A Name Collage Activity

Over the next while, I'm hoping to teach my 3-year-old daughter the letters that make up her name through different activities and crafts. I love it when a fun art project also becomes a teaching opportunity!

Here is a colourful, simple and fun activity you can do with your preschooler -- a Name Collage Activity. I am always looking for activities that take little time to prepare and this is one of them!

I simply taped two pieces of computer paper together (you may need more depending on how long your child's name is) and wrote my daughter's name on it using a marker. Make sure to leave a bit of space between each letter. Then I cut small squares from wrapping paper that I found in the closet. I chose bright and colourful wrapping paper with flowers on it, but any wrapping paper will do! The only other supply that you need is glue. I use clear school glue. Instead of having my daughter squeeze the glue out of the tube, I poured some into an empty baby food jar and had her apply the glue to the paper with a paint brush. It works great! 

I first told Raya what the letters were and then had her repeat them back to me. I find this the perfect opportunity for her to recognize letters (uppercase and lowercase). 

And here is the end result....

A beautiful collage display of her name!

Nature Activity: A Scavenger Hunt and Suncatcher

My family and I are in the process of moving across the country to British Columbia. We are in the transition stage in which we have sold our house and are waiting to move into our new house. In the meantime we have been staying with the kids' grandparents and while we are out of our usual routine, I still manage to keep my preschooler occupied with daily activities and crafts.

Last week it dipped down to colder temperatures again, but that didn't stop us from exploring outside! My daughter loves the outdoors and I try to get her outside as often as I can.We went on a nature scavenger hunt! I created a simple chart of items that I thought would be easy enough for her to find in the woods behind her grandparents' house (click here for a free printable).
But we didn't limit ourselves to just this list -- my hubby came along on our walk and pointed out things that we could teach our little 3-year-old. She loved every minute of it!

We then picked some smaller items from what we had collected and made a nature sun catcher. To prep this craft, I simply cut out the middle of a paper plate and taped (or you can glue) wax paper to the outer edge of the paper plate. Raya then glued pieces of flowers, pine needles, tree bark, moss, fungi, a feather and leaves to the wax paper. To complete the project we punched a hole at the top and put a string through it to hang it up. It looked beautiful in the sunlight! 

I love it when an outdoor activity can be combined with a fun and simple craft!