular-easter-bonnet/

3) The Art Garden Blog: Peg Doll Bunny House

https://theartgardenblog.com/2018/03/21/milk-carton-bunny-habitat/

1) Barley and Birch: Peter Rabbit Small World

https://barleyandbirch.com/2018/03/freebie-a-travel-tin-peter-rabbit-garden/

Thursday March 22nd:

1) Oh Creative Day: Pop Out Easter Bonnet

https://www.ohcreativeday.com/20-easter-craft-ideas/

2)  Little Button Diaries: Easter Bouquet

http://littlebuttondiaries.com/2018/03/22/hopfest-recycled-spring-bouquet/

3) Babble Dabble Do: Batik Spring Bags

https://babbledabbledo.com/glue-batik/

4) Art Camp LA: Pressed Florals in Clay- 3 Ways

https://www.artcampla.com/new-blog/pressed-flowers-in-clay

Friday March 23rd

1) Momma Teaching: Spring Photo Backdrop

www.smockson.com

2) Creating Creatives: Bunny Printable

http://creatingcreatives.com/bunny-printable/

3) Heart ArtLife: Easter Garden 

https://www.instagram.com/heart_artlife/?hl=en

4) The Harmony Tree House: Egg Pinatas 

theharmonytreehouse.blogspot.com.au

Purpose

• Identifying different and similar attributes (colour, shape, size, number of characteristics etc.)
• Recognizing symbols of various celebrations.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors, a glue gun etc. with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn, rick rack etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Butterfly templates: butterfly 2-2 butterfly 2-4 (*Please note that there are variety of sizes for different makes of salad spinners or draw your own!)
  
• Paint
• Old salad spinner
• Butter knife
• Wooden bodies (or sticks)
• Artificial stamen
• Craft glue or glue gun
• Cardstock
• Pencil/eraser
• Scissors
• Tape
• Drying rack

We always find these items helpful too:

Directions

For further photographic directions, click here:  http://make-it-your-own.com/nature-finds-butterflies/

• Print and cut out the butterfly templates.

• Trace them onto thicker paper such as cardstock (you could use a white pencil crayon if you use black paper like we did) and cut them out.

• Tape your butterfly into your salad spinner basket.

• Apply your paint onto your butterfly.

• Close your lid tightly and spin away!  (You can always add more paint if you like during the process).

• Gently remove your butterfly using a butter knife (you many need a bit of adult assistance for this part).

• Allow your butterflies to dry overnight.

• Glue your stamen onto the back of the head of your butterfly body.

• Glue the body of your butterfly to the middle of your butterfly wings.

• Create a wall hanging with your butterflies or attach a piece of magnetic tape to the back to attach them to your fridge!

*Here is an image using a twig for the body instead:

Purpose

• Learning about centrifugal force and how it moves the paint to the edges of the butterfly when the salad spinner is spun.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors, a knife and a glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Small craft pieces can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.
• We recommend that you use an old salad spinner that you reserve for crafts.

Materials

• Cake pan mold
• Water
• Paint
• Brushes
• Tray

Directions

• Fill your cake pan molds three quarters full and freeze them overnight.
• Run some warm water over the bottom of your mold until your shape pops out.  (You may need adult assistance with this part.)
• Lay your shape in your tray and enjoy painting it.  * Be sure to use a tray deep enough to contain the water that went into your mould or if you are doing this outside you could pop it in a water table or bin.*
• Our kids liked the challenge of painting it before it melted.

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Purpose

• Exposure to painting on various surfaces.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray to contain your water and wear a smock to protect your clothing.

Tessellations are a great culmination project for transformational geometry (slides=translations,  flips= reflection, turns=rotations).  This project included a good deal of measurement and calculation too!  Once you are aware of tessellations, you will start to see them everywhere- in tiles, patterns on clothes and blankets, in artist’s works etc.!  (That might be a good starting point- identifying tessellations in the environment.) .

Our kids are currently OBSESSED with Harry Potter and all things magical and we have been reading this engrossing book “Mossby’s Magic Carpet Handbook” so we decided that a magical carpet was the perfect way to explore the geometrical concept of tessellations.   

Here is where you can purchase the book:

Canadians

•  Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Mossbys-Magic-Carpet-Handbook-Extra-Small/dp/1943147280/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516152299&sr=8-1&keywords=mossby+magic+carpet

• Chapters/Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/mossbys-magic-carpet-handbook-a/9781943147281-item.html?ikwid=magic+carpet&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0
  

Americans:

• Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Mossbys-Magic-Carpet-Handbook-Extra-Small/dp/1943147280/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516152337&sr=8-1&keywords=mossby

*Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the book for review as I love so many books from: http://www.theinnovationpress.com/.  This is not a sponsored post and nor do we use affiliate links.*

Materials

• Bristol board
• Pencil/eraser
• Cue/Index cards
• Ruler
• Paint/paint pens/markers
• Hole punch
• Yarn

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Observe tessellations in your environment.

• We started with a big-scale project and kept the design simple by only sliding the template.  Here is a video from What Do We Do All Day? that shows the basic idea of tessellations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBVzoaFi90E

• We took our index card and made a simple design cutting from one side, sliding that cut piece to the opposite side and then taping it on, on the back.  You can do this with two sides if you would like to make your tessellation more complex.

• We then took a ruler (a metre stick would actually be the best for this) and found the centre point of our poster board measuring the width and length and dividing it by two.  We then drew a faint line.  We lined up our template with the centre line to the left or of the the vertical line, traced around it and then slid it to line up with the edge of the previous template.  As you can see the template that our son created looks like a cat in a way, so line up the ears with the previous template’s nose.  Continue to do this in both directions, sliding your template.  Create another line of your template right beside the other, sliding your template and tracing it.  We did this four times and then created a border with our ruler on the edges.

• Here’s an example in action after we painted it, so you could see the slide more clearly:

• Colour in your design- this is a good time to use colour to accent your pattern- think about how the order in which you colour each tile.  (We used paint and paint pens, but if I was doing this in the classroom I would use marker or tempera markers).  We then traced over the design with black permanent marker and black paint pen to make your design pop!

• To enhance that carpet feel we decided to add a simple weaving pattern at the two ends of the carpet (going in and out) and then made some tassels for the very ends.  (Cut some lengths, make a loop over your holes and then go up through the bottom and put it through the hole and pull it taut.) To make the finished product look crisp and organized we also measured the distance between the holes for weaving and looping the tassels.  (Sneaking in math all over the place!)

• To finish off the carpet we saved the holes that we punched out and glued them onto the tips of the design (where the cat nose would be!).

• Extension:  Write a small paragraph explaining how you made your carpet in your own words using math and including your measurements.  Articulating your process helps you teach others mathematical concepts and prepares you for explaining your thinking.

• Since it is still a bit snowy where we live, I can’t wait to climb on this carpet and go some place warm with the family!  Where would you go?!

Purpose

• Understanding how to apply geometrical concepts.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces,  depending on the type of materials that you use.
• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.

*As defined by Google

Templates:

• Small: egg 6
• Medium: egg 2
• Large: egg

For the full materials list and detailed steps, click these links:

1) Collage Eggs:

http://make-it-your-own.com/collage-eggs/

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2) Drip Drop Eggs:

http://make-it-your-own.com/drip-drop-speckled-eggs/

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3) Watercolour Dipped Eggs:

https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/WATERCOLOR-DIPPED-PAINTED-EASTER-EGG-ART-PROJECT/

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Materials

• Coffee filters
• Liquid watercolours
• Metallic liquid watercolours
• Pipettes
• Paintbrush
• Egg Templates egg egg 2
• Pencil/eraser
• Scissors
• Block
• Cooling rack

Garland

• Cord
• Beads
• Straw
• Glue
• Scissors

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Print and cut out the size of egg that you would like and trace them around onto your coffee filters.  Cut them out.

• Don your smock.  Put your eggs in your tray.  Use your pipettes to paint them.  With liquid watercolours you can dilute them to make less vibrant colours or leave them concentrated to make them bold.

• Splatter paint some specks onto your eggs.  If you have access to metallic paint, it really makes the speckles stand out!  The kids like to use a fan brush and tap it on a wooden block, but a toothbrush also works great.  If you want to contain the splatters, pop your work into a cardboard box.

• Put your eggs on the cooling rack and let them dry overnight.

• You could string them together to make a garland! (A few tips: Glue a piece of straw or a bead on the back of the eggs to loop your cord through.  Want your beads to stay in place when you lace them?  Simply go through the hole a second time.)

• Hang your garland in the window- wouldn’t the light look amazing shining through it?!

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Purpose

• Developing hand strength by using different tools.
• Exploring paper that has different absorption rates.
• Recognizing symbols associated with various seasons and celebrations.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Wax paper
• Tape
• Plastic eye droppers (these can be purchased inexpensively at a drugstore) or pipettes (you can buy these online or at educational and/or science stores)
• Straws, condiment containers
• Food colouring (red, yellow & blue)
• 3 small containers or more if you are working with a large table and/or many children
• Water
• Smocks
• Cloths to clean up any spills

Directions

• Prior to staring we read these books:  The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments (Arnold Lobel) & The Color of Things (Vivienne Shalom) to get us thinking about colour.

• Tape down (overlapping them) strips of wax paper to cover your table.

• Don your smocks.

• Add food colouring to water, making three small containers of red, yellow and blue.  (With young children I wouldn’t fill them too full.)

• Put droplets of the coloured water onto the wax paper and have fun mixing the colours.  (e.g., blow the drops towards each other with the straws, create images with the water drops, race each other blowing droplets across the table, see if you can move them with your condiment squirter).

• When you are finished, wipe your water droplets up, allow your wax paper to dry and re-use it for another project such as: http://make-it-your-own.com/sun-catcher-peacock/

Purpose

• Developing a beginning understanding of colour theory .

Safety Notes

• Some tape may leave a residue when removed so you might want to use a picnic table or craft table.
• Food colouring may leave a stain, so keep this in mind in regards to the surface you work on, cloths you use for clean-up etc. and be sure to wear a smock.