Dirt Playdough
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 cups used coffee grinds
- 1 1/2 cups salt
- 1 cup sand
- Water (slowly add one cup of water until you get a soft dough consistency)
Add to the fun with a quick trip to your local Dollar store where you can find plastic bugs, snakes, frogs and other critters that can be displayed in the dirt.
Mother’s Day Spring Flower Arrangement
When the children are done molding and playing with their Dirt Playdough have them pack it into a plastic cup or clay pot. Lay out a variety of silk flowers with plastic stems. Each child can then create a beautiful spring flower arrangement for their mom for Mother’s Day!
Flower Handprints 
This is a simple fun activity where children use their hand to print a collage of beautiful spring flowers.
Materials & Directions:
- Finger paint in a variety of bright colors
- Plastic cups
- Paint brushes
- Finger paint paper
Put each color of finger paint in a plastic cup with a paintbrush. Have children paint one hand with all the different colors and then print away!
Musical Egg Shakers
Materials & Directions:
- A variety of different colored plastic eggs
- Fill each egg 1/2 full with a dry ingredient such as beans, rice, sand, small shells or tiny pebbles
- Use a sturdy wide clear packing tape or hot glue gun to seal them closed
Children can use these shakers as a rhythm instrument. Sing or play their favorite song and let them shake their Egg Shakers to the rhythm and beat.
Extended Activities:
Math & Sorting: You can store these eggs by their color in real egg cartons. Mark each carton with a specific egg color and children can sort them by each color as they put them away. Use a different dry ingredient in each different colored egg and children can sort them by sound too.
Spring Kindness Tree
Create a kindness tree that beautifully blooms with your children’s kind acts.
Setting up your Kindness Tree
Make a child size tree (trunk and branches) out of brown construction or butcher paper. Using tape attach the tree to the wall. Place the tree trunk as low to the floor as possible so children can reach and interact near the branches. Cut out oval shaped construction paper leaves and brightly colored flowers. Place the leaves and flowers in two separate containers near the tree. You will also need a marker and tape to attach the leaves and flowers.
Introduce Your Kindness Tree
Skills: Listening, Following Directions, Positive Behavior and Values of Kindness
Count kindness: During your morning group meeting introduce the Kindness Tree and explain to your children how they can make it bloom.
Acts of kindness will earn children a leaf or flower on the Kindness Tree. Begin by asking your children to share ways that they have been kind or helpful to a friend or family member, or ways that a friend or family member has been kind to them.
Explain that throughout the day you will be observing for when a child performs an act of kindness (i.e. sharing, being helpful, or comforting another child). For their reward the first two weeks they will tape a colored leaf on 
the tree. In third and fourth week their reward will be a colorful flower. Label each leaf and flower with their name and the act of kindness that they performed.
Click here for the PDF printable illustrated version of this entire activity.
Live Butterfly Garden®
Watch the miracle of metamorphosis in your own home or classroom!
The Live Butterfly Garden offers children the invaluable lessons of metamorphosis, science, patterns, patience, and life cycle studies. Insect Lore provides two options when you order the Live Butterfly Garden. Order your Live Butterfly Garden with Cup of Caterpillars NOW, or order your Live Butterfly Garden with Certificate, which allows you to redeem your Cup of Caterpillars LATER.
Butterfly Release Party: When all of your butterflies have hatched you can celebrate their release outdoors with a fun celebration party. Click here to visit Insect Lore to learn more.
Springtime Music and Movement Activity
The seasons affect our children’s daily lives. Some of the most dramatic changes are in what they see, hear and smell outdoors. Celebrate spring with songs and activities that invite children to actively participate and open up their eyes to observing all the wonders of spring; the season of growth and rebirth.
“Spring is Here” is a fun activity song where children sing, dance and play along as they explore the signs of spring. Click on the image to view the video.
From the CD, Seasonal Songs in Motion – By The Learning Station
LYRICS: Spring is here. Spring is here. How do you think I know? I just saw a bluebird. That is how I know. Spring is here. Spring is here. How do you think we know? We just saw a bluebird that is how we know. Do the bird walk and strut your thing. Do the bird walk and flap your wings. Do the bird walk do anything and look around for another sign of spring.
Sing verses changing underlined words to bee, ladybug, butterfly and frog (for frog use jump instead of walk).
“Seasonal Songs in Motion” is available in CD and Full CD Download.
Don’t miss our entire collection of Spring Activity Songs that are NOW available on our YouTube channel.
We’ve chosen popular children’s songs that have proven the test of time. These fun activity tunes make learning basic skills fun and exciting. And each video invites children to actively participate, become involved, play and sing along!
Click on each song title to view the music video.
“Five Little Ducks”
“Singing in the Rain”
“Spring is Here”
“Hungry Caterpillar”
New videos are posted weekly so SUBSCRIBE to our free learning channel today!
Visit The Learning Station online where you can listen to song samples from our entire collection of award-winning CD’s!
