Rainbow Fish Theme Sensory Fishing Activity and Craft for Preschoolers

Make a Rainbow Fish to the Rescue Sensory Pretend Play Fishing Activity for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Looking for fun, fishing activities? These aquarium crafts (fish in a bag) and make believe hoola hoop fishing ponds are perfect activities to try after reading one of the Rainbow Fish stories.

Rainbow Fish is a fun story about a school of sparkly scale fish who won't allow a little fish without the sparkle to play, similar to the story of Rudolph and the Reindeer Games. This is a great story to teach about inclusion and kindness. What theme for preschool could be more fun than Rainbow Fish?

Sharpies and Ziploc Baggie for Aquarium craft project for kids.

To Make Baggie Aquarium, You will need: 

Ziploc Baggies

Sharpie Markers

Blue Hair Gel

Blue Shampoo

Foamies

Fill the aquarium with foam fish or make a dino terrarium.

Color an underwater scene on the bag. As an alternative, you can cut out fishy shapes and insert them to slosh around in the goo. Fill bag with about 1/4 C. of gel for a sparkly, ocean effect. For bubbles add a small squirt of shampoo. (Little ones loved squishing and watching the bubbles appear.) Tightly zip bag and tape to window or mirror. Squish away your stress!

Gel is sparkly, add a little blue shampoo for fishy bubbles.

Creative Play Element Fishing Activity: Pretend a Hoola-hoop is a fish pond.

Companion Games and Activities for Rainbow Fish:

Rainbow Fish to the Rescue is a perfect story compliment.

Then using a sparkly piece of foam, I cut out a scale and taped 

it to "its" shirt for Tag.

It took the little one a few minutes to catch on to the game of

tag. (Some didn't want anything to do with the scale.) But it is

so much fun watching as they learn the game and start running

after each other.

Tip:  Miss Lora preferred the gel to the shampoo. It is thicker

and looks more like real ocean water but the little ones loved

the bubbles. 

Moral:  It's not about making the perfect craft, it is 

all about the process and the fun of experimenting!

We like to add a creative play element.

• Hoola-hoop Pond
• Pool Noodle Fish (Cut-up)
• Pail for the Catch
• Squiggly Pole to pretend 

Cut a scale from sparkly foam and tape to shirts.

Best Rainbow Fish Ever

I adore this beautiful clay and sequin rainbow fish craft activity from Sun Hats and Wellie Boots.

Sequin and Clay Rainbow Fish Craft Activity.

Recommended Reading:

5 Aquarium Crafts for Kids: Fishing Activities

Rainbow Fish to the Rescue*

Sensory Play with Gummy Worms Game

Take a Field Trip to the Manatee Viewing Center in Florida













ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

How to Grow a Living Playscape: Willow Playhouse Cave for Kids

How to Grow a Living Playhouse for Kids from Willow Tree Branches: Plan for Earth Day

Building an outdoor playscape is just one of many fun garden projects you can do with your kids in the summer. We experimented by making a living playhouse from a willow tree. If you aren't sure how to get started on an outdoor design project, visit our post on diy outdoor design templates.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

How to Make a Living Play Space

We shopped for various styles of playhouses, but they were very expensive. After a storm, tree branches covered the yard, so we gathered several willow branches and stuck them in the ground. Then, we cut a few skinny branches off the tree and wrapped them around the bigger branches forming a loose connection. Click here to see examples of  living willow tree play spaces from dengarden.com.

Miracle Grow gave our living willow playscape a boost. The kids generously watered the base of the branches. You don't need to have a green thumb to grow a Willow tree. Take a stem cutting or cut off a branch and stick it in soil. That's all you need to grow your own organic playhouse.

This is an easy project that keeps on giving year after year. Our little gardeners anxiously awaited for Spring in hopes their playhouse had survived the winter. To make sure your trees are well maintained, check with a tree care service and garden maintenance expert.

Our living willow playhouse ended up looking more like a cave than house. The kids crawled inside letting their imaginations run wild. In the spring, it was incredible to watch the miracle of rebirth. In the winter, our little play house looked like a pile of sticks, but a few months later it was well on it's way to becoming the centerpiece in our secret garden. It's the perfect place for sensory outdoor play. 

Recommended Reading:

Playhouses You Can Build

Treehouses and Playhouses You Can Build

Dr. Seuss Sue Snue: Celebrate Theodore Geisel's Birthday with this April Fool's Joke Cake Activity Trick for Kids

When is Dr. Seuss's Birthday? Celebrate with Sue Snue Birthday Party Activities

I bet Dr. Seuss, Theodore Geisel, liked to celebrate April Fool's Day. Why not celebrate his birthday with this joke shaving cream cake trick activity and read Sue Snue. Dr. Seuss's Birthday is March 2, 1904. Remember, it is Seuss, not Suess. Enjoy!

Theodore Geisel: Dr. Seuss.

Shaving Cream is Versatile. Mix up one batch and enjoy three fun, messy activities for kids. This is a fun way to celebrate a kids' birthday party!

Shaving Cream Sensory Play Ideas.

You will need:

1 can of Shaving Cream

Gel Food Coloring

Plastic Spoons

Cake Decorating Sprinkles

Birthday Candles

Recycle Plastic Containers

Paint Brush

Read "Who Are You, Sue Snue?" From Jim Henson's Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Sue has a birthday and everyone in town wonders what she will do to celebrate. 

Who Are You, Sue Snue?
From Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.

Fun Kid's Activity #1

Mix up some shaving cream with a few drops of your favorite color of gel food coloring. Grab a clean, empty, cream cheese container, turn it upside down, and ice it like a cake. Add a candle on top. This is a great idea for Sensory Play!

Fake Shaving Cream Birthday Cake for playing 
an April Fool's Joke on your kids.

Cool Craft for Kids #1 Variation
The cake looks good enough to eat. Why not play a fun April Fool's Joke on a friend?

Trick your children with this fake joke cake for April Fool's.

You might also like our Daisy Head Maizy (Maisy) Activities

Kiddie Version of  Shaving Cream Cake. 
Let your kids make a cake to play a trick on Dad.

Activity #2 

Grab a paint brush and paint the sidewalk with your leftover shaving cream mixture.

Summer Camp Shaving Cream Fun

Activity #3
After the kids have made a sufficient mess, use your left-over shaving cream "icing" in the bathtub.  It works great and cleans up easily. (They are going to need a bath!)

Recommended Reading:

Who Are You, Sue Snue? Birthday Book*

Daisy Head Mayzie Activities


*Special Thanks to Momto2PoshLilDivas for the cake idea.















ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

How to Have the Best New Year Eve Party with Kids

Ideas for the Best New Year Eve Party 

What does it take to have the best new year eve party ever with kids? It depends on your expectations, of course. If you want to throw a memorable party with glitz and polish, planning is a necessity. However, a spur of the moment party with family and close friends can become a favorite memory. We're sharing some tips on how to have the best New Year's party with kids. The key is to have fun foods and simple games that everyone can play together. Scroll down for games and activities for your party. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

How to make your own DIY Edible Face paint Ideas & Recipes & Build Self-Esteem: The Thing About Monsters is

How to make edible face paint and recipes for Toddlers and Kids of all Ages

Remember, You Can do it with Creative Play and a Can-do Attitude. Recently, we did a post about Monster Trouble (Our first KCC Kids Video) check out the fun here. SCROLL DOWN to see DIY Face Paint Recipes for face paint/makeup, lip gloss, sensory play and Witchy Me.

Monster Trouble?

Face Paint Kit by Alex Toys.

In the video in the post, a sneaky monster is made with items from our costume trunk/creative play stash and Alex Toys Face Paint Studio. Not once, have we posted pictures or recipes of our homemade and edible face paints. During our creative play and messy classes playing with face paint has been a staple. So, read on to discover many ways to create self-esteem, a fun day of creative play, how to make less of a mess, and enjoy the little time you have with your littles and not so little ones.

Sneaky Monster peeks out of the brush.

I see you and your Monster Face paint.

It's hard to see, but he was modeled after the Connect a giant Monster kits above from Alex Toys. The Monster has a purple and green nose and red and orange eyes. This is a great kit for your older kids. Give them a mirror and a book of silly face ideas and let them go wild! Creative Play is a great self-esteem builder. Let them try out different faces, remove the paint with a little water or vaseline on a cotton ball, and be sure to tell them how great it looks. No buts or maybe ifs allowed.

Homemade face paint.

What's that you say? You don't want to have to clean up the mess? Put them in an empty tub the mess will clean itself, but make sure your little Max Factor helps. They might complain, but cleaning up after themselves teaches responsibility and independence. I can do it! Yes, you might have to tidy up- just don't complain about it.  You don't want your child thinking they can't do anything. If they can't even clean up after themselves they'll stop trying! So, count to 10, take a deep breath, and then say, I love how you are learning to clean up after yourself; it makes me so proud!

Do you want to be remembered as the Mom with the spotless house or the Mom who was so fun and positive? Your choice, you decide.

Crazy Blue Face Paint Fairy.

How to Make your own Face Paint (Recipe):

Cold cream, Food coloring, Cornstarch, Egg Carton.

Start with 1 C. of cold cream (Noxzema type)

Slowly mix in 1/2 to 1 C. cornstarch until it is a smooth, creamy consistency.

Divide into an egg carton or muffin tin.

Add 1-2 drops of food coloring. Experiment with more or less and color combinations.

Use cotton balls or paint brushes to paint a masterpiece on your face.

Most colors will wear off quickly or wipe off easily with water due to the cold cream. Sometimes, yellow requires a little petroleum jelly to remove all the residue. 

With experimentation you can get professional results with these ingredients. It does dry and get crackly. Some kids don't like this sensation others think it's cool.

Homemade Face paint and makeup recipes.

Make your own Edible Face Paint for Preschoolers and Toddlers:

Caregivers, do you need 20 minutes of me time? This is AMAZING. If you don't want to leave the little alone in the bathroom spread an old, white sheet or vinyl tablecloth on the floor. Cornstarch, food coloring or colored drink mix, water, white flour, big spoons, and mixing bowls.

Start with 1/4 C. of flour

Mix in 1/2 C. of cornstarch or powdered sugar (think icing)

1/2 to 1 C. Cool Whip (Readiwhip doesn't work.)

Sift with fingers to mix and enjoy the sensory aspects.

Slowly add 1/4 to 1/2 C. water stir with spatula

Water and cornstarch make an interesting science experiment so make sure to add the flour and Cool Whip first. Mix to a creamy icing consistency ~ Spreadable.

Divide into egg carton and add food coloring or Drink Mix powder (Kool-Aid) works best.

The little will have a blast studying their face and admiring their handiwork  Let them remove their shirt and paint tattoos on their belly or  bugs on their hands. This is a fun way to teach babies eyes, nose, mouth, etc.

The ingredient measurements are guidelines. Warm water vs. cold, warm house vs. cool all of these can affect the makeup- experimentation is key.

Mixing paint is great for fine motor skills and sensory learning.

Make your own EASY FACEPAINT / MAKEUP

Kid’s Yummy Lipstick Recipe:

Petroleum jelly, honey, maple syrup, or non-imitation vanilla, unsweetened drink powder for color and flavor.

Put Petroleum jelly into microwave safe dish

Microwave the petroleum jelly for 30 seconds to one minute until 

warm, remove and stir.

Add Kool Aid and Honey

Mix well
Spoon into gift containers, refrigerate.

Changing Hair Color:

Experiment with Conditioner or Petroleum Jelly and unsweetened drink powder, & Baby Powder. Spray Aqua Net to set the color. May take several washings to wash out. We found a YouTube Video here.

Happy Halloween and Haunting  or Go break a leg!

Recommended Reading:

Fun Face Painting Ideas for Kids

What She's Wearing Wednesday: Pirate Princess Costume: Searching for Toy Treasure

Mayhem Loves to Engage in Pirate Pretend Play

Homemade DIY Princess Pirate Costume? She's a whiz when you need to know how to make a costume from nothing. She threw on her beloved Pink Cowboy Boots , made a pink eye patch (think pipe-cleaner and foamies), and pulled a pink peasant shirt from the costume trunk. 

Easy DIY Pirate Princess Costume.

Mommy added a vest and skirt from past years Halloween costumes and hoped to add a Princess crown. The girly crown was quickly vetoed, and we settled for a red bandanna headdress, homemade cardboard sword, pirate flag, and a shovel for treasure digging.

Pirate Princess for outdoor play.

She searched high and low for the perfect digging spot, collected "golden" leaves for treasure, and then staked her claim by positioning her pirate flag on the big red "X" on her trusty treasure map. 

It was hard work, but she knew it was worth it. You see, her treasure map described the treasure as this Princess Chest for Girls.

The Treasure chest closes up and makes a great carry along for car trips or quick visits to Grandma's house. Mayhem especially likes the animal figures included in the set. Tesco direct offers all kinds of great gift ideas for toys for girls and boys as wells as gifts for the entire family. 

Mayhem is busy digging up many more toys for her wishlist and letter to Santa on the Tesco toy page. We hope you enjoy all of her coming adventures in fun and fashion. In the meantime, dig into your own life, and go create some fun, family memories with an impromptu session of dress up and creative play.

Recommended Reading:

Things to Make at Home

Play Out: How to develop your outside space for learning and play

Simplicity Pattern Pirate Costume

Home School How to play games and get your Kids Moving (Activity games for Kids)

You played these games in PE class, now teach your kids how to play games in Home School. 

Here are rules for 6 activity games for kids that don't take up too much space. Preschoolers love them, so do older elementary students. For a real hoot, play them at a Teen Birthday Party! We've added a little twist to some of these kid's activities so don't let the names send you away. Enjoy!

Kids PE Activities: Simon says, "Bark like a dog!" 
Change an old game up by digging in a costume trunk.

Musical Chairs
To play you will need chairs (or carpet squares); one fewer than the total number of players, music you can stop and go easily (for a twist designate someone to sing). Start with the chairs in a circle. When the music starts, the players will walk in a circle around the chairs. After a few seconds, the person who is controlling the music shuts it off, and all of the players scramble to sit. The player left standing is out of the game. The remaining players stand up again, one more chair is removed, and the music starts again. Repeat until there is one player left in the game. If you have a large number of children, as they get out move them to an inner circle, and let them play inside around a single chair to heighten the action moving in the opposite direction of the outer circle.


Duck Duck Goose
Who doesn't love a game of duck, duck, goose? We change it up for the seasons and play Ghost Ghost Goblin or Bunny Bunny Chick (Must hop around the circle) Have the participants sit down in a circle facing each other. One person is "it" and walks around the outside of the circle gently tapping each player on the head and saying either “duck" or “goose." When a person is tapped on the head and called “goose,” they  stand up and chases the person who is “it” around the outside of the circle, trying to tag “it” before the player can sit down in the spot where the "goose" was sitting. If the "goose" is able to tag "it," then the "goose" can return back to his seat.  "It" repeats the same procedure again. If "it" is sits before being tagged by the "goose," then the "goose" becomes "it" and the game starts again. 

Balloon Volleyball
Blow up one balloon, and locate a divider to serve as a net. A doorway, some kitchen chairs, a jump rope on the floor, or a fence make great 'do not cross lines'. Players hit the balloon back and forth across the “net” until someone misses. When one misses the balloon, the other scores one point. The first team to reach 10 points wins.

Simon Says
Mark a line on the ground (jump ropes work great or sidewalk chalk) and another line about 10' in front of the first. "Simon" stands on one line; and the players line up on the other line. "Simon" calls out directions to the players telling them actions or movements to make to move forward. For example, if "Simon" calls out "Simon says bark like a dog," then all of the players who bark like a dog get to move forward one step. If "Simon" does not start with "Simon says," then the players should not move. If a player does move, he has to return to the starting line and begin again. The first player to cross over the line where "Simon" is standing is the winner. For a fun twist, have a costume trunk nearby so the players can get in character. For example, for hop like a bunny everyone must grab bunny ears.

Red Light, Green Light 
Mark a line on the ground and another line 15-20' in front of the first. The person who is the "traffic light" stands on one line, and the players line up on the other line. The "traffic light" faces the players when it is a red light. When the "traffic light" turns his back to the players it is a green light, and the players can move towards the finish line. As soon as the "traffic light" turns back to face the players the light is red, and all of the players must freeze. During this time, no players are allowed to move. If a player does move on a red light; he has to go back to the starting line and begin again. The first player to cross over the line where the "traffic light" is standing is the winner. For a twist, add a yellow light where players must move slowly (they could even be required to crawl) or a blue light where players must walk backward. We always just shout out the light color.

Cherry Pickers
This stretching exercise requires the players to stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at sides. Then, the player will bend forward at the waist, reaching down and touching fingertips to the ground in front of his feet. He will then move his fingertips back so they are between his legs, and then back farther so they are through his legs. This movement should resemble picking cherries. The players stands back up, claps hands, and repeats the movements again. Pair two children back to back, and have them try to touch each other's fingertips.

Recommended Reading:

Great Big Book of Children's Games: Over 450 Indoor & Outdoor Games for Kids, Ages 3-14*

Games for Parties

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ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

What I did for Christmas: Nativity Play and Easy No Sew Costumes

How to Make Easy, No Sew Nativity Costumes

We made our no sew costumes from the choir robes for our production of the Nativity play at church. Mary, Joseph, three Wise Men, the angels, and the burrow all wore easy, no sew costumes that are easy to make. Enjoy!

Nativity Scene with no sew choir robes for Mary and Joseph.
Little burrow is wearing brown hoodie with ears and tail attached with hot glue.

We made the costumes with what we had on hand,so we used choir robes, altar gowns, hoodies, and pillow cases.

Easy no sew Joseph and Mary costumes from choir robes.

Head coverings are made by wrapping pillow cases (no sew).

The setting was magical. Mayhem wore her fanciest dress.

Nativity Angels no sew choir robe costumes with Christmas garland accents.

The miracle of Jesus must have played a hand. The kids did a fantastic job acting out the nativity play, despite only one performance with the entire cast. The little angels are wearing altar gowns adorned with Christmas garland. Poster board wings are also decorated with gold garland and attached with white ribbon arm straps looped thru two slits in the wing like a backpack strap.

What we do in real life: Outreach to Senior Citizen's Homes. Kids join our Drama Club or take a class and then we present it to real-life audiences spreading a message of  'Good Cheer' all thru the year.

Recommended:

Princess Pirate Costume

Perry the Platypus Costume

How to Make a Gingerbread House

Stained Glass Cookie Ornaments

The Donkey in the Living Room Nativity Set: A Tradition that 
Celebrates the True Meaning of Christmas*

Christmas Is... by Gail Gibbons*











ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Circle Time Activities Handbook

Get Camp Activities and Hand Games for Group Circles of all ages Handbook

Remember those hand games and fun group games activities you played in summer camp? Maybe you played games in an after-school program? You remember how much fun they were, maybe you remember the tune or the the general idea, but you just can't remember all the words or just exactly how it goes. Our Circle Time Handbook is made for you. Learn (or relearn) how to play your favorite large group games in a circle.

Post contains affiliate links.

We've compiled the 39 most popular group games played in a circle with toddlers to teens in a reproducible format. Print them out, place them on your clipboard or share them with your summer camp counselors. These large group circle activity games are perfect for icebreakers and team building. Play them with adults, senior citizens, and youth groups too!

With the complete easy to follow Group Game INSTRUCTIONS, you can play these GROUP TIME Activities right now! All you need is a group of people from toddlers to teens.

Prefer a nice paperback with 8 1/2 x 11 reproducible pages? Order your hard copy on AMAZON, you can also get the Kindle version here. Just click the image to make the purchase on Amazon.

Can't wait? Get the Digital PDF Version of our Circle Time Activities Handbook  to start playing right now! Just click the image and visit our TeachersPayTeachers store.

Lora Langston (that's me) is the creator of Kids Creative Chaos blog. For over fifteen years, I taught enrichment classes in after-school programs, classes at parks for preschoolers, and summer camp.

When it comes to lyrics and how to play games, I have a terrible memory. Every time we played a game, I had to look up the instructions!

Time Management Group Activities: If you are sitting in a circle, waiting for parents to pick up the kids or transitioning to the next activity, sometimes you need an impromptu activity to fill up time. Inevitably, the kids will ask to play a game they've played before, but they don't know how it goes. Been there. Done that.

Now, you have all of those old favorites group activity games at your fingertips! Just print a copy from one of the reproducible pages and attach it to your clipboard. Problem solved. And, it cost less than $10. Enjoy!

Circle Time activities handbook pdf download.

Sure, most of these circle time activity games are out there floating around in the public domain. I've been playing many of them since the 1980's! The rest I learned from the kids in my programs from the late 90's to 2012. It sure is convenient to have them all in one place with easy access whenever you need a quick group activity.

If you've played these group games too, and played a different variation, we would love to hear it! Let us know, and we'll add it to our game's post and then send you a thank you Tweet.


Recommended:

FREE Games for Circle Time

FREE Camp Songs for All Ages

Pin it!

Group Hand Games and Camp Games Book to be played in Circles.