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Printable Camp Learning Resources Merit Badges

Patria Lincoln Posted On Jun 1, 2023 | Printables

Keep the learning going all summer long with our free activities at Camp Learning Resources and earn your merit badges! Print and color your merit badges as you follow our weekly learning activities!

Print the Activity

The Benefits of Coloring:

Coloring is not only a fun activity, but it also has many benefits for children, including:

Development of fine motor skills: Coloring requires using small muscles in the hands and fingers, helping to develop fine motor skills.
Improves focus and concentration: Coloring can help children focus and concentrate on a specific task, which can be helpful for their academic performance.
Reduces stress and anxiety: Coloring can be a calming activity, helping reduce stress and anxiety in children and adults.

Encourage your child to use their favorite colors and get creative with their coloring. You can also use this printable to talk about springtime and narwhals, teaching your child about nature and animals. The Printable Spring Narwhal Coloring Page from Learning Resources is an excellent activity for children of all ages. It promotes the development of fine motor skills, improves focus and concentration, and helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Download the printable today and encourage your child to get creative with their coloring, spending quality time together as a family.

Printable Camp Learning Resources Merit Badges

Keep the learning going all summer long with our free activities at Camp Learning Resources and earn your merit badges! Print and color your merit badges as you follow our weekly learning activities!

Print the Activity

The Benefits of Coloring:

Coloring is not only a fun activity, but it also has many benefits for children, including:

Development of fine motor skills: Coloring requires using small muscles in the hands and fingers, helping to develop fine motor skills.
Improves focus and concentration: Coloring can help children focus and concentrate on a specific task, which can be helpful for their academic performance.
Reduces stress and anxiety: Coloring can be a calming activity, helping reduce stress and anxiety in children and adults.

Sensory Fun with the Bug Finder Adventure Set

Learning Resources Posted On Apr 5, 2022 | Motor Skills

Learning Resources® has just released a new Amazon Exclusive, and it sure is a fun one. The Bug Finder Adventure Set is the sweetest combination of hands-on tools for any little who is crazy about critters. We decided to use it for three engaging bug-themed sensory invitations, all of which appealed to my four-year-old and eight-year-old.

Catch a Critter Dirt Tray

This tray is a great way to have some sensory fun and work on those important fine motor skills.

What you need:

Learning Resources Bug Finder Adventure Set (available on Amazon)
Play tray (this one is from Target)
Play dirt, or you could always use real dirt!
In the Garden Critter Counters™

The Set-Up

Simply spread out the play dirt over an area of the tray. Add a fun selection of the critter counter, and put out the Primary Science® Jumbo Tweezers™, Handy Scoopers™, bug jar, magnifying glass, and scavenger hunt checklist.

Exploring the Tray

This tray is an excellent combination of working on fine motor skills by using the tweezers and scoopers, as well as encouraging plenty of scientific investigative skills. My eight-year-old had fun ‘catching’ the bugs from the dirt and then carefully studying them under the Jumbo Magnifying Glass. He liked to try and name each type of bug before placing it in the bug jar where he could study it further.

As the play continued, there were lots of discussions about how many legs each of the bugs had, and also where you would most likely find the different types of bugs. We planned a scavenger hunt for a warmer day and looked forward to using the Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt checklist included in the set. My four-year-old also enjoyed exploring this tray later in the day. She chose to add play dirt to the bug jar to make little bug houses for her critters! The Handy Scoopers works great as both a dirt transfer tool and a bug-catching tool!

Grassy Insect Investigation Tray

Sometimes the most fun can be had simply by studying bugs up close! This investigation tray was super easy to set up but really captured by children’s imaginations and sense of scientific inquiry.

What you need:

Learning Resources Bug Finder Adventure Set (available on Amazon)
Play tray (this one is the SMULA tray from IKEA)
Jumbo Insects, also from Learning Resources
Green crinkle paper (or you can use real grass or fake Easter grass)

The Set-Up

I spread out a selection of green crinkle paper, using different shades of green for added texture and sensory interest. I then spread out some of our Jumbo Insects and placed the tweezers and magnifying glass from the Adventure Set onto the tray. Super easy and pretty mess-free too!

Exploring the Tray

This tray was all about studying those insects and how different they were from each other. Both my four-year-old and eight-year-old played with this simultaneously, and I loved the conversations they were having together. My youngest would comment on certain aspects of an insect, and my eldest would offer facts and comments to help explain why the insect was made like that.

As they explored, they were using the tweezers to carefully turn over the insects. My four-year-old found it fascinating how they had different numbers of legs and sized wings. My eight-year-old loved looking up-close at their eyes. Next time we explore this set up I plan to put out some notebooks and markers to encourage my children to draw and make notes as they study the different insects. Observation and analysis are key scientific skills that this activity will help develop.

Count & Catch Bug Bin

Sensory bins lend themselves so well to subtle but enriching numeracy play and learning. For this bug-themed sensory activity, the combination of rice, critter counters, a bug jar, fine motor tools, and dice makes for a great bug-catching game.

What you need:

Learning Resources Bug Finder Adventure Set (available on Amazon)
Play bin (this one is a wash bin from Dollar Tree)
Rice dyed green with food coloring
In the Garden Critter Counters™

The Set-Up

I filled one of our sensory bins with green-dyed rice and then spread out 20 critter counters. I also added the tweezers and handy scoopers and placed the bug jar to the side of the bin. The final item needed was dice and then we were ready to play and learn.

Exploring the Bin

As soon as my preschooler saw the dice she knew that she would be playing a fun game. You could adapt the game to suit the ability level of your child. For us we simply took it in turns rolling the dice and counting that many critters into the bug jar. We aimed to work as a team to fill the jar with critters as quickly as we could. Transferring the critters with the tweezers was a great fine motor workout.

After a few rounds of playing our counting game, my daughter simply enjoyed using the Handy Scoopers to play with the critters and rice. She filled the bug jar and turned it into a ‘grassy bug hotel.’ This period of time was well spent creatively enjoying open-ended sensory play!

We hope you’ve been inspired to team up the Bug Finder Adventure Set with some hands-on and engaging sensory play. We have so many more great ideas to explore, maybe next time the Spring weather will be arriving and we will find some real bugs!

Writer’s Bio

Lucy Baker is a Mom of two (4 & 8 years old) who is passionate about creative play and hands-on learning. She firmly believes in providing children with the opportunity to learn through play, as well as being part of their play journey as a parent. See more of her creative play ideas and process art projects on Instagram @findthelittlemind, and over on her blog, Find the Little Mind.

Sensory Fun with the Bug Finder Adventure Set

Catch a Critter Dirt Tray

This tray is a great way to have some sensory fun and work on those important fine motor skills.

What you need:

Learning Resources Bug Finder Adventure Set (available on Amazon)
Play tray (this one is from Target)
Play dirt, or you could always use real dirt!
In the Garden Critter Counters™

The Set-Up

Exploring the Tray

Grassy Insect Investigation Tray

Sometimes the most fun can be had simply by studying bugs up close! This investigation tray was super easy to set up but really captured by children’s imaginations and sense of scientific inquiry.

What you need:

Learning Resources Bug Finder Adventure Set (available on Amazon)
Play tray (this one is the SMULA tray from IKEA)
Jumbo Insects, also from Learning Resources
Green crinkle paper (or you can use real grass or fake Easter grass)

The Set-Up

Exploring the Tray

Count & Catch Bug Bin

What you need:

Learning Resources Bug Finder Adventure Set (available on Amazon)
Play bin (this one is a wash bin from Dollar Tree)
Rice dyed green with food coloring
In the Garden Critter Counters™

The Set-Up

Exploring the Bin

Writer’s Bio

Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Mar 15, 2021 | Social-Emotional Learning

Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

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!

What You'll Need to Get Started

Materials we used for both activity set-ups:

Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! set
Sensory bin/tubs
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)

Grow It! Garden Sensory Play - Two Ways!

What You'll Need to Get Started

Materials we used for both activity set-ups:

Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! set
Sensory bin/tubs
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

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)

DIY Ice Cream in a Bag!

Patria Lincoln Posted On Aug 1, 2018 | STEM

DIY Ice Cream in a Bag!

Summer is raging on and its getting hot out there! Want to cool down with a yummy treat, and still learn a new thing or two? Believe it or not, creating homemade ice cream involves a great deal of chemistry. Put your STEM skills to the test for this chilly science experiment with a sweet result!

Materials:

1 cup of half-and-half
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 cups ice
1/3 cup kosher salt
Gallon-sized bags
Sandwich-sized bags
Ice cream toppings of your choice

Step One

Using your sandwich-sized baggie, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Be sure to combine it well by shaking it, and then squeeze out the extra air and seal it well.

Ice Cream Chemistry: Even though the half-and-half might already be slightly cold, it isn’t enough to make the ice cream take its desired solid form. These three ingredients all need to be cooled down further. But how?

Step Two

Place the ice in the gallon-sized baggie and add the salt.

Ice Cream Chemistry: The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes. This bag of salt ice will melt even when the temperature is below the normal freezing point of water. This is the same principle in the wintertime when trucks put salt on slick, icy roads.

Step Three

Place the small bag into the ice-filled bag. Shake it vigorously for 7-10 minutes.

Step Four

Check ice cream to see if its consistency has hardened.

Ice Cream Chemistry: You might need a towel or oven mitts when you shake the bag because it becomes so cold. Due to the vigorous shaking and the ice that is now several degrees below freezing, the liquid has been cooled enough to harden it.

If you tried this experiment without the salt, the liquid would have remained in that liquid state simply because the ice wasn’t cold enough. Who knew the most important ingredient in making bagged ice cream would be salt?

Step Five

Remove from bag, add toppings, and enjoy!

Yum! We love the Summer of Science!

DIY Ice Cream in a Bag!

Materials:

1 cup of half-and-half
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 cups ice
1/3 cup kosher salt
Gallon-sized bags
Sandwich-sized bags
Ice cream toppings of your choice

Step One

Using your sandwich-sized baggie, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Be sure to combine it well by shaking it, and then squeeze out the extra air and seal it well.