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Views From a Step Stool

Open Minds & Messy Hands

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Marbled Milk Prints: Art+Science

June 27, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

  We have done the magic milk experiment a number of times and it never gets old! Watch the video below to see how we turned our experiment into art! To see the full tutorial on how to do the experiment, click here.   We chose to color on our

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Preschool Arts& Crafts, Preschool Science, science, Toddler Arts & Crafts, Toddler Science, Uncategorized Tagged With: Preschool Homeschool

Simple Sight Word Game with Locks and Keys

Simple Sight Word Game with Locks and Keys

June 15, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 3 Comments

While I firmly believe kids should really be focusing on play and fun at a young age, my son has definitely taken an interest in letter sounds and spelling, and I am trying to encourage it in a fun way. This idea came from a lock and key busy bag that I

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Filed Under: Elementary, Learn Through Play, Preschool, Preschoolers, Uncategorized Tagged With: Busy Bags, Games, Homeschool, keys, literacy, locks, preschool, reading, sight words

Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards with Fine Motor Practice

Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards with Fine Motor Practice

January 1, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 1 Comment

I love it when such a simple project turns out so beautiful and really involves the kids’ creativity! I’m a sucker for homemade gifts of any type. I found these heart cards at the craft store (you could just as easily use card stock) and thought they would be perfect

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: cards, diy, fine motor, hearts, Homemade, valentines day

Toilet Paper Roll Turkey: Thanksgiving Craft for Kids

Toilet Paper Roll Turkey: Thanksgiving Craft for Kids

November 5, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Go raid your collection of toilet paper tubes and get to work on this adorable toilet paper roll turkey. Recycled crafts are always a hit, and I love re-using items before they head to the recycling bin. Add some craft feathers and a cute face, and your have an adorable

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Holidays, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: kids crafts, thanksgiving, toilet paper roll, turkey, upcycling

DIY Play Makeup

August 27, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin     Pretend play is very important in this house! My children are also not the type to go off and play by themselves…with anything…so they are constantly at my feet no matter what I am doing! I love it and it means that they

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Preschool Arts& Crafts, Toddler Arts & Crafts, Uncategorized

Learning with Sidewalk Chalk and Paint

Learning with Sidewalk Chalk and Paint

August 15, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

  Learning letter and sight words is something that often occurs through play. When introducing these topics, have kids use their entire bodies and gross motor skills to explore the letters, this helps really wire those connections in the brain. Check out how we are learning with sidewalk chalk!   Learning

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Learn Through Play, Outdoors, Preschool Arts& Crafts, Preschoolers, Spring, Summer, Toddler Arts & Crafts, Toddlers, Uncategorized Tagged With: chalk, Homeschool, learn, moms, outdoors, play, preschool, sight words

Gel Sensory Bags and Sunlight for Young Kids

Gel Sensory Bags and Sunlight for Young Kids

August 7, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Gel sensory bags are one of my favorite and super easy go-to sensory play ideas. They are extremely useful for babies as well as older children! Gel sensory bags are one of my favorite and super easy go-to sensory play ideas. I love that they are extremely useful for babies as

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Filed Under: Babies, Learn Through Play, Mess-Free Sensory Play, Preschoolers, Sensory, Toddlers, Uncategorized

Vote for Me at Top Mommy Blogs!

Vote for Me at Top Mommy Blogs!

August 2, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

I am so happy to have joined the Top Mommy Blogs directory! I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet and engage with my fellow mommy bloggers. To help me move up in the ranking so that my blog can gain more exposure, please vote for me! All you have to

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Letter A: Art & Artists

July 23, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin   Today activity inspiration was letter A! I decided to use this opportunity to introduce Mack to some different artists and some famous artwork. His attention span was kind of short for this so we looked at a couple of books from the library and

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Preschool Arts& Crafts, Uncategorized Tagged With: Preschool Homeschool

M is for Magic Milk

July 22, 2014 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin   Today’s letter M project was magic milk! This is one of our favorite science experiments to do at home. It’s super easy to set up and so much fun for the kids! As you might know, we are focusing on the letters in Mack’s

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Filed Under: Preschool Science, science, Toddler Science, Uncategorized Tagged With: Preschool Homeschool

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Welcome to Views From a Step Stool!

Welcome to Views From a Step Stool!

I am a mom to three little ones and love to create and explore every day with them! We have open minds and messy hands, come join in our adventures!

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What’s New

  • 12 Snowman Crafts for Kids
  • 10 Elf on the Shelf Printables to Download
  • 12 Elf on the Shelf Ideas
  • Candy Corn Sensory Bin
  • Emotions Sensory Bag
  • 10 Thanksgiving Handprint Crafts

What’s New:

  • 12 Snowman Crafts for Kids
  • 10 Elf on the Shelf Printables to Download
  • 12 Elf on the Shelf Ideas
  • Candy Corn Sensory Bin
  • Emotions Sensory Bag
  • 10 Thanksgiving Handprint Crafts
  • Build a Jack-o-Lantern Sensory Craft
  • Breakfast Smoothies for Kids with BlendJet Portable Blender
  • 12 Outdoor Painting Ideas for Kids
  • Educational Sensory Bin Ideas
  • 12 Animal Sensory Bin Ideas for Kids
  • 10 Insect Themed Sensory Bins
  • 12 Bee Crafts for Kids
  • 15 Easter Chick Crafts for Kids
  • 15+ Earth Day Crafts for Kids
  • St. Patrick’s Day Emotion Cut and Paste Printable Activity
  • Valentine’s Day Charades Words
  • Printable Color by Number Valentine’s Day Cards for Kids
  • Valentine’s Day Kindness Countdown Calendar: Free Printable
  • Valentine’s Day Pixel Art Color by Number: Free Printables

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