Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Learning Activities for Kids

Ice Experiments and Play Ideas for Preschoolers

By

Ice is cool. It’s refreshing. And, it’s a lot of fun to play with.

So, get ready to have some fun with these simple ice experiments for preschoolers (and also toddlers). They’ll create, build, excavate, and even practice letters with these fun ideas.

These ideas are perfect for a hot summer day or fun for any day. Who doesn’t want to play with ice?

Learn and have fun with these simple ice experiments for preschoolers. Find out what makes ice melt, make colorful ice creations, and more.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Simple Ice Experiments

(Pictured left to right above)

Do some super-simple ice activities and experiments that even toddlers will enjoy with these ice play ideas.

Observe how ice floats in water when you make these simple colorful ice boats from Busy Toddler.

Can you rescue all the colorful items in this rainbow ice tower excavation experiment from Fun at Home With Kids?

Experiment with different types of salt to see which will melt ice the fastest in this experiment from Coffee Cups and Crayons.

Explore fizzy ice with this simple science experiment from Toddler Approved.

Rescue dinosaurs from their frozen eggs in this fun experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Go ice fishing and see which temperature of water melts ice the fastest in this fun experiment from Science Sparks.

Can you help Batman escape? Rescue Batman from Ice Mountain in this fun (and exciting) science experiment from Crafts on Sea.

Excavate all the frozen cars you can from a block of ice with this simple ice melting experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Learn and have fun with these simple ice experiments for preschoolers. Find out what makes ice melt, make colorful ice creations, and more.

Create with Ice

(Pictured left to right above)

Make Frozen Fractuals Ice Sculptures with this fun art activity from Happy Hooligans. This is so much fun for your Frozen fans!

Use ice for a printmaking tools with this fun ocean-themed painting idea from Science Sparks.

Use popsicle molds to make some colored ice pops with this idea from Kids Activities Blog which you can use to make some fun artwork.

An ice block becomes your canvas with this fun ice painting idea from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds.

Paint with ice chalk and oil with this fun art idea from Learn Play Imagine.

Create a beautiful (but temporary) sculpture by making rainbow tunnels in ice with this idea from I Can Teach My Child.

Learn and have fun with these simple ice experiments for preschoolers. Find out what makes ice melt, make colorful ice creations, and more.

Sensory Play

(Pictured left to right above)

Combine water beads with ice with this fun sensory play idea from The Educators’ Spin On It.

Add colored ice to your water table with this fun ice sensory play idea from Fun-A-Day.

Grab a bag of ice for these seven simple sensory play ideas from Lemon Lime Adventures. (not pictured)

Have some fun playing with beautiful flower ice cubes with this idea from The Craft Train.

There are so many fun ways to play with colored ice cubes and sticks. Check out all the fun suggestions here.

Combine some movement and some heavy work for this Ice Cube Proprioception Jump and Smash activity from The OT Toolbox.

Build and play with ice LEGOs with this fun idea from Crafts on Sea.

Learn with Ice

(Pictured left to right above)

Learn your letter and have some icy fun when you play with this ABC Excavation Sensory Bin from Parenting Chaos.

Slide a sounds and build some simple words with this slippery word building activity from Life Over C’s.

Which of these ice experiments do you want to try?

Learn and have fun with these simple ice experiments for preschoolers. Find out what makes ice melt, make colorful ice creations, and more.

If you enjoyed these ice experiments and play ideas, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook, or you can share the photo below on Pinterest.

Learn and have fun with these simple ice experiments for preschoolers. Find out what makes ice melt, make colorful ice creations, explore some sensory play ideas and more.

Build Numbers with a Fun Place Value Activity

By

,Math is a series of building blocks. Each piece builds upon the the previous piece. That’s why it’s so important to understand one piece before moving on to the next piece.

Place value is one of those important pieces. It’s crucial to understand all the different parts of each number.

This place value activity is a fun hands-on and visual way for kids to learn and practice value. Understanding will soon become second nature as they build each number.

Use index cards to create a fun place value activity for elementary kids. They'll build numbers while learning all about the place value of each number.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Set up your place value activity

You’ll only need a few supplies for this activity: a pack of index cards, a few markers, and scissors.

Decide how many numbers you want to make. If you make the numbers 1-9 for each place value, your kids will be able to make every number from 1 through 9999.

To make all the numbers, leave nine index cards whole. Cut some in half, so that you have 9 half pieces. You’ll also want 9 pieces that are 3/4 sized and 9 pieces that are 1/4 size.

Use index cards to create a fun place value activity for elementary kids. They'll build numbers while learning all about the place value of each number.

Write your numbers on your index cards. Make sure you write the numbers big enough so that each digit can be covered by 1/4 of the index cards.

The whole cards will be for your thousands. Write the number 1000, 2000, 3000, through 9000 on the cards.

On your 3/4-sized cards, write your hundreds from 100 – 900.

Your 1/2-sized cards are for your tens and your 1/4-sized cards are for your ones.

Use index cards to create a fun place value activity for elementary kids. They'll build numbers while learning all about the place value of each number.

Build your numbers

Use your place value index cards to build new numbers.

Start with a base of one of your thousands cards. Add a hundreds card, next a tens card, and then finally a ones card. Step by step, your child will be able to see how each number fits with place value.

When you take the numbers apart, you can lay them out next to each other to see how the number is built by place value, 2000 plus 500 plus 80 plus 2 equals 2582.

The number possibilities are endless!

Use index cards to create a fun place value activity for elementary kids. They'll build numbers while learning all about the place value of each number.

More ways to play and learn with your Place Value Index Cards

*Add extra elements to increase the learning. Build the number. Say the number. Write the number.

*Say a number out loud and then have your child build that number.

*Build four or five different numbers and put them in order from smallest number to largest number.

Use index cards to create a fun place value activity for elementary kids. They'll build numbers while learning all about the place value of each number.

If you enjoyed this place value activity, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or you can Pin the photo below on Pinterest.

Use index cards to create a fun place value activity for elementary kids. They'll build numbers while learning all about the place value of each number.

You may also like one of these math activities:

Hands-On Perimeter Lab

Math Paper Plate Games

Domino Addition

Math Fact Sticks at Creative Family Fun

Learn Place Value with Building Blocks at Teach Me Mommy


Stop Summer Slide with Outdoor Math Games

By

It’s official.

Summer break is coming soon and my girls’ school has started sending home info sheets about preventing summer slide. Luckily, their school suggested some fun things like outdoor math games along with workbook recommendations.

What is summer slide? I’m not going to get into stats for you, I’ll leave those to the educational sites. But basically, it’s the tendency for kids to lose some of the things they learned in school over break. As a result, teachers have to spend time time at the beginning of the school year reviewing the year before instead of moving on to new things.

Stop summer slide and practice your math with some fun outdoor math games. They'll get you out in nature and get you moving while you practice math.

Luckily, it’s not that hard (or painful) to prevent summer slide and give your kids a head start on the next year.

You don’t need workbooks (although they’re certainly available if that’s what you prefer) and you don’t need to sit and do “schoool” over the summer.

I want summer learning to be fun and I want it to be different from what my kids typically experience in school. It can be more hands-on and individualized. I don’t want this to be a chore.

Summer learning can also take place outside, like these outdoor math games. Try one of these ideas to keep your kids’ math skills fresh. They can move and learn or even explore nature while practicing math.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Stop summer slide and practice your math with some fun outdoor math games. They'll get you out in nature and get you moving while you practice math.

Learn On the Driveway

(Pictured left to right)

Add a twist to a classic game. Math Geek Mama added a fun twist to hopscotch to practice skip counting.

You can also use hopscotch to practice your multiplication facts. Check out Coffee Cups and Crayons for this fun version of Multiplication Hop Scotch.

Draw a hundred chart on your driveway. There are so many fun games to play with it.

Or, draw a giant clock on your driveway. Practice telling time with this fun Sidewalk Chalk Clock Game.

Play with a number line. No Time for Flashcards has some great ideas of ways you can use your giant Outdoor Number Line.

Brush up on your measuring skills. Measure your chalk drawings with this fun idea from JDaniel4’s Mom.

Stop summer slide and practice your math with some fun outdoor math games. They'll get you out in nature and get you moving while you practice math.

Learn With Nature

(Pictured left to right)

Explore some trees. Math Geek Mama has some great suggestions to incorporate trees into your math practice.

Practicing the math concept of counting on can happen just about anywhere. Here are some suggestions of how to practice on a nature walk.

Turn a wood stump into a geoboard. Mummy Musings and Mayhem shows you how to make this fun tool that you can use again and again.

Use rocks as a manipulative to practice math. Here are some suggestions of ways to use the rocks to practice many different math concepts.

Stop summer slide and practice your math with some fun outdoor math games. They'll get you out in nature and get you moving while you practice math.

Play Some Fun Outdoor Math Games

(Pictured left to right)

Water play and summer go hand-in-hand, so add math into the mix and you get this fun Water Squirter Math game from Kitchen Counter Chronicles.

Do math at the park! Practice your number stories while you have fun on the playground equipment. What could be better?

You can find even more fun outdoor math ideas here at Mama Smiles.

There’s no need to purchase a workbook when you can have fun playing these outdoor math games!

Have some summer fun and do some learning at the same time with these outdoor math games. It's a great way to stop summer slide!

Find more ways to prevent summer slide here:

Stop Summer Slide While Learning in the Garden

Stop Summer Slide with Fun Reading Challenges

Outdoor Shape Activity: Driveway Shape Maze

By

We recently started reviewing shapes with my youngest (age 3).

One thing I love about learning shapes is that there are so many fun ways to teach them… endless ways to learn about them!

So, while the weather was nice, it was time for an outdoor shape activity. This Driveway Shape Maze is perfect for kids who like to move and learn outside.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Grab some sidewalk chalk and set up your shape maze

This outdoor shape activity takes a little effort to set up, but you’ll be able to play with it for days (at least until it rains). Grab your sidewalk chalk and let’s get going.

One beautiful morning, I ran outside, grabbed the sidewalk chalk, and started drawing shapes. I filled in a substantial section of our driveway.

We have been working on one shape at a time and the current focus is squares.

So, I made sure to include more squares than any other shape. You can focus on any shape or draw a variety of all the shapes.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

It’s time to play!

When the girls came outside, I explained the game to them.

They each stood in a square on the first row, then they had to get to the other side, stepping only in squares.

Ready, set, go!

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Both girls had a lot of fun with this game.

Even my oldest (age 5), who knows her shapes really well, loved the physical aspect of the game.

She soon challenged herself with all the shapes and also tried to see if she could jump over shapes and make giant steps.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Extend the fun of this outdoor shape activity with a few variations:

*Go through the maze many times choosing a different shape each time. First step on squares, next step on triangles, and then step on circles.

*Instead of just walking a maze, challenge your child to jump on all of the squares or all of the circles.

*Adapt this for older kids, by adding more challenging shapes like octagons and hexagons or 3-D shapes like cones or cubes. You could also make a maze identifying the different types of triangles, like equilateral triangles and right triangles.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

It’s easy to add a little physical movement to learning. You can play the same game using numbers or even the letters of your child’s name. Have fun learning!

Make it a Family Adventure

Cost: Free (Under $5.00 if you don’t already have sidewalk chalk)
Planning Time: 5-10 minutes to draw the maze on the driveway
Ages: 2-5
Time Needed: At least 15 minutes to play.
Notes: This is a great project for some spur-of-the-moment fun. And, if you don’t want to draw the whole maze yourself, enlist the family and get out there together!

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Find more shape activities here:

Get Crafty: Shape Collages

Shape Hunt

Sewing Circles: Simple Shapes to Sew

Outdoor Shape Activities for Kids

10 Shape Activities for Toddlers at Hands On As We Grow

https://www.creativefamilyfun.net/buy-my-books/

 

 

Fun Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids

By

My favorite type of science experiments to do with my kids is kitchen science.

These types of projects are easy to do, I usually have all the supplies I need, and the projects are typically safe (and don’t use weird chemicals). Perfect, right?

Luckily, there are tons of great kitchen science experiments you can do with your kids.

Have some fun with one of these kitchen science experiments. Experiment with ice, learn the science behind food, or do some classic experiments.

Your kids will have tons of fun with these great experiments and they’ll learn so much while they’re at it. You’ll learn about the science behind food, do some fun ice experiments, and also use kitchen supplies for some great classic science experiments.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Have some fun with one of these kitchen science experiments. Experiment with ice, learn the science behind food, or do some classic experiments.

The Science of Food

What is the science behind butter? Make your own butter and learn the science behind the process with this Little House inspired butter science project.

Discover the science behind popping popcorn with this fun popcorn science activity from Inspiration Laboratories.

Can you keep an apple from turning brown? Try some different methods with this apple science experiment from Kitchen Counter Chronicles.

Can you figure out the quickest way to bake a potato? Test your hypothesis with this potato science experiment from Left Brain Craft Brain.

Learn the science behind a fun treat, a Slurpee, with this fun science experiment from Steam Powered Family.

How does temperature effect the rate at which hot chocolate dissolves? Set up a simple experiment to find out with this hot chocolate science experiment from Creative Family Fun.

Have some fun with one of these kitchen science experiments. Experiment with ice, learn the science behind food, or do some classic experiments.

Learn with ice

Can you make ice melt faster? Try and test several different variables with this melting ice science experiment from The Chaos and the Clutter.

Why does salt melt ice? Find out with this simple science experiment from Science Sparks.

Can you light ice on fire? Schooling a Monkey shows you how to do this fun experiment.

Have some fun with one of these kitchen science experiments. Experiment with ice, learn the science behind food, or do some classic experiments.

Classic experiments

Mixing baking soda and vinegar is a truly awesome experiment. Add a little twist to this classic and make erupting rainbows from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Explore density by layering liquids with this class experiment from Inspiration Laboratories.

Use the classic pepper and dish soap experiment to show how germs scatter with this fun idea from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Creating fireworks in a jar is a classic way to learn the science behind why oil and water do not mix. Go Science Girls shows you how to do this fun science experiment.

What melts in the sun? Playdough to Plato adds a sweet candy twist to this classic experiment.

Have you ever made naked eggs? Try this colorful twist on a classic with Rainbow Magic Eggs from Schooling a Monkey.

Have some fun with one of these kitchen science experiments. Experiment with ice, learn the science behind food, or do some classic experiments.

More kitchen science experiments

Use bread and gummy worms to learn about sedimentary rocks with this fossil experiment from Teach Beside Me.

What are the effects of different liquids on marshmallows? Find out with this fun marshmallow science experiment from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Learn about chromatography with this M&M science experiment from Playdough to Plato.

Design your own science experiment by asking a simple question, what foods taste good. Inspiration Laboratories walks you through the process with this fantastic experiment with a printable data recording sheet.

What are your favorite kitchen science experiments?

Have some fun with one of these kitchen science experiments. Experiment with ice, learn the science behind food, or do some classic experiments.

You may also like one of these posts:

Paper Plate Math Games

Popcorn Science Experiments for Kids

Chemical Reactions with Pennies at Creative Family Fun

Hockey Science at Creative Family Fun