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Santa’s Reindeer Snack

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This time of year, everyone wants to make fun memories and enjoy special moments but there’s so much to do. That’s why I like this Santa’s Reindeer Snack. It’s a fun but not completely sugar-laden snack for little ones. Plus it’s super quick to make at the last minute with ingredients you probably already have on hand. This idea is from the Experience Early Learning Preschool Curriculum.

Santa's Reindeer Snack - Experience Early Learning Preschool Curriculum

A Snack from Santa’s Workshop

Santa’s Workshop is a printable Celebration Kit from Experience Preschool Curriculum. It’s a booklet full of ideas to celebrate Christmas.

As you can see there are some fun ideas in here to supplement your holiday activities. I enjoyed making the Santa’s Reindeer Snack for the kids one day for morning snack. You can certainly have the kids make their own.

Maybe I should have thought to have the kids assemble their own, but I was thinking of surprising them with this cute snack instead.

Santa's Reindeer Snack

They were very pleased! It does look like a reindeer! We used a red M & M for the nose to make it Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.

I tried a couple different versions, using a half of a cracker or a whole crackers. Both turned out cute!

Santa's Reindeer Snack

Have you read about the real story behind Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer? It’s interesting!

Enjoy a tasty reindeer snack with a glass of milk and an applesauce pouch or strawberries. Read a Christmas story or try a fun Invitation to Create snowflake project from Experience Curriculum!

How To Make Santa’s Reindeer Snack

Santa's Reindeer Snack
Yield: 1

Santa's Reindeer Snack

Adorable Christmas snack kids can make themselves!

Ingredients

  • Graham Crackers
  • Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Mini Pretzels
  • Raisins
  • Red M & Ms

Instructions

  1. Spread peanut butter on graham cracker.
  2. Add raisins for eyes.
  3. Put M & M on for the nose.
  4. Place two mini pretzels for the antlers.
© Stacy
Category: snacks

More Christmas Treats

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I received curriculum from Experience Early Learning for honest and authentic stories resulting from my daily experiences using the curriculum. As a user of Experience Preschool for many years, I am pleased to share quality educational experiences. #sponsored #ExperienceEarlyLearning

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

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As we finish up our Explore the Rainforest theme with Experience Preschool, we created mini rainforest terrariums for the children to observe and care for.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

Mini Rainforest Terrariums Supplies

Make Your Mini Terrarium

This is a very simple terrarium for young children to make. My practicum student presented this as her activity for her class so it was very hands off for me personally. She did a great job working one on one with each child to make their project. It went quite fast and wasn’t as messy as you might expect!

We put a small amount of rocks in a cup for the child to transfer to the 4″ pot. Then they added moss and potting soil.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

After adding a small plant, the child sprayed the plant with a little water to give it a small drink.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

The youngest two (15 months & 21 months) were also able to participate and were thrilled to use the spray bottle.

spraying a plant

They needed a little help but that’s okay!

spraying plant

Next we added a plastic pot on top to make a little terrarium.

making Mini Rainforest Terrariums

The children helped tape the pot together or held the top so it could be taped.

making Mini Rainforest Terrariums

They were so proud to take their mini rainforest terrariums to the the science shelf to sit in the light.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

We could see moisture in the terrarium, creating a warm wet environment for the plant.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums
Mini Rainforest Terrariums

I wouldn’t have minded keeping them here for a few days but everyone was anxious to take them home.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

Hopefully the parents will help keep the little plants alive with a little bit of water as needed.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

Read this article about making terrariums with children on NASA Climate Kids.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

I love teaching children about plants and gardening! The rainforest terrariums were a wonderful way to wrap up our Explore the Rainforest theme.

Mini Rainforest Terrariums

More Rainforest Activities

Cracking Nuts in Preschool

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We’ve been learning about the weather and seasons and watching the squirrels in our yard. It’s that time of year when the grocery store puts out nuts in the shells. Cracking nuts in preschool is fun because it’s generally a new experience for everyone, uses tools, is real work, and it’s rewarding. Actually, it’s one of the most fun activities we’ve done in a long time.

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

WARNING
Before introducing this activity to your group, be sure no one has a nut allergy. Do not do this activity if you are unsure. You may want to get a permission form signed.

Cracking Nuts in Preschool

You might find a bulk bin of nuts at your grocery store during November and December. Our assortment includes walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and pecans. If you can’t find any nuts in the shell locally, they are for sale on Amazon.

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

I set up this activity outside since it was still nice out, and it’s a bit messy.

Tools for Cracking Nuts

The fun part of cracking nuts was using a variety of tools. This is what I found for tools kids can use to crack nuts:

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool
Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

Using pretend versus real tools in preschool – an article by Teach Preschool explores the pros and cons of allowing children to use real tools.
My recommendations are to use real tools in small groups and with active direct supervision. The day we cracked nuts, our practicum student was present, providing two sets of adult hands to help four children ages 3-5.
It is a good idea to provide children eye protection, just in case.

We used some of the following tools to crack nuts out of their shells. They all require supervision.

Our favorite tool was the Table Top Nut Cracker with Wood Handle and the Wooden Mushroom Nut Cracker. We took turns sharing the tools so everyone had a try.

We found out that some nuts truly are “tough nuts to crack”. The most fun wer the big walnuts!

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

My group working on cracking nuts were ages 3-5 years old. They needed little direction, just got busy! This was a task they were highly engaged in and took seriously.

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

I provided small jars for them to put the nuts in after they removed them from the shells. Only a couple children were interested in actually eating the nuts.

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

Sometimes the kids needed help because they weren’t strong enough but mostly they were able to crack the nuts unassisted which made them feel so proud of themselves. Building self confidence is invaluable!

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

Considerations for Cracking Nuts with Young Children

Please use your judgement when considering this activity for your group. We will definitely do it again! It was super engaging for my crew, but it just depends on the ages of children you have and their level of ability.

Using tools to crack nuts in preschool

Another method for safely cracking nuts in preschool would be to crack the nuts yourself as they watch and they can use the picks to get the meat out of the shell.

The process of sorting shells and nuts is fun too! Children love jars for collecting like items.

jar of nuts

They loved using the nut picks. No one was injured in this activity. Sometimes we have to trust children to use materials and let them learn.

using a pick to remove meat from nut shell

Using tools and machines help chidlren understand how things work and that they are capable.

I’m glad my practicum student was here to assist because it’s hard to do it all at once the way children like to do things! So if you can have help that would be ideal or work with each child one on one.

Cracking nuts is a wonderful fall and winter activity for little hands!

After we were done with the nuts, we put them in the garden for the squirrels who thoroughly enjoyed them!

See all of my free printables here >> Free Printables from Share & Remember

Growing Mold Science

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We love science and learning about our world with Experience Early Learning! If you’re looking for an easy science experiment to try with young children, growing mold science is a good one. It can be left up for a couple of weeks to observe. You could also add a drawing or writing component for older children to show and describe how the bread changes and what the mold looks like. For my mixed aged group, observing and talking about the mold was a good beginning.

Growing Mold Science for Preschoolers | Explore the Rainforest | Experience Early Learning Preschool Curriculum

Supplies for Growing Mold Science

You will need just a few supplies for this simple science experiment:

supplies and tips for growing mold science

Growing Mold STEAM Station for Preschoolers

STEAM Stations incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. It’s hands on learning that relate to our themes each month. It’s a way for children to investigate, problem-solve, and create.

We used the Big Question and Inspiration Photos from Experience Preschool Curriculum to understand what mold is. I asked everyone if they would want to eat bread that looked like this?

More STEAM Stations

Tips for Growing Mold Experiment

So what does mold need to grow? First, it needs something to grow on, which is our bread.

Be sure to use a bakery-style bread that doesn’t have too many preservatives. The bread pictured is a loaf of Italian bread from Walmart.

smelling the bread

Mold needs germs to grow. While the children were touching the bread, I explained that bacteria and germs are all around us and we have it on our hands from playing. Sometimes we can see it in the form of dirt but sometimes we can not. How to Teach Young Children About Covid & Germs.

touching bread to transfer bacteria

After playing outside, I had the kids touch their piece of bread (not squeeze or smoosh). I explained they had dirt and germs on their hands from playing in the sand kitchen. The germs are so small but they will get on the bread and grow. They were very intrigued and listened so well, touching their bread very gently.

spraying water on bread

We know that plants need water to grow and the children got a clue since I had a water spray bottle out. They were anxious to spray!

child using spray bottle to spray bread

Next we put the bread into baggies to keep the bread wet and give mold a place to grow.

How mold grows on bread

I explained that mold, like plants, need light and heat to grow. So that’s why we taped the baggies to the window above our science shelf.

What does mold need to grow activity

Everyone enjoyed checking out the mold each day to see how it changed the bread. We learned that mold can be different colors and look furry.

preschool science cneter

We started our experiment on Friday and by the following Monday, there was mold starting on the bread.

Growing Mold Science experiment - bread in a baggie in the window

What an awesome way to Explore the Rainforest and learn what grows on the Rainforest floor!

More Rainforest Activities

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I received curriculum from Experience Early Learning for honest and authentic stories resulting from my daily experiences using the curriculum. As a user of Experience Preschool for many years, I am pleased to share quality educational experiences. #sponsored #ExperienceEarlyLearning

Turkey Handprint Potholder

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We’re feeling in the Thanksgiving spirit now that we’ve made some Thanksgiving handprint turkeys! It’s one of my favorite traditions with young children. Each year parents can pull out this turkey handprint potholder and remember that 2020 wasn’t all bad.

Turkey Handprint Potholder

Since we make turkey handprints every Thanksgiving, I like to switch it up and make something unique each time. Here are some we’ve made in the past:

Turkey Handprint Potholder

Tips For Making Turkey Handprints

  1. This can be tricky with younger ones because they want to close their hand. I demonstrate how to hold their hand open with fingers spread.  You might need to remind.
  2. Keep paper towels nearby in case you need to start over. Even with older children, I help them because you really don’t want to have to remake your canvas…  
  3. As I paint their hands, I say, “here is the turkey’s body, this is the turkey’s head…let’s paint this feather blue, this feather yellow…”
  4. Guide the child’s hand to make the print and lift it off quickly so they don’t smear it.
  5. Keep paper towel or hand wipes near by to wipe the excess paint off the hand or for a quick clean up if paint gets spilled.

Types of Paint to Use

I used acrylic paints because that’s what I had on hand. Fabric paints would also be a good choice and would create more vibrant colors.

Turkey Handprint Potholder

The potholders we used are from the Dollar Tree. They are silicone (or similar) on the back, very nice for $1.00!

Turkey Handprint Potholder

After the hand prints dried, I added the legs, beak, waddle, and eye with a Sharpie marker. It was faster than using paint, but not as colorful as paint would have been.

Turkey Handprint Potholder

I used my Cricut Maker to cut iron on wording and my Easy Press Mini for the first time. Love it! It was perfect for these little projects. Then I tied on an orange burlap ribbon just for fun. The parents loved them! Happy Thanksgiving!

42 Fun and Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids That’ll Show Them What Gratitude Is All About

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