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Looking for a low-prep, low-pressure way for your toddler or preschooler to explore holiday items independently but with a STEM twist? Enter this holiday loose parts bucket balance play invitation!
Hanukkah-related loose parts, including small menorah candles, dreidels, and plastic gelt
Setup:
To create an engaging, open-ended invitation to play, we set up the Bucket Balance with various small loose parts arranged in front of it and hidden inside its storage drawer. We chose a Hanukkah theme for this particular setup, but in the future, we might try other themed loose parts, such as:
Christmas: jingle bells, small ornaments, mini candy canes, etc.
Winter: pine cones, acorns, snowflake-shaped beads, Arctic animal figurines, etc.
Nature: small stones, seashells, tree bark, pinecones, etc.
Snacktime: Animal crackers, goldfish, carrot sticks, cereal, etc.
Random: tiny cars, small blocks, wooden beads, -- the sky is the limit! You know your child best -- choose items that will excite and delight!
Play & Learn:
This activity allows young children to freely explore and sort various small parts, including textures, colors, and quantity. Adding in the Bucket Balance invites them to compare these items with new measurement concepts like weight, mass, and volume.
After some free-play, caregivers can lean in and prompt additional curiosity by asking questions about the various loose parts. For instance: How many gelt coins might you need to balance both buckets? Which is heavier, X number of candles or X number of dreidels? Let's count them together and see if our hypothesis is correct!
This is a fun new way to get festive and keep those curious brains active during breaks from preschool! What items would your child enjoy comparing on a Bucket Balance?
About the Author, Sarah Yale: With a background in education, youth development, and restorative justice, Sarah Yale wears many hats, including Mom and Librarian. She endeavors to combine her love of children's books and the great outdoors to plan inclusive, play-based activities that foster curiosity and social-emotional learning. An advocate for literacy development, loose parts, and sensory play, Sarah's activities invite you to lean in, read up, and get messy together! See more of her ideas on Instagram at @staycurious_sadertot.
Looking for a low-prep, low-pressure way for your toddler or preschooler to explore holiday items independently but with a STEM twist? Enter this holiday loose parts bucket balance play invitation!
Hanukkah-related loose parts, including small menorah candles, dreidels, and plastic gelt
Setup:
To create an engaging, open-ended invitation to play, we set up the Bucket Balance with various small loose parts arranged in front of it and hidden inside its storage drawer. We chose a Hanukkah theme for this particular setup, but in the future, we might try other themed loose parts, such as:
Christmas: jingle bells, small ornaments, mini candy canes, etc.
Winter: pine cones, acorns, snowflake-shaped beads, Arctic animal figurines, etc.
Nature: small stones, seashells, tree bark, pinecones, etc.
Snacktime: Animal crackers, goldfish, carrot sticks, cereal, etc.
Random: tiny cars, small blocks, wooden beads, -- the sky is the limit! You know your child best -- choose items that will excite and delight!
Play & Learn:
This activity allows young children to freely explore and sort various small parts, including textures, colors, and quantity. Adding in the Bucket Balance invites them to compare these items with new measurement concepts like weight, mass, and volume.
After some free-play, caregivers can lean in and prompt additional curiosity by asking questions about the various loose parts. For instance: How many gelt coins might you need to balance both buckets? Which is heavier, X number of candles or X number of dreidels? Let's count them together and see if our hypothesis is correct!
This is a fun new way to get festive and keep those curious brains active during breaks from preschool! What items would your child enjoy comparing on a Bucket Balance?
About the Author, Sarah Yale: With a background in education, youth development, and restorative justice, Sarah Yale wears many hats, including Mom and Librarian. She endeavors to combine her love of children's books and the great outdoors to plan inclusive, play-based activities that foster curiosity and social-emotional learning. An advocate for literacy development, loose parts, and sensory play, Sarah's activities invite you to lean in, read up, and get messy together! See more of her ideas on Instagram at @staycurious_sadertot.
The holidays are just around the corner so the time is ticking on getting all your holiday shopping done! It can be a little overwhelming to think of and find the latest holiday gifts and gadgets for kids. That’s why we’ve wrapped up, quite literally, some of the best holiday finds for your little loved ones! These gifts are STEM inspired and are for our little science, technology, engineering, and math lovers. New to STEM? These are also perfect for peaking interests!
Below you’ll find six of the most well (teacher) recommended and kid approved STEM toys. An age suggestion and description will help you find just the right one and the price is listed to ensure it fits within your budget!
Botley 2.0 the Coding Robot is perfect for introducing littles to future careers, supporting imaginative play and boosting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Botley helps kids as young as 5 learn to code. Kids can code Botley to move in six directions, play music, and even put on a light show! You can even test your memory with the lights and sounds of a game of Botley Says. Your little coders can build coding sequences of up to 150 steps, and go on adventures with a built-in sensor that lights up Botley in the dark!
Nothing says engaging kids better than a crashin', bashin' set of STEM challenges! The worlds of coding and construction collide in the Botley Crashin' Construction Challenge. The world of construction comes alive as little builders can turn Botley into a wrecking ball or tow truck with the moveable crane attachment, or snap on the adjustable plow arms and send Botley on bulldozer adventures! This set includes six STEM challenges to get kids started—build up block structures, then code Botley to knock them down, clean up the mess, or tow them with the hook and cable!
Bring the magic of castle making alive and the perfect twist on building critical thinking skills using the Gears! Gears! Gears! Castle Gears set. This building kit includes 38 pieces and an activity guide. It allows little engineers to create an almost endless combination of castles that actually move for their imaginative play. The gear pieces snap together easily so it’s perfect for little hands and developing fine motor skills. Let your little budding engineer’s imagination soar!
The City Engineering & Design Building Set brings STEM learning to new heights! Your little engineers can create their own skyscrapers, cranes, bridges and more with 89 easy-to-assemble pieces. Use the included activity cards to complete design challenges, or create your own city. It's a unique way to challenge logic, problem solving, and engineering skills.
Explore the world of force and motion by helping Botley set off some crashing chain reactions with Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set from Learning Resources. This interactive 41-piece accessory setcontains everything kids need to set up STEM-inspired obstacle challenges for Botley to navigate. Kids can either choose to use the instructions inside the set to create 9 obstacle challenges filled with falling dominos, rolling balls, and swinging hammers, or design their own courses using critical thinking skills. Once everything's in place, kids simply code Botley with the desired steps, press transmit on the remote programmer, and watch him get things moving!
Foster critical thinking and early engineering skills with the 1-2-3 Build It! Robot Factory. Kids can build their own twisting, turning STEM creations with the mix-and-match pieces of the 1-2-3 Build It! Robot Factory. Sized just right for little hands, this build-it-yourself toy's chunky plastic pieces are ready to help kids design, build, and tinker with their own robot squad. Use the design guide to practice following directions or bring your own creations to real life!
Kids will absolutely LOVE this activity set! They can build their own maze, and then use the coding cards to create a step-by-step path for Colby, the Programmable Robot Mouse. Program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby race to find the cheese! This set includes 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and Activity Guide to provide the perfect hands-on introduction to coding concepts. Create your path with 16 maze grids to create a 20' x 20' maze board, 22 maze walls, and 3 tunnels for endless possibilities. Colby lights-up, makes sounds, and features 2 speeds along with colorful buttons to match coding cards for easy programming and sequencing. I suggest if you have multiple children, you consider adding additional players with Jack, the Programmable Robot Mouse, sold separately.
The holidays are just around the corner so the time is ticking on getting all your holiday shopping done! It can be a little overwhelming to think of and find the latest holiday gifts and gadgets for kids. That’s why we’ve wrapped up, quite literally, some of the best holiday finds for your little loved ones! These gifts are STEM inspired and are for our little science, technology, engineering, and math lovers. New to STEM? These are also perfect for peaking interests!
Below you’ll find six of the most well (teacher) recommended and kid approved STEM toys. An age suggestion and description will help you find just the right one and the price is listed to ensure it fits within your budget!
Botley 2.0 the Coding Robot is perfect for introducing littles to future careers, supporting imaginative play and boosting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Botley helps kids as young as 5 learn to code. Kids can code Botley to move in six directions, play music, and even put on a light show! You can even test your memory with the lights and sounds of a game of Botley Says. Your little coders can build coding sequences of up to 150 steps, and go on adventures with a built-in sensor that lights up Botley in the dark!
Nothing says engaging kids better than a crashin', bashin' set of STEM challenges! The worlds of coding and construction collide in the Botley Crashin' Construction Challenge. The world of construction comes alive as little builders can turn Botley into a wrecking ball or tow truck with the moveable crane attachment, or snap on the adjustable plow arms and send Botley on bulldozer adventures! This set includes six STEM challenges to get kids started—build up block structures, then code Botley to knock them down, clean up the mess, or tow them with the hook and cable!
Bring the magic of castle making alive and the perfect twist on building critical thinking skills using the Gears! Gears! Gears! Castle Gears set. This building kit includes 38 pieces and an activity guide. It allows little engineers to create an almost endless combination of castles that actually move for their imaginative play. The gear pieces snap together easily so it’s perfect for little hands and developing fine motor skills. Let your little budding engineer’s imagination soar!
The City Engineering & Design Building Set brings STEM learning to new heights! Your little engineers can create their own skyscrapers, cranes, bridges and more with 89 easy-to-assemble pieces. Use the included activity cards to complete design challenges, or create your own city. It's a unique way to challenge logic, problem solving, and engineering skills.
Explore the world of force and motion by helping Botley set off some crashing chain reactions with Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set from Learning Resources. This interactive 41-piece accessory setcontains everything kids need to set up STEM-inspired obstacle challenges for Botley to navigate. Kids can either choose to use the instructions inside the set to create 9 obstacle challenges filled with falling dominos, rolling balls, and swinging hammers, or design their own courses using critical thinking skills. Once everything's in place, kids simply code Botley with the desired steps, press transmit on the remote programmer, and watch him get things moving!
Foster critical thinking and early engineering skills with the 1-2-3 Build It! Robot Factory. Kids can build their own twisting, turning STEM creations with the mix-and-match pieces of the 1-2-3 Build It! Robot Factory. Sized just right for little hands, this build-it-yourself toy's chunky plastic pieces are ready to help kids design, build, and tinker with their own robot squad. Use the design guide to practice following directions or bring your own creations to real life!
Kids will absolutely LOVE this activity set! They can build their own maze, and then use the coding cards to create a step-by-step path for Colby, the Programmable Robot Mouse. Program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby race to find the cheese! This set includes 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and Activity Guide to provide the perfect hands-on introduction to coding concepts. Create your path with 16 maze grids to create a 20' x 20' maze board, 22 maze walls, and 3 tunnels for endless possibilities. Colby lights-up, makes sounds, and features 2 speeds along with colorful buttons to match coding cards for easy programming and sequencing. I suggest if you have multiple children, you consider adding additional players with Jack, the Programmable Robot Mouse, sold separately.
From building fine motor skills to introducing colors, shapes and numbers, these hands-on toys help your toddler get ready for life in the great big world. With these gifts your toddlers will be taking big steps in learning by recognizing names, saying words, and following simple directions. These toys help them build even bigger skills!
Steggy the Fine Motor Dino
This prehistoric pal is ready for fine motor fun! Kids build the hand strength they need to succeed in school and beyond every time they play with Steggy the Fine Motor Dino. The friendliest fine motor toy for toddlers, this easygoing dinosaur comes with ten pinchable, pullable scales, whose indented surfaces make it easy for kids to build their pincer grasp, hand strength, and other essentials of fine motor skills development. Steggy's scales also come with a 3-in-1 learning surprise— in addition to building fine motor skills, scales also introduce kids to early color matching and number recognition skills thanks to their vibrant designs and 1–10 numbered surfaces. With Steggy the Fine Motor Dino, there are always multiple ways to learn.
Our hedgehog lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back! Spike, the Fine Motor Hedgehog, helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills by replacing the chunky, peg-shaped 'quills' within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog's back. The learning doesn't end there- Spike's colorful quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills. Kids can arrange the quills by warm or cool colors, work on sequences and patterns by alternating colors, or count up the quills with the help of numbers printed on the hedgehog's back. Once playtime is over, Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is a snap to clean up-each piece is made of plastic that can be easily wiped clean, and the quills stow snugly inside the hedgehog's body, which adds simplicity to storage too.
There's more than hay inside these barns— there's farmyard learning fun! Kids learn counting, color, matching, and sorting skills during every imaginative adventure with the farm friends found within the Peekaboo Learning Farm. Each of the set's 5 numbered two-piece barns comes in a different vibrant color, including red, orange, blue, green, and purple. Each barn also pops open to reveal 5 different animal finger puppets— meet the set's friendly cow, pig, duck, and more! Unlike many toys for toddlers, the Peekaboo Learning Farms grows along with your little one— build new fine motor skills during early games of pretend, then move on to early math and color identification! Find the animals during games of hide and seek, make your own memory game, or just let your imagination go! The Peekaboo Learning Farm's two-piece barns also help kids build coordination and other fine motor skills every time they pop them open or snap them shut.
A new twist on the classic game of stacking rings, Smart Snacks Stack 'Em Up Doughnuts teaches your child color recognition and size comparison. Great for helping build your child's fine motor skills, Smart Snacks Stack Em' Up Doughnuts from Learning Resources is a colorful and food-theme take on the classic stacking rings activity. Skills stack up with these Stack ‘em Up Doughnuts! Children place the doughnuts from biggest to smallest and fit the doughnut hole on top. They’re also perfect for inspiring hours of play in their pretend kitchen, store, or restaurant.
Counting sheep isn't just for falling asleep anymore! Discover a wooly and wonderful way to learn new number and color skills with the Snap-n-Learn Counting Sheep. These educational toys include ten friendly two-piece number sheep numbered 1–10 and ready for early math lessons in number recognition, counting, sequencing, and more. Each sheep also features a different color of the rainbow— instead of the usual white or black, these sheep have wool that's red, blue, orange, green, and more! Sized just right for little hands, the number sheep's removable snap-on, snap-off wool doubles as a fine motor skills toy and builds coordination and other essential skills. It also hides a surprise—each sheep also comes numbered with dots beneath their wool, which reinforce number recognition and add barnyard fun to matching games for 2-year-olds. Best of all, the Snap-n-Learn Counting Sheep comes with a reusable plastic storage tub that makes cleanup a snap.
From building fine motor skills to introducing colors, shapes and numbers, these hands-on toys help your toddler get ready for life in the great big world. With these gifts your toddlers will be taking big steps in learning by recognizing names, saying words, and following simple directions. These toys help them build even bigger skills!
Steggy the Fine Motor Dino
This prehistoric pal is ready for fine motor fun! Kids build the hand strength they need to succeed in school and beyond every time they play with Steggy the Fine Motor Dino. The friendliest fine motor toy for toddlers, this easygoing dinosaur comes with ten pinchable, pullable scales, whose indented surfaces make it easy for kids to build their pincer grasp, hand strength, and other essentials of fine motor skills development. Steggy's scales also come with a 3-in-1 learning surprise— in addition to building fine motor skills, scales also introduce kids to early color matching and number recognition skills thanks to their vibrant designs and 1–10 numbered surfaces. With Steggy the Fine Motor Dino, there are always multiple ways to learn.
Our hedgehog lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back! Spike, the Fine Motor Hedgehog, helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills by replacing the chunky, peg-shaped 'quills' within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog's back. The learning doesn't end there- Spike's colorful quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills. Kids can arrange the quills by warm or cool colors, work on sequences and patterns by alternating colors, or count up the quills with the help of numbers printed on the hedgehog's back. Once playtime is over, Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is a snap to clean up-each piece is made of plastic that can be easily wiped clean, and the quills stow snugly inside the hedgehog's body, which adds simplicity to storage too.
There's more than hay inside these barns— there's farmyard learning fun! Kids learn counting, color, matching, and sorting skills during every imaginative adventure with the farm friends found within the Peekaboo Learning Farm. Each of the set's 5 numbered two-piece barns comes in a different vibrant color, including red, orange, blue, green, and purple. Each barn also pops open to reveal 5 different animal finger puppets— meet the set's friendly cow, pig, duck, and more! Unlike many toys for toddlers, the Peekaboo Learning Farms grows along with your little one— build new fine motor skills during early games of pretend, then move on to early math and color identification! Find the animals during games of hide and seek, make your own memory game, or just let your imagination go! The Peekaboo Learning Farm's two-piece barns also help kids build coordination and other fine motor skills every time they pop them open or snap them shut.
A new twist on the classic game of stacking rings, Smart Snacks Stack 'Em Up Doughnuts teaches your child color recognition and size comparison. Great for helping build your child's fine motor skills, Smart Snacks Stack Em' Up Doughnuts from Learning Resources is a colorful and food-theme take on the classic stacking rings activity. Skills stack up with these Stack ‘em Up Doughnuts! Children place the doughnuts from biggest to smallest and fit the doughnut hole on top. They’re also perfect for inspiring hours of play in their pretend kitchen, store, or restaurant.
Counting sheep isn't just for falling asleep anymore! Discover a wooly and wonderful way to learn new number and color skills with the Snap-n-Learn Counting Sheep. These educational toys include ten friendly two-piece number sheep numbered 1–10 and ready for early math lessons in number recognition, counting, sequencing, and more. Each sheep also features a different color of the rainbow— instead of the usual white or black, these sheep have wool that's red, blue, orange, green, and more! Sized just right for little hands, the number sheep's removable snap-on, snap-off wool doubles as a fine motor skills toy and builds coordination and other essential skills. It also hides a surprise—each sheep also comes numbered with dots beneath their wool, which reinforce number recognition and add barnyard fun to matching games for 2-year-olds. Best of all, the Snap-n-Learn Counting Sheep comes with a reusable plastic storage tub that makes cleanup a snap.
As they learn the basics of reading, writing, and math, your kids can use these toys to build new skills for kindergarten and beyond! When you give your kids toys from Learning Resources, you're giving them skills that last long after the holidays end!
Counting Surprise Party™
Unbox new counting and color skills in every surprise present! You never know what might be inside the presents of Counting Surprise Party from Learning Resources. Little ones will find a fun surprise toy within each colorful numbered box - from a little blue robot to a high-flying plane to a friendly teddy bear, and there are ten manipulative-style gifts in all that kids can wrap and rewrap and again. In addition to building new fine motor skills with every unboxing, they'll also build new skills in color and number recognition, whether they're sorting their toys by the colors on the boxes, counting up their stack of presents, or matching the dots on the present lids with the numerals printed on the boxes' fronts.
Solve brain-teasing puzzle challenges that test your knowledge of shapes, critical thinking, fine motor skills, and more! Four colors and patterns also boost recognition skills. Includes 24 shapes and double-sided challenge cards. Designed with solo play in mind, these puzzles are a great way to build essential logic and critical thinking skills!
Crack open a colorful gem surprise! Little ones get a no-mess introduction to sorting, matching, and counting with the play geodes and gems of Rock 'n' Gem Surprise from Learning Resources. Using the included play hammer and chisel, kids can crack open each reusable play geode and discover the translucent plastic gemstones inside. Gems double as manipulatives and come in eight different colors and four different shapes - you might find a red heart, a purple triangle, a green diamond, or more fun combinations. In addition to helping kids learn early sorting, matching, and counting skills, Rock 'n' Gem Surprise also introduces kids to early STEM and geology concepts without the messy clean-up associated with real rocks and geodes.
Build new elementary math skills one MathLink Cube at a time! Whether in the classroom or homeschool, students explore addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, geometry, and more with the fun math challenges found within the MathLink Cubes Elementary Math Activity Set from Learning Resources. Our most advanced counting cube activity set yet, this elementary educational toy pairs the popular hands-on math manipulatives with a fun set of challenges that grow with students' skills.
Botley 2.0 helps kids as young as 5 learn to code through 100% screen-free play. Botley 2.0 knows multiple ways to code right out of the box— code him to move in six directions, play music, and even put on a light show! Discover Botley 2.0’s 16 fun interactions— transform him into a train, police car, ghost, and more! You can even test your memory with the lights and sounds of a game of Botley Says!
As they learn the basics of reading, writing, and math, your kids can use these toys to build new skills for kindergarten and beyond! When you give your kids toys from Learning Resources, you're giving them skills that last long after the holidays end!
Counting Surprise Party™
Unbox new counting and color skills in every surprise present! You never know what might be inside the presents of Counting Surprise Party from Learning Resources. Little ones will find a fun surprise toy within each colorful numbered box - from a little blue robot to a high-flying plane to a friendly teddy bear, and there are ten manipulative-style gifts in all that kids can wrap and rewrap and again. In addition to building new fine motor skills with every unboxing, they'll also build new skills in color and number recognition, whether they're sorting their toys by the colors on the boxes, counting up their stack of presents, or matching the dots on the present lids with the numerals printed on the boxes' fronts.
Solve brain-teasing puzzle challenges that test your knowledge of shapes, critical thinking, fine motor skills, and more! Four colors and patterns also boost recognition skills. Includes 24 shapes and double-sided challenge cards. Designed with solo play in mind, these puzzles are a great way to build essential logic and critical thinking skills!
Crack open a colorful gem surprise! Little ones get a no-mess introduction to sorting, matching, and counting with the play geodes and gems of Rock 'n' Gem Surprise from Learning Resources. Using the included play hammer and chisel, kids can crack open each reusable play geode and discover the translucent plastic gemstones inside. Gems double as manipulatives and come in eight different colors and four different shapes - you might find a red heart, a purple triangle, a green diamond, or more fun combinations. In addition to helping kids learn early sorting, matching, and counting skills, Rock 'n' Gem Surprise also introduces kids to early STEM and geology concepts without the messy clean-up associated with real rocks and geodes.
Build new elementary math skills one MathLink Cube at a time! Whether in the classroom or homeschool, students explore addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, geometry, and more with the fun math challenges found within the MathLink Cubes Elementary Math Activity Set from Learning Resources. Our most advanced counting cube activity set yet, this elementary educational toy pairs the popular hands-on math manipulatives with a fun set of challenges that grow with students' skills.
Botley 2.0 helps kids as young as 5 learn to code through 100% screen-free play. Botley 2.0 knows multiple ways to code right out of the box— code him to move in six directions, play music, and even put on a light show! Discover Botley 2.0’s 16 fun interactions— transform him into a train, police car, ghost, and more! You can even test your memory with the lights and sounds of a game of Botley Says!
It's never too early to introduce science, technology, engineering and math into your child's life, and we make it fun! The benefits of STEM on early childhood development is a true gift to give this season. Check out these awesome Learning Resources STEM Stocking Stuffers for your little learners!
Build three different vehicles from just one set of mix-and-match parts with the 1-2-3 Build It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter . Chunky, easy-to-handle parts let kids build and rebuild on their own before embarking on imaginative journeys to far-off destinations—blast off to distant stars aboard a rocket, fly through the air above a make-believe city with a helicopter, or chug down the tracks toward the station with a train.
Get ready for endless fun with our famous Mathlink Cubes! High-quality plastic cubes measure ¾” each and come in 10 bright colors. These stackable cubes are easy for little hands to connect and twist apart. Great for counting to 100 by ones and tens, grouping, and one-to-one correspondence. These cubes are also great for building, sequencing, and patterns!
Drivers, start your learning engines! Shape, color, and number recognition skills zoom around the track, past the checkered flag, and into your toy box with the Speedy Shapes Racers from Learning Resources. Shaped like old-fashioned racing roadsters, these five colorful race-cars combine skill-building lessons about shapes, colors, and numbers with fun imaginative play opportunities.
Build number and fine-motor skills with these irresistible ice cream pops! Perfect for practicing with numbers 1–10. Great for color matching too! Each pop features a number of colored dots and a removable cover that has a corresponding number. Children are able to practice counting, number recognition and color matching. This hands-on toy also works to strengthen fine-motor skills and hand eye coordination.
Which creature will you discover? Turn your kids’ love of collectible toys into a real-world science adventure with the Beaker Creatures Reactor Pod from Learning Resources. Within each mysterious Reactor Pod lurks one of 35 Beaker Creatures. They are tiny alien travelers from five planets who’ve come to Earth in search of learning fun. To discover which creature you’ve got, drop the pod into a container of water, watch the bubbling reaction, and extract the creature within! Get your pods at Amazon!!Single Pod - https://amzn.to/2URmjK0 2-Pack - https://amzn.to/2ECGkPw 6-Pack - https://amzn.to/2Lm4MoT
It's never too early to introduce science, technology, engineering and math into your child's life, and we make it fun! The benefits of STEM on early childhood development is a true gift to give this season. Check out these awesome Learning Resources STEM Stocking Stuffers for your little learners!
Build three different vehicles from just one set of mix-and-match parts with the 1-2-3 Build It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter . Chunky, easy-to-handle parts let kids build and rebuild on their own before embarking on imaginative journeys to far-off destinations—blast off to distant stars aboard a rocket, fly through the air above a make-believe city with a helicopter, or chug down the tracks toward the station with a train.
Get ready for endless fun with our famous Mathlink Cubes! High-quality plastic cubes measure ¾” each and come in 10 bright colors. These stackable cubes are easy for little hands to connect and twist apart. Great for counting to 100 by ones and tens, grouping, and one-to-one correspondence. These cubes are also great for building, sequencing, and patterns!
Drivers, start your learning engines! Shape, color, and number recognition skills zoom around the track, past the checkered flag, and into your toy box with the Speedy Shapes Racers from Learning Resources. Shaped like old-fashioned racing roadsters, these five colorful race-cars combine skill-building lessons about shapes, colors, and numbers with fun imaginative play opportunities.
Build number and fine-motor skills with these irresistible ice cream pops! Perfect for practicing with numbers 1–10. Great for color matching too! Each pop features a number of colored dots and a removable cover that has a corresponding number. Children are able to practice counting, number recognition and color matching. This hands-on toy also works to strengthen fine-motor skills and hand eye coordination.
Which creature will you discover? Turn your kids’ love of collectible toys into a real-world science adventure with the Beaker Creatures Reactor Pod from Learning Resources. Within each mysterious Reactor Pod lurks one of 35 Beaker Creatures. They are tiny alien travelers from five planets who’ve come to Earth in search of learning fun. To discover which creature you’ve got, drop the pod into a container of water, watch the bubbling reaction, and extract the creature within! Get your pods at Amazon!!Single Pod - https://amzn.to/2URmjK0 2-Pack - https://amzn.to/2ECGkPw 6-Pack - https://amzn.to/2Lm4MoT
Your holiday guests will be delighted as they arrive to your doorstep on a cold night greeted by these frosty, glowing lanterns. Oh what fun it will be when they learn your little scientists created the evening’s entryway décor!
It goes without saying that these lanterns work best in freezing temperatures. Should you choose to use them to light your holiday table, make sure to place them in a bowl for when they begin to melt!
This experiment involves the change of matter from a liquid to a solid (and eventually back to a liquid).
You will need:
• Plastic red cups
• Smaller plastic cups that can fit inside
• Decorations - glitter pipe cleaners, craft pom poms, glitter, pine sprigs, etc.
• Water
• Tape
• Food coloring
• Candles (battery-operated is probably best)
Grab one of your red cups, and twist pipe cleaners up the length of the cup. This part requires some engineering inspiration and small hands. How do you get them to stay up? If you choose, add some craft pom poms. Working on the pom poms to stay suspended in the pipe cleaners also creates a unique challenge. Think!
Next, pull out a long piece of tape and attach it to one side of the cup near the lip. The tape will be the important piece that will hold down the second cup, so it doesn’t float. Basically, have the tape ready before you pour in the water.
Fill the cup about half full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring if you would like at this time.
Place the smaller cup into the bigger, red cup. Pour your water in between the two cups, so it fills until about a half inch below the rim. You’ll want to push down on the smaller cup the entire time because the goal is to have the two rims even with each other.
Secure your second cup in place with the tape.
Place in the freezer overnight.
When you are ready to place your lanterns out for all to enjoy, remove them from the fridge and give yourself about 5 minutes. This is the perfect time to discuss the scientific changes you observe.
• The water is now frozen.
• The frozen water has pushed the small cup up.
• The frozen water has perhaps even changed the shape of the outer cup.
Remove the inner cup with a little tug and turn the red cup upside down to shake out the ice lantern. Time is not on your side handling the frozen lanterns, as they will melt quickly.
Showcase them with a battery-operated candle any place around the house where you’d like to wow your guests!
Your holiday guests will be delighted as they arrive to your doorstep on a cold night greeted by these frosty, glowing lanterns. Oh what fun it will be when they learn your little scientists created the evening’s entryway décor!
It goes without saying that these lanterns work best in freezing temperatures. Should you choose to use them to light your holiday table, make sure to place them in a bowl for when they begin to melt!
This experiment involves the change of matter from a liquid to a solid (and eventually back to a liquid).
You will need:
• Plastic red cups
• Smaller plastic cups that can fit inside
• Decorations - glitter pipe cleaners, craft pom poms, glitter, pine sprigs, etc.
• Water
• Tape
• Food coloring
• Candles (battery-operated is probably best)
Grab one of your red cups, and twist pipe cleaners up the length of the cup. This part requires some engineering inspiration and small hands. How do you get them to stay up? If you choose, add some craft pom poms. Working on the pom poms to stay suspended in the pipe cleaners also creates a unique challenge. Think!
Next, pull out a long piece of tape and attach it to one side of the cup near the lip. The tape will be the important piece that will hold down the second cup, so it doesn’t float. Basically, have the tape ready before you pour in the water.
Fill the cup about half full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring if you would like at this time.
Place the smaller cup into the bigger, red cup. Pour your water in between the two cups, so it fills until about a half inch below the rim. You’ll want to push down on the smaller cup the entire time because the goal is to have the two rims even with each other.
Secure your second cup in place with the tape.
Place in the freezer overnight.
When you are ready to place your lanterns out for all to enjoy, remove them from the fridge and give yourself about 5 minutes. This is the perfect time to discuss the scientific changes you observe.
• The water is now frozen.
• The frozen water has pushed the small cup up.
• The frozen water has perhaps even changed the shape of the outer cup.
Remove the inner cup with a little tug and turn the red cup upside down to shake out the ice lantern. Time is not on your side handling the frozen lanterns, as they will melt quickly.
Showcase them with a battery-operated candle any place around the house where you’d like to wow your guests!
Who doesn’t love a good snow globe? Each one is a spellbinding combination of swirling, swishing liquid, and falling glitter that is perfect for sensory play. As mesmerizing as they are, did you know that snow globes are actually an experiment regarding the scientific principle of viscosity?
Let’s apply the standard of viscosity by creating a Snowman Snow Globe. We’ll put it together and then explain why it works.
You will need the following:
A water bottle (a clear glass water bottle was used here)
Clear glue
Tap water
Glitter
Black tape for the snowman’s top hat
Markers, paper, and pipe cleaners to make the snowman face
Craft items for the “floaters” inside the globe, like snowflakes, stars, buttons, or jingle bells
First, let’s get our snow globe looking like a snowman. Using a sharpie marker, draw on the eyes and buttons.
Second, you can draw on the carrot nose, but we used leftover orange sticky craft paper here.
Next, select a pipe cleaner to tie around under his carrot nose for a little scarf.
The man needs a top hat, right? Wrap the cap in black tape for his hat.
Now that he’s dressed and ready to go, squirt the clear glue into the bottle. We added more glue to one of our bottles. Will more thick glue make the glitter move slower or faster?
Next, sprinkle in your glitter and drop in the items that will float.
Now it’s time to watch the snow fly!
So what does viscosity mean for the snow globe?
The viscosity of a fluid is its relative “thickness.” Think of glue or maple syrup. Both are thick and slow. Viscosity is measured by its resistance to a stress factor. In the case of our snow globe, the stress is the water and shaking motion. Compared to the water, it is much thicker, slowing the fall of our glitter, snowflakes, and jingle bells.
The snow globe we made with less glue moved the objects much faster through itself. Less viscosity = easier movement of objects.
Who doesn’t love a good snow globe? Each one is a spellbinding combination of swirling, swishing liquid, and falling glitter that is perfect for sensory play. As mesmerizing as they are, did you know that snow globes are actually an experiment regarding the scientific principle of viscosity?
Let’s apply the standard of viscosity by creating a Snowman Snow Globe. We’ll put it together and then explain why it works.
You will need the following:
A water bottle (a clear glass water bottle was used here)
Clear glue
Tap water
Glitter
Black tape for the snowman’s top hat
Markers, paper, and pipe cleaners to make the snowman face
Craft items for the “floaters” inside the globe, like snowflakes, stars, buttons, or jingle bells
First, let’s get our snow globe looking like a snowman. Using a sharpie marker, draw on the eyes and buttons.
Second, you can draw on the carrot nose, but we used leftover orange sticky craft paper here.
Next, select a pipe cleaner to tie around under his carrot nose for a little scarf.
The man needs a top hat, right? Wrap the cap in black tape for his hat.
Now that he’s dressed and ready to go, squirt the clear glue into the bottle. We added more glue to one of our bottles. Will more thick glue make the glitter move slower or faster?
Next, sprinkle in your glitter and drop in the items that will float.
Now it’s time to watch the snow fly!
So what does viscosity mean for the snow globe?
The viscosity of a fluid is its relative “thickness.” Think of glue or maple syrup. Both are thick and slow. Viscosity is measured by its resistance to a stress factor. In the case of our snow globe, the stress is the water and shaking motion. Compared to the water, it is much thicker, slowing the fall of our glitter, snowflakes, and jingle bells.
The snow globe we made with less glue moved the objects much faster through itself. Less viscosity = easier movement of objects.
Snow has to be one of the best and most exciting sensory bases for play. Have you ever thought to scoop some up and bring it inside for a fun hands-on setup? It makes prep a breeze and is sure to engage your little ones. For this activity, we decided to use some snow from the yard to make pretend snow cones. It led to so much sensory exploration and engaging conversation.
Grab a big bowl of snow from outside and set it up somewhere a little more warm and cozy. To prepare the colored water simply fill each test tube nearly all the way to the top and add two drops of each color food coloring. My 3 year old chose red, pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow. I asked her to help mix the color in, which she really enjoyed doing. We put the test tubes out along with the snow, droppers, fine motor toys, and bowls and cups. It is also a good idea to have a small towel on hand as it can get a little wet and messy.
How the Activity Works
My daughter has always loved sensory set-ups, and this one didn’t disappoint. She got straight to work scooping up the snow and transferring it to one of the bowls ready to make her first snow cone. She thought it was so fun that the Handy Scoopers and Squeezy Tweezers made perfect little snowballs!
As she added the scoops of snow she used the tools to mash up the snow a little and was constantly talking about what flavors she was going to add. She opted for lots of red for her first one and told me that it was going to be a very strawberry flavor! She used the Jumbo Eyedroppers to squirt the colored water onto the snow. I always love watching as the color spreads across the snow. She kept adding squirts of color until she was happy with her first yummy snow cone.
She enjoyed making many more, using the different sized cups and bowls. We added in some numeracy by counting how many scoops of snow and how many squirts of colored water were needed for each snow cone she made. We even speculated how much each one would cost to buy…her suggestion of $37 seemed a little steep!
After a while, she started to experiment with mixing the colors to make new ‘flavors’. The colors spread through the snow to make new colors which she thought was so cool to watch. She spent lots of time debating what these new flavors would be called!
Throughout this entire activity, she was working her fine motor skills hard, as well as building her sensory confidence. The snow offered such a unique sensory base and there was the added bonus that as time went on the snow started to melt which completely changed the consistency of her creations. By the end of the activity, she was enjoying a slushy rainbow mess… so much sensory fun! Do you ever bring snow inside for play? What are your favorite activities to use it for?
Snow has to be one of the best and most exciting sensory bases for play. Have you ever thought to scoop some up and bring it inside for a fun hands-on setup? It makes prep a breeze and is sure to engage your little ones. For this activity, we decided to use some snow from the yard to make pretend snow cones. It led to so much sensory exploration and engaging conversation.
Grab a big bowl of snow from outside and set it up somewhere a little more warm and cozy. To prepare the colored water simply fill each test tube nearly all the way to the top and add two drops of each color food coloring. My 3 year old chose red, pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow. I asked her to help mix the color in, which she really enjoyed doing. We put the test tubes out along with the snow, droppers, fine motor toys, and bowls and cups. It is also a good idea to have a small towel on hand as it can get a little wet and messy.
How the Activity Works
My daughter has always loved sensory set-ups, and this one didn’t disappoint. She got straight to work scooping up the snow and transferring it to one of the bowls ready to make her first snow cone. She thought it was so fun that the Handy Scoopers and Squeezy Tweezers made perfect little snowballs!
As she added the scoops of snow she used the tools to mash up the snow a little and was constantly talking about what flavors she was going to add. She opted for lots of red for her first one and told me that it was going to be a very strawberry flavor! She used the Jumbo Eyedroppers to squirt the colored water onto the snow. I always love watching as the color spreads across the snow. She kept adding squirts of color until she was happy with her first yummy snow cone.
She enjoyed making many more, using the different sized cups and bowls. We added in some numeracy by counting how many scoops of snow and how many squirts of colored water were needed for each snow cone she made. We even speculated how much each one would cost to buy…her suggestion of $37 seemed a little steep!
After a while, she started to experiment with mixing the colors to make new ‘flavors’. The colors spread through the snow to make new colors which she thought was so cool to watch. She spent lots of time debating what these new flavors would be called!
Throughout this entire activity, she was working her fine motor skills hard, as well as building her sensory confidence. The snow offered such a unique sensory base and there was the added bonus that as time went on the snow started to melt which completely changed the consistency of her creations. By the end of the activity, she was enjoying a slushy rainbow mess… so much sensory fun! Do you ever bring snow inside for play? What are your favorite activities to use it for?
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