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Need some suggestions for a cavity-free, allergy-free, calorie-free holiday? Get your creative juices flowing with these treat alternatives that are great for trick-or-treaters, classroom parties, special friends, and more!
Keep an eye out
Think outside of the candy aisle and browse all around the stores you visit. Any small, affordable toy, like yo-yos, bouncy balls, and bubbles, will put a smile on kids' faces.
Let the fun continue.
Small costume elements like fake mustaches, vampire teeth, tattoos, and spider rings let kids continue dressing up, and celebrating long after Halloween is just a memory.
Cook up a witch's brew
Offer up your non-food treats with a little dramatic flair! Fill a plastic witch's cauldron with cute and creepy bug toys for trick-or-treaters. For extra eeriness, drop a couple of glow sticks at the bottom of your cauldron and stir it with a skeleton hand. Or make a party game of it by having kids use grabbers to pick up a "nasty" centipede or spider without touching it.
Practical Magic
When the spooktacular night is over, life goes back to normal. But useful items like Halloween-themed pencils, erasers, bookmakers, and other school supplies allow the experience to linger a little longer.
Add lights and sound
Add spooky chills to your party with Buzzers that make all sorts of silly sounds or recordable howls and screeches. Also, consider giving out kazoos, clackers, and glow-in-the-dark bracelets so kids can be seen and heard in the dark!
Put out a teal pumpkin
Let trick-or-treaters and their parents know that you have treat alternatives that are safe for kids with food allergies by placing teal-painted pumpkins on your porch or by your front door. Learn more here. Our assortment of counters are an excellent alternative for candy, as well!
Don't be surprised if your house becomes one of the most popular destinations every year!
Need some suggestions for a cavity-free, allergy-free, calorie-free holiday? Get your creative juices flowing with these treat alternatives that are great for trick-or-treaters, classroom parties, special friends, and more!
Keep an eye out
Think outside of the candy aisle and browse all around the stores you visit. Any small, affordable toy, like yo-yos, bouncy balls, and bubbles, will put a smile on kids' faces.
Let the fun continue.
Small costume elements like fake mustaches, vampire teeth, tattoos, and spider rings let kids continue dressing up, and celebrating long after Halloween is just a memory.
Cook up a witch's brew
Offer up your non-food treats with a little dramatic flair! Fill a plastic witch's cauldron with cute and creepy bug toys for trick-or-treaters. For extra eeriness, drop a couple of glow sticks at the bottom of your cauldron and stir it with a skeleton hand. Or make a party game of it by having kids use grabbers to pick up a "nasty" centipede or spider without touching it.
Practical Magic
When the spooktacular night is over, life goes back to normal. But useful items like Halloween-themed pencils, erasers, bookmakers, and other school supplies allow the experience to linger a little longer.
Add lights and sound
Add spooky chills to your party with Buzzers that make all sorts of silly sounds or recordable howls and screeches. Also, consider giving out kazoos, clackers, and glow-in-the-dark bracelets so kids can be seen and heard in the dark!
Put out a teal pumpkin
Let trick-or-treaters and their parents know that you have treat alternatives that are safe for kids with food allergies by placing teal-painted pumpkins on your porch or by your front door. Learn more here. Our assortment of counters are an excellent alternative for candy, as well!
Don't be surprised if your house becomes one of the most popular destinations every year!
Looking to get your hands dirty, practice completing a project in sequence, and engage your little learner in some high-interest insect play? Bring the garden indoors with this toddler- and preschooler-approved DIY Terrarium activity, paired with Learning Resources Jumbo Insects!
Decorative elements/loose parts (such as shells, colorful rocks, etc.)
Depending on the size of your jar and what you have on hand, there are many ways to build the various layers of a terrarium (and the internet is ripe with ideas). We collected the items listed above for our creation and set up a station in the backyard, so our toddler could be engaged in the process without worrying about any mess involved with assembly.
To provide visual cues about each step of the process, we illustrated our jar and the layers we planned to include on the dry erase side of the Double-Sided Tabletop Easel and referred back to it as needed (see photo). From bottom to top, this included a base layer of sheet moss, followed by layers of stone, activated charcoal, more moss, potting soil, and then our plants. We then topped everything off with decorative shells, stones, and some Jumbo Insect specimens (of course)! Each layer added visual interest when viewed through the clear glass and created a wild small world for our Jumbo Insects, ready to inspire all kinds of storytelling and language development.
When you make your terrarium, you’ll first need to choose a container. Anything clear with a wide enough mouth to add your plants will do! Then you’ll need to select plants that can fit and thrive inside -- ask the staff at your local garden center/nursery for advice on what might work best. Next, you’ll need to gather the materials for the other layers -- namely, the moss, stones, charcoal, which act as the drainage layers -- as well as the potting soil and any decorative elements that will peak interest of your little learner.
By asking our toddler to help us follow step-by-step instructions for filling our terrarium jar, we practiced organizing items and acting on information in sequence -- essential skills for fostering patience, problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and story comprehension. We also gave her the agency to choose and place the final decorative elements, such as the shells, colorful stones, and (above all) the Jumbo Insects, so even a toddler who might balk at having to follow a specific order in creating the overall terrarium would be engaged and invested to the very end.
What’s more, throughout the entire process, she had many opportunities to engage her senses by both smelling and touching the various elements of our jar, from tickly moss and rich soil to smooth stones and bumpy shells. We also had an entry-level discussion of what all plants need to grow and thrive and developed our insect-related vocabulary by observing, describing, and sharing facts about each of the Jumbo Insects (the Activity Guide that comes with the set includes facts for each insect). All-in-all, this project provides so many learning opportunities and leaves us with a beautiful terrarium to enjoy long after.
Are you looking to adapt or extend your play and learning even further?
Counting, Sorting & Imaginary Play: Pair this activity with Learning Resources “In the Garden Critter Counters” for additional opportunities to extend your bug-themed learning, including everything from sensory bins or small world play, to counting or color sorting activities. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Outdoor Bug Hunt: Get inspired by Jumbo Insects and head outdoors to the backyard or neighborhood park for a real insect hunt! Grab a bug net, magnifying glass, or binoculars (ours are made out of cardboard TP rolls!) and get ready for some simple, science-based exploration.
Bookish Play: Complement and extend your child’s learning by pairing this activity with bug/insect-themed books. Some of our favorites include:
Looking to get your hands dirty, practice completing a project in sequence, and engage your little learner in some high-interest insect play? Bring the garden indoors with this toddler- and preschooler-approved DIY Terrarium activity, paired with Learning Resources Jumbo Insects!
Decorative elements/loose parts (such as shells, colorful rocks, etc.)
Depending on the size of your jar and what you have on hand, there are many ways to build the various layers of a terrarium (and the internet is ripe with ideas). We collected the items listed above for our creation and set up a station in the backyard, so our toddler could be engaged in the process without worrying about any mess involved with assembly.
To provide visual cues about each step of the process, we illustrated our jar and the layers we planned to include on the dry erase side of the Double-Sided Tabletop Easel and referred back to it as needed (see photo). From bottom to top, this included a base layer of sheet moss, followed by layers of stone, activated charcoal, more moss, potting soil, and then our plants. We then topped everything off with decorative shells, stones, and some Jumbo Insect specimens (of course)! Each layer added visual interest when viewed through the clear glass and created a wild small world for our Jumbo Insects, ready to inspire all kinds of storytelling and language development.
When you make your terrarium, you’ll first need to choose a container. Anything clear with a wide enough mouth to add your plants will do! Then you’ll need to select plants that can fit and thrive inside -- ask the staff at your local garden center/nursery for advice on what might work best. Next, you’ll need to gather the materials for the other layers -- namely, the moss, stones, charcoal, which act as the drainage layers -- as well as the potting soil and any decorative elements that will peak interest of your little learner.
By asking our toddler to help us follow step-by-step instructions for filling our terrarium jar, we practiced organizing items and acting on information in sequence -- essential skills for fostering patience, problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and story comprehension. We also gave her the agency to choose and place the final decorative elements, such as the shells, colorful stones, and (above all) the Jumbo Insects, so even a toddler who might balk at having to follow a specific order in creating the overall terrarium would be engaged and invested to the very end.
What’s more, throughout the entire process, she had many opportunities to engage her senses by both smelling and touching the various elements of our jar, from tickly moss and rich soil to smooth stones and bumpy shells. We also had an entry-level discussion of what all plants need to grow and thrive and developed our insect-related vocabulary by observing, describing, and sharing facts about each of the Jumbo Insects (the Activity Guide that comes with the set includes facts for each insect). All-in-all, this project provides so many learning opportunities and leaves us with a beautiful terrarium to enjoy long after.
Are you looking to adapt or extend your play and learning even further?
Counting, Sorting & Imaginary Play: Pair this activity with Learning Resources “In the Garden Critter Counters” for additional opportunities to extend your bug-themed learning, including everything from sensory bins or small world play, to counting or color sorting activities. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Outdoor Bug Hunt: Get inspired by Jumbo Insects and head outdoors to the backyard or neighborhood park for a real insect hunt! Grab a bug net, magnifying glass, or binoculars (ours are made out of cardboard TP rolls!) and get ready for some simple, science-based exploration.
Bookish Play: Complement and extend your child’s learning by pairing this activity with bug/insect-themed books. Some of our favorites include:
In our neighborhood, the snow has melted and the sun is shining, so we have spring-themed sensory and pretend play on the brain! For this activity, we combined our Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set with two simple sensory bin set-ups: one made up of dry sensory materials and relatively easy to clean up, the other wet, messier, and requiring a bit more prep work. Depending on the amount of time you have and the sensory experience you want to provide, both are great ways to engage your toddler in some seasonal learning fun!
Picture books about gardening, flowers and vegetables (optional)
Additional materials we used for the dry sensory set-up:
Black and/or brown beans (to represent dirt or plant seeds)
Green and brown shredded paper (to represent grass)
Additional materials we used for the wet sensory set-up:
Water
Cocoa Oobleck (to represent mud)
Vegetable scrub brush
Measuring cup/spoon
The New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set includes three small pots, mix-and-match flowers and vegetables to ‘plant’ inside, a small shovel, and a watering can -- all bright, colorful, and easy to clean!
Setting up our dry sensory bin was very easy -- we simply poured black and brown beans into our bin and added some shredded paper for grass-like textures before introducing our Grow It! set to the mix.
For the wet sensory bin activity, we added the New Sprouts Grow It! set to a larger storage tupperware tub and then placed two smaller bins inside to help contain the mess. Even still, we recommend keeping wet wipes nearby and/or throwing down a towel around the play area to make clean-up even easier. We set ours up in the bathroom, so we could transition right to bath time immediately after our messy sensory play!
Inside the two smaller tubs, we included (1) water and (2) cocoa ‘mud’ oobleck. To make the cocoa oobleck, simply use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix cornstarch (about 1.5 cups), water (about 1 cup), and cocoa powder (for mud-like color, about 3 tablespoons) together until you reach the desired consistency.
Both sensory activity set-ups gave our toddler the opportunity to independently role play gardening -- just like she saw her parents do in her backyard last year when she wasn’t nearly as independently mobile!
There are so many learning benefits to simple, playful set-ups like these sensory bins. Tactile, open-ended imaginary and sensory play helps to foster fine motor development and confidence with posting, scooping, and pouring skills. We also worked on our social skills by sharing and taking turns with each of the gardening tools and toys
Further, while pretending to plant and water each flower or vegetable, we tried out new garden-themed vocabulary -- ‘petals,’ ‘stem,’ ‘soil,’ ‘dig,’ ‘scoop,’ and ‘pour,’ etc. -- which presented valuable, contextualized opportunities for her overall language development. There were also ample opportunities to practice color recognition by identifying the hue of each pot, veggie, flower and sensory bin material.
In the dry sensory bin, we made early math skills fun by counting the ‘dirt’ beans or seeds, as well as the petals and leaves on each plant. The wet sensory bin fillers allowed our budding gardener to practice pouring water from the set’s toy watering can and mimic rinsing and scrubbing off mud-streaked root vegetables from a springy, rain-soaked garden. Real gardening is rarely a tidy activity, after all!
All in all, the New Sprouts Grow It! set is a win in our book. We can’t wait to bring it outside this summer and let her explore it in the real mud kitchen! No matter how we present it to our child, we know it will build her curiosity and confidence and prepare her to assist in our backyard garden.
Looking to adapt or extend your garden-themed play and learning even further?
Explore and discuss what real plants need to grow (water, sunlight, soil, etc.).
Get out the paper and crayons and plot out your own future or imaginary garden. What vegetables or herbs would your child want to grow? Where would they plant them?
Compare the pretend garden pieces in the Grow It! set with examples from fiction and non-fiction picture books. Diverse, inclusive and engaging titles we enjoyed reading this week to complement our imaginary play and reinforce our learning included:
Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn (picture book)
If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson (picture book)
Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs (picture book)
My Garden by Kevin Henkes (picture book)
Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet and Flower Alphabet (board books)
In our neighborhood, the snow has melted and the sun is shining, so we have spring-themed sensory and pretend play on the brain! For this activity, we combined our Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set with two simple sensory bin set-ups: one made up of dry sensory materials and relatively easy to clean up, the other wet, messier, and requiring a bit more prep work. Depending on the amount of time you have and the sensory experience you want to provide, both are great ways to engage your toddler in some seasonal learning fun!
Picture books about gardening, flowers and vegetables (optional)
Additional materials we used for the dry sensory set-up:
Black and/or brown beans (to represent dirt or plant seeds)
Green and brown shredded paper (to represent grass)
Additional materials we used for the wet sensory set-up:
Water
Cocoa Oobleck (to represent mud)
Vegetable scrub brush
Measuring cup/spoon
The New Sprouts Grow It! gardening set includes three small pots, mix-and-match flowers and vegetables to ‘plant’ inside, a small shovel, and a watering can -- all bright, colorful, and easy to clean!
Setting up our dry sensory bin was very easy -- we simply poured black and brown beans into our bin and added some shredded paper for grass-like textures before introducing our Grow It! set to the mix.
For the wet sensory bin activity, we added the New Sprouts Grow It! set to a larger storage tupperware tub and then placed two smaller bins inside to help contain the mess. Even still, we recommend keeping wet wipes nearby and/or throwing down a towel around the play area to make clean-up even easier. We set ours up in the bathroom, so we could transition right to bath time immediately after our messy sensory play!
Inside the two smaller tubs, we included (1) water and (2) cocoa ‘mud’ oobleck. To make the cocoa oobleck, simply use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix cornstarch (about 1.5 cups), water (about 1 cup), and cocoa powder (for mud-like color, about 3 tablespoons) together until you reach the desired consistency.
Both sensory activity set-ups gave our toddler the opportunity to independently role play gardening -- just like she saw her parents do in her backyard last year when she wasn’t nearly as independently mobile!
There are so many learning benefits to simple, playful set-ups like these sensory bins. Tactile, open-ended imaginary and sensory play helps to foster fine motor development and confidence with posting, scooping, and pouring skills. We also worked on our social skills by sharing and taking turns with each of the gardening tools and toys
Further, while pretending to plant and water each flower or vegetable, we tried out new garden-themed vocabulary -- ‘petals,’ ‘stem,’ ‘soil,’ ‘dig,’ ‘scoop,’ and ‘pour,’ etc. -- which presented valuable, contextualized opportunities for her overall language development. There were also ample opportunities to practice color recognition by identifying the hue of each pot, veggie, flower and sensory bin material.
In the dry sensory bin, we made early math skills fun by counting the ‘dirt’ beans or seeds, as well as the petals and leaves on each plant. The wet sensory bin fillers allowed our budding gardener to practice pouring water from the set’s toy watering can and mimic rinsing and scrubbing off mud-streaked root vegetables from a springy, rain-soaked garden. Real gardening is rarely a tidy activity, after all!
All in all, the New Sprouts Grow It! set is a win in our book. We can’t wait to bring it outside this summer and let her explore it in the real mud kitchen! No matter how we present it to our child, we know it will build her curiosity and confidence and prepare her to assist in our backyard garden.
Looking to adapt or extend your garden-themed play and learning even further?
Explore and discuss what real plants need to grow (water, sunlight, soil, etc.).
Get out the paper and crayons and plot out your own future or imaginary garden. What vegetables or herbs would your child want to grow? Where would they plant them?
Compare the pretend garden pieces in the Grow It! set with examples from fiction and non-fiction picture books. Diverse, inclusive and engaging titles we enjoyed reading this week to complement our imaginary play and reinforce our learning included:
Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn (picture book)
If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson (picture book)
Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs (picture book)
My Garden by Kevin Henkes (picture book)
Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet and Flower Alphabet (board books)
All cooped up at home? Now is the perfect time to disinfect your home and teach your kids healthy habits to keep things clean. And, if you’re of the spring cleaning persuasion, tidy things up! But whether you’re scrubbing the floorboards and shaking out rugs or just doing your weekly cleanup, you don’t have to do it alone! Kids as young as two can help with simple chores, which gives them a sense of accomplishment and belonging! Plus, you’re priming them to pitch in as they get older. Read on for some age-appropriate chores and motivation.
Preschoolers Can…
Yes, they require a bit of supervision, but with your encouragement and guidance, two-, three-, and four-year-olds can help you:
Pick up toys and put them in a basket – Add a layer of learning (and make it more fun!) by asking them to pick up anything red first, then blue, then green. Or anything soft, then hard.
Take their dirty clothes to the laundry basket – Count the pieces together as they go in, e.g., one shirt, two shirts… Or shoot a quick game of hoops with your balled-up socks!
Help feed and care for the family pets – You may not trust your little one to fill the water bowl, but they can hold the hamster while you clean the cage and fill a scoop of dry food.
*Bonus idea! Pretend play sets, like New Sprouts® Clean It!, is perfect for imaginary play and give little kids a way to enjoy the cleaning fun!
Kindergartners Can…
Again, you’ll need to be on hand to help, but four- and five-year-olds can be hand helpers when it comes to chores like:
Keep craft supplies tidy – A place for everything and everything in its place! Putting away pencils, markers, glue, and scissors is easy with the Create-a-Space™ Mini-Center, a portable craft station that’s easy to store! If you need a more prominent organizer, try the Create-a-Space™ Storage Center.
Setting the table – You set out the glasses and plates, then show your kiddo where to put the silverware and napkins.
Sorting the laundry – Little kids are great at sorting the laundry! Show them what counts as white, medium, and dark, and leave the rest to them.
Big Kids Can…
Many six- and seven-year-olds are old enough to handle simple chores without supervision. A chore chart can be motivating at this age to manage tasks like:
Making their bed – Don’t expect miracles here; practice makes perfect! Pulling the sheet, blanket, and comforter up and placing pillows at the top is an excellent start.
Emptying trash cans – Show your kids how to start with the biggest can and carry it to the smaller ones around the house, dumping as they go.
Putting their laundry away – You fold, they stash or hang!
Bigger Kids Can…
Older elementary-school-aged kids can do so many things! Aside from managing their schoolwork, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed for school, these kids can:
Wash dishes – Yup! The day has come! Fourth and fifth graders can rinse and load the dishwasher and scrub dishes and silverware (skip the knives and delicate dishware).
Vacuum and rake – Whether indoors or out, your older kids can easily run the vacuum and rake. Plus, if they’re doing it, they can’t complain about the noise it’s making when you’re doing it!
Run the washer and dryer – You may not want them folding quite yet, but big kids can toss a load in the washer, add detergent, and turn the machine on.
In Conclusion,
Although it may be easier to do things yourself, the sooner you make chipping in with chores an expected part of your kids’ routine, the easier yours will be in the long run. A good rule of thumb is that kids can follow as many instructions as years they are old. For example, a three-year-old may be able to pick up their shoes, put them in the closet, and close the door. A timer is also a great motivator, as is a clean-up song. Choose something you love, play it loud, and work as long as it plays. When the music’s over, so is the clean-up!
All cooped up at home? Now is the perfect time to disinfect your home and teach your kids healthy habits to keep things clean. And, if you’re of the spring cleaning persuasion, tidy things up! But whether you’re scrubbing the floorboards and shaking out rugs or just doing your weekly cleanup, you don’t have to do it alone! Kids as young as two can help with simple chores, which gives them a sense of accomplishment and belonging! Plus, you’re priming them to pitch in as they get older. Read on for some age-appropriate chores and motivation.
Preschoolers Can…
Yes, they require a bit of supervision, but with your encouragement and guidance, two-, three-, and four-year-olds can help you:
Pick up toys and put them in a basket – Add a layer of learning (and make it more fun!) by asking them to pick up anything red first, then blue, then green. Or anything soft, then hard.
Take their dirty clothes to the laundry basket – Count the pieces together as they go in, e.g., one shirt, two shirts… Or shoot a quick game of hoops with your balled-up socks!
Help feed and care for the family pets – You may not trust your little one to fill the water bowl, but they can hold the hamster while you clean the cage and fill a scoop of dry food.
*Bonus idea! Pretend play sets, like New Sprouts® Clean It!, is perfect for imaginary play and give little kids a way to enjoy the cleaning fun!
Kindergartners Can…
Again, you’ll need to be on hand to help, but four- and five-year-olds can be hand helpers when it comes to chores like:
Keep craft supplies tidy – A place for everything and everything in its place! Putting away pencils, markers, glue, and scissors is easy with the Create-a-Space™ Mini-Center, a portable craft station that’s easy to store! If you need a more prominent organizer, try the Create-a-Space™ Storage Center.
Setting the table – You set out the glasses and plates, then show your kiddo where to put the silverware and napkins.
Sorting the laundry – Little kids are great at sorting the laundry! Show them what counts as white, medium, and dark, and leave the rest to them.
Big Kids Can…
Many six- and seven-year-olds are old enough to handle simple chores without supervision. A chore chart can be motivating at this age to manage tasks like:
Making their bed – Don’t expect miracles here; practice makes perfect! Pulling the sheet, blanket, and comforter up and placing pillows at the top is an excellent start.
Emptying trash cans – Show your kids how to start with the biggest can and carry it to the smaller ones around the house, dumping as they go.
Putting their laundry away – You fold, they stash or hang!
Bigger Kids Can…
Older elementary-school-aged kids can do so many things! Aside from managing their schoolwork, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed for school, these kids can:
Wash dishes – Yup! The day has come! Fourth and fifth graders can rinse and load the dishwasher and scrub dishes and silverware (skip the knives and delicate dishware).
Vacuum and rake – Whether indoors or out, your older kids can easily run the vacuum and rake. Plus, if they’re doing it, they can’t complain about the noise it’s making when you’re doing it!
Run the washer and dryer – You may not want them folding quite yet, but big kids can toss a load in the washer, add detergent, and turn the machine on.
In Conclusion,
Although it may be easier to do things yourself, the sooner you make chipping in with chores an expected part of your kids’ routine, the easier yours will be in the long run. A good rule of thumb is that kids can follow as many instructions as years they are old. For example, a three-year-old may be able to pick up their shoes, put them in the closet, and close the door. A timer is also a great motivator, as is a clean-up song. Choose something you love, play it loud, and work as long as it plays. When the music’s over, so is the clean-up!
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