Spring Crafts - Painted Cherry Tree

The Winter season is finally coming to a close and the trees and flowers are beginning to bloom. Join us in welcoming Spring with this adorable Painted Cherry Tree craft. 

You will need: 

Construction Paper (Pink, Brown)
Scissors
Glue or Tape
Paint (Pink, White, Tan)
Markers
Aluminum Foil

Instructions:

1.Start by having your students trace their hand and forearm onto their construction paper with a washable marker. 

2. Have students practice their cutting skills by cutting the hand and forearm that they traced out. 

3. Using a different color construction paper as a base, glue or tape the cut out onto the center of the page. The fingers will be pointing towards the top of the page. This creates the base of our tree! 

4. Next, give students a piece of aluminum foil and have them crunch it up into a lose ball. This will act as your "paint brush" and add some texture to the paint. 

5. Dab the paint colors onto the fingertips of the hand to create leaf filled branches of a colorful tree!

6. Don't forget to have students write their names so they can be sure to take their art piece home. 

This art work was shared by one of own PureFUN! customers. We would love to see what you and your students have been creating in your classroom too! 

National Popcorn Poppin' Month

Celebrate National Popcorn Poppin’ Month This October!

Americans love popcorn!  Recent reports say we eat 17 billion quarts every year.  If you popped all that, you could fill the Empire State Building 18 times, says Lexi Jacobs, author of The History of Popcorn.

Here are a few fun facts about America’s favorite snack:

•  If you heat popcorn in an open cooker, kernels can fly as far as 3 feet when they burst!
•  Popcorn has more protein per serving than eggs, roast beef, and cereal grains.
• You’ll need 1600 popcorn kernels to fill a 1 cup measuring container.
•  In Colonial America, popcorn was eaten for breakfast with milk, sugar, and cream – a lot like cereal today.

National Popcorn Poppin’ Month was started in 1999 by Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman.  Why October?  Because this is when popcorn is harvested in the Midwest, where most of America’s popcorn is grown.

How did popcorn get into movie theaters?

Before the Depression, young entrepreneurs started selling popcorn and cracker jacks as they walked up and down theater aisles.  Theater owners were hesitant to buy the equipment needed to serve popcorn, so they hired vendors to cook and sell it outside.  

In 1938, Glen Dickson decided to take a chance.  He bought popcorn poppers and installed them inside all his theaters.  It was expensive, but he made his money back quickly.  Sales of popcorn soared!  Now it’s hard to imagine going to a theater without smelling popcorn.

Class Activities with Popcorn

Make some great memories for your students with these fun activities.

The Milk and Popcorn Mixer

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you mixed milk and popcorn?  Let’s find out!

Start with two plastic cups or glasses.  Fill one with milk and the other with popcorn (already popped).  Have your students start dropping popcorn into the milk, one piece after another.

Then watch what happens. 

The milk will swallow the popcorn and never rise above the rim. Pretty cool, huh?

Homemade Popcorn Shakers

Unleash the musician in your young students!

You’ll need:

• Toilet paper roll cores
• Cardboard circles that fit each end of the cores
•  Popcorn
•  Paints
•  Glitter
•  Colorful markers
•  Glue or sticky tape

Take the toilet paper core and seal one side.  Insert the popcorn and seal the other side.  Let the kids decorate the shaker however they like.  Then get ready to make some music!

If you want the shakers to be really loud, use unpopped popcorn.

Popcorn Relay Race

You may want to do this one outside.  It can get messy!

Set a bowl of popcorn and an empty bowl at both ends of the relay track.  Give students a cup they’ll use to transport popcorn from the full bowl to the empty one at the other end of the track.  The first team to complete the transfer wins!

Add Some Decorations to Your Celebration

You don’t have to decorate your room with real popcorn to celebrate.  We’ve got you covered!

Classic Accents Popcorn Variety Pack

Popcorn Accents

Classic Accents Popcorn Mini

Serve some popcorn with these Classic Accents Popcorn Boxes.

Award prizes with these Showtime Popcorn Stinky Stickers.

 

We hope you have fun celebrating National Popcorn Poppin’ Month.  We’d love to hear how it goes for you!

Fun Fall Crafts for Kids

While the weather gets colder, stay warm and cozy with these fantastic indoor crafts in fabulous fall colors. Try these with your class or with your kids at home over Thanksgiving break!

Fall Luminaries

Use these warm and inviting luminaries to decorate your classroom or let your students take them home as gifts! This craft will help younger children work on their fine motor skills, while older children will have fun using creativity to make their luminaries more elaborate.

What You Need:

Mason Jars

Mod Podge

Colored Tissue Paper

Brown Construction Paper

Paintbrush

Candles (tea candles are the perfect size!)

Wet Wipes (or wet paper towels)

1.Tear your colored tissue paper into small strips. 

2.Cut a tree shape out of brown construction paper. (You can make your tree as simple as the photo above or add more branches, etc.)

3.Using your paintbrush, coat the outside of your mason jar with mod podge. Then quickly adhere the tissue paper and the tree to the mod podge before it dries. You might want to do this part in sections since mod podge dries pretty quickly. You may want to keep wet wipes or a wet paper towel handy since the mod podge will also make your hands pretty sticky!

4.After you have attached all of your tissue paper, put a final coat of mod podge over everything.

5. Stick your candle inside the jar, light it, and turn off the lights for a fantastic fall display. You may want to use battery operated candles with young children, or you can simply forgo the candles and display your colorful mason jars without. 

Pumpkin Moon Sand

Tactile activities are great for young children, and this one smells just like pumpkin pie! Using play sand and a few ingredients from your kitchen, you can make this engaging sensory tool for hours of play!

What You Need:

Play Sand (4 Cups)

Corn Starch (2 Cups)

Water (1-3 Cups)

Pumpkin Pie Spice (1 Tsp)

Orange Food Coloring or Powdered Paint (optional)

1.Mix play sand, pumpkin pie spice, and corn starch together in a large container.

2.Add desired amount of coloring or paint.

3.Slowly mix in water until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. More water = slimier consistency. Less water = play dough consistency. 

4.Use scoopers, buckets, or hands only to play in the sand. When finished, leave your moon sand in an uncovered container to dry. (Do not seal it until it is completely dry, or there will be mold!) Once it is dry, you can seal it in a closed container or plastic bags. Just add water the next time you want to play!

Terrific Turkey Craft

What are YOU thankful for? Inspire gratitude and get your students in the Thanksgiving spirit with this cute, colorful, and easy-to-make craft!

What You Need:

Brown Paper Bags

Googly Eyes (or White and Black Construction Paper to make your own)

Multi-Colored Feathers

Glue

Markers

Colored Construction Paper

Scissors

1.Turn your brown paper bag upside down so that the opening is facing you, and write what you are thankful on the body of your bag.  

2.Glue a pair of eyes to the top of your bag. 

3.Cut an oblong, tear-shaped beak for your turkey and a bright red snood (term for the red fleshy bit that hangs over the turkey's beak). Glue those just below the eyes.

4. Deck out your turkey with festive feathers on the backside of the bag behind the turkey's face.