Let's Explore — Simple ways to create, discover, and play

Nature Valentine Photographs

A few days ago, the girls and I spent an afternoon rummaging around the backyard collecting leaves, sticks, rocks, bark, and other nature bits. Our plan was to find heart-shaped things, or arrange items in a heart shape, and take photos for Valentine postcards. We had such fun “staging” our photographs. The girls were so [...]

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Air-Dry Clay Hearts

Here’s a fun Valentine activity from the archives – the girls are planning to make these again this year! {Originally posted February, 2010} Today we had fun squishing, rolling, and cutting hearts made from air-dry clay. We punched holes with straws, so we can give Valentine necklaces to some special friends – and we’ll keep [...]

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Simple and Fun Bookmark Crafts for Kids

We recently had a little bookmark craft camp at our house. We were running dangerously low on bookmarks, and I was grabbing random receipts and junk mail to mark my spot. Now, we have lots of pretty bookmarks use, and some extras for gift-giving, too. I’m sharing our three favorite bookmark crafts at Simple Kids [...]

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Love Bug Pet Rocks

Painting rocks is fun, and turning painted rocks into cute critters is even more fun! Why not make a bunch of love bug pet rocks with your kids? Here’s the simple how-to: • Head outside and find a perfect rock. • Paint your rock and let it dry. We use acrylic paints for the best [...]

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My Favorite Resource Books: Playing and Thinking

I’ve been reorganizing my bookshelves, so I thought I would share some of my favorite early childhood resource books with you. These are the ones I turn to when my own creativity is not flowing — they are filled with simple, play-based activities that encourage creativity and exploration. In this post, I’ll share some of [...]

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Stained Glass Paintings

I’ve had make colored glue on my art to-do list for a while. During one of our recent history readings (we’re learning about the Middle Ages), we learned a bit about how stained glass is made. Perfect time for a stained glass art project! We used a stained glass pattern of a castle, traced onto [...]

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Low-Key Country Studies for Young Kids

When I ask the girls what history or geography topics they would like to learn more about, “other countries!” is always at the top of the list. We explore one country at a time, focusing on the basics to give them a general “feel” for the country. Keeping my girls ages (seven and nine) and [...]

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Colorful Puddle-Painted Hearts

My calendar-loving seven-year-old is already counting down the days to Valentine’s Day. I guess she likes to plan ahead! Our first “official” Valentine crafts of the season are these colorful hearts made with puddles of watercolor. Not only is the finished product beautiful, the process is really fun, too! Get the how-to for this fun [...]

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Winter Audio Books for Kids

Despite our lack of wintery weather, we’re still enjoying our stack of snow-themed books and gearing up for cold days to come. Audio books, hot chocolate, and cold winter days are a perfect pair! I have complied a Winter Audio Book Playlist, perfect for car rides, afternoon quiet time, or bad weather days when you’re [...]

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Welcoming January

Happy New Year! I hope 2012 is off to a great start for you. We have eased back into our routine quite easily this week. I might even be inspired to tackle some of the piles in my office this weekend… Here are just a few things on my mind as Let’s Explore heads into [...]

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