Pretend Play Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Apple Taste Test with Editable Printables and Place Cards

August 8, 2017 By Deirdre

This apple taste test in the first of two STEM apple explorations created for the 5 Days Apple Printables week. This set includes an apple recording sheet for preschoolers, a grade school version of the apple taste test, and apple place cards. Each of these has a place where you can type in the variety of apples you are taste testing.

Apple Taste Test Printables

Before you get started with this STEM activity, you will need to print out STEM Apple Taste Test Printables. You may want to print the apple taste test pages off on printer paper. The place cards will last longer and stand better if you print them out on cardstock.

Let’s Look at the Apple Place Cards

You can type in the name of each of the varieties of apples on one of the place cards. I thought you would like that better than having to write the name of each variety of apple on the place card. The place cards have a medium size font so that varieties like Golden Delicious or Jonathan Gold will find on them.

Let’s Look at the Preschool Version of the Taste Test

The preschool version STEM Apple Taste Test Printables has places where you can type the variety of apples you are exploring right on the PDF. There are is a place to show the color of each of the apples. Your children will also find an area to rate the taste, smell, and texture of each type of apple.

Your children can circle around or an X on the face that shows how they feel about each apple.

Let’s Look at the Grade School Version of the Taste Test

This version of the apple taste test is more of a STEM exploration. Children are asked to describe in a word or two the taste, smell and texture of each of the apple varieties.

They are also asked to rank the apples from most favorite to least favorite.

Finally, they are given a space to write a sentence or two reflecting on that they thought about the challenge. They could share how they felt about doing the challenge, about something they learned, or about what made their favorite apple their favorite.

Oh! You can also type the name of each in these. I know I mentioned it earlier I just thought I would mention it again.

If you like this STEM activity, here are some more you will love.

Free Printable Constellation Mats for Kids

How to Grow a Space Garden

Making Metamorphic Rock Candy

Leap Frog Straw Rockets

DIY Cardboard Kids’ Washing Machine

March 26, 2017 By Deirdre

You can easily put together this DIY cardboard kid’s washing machine together. When you have created it, they can use it for pretend play or as a part of exploring a learning concept. We created it to be used in a Kuffle Bunny color exploration activity.

How to Put the DIY Cardboard Kids’ Washing Machine Together

Building Supplies

Three Sides of a Cardboard Box
Black Tape
Scissors
White Paper
Markers
2 Clear Plastic Lids
Brass Fasteners
Lid from a Food Pouch or Another Lid
Pipecleaner
Square Shaped Object
Small Plate
Small Laundry Basket
Jar Lid
Black Construction Paper

Directions for Creating the DIY Cardboard Washing Machine

Creating the Door and Window

You will start by tracing the top, bottom and right side of a square object onto the center panel of the box. This square will be the door of the washing machine.

Then you will trace the circular object in the center of the door. This will become the window for your DIY cardboard washing machine.

Finally, it is time to cut out the door and the window. We used scissors to do the cutting. If you have an X-Acto knife available, you can use that instead.

Creating the Dials

You will then trace the jar lid onto white paper that is folded in half. When you cut it out, you will have two white circles. You will need to create a border along the edge of each of the circles with a marker. Then you will draw lines dividing each of the circles into thirds.

One circle will have the words warm, cold, and hot written in one of its sections. The other circle will have the words delicate, perm press, and regular written in its thirds. Then the circles can be glued in the space under the door. Finally, put a hole through the center of your paper dials.

After placing a hole in the circle of the plastic lids, you can put a brass fastener through it. Then you can attach it to the washer through the center of each of your circles to the box. You will want the sides of the lid facing up so, your children can turn the lid.

Finally cut out two small black arrows and attach them to each of the lids. Your children can use it to select the water temperature and wash cycle.

Adding the Door Knob

After creating two holes in the door, attach the food pouch lid to the door with pipe cleaners. Twist the pipe cleaners together behind the door.

Adding the Laundry Basket

After creating a small hole to each of the outside sections of the box, thread a pipe cleaner through them. Wrap the ends of the pipe cleaner through the sides of the laundry basket to hold it in place.

If you like this DIY cardboard washing machine, here are some more cardboard creations:

Cardboard Campfire

Counting Paws

STEM Engineering Design Process Building a Basketball Hoop

Homemade Giant Tangrams from a Pizza Box

Pretend Play Open Air Cooking Playdough Cookies

August 30, 2012 By Deirdre

When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.

Fred Rogers

Pretend Play Open Air Cooking Playdough Cookies

There are times when I put out craft or learning materials and I just move to the side of the kitchen and watch JDaniel and his friends play. JDaniel and the little boy next door came up with this wonderful pretend play activity all on their own using just few items that have been left on the kitchen table or were available in the kitchen. It was such a joy to watch.

How did the pretend play unfold?

I put out homemade purple playdough, cookie cutters, cooking utensils and a cutting board for JDaniel and the boy next door to play with on the kitchen table.

The little boy next door came up with idea of making cookies with a happy face spoon. JDaniel decided they need to be baked in the oven before they could be eaten.

One boy decided that a child size chair would be a perfect open air oven. The other boy decided that the cookies needed a plate to be baked on. I don’t remember which boy decided on which idea.

JDaniel announced he had fire to bake the cookies with and took his Olympic torch off the refrigerator. I stepped in to provide the tape for the fire.

Both boys had to check and recheck the cookies to make sure they weren’t going to burn.

The boy next door decided when it was time to flip the cookies. I wasn’t aware that cookies need to be flipped. Maybe if you cook them under an open flame they have to be flipped.

After checking them over and over again, they are finally ready to be served. It was determined that I was the official cookie tester.I had to admit to the two chefs after taking a few virtual nibbles on the cookies that purple happy face cookies are really delicious.

The key to their delicious flavor was to hold them a few inches from my mouth and pretend that the scent they were giving off is chocolate chips. In reality I knew they really smelled like playdough, but this activity was all about pretending and so I pretended they smelled wonderful. What wonderful pretend play moments are happening at your house or have in the past? This post is linked to Mrs. Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday.

Outside Play- Water: Old MacDonald’s Beach Trip

July 18, 2012 By Deirdre

It has been so hot this summer here in South Carolina. We have spent a lot of time exploring and playing with water. It has been a lot of fun, but we keeping doing the same things over and over again. Today I want to share with you a way your children can take the animals of Old MacDonald on a field trip to the beach.

I thought that it would be fun to have people share what they have been doing outside with water play to help us come up with new and exciting ways to play. There are several other blogs that share child-related activities that have joined me in co-hosting this event, but it is open to everyone.
My amazing co-hosts are Rainy Day Mum, Inspiration Laboratories, Train Up a Child, and Mama Pea Pod.
I hope you will enjoy the trip Old MacDonald and his animals had to the beach in my post below and that you will visit the posts of my co-hosts.

Oh! I do hope that if you have a post related to outdoor play you will link it up below and add this badge you see below to your post.

Old MacDonald’s Animals Beach Trip

Outside Play- Water: Old MacDonald's Beach Trip

It has been so hot on the farm that Old MacDonald decided to take some of his animals on a road trip to the beach!

Several animals that like to live on the wild side decided to travel on the front of the tractor while others arrived in a white plastic basket.

Outside Play- Water: Old MacDonald's Beach Trip - Traveling to the Beach

Oatmeal sand was spread in both the wet and dry area of the water table. JDaniel explained that they are in the sand in the ocean and on the beach.

Outside Play- Water: Old MacDonald's Beach Trip - Traveling to the Beach - Oatmeal Beach

The sand in the ocean caused the water to be rather cloudy, but the animals seem to enjoy floating around in it.

Old MacDonald must be confident that all his animals can swim. He seems to be looking away from the water instead of toward it.

Several animals seem unsure as to whether they want to get in the water or the sand. They spent time looking down at the sand but hesitated to get in it.

Eventually, everyone jumped in and took a swim. Even a tree seems to have made a trip from the farm and has started to float.

The water slide into the ocean had gotten very crowded.

It looks like a wonderful time at the beach was had by all.