It is important to make children aware of the importance of environmental issues and a very good way to achieve this is through concrete activities that they can participate in. An art activity can be an opportunity for a relaxed discussion and learning will often be more effective in this way because the children are …

Decorating Easter eggs can be a challenge for young children because they have not yet fully developed their fine motor skills. Painting on a slippery curvy surface requires a bit of practice and one does not always have the time to help young children paint Easter eggs. One solution is to make giant eggs with paper …

In certain countries, it is a tradition for Easter to decorate a shrub or a tree with painted eggs. But why use real eggs when you can make them yourself using egg cartons?  Paper eggs are a lot lighter and easier to manipulate by children’s hands. They are easier to paint and quite resistant to …

Winter is coming to an end, the weather warms up and soon, the birds will build nests to lay their eggs and brood. Did you know that the nest is not always built by the female bird? With some species, the male takes care of that and with others, it’s a shared responsibility.  A bit …

In some countries, legend has it that Easter eggs are brought by bunnies.  But did you ever ask yourself the question: who lays those famous Easter eggs?  It’s time to give credit to the hen for her work! The little Animaplates hen is a nice project to do with your children in anticipation of Easter.  On Easter Sunday, …

Yesterday, I gave a workshop for a group of 5-year-olds. They made and decorated their own maraca. They were going to use it in a musical activity. This was a perfect example of integrating visual arts with other topics, in this case music. For the children, however, it was first and foremost a creative activity …

Winter is unusually mild and it already feels like spring. Apparently the Canada Geese think that as well. I have heard several flocks fly over, towards the North. When you talk about bird migrations with your students, making a Canada Goose with paper plates can be a very exciting project, especially for grades 4 to …

Did you know that you can make a cauldron for Saint Patrick’s Day using a 2-litre soda bottle?  It’s not difficult if you watch the video that I just made. This video shows step by step how I made the cauldron that you see on the picture. You can do it too! There is also …

I gave a workshop for a group of 33 kids from 5 to 11 years old. Each child created his or her own sorcerer’s hat and painted it using their imagination. As you can see, there was a lot of creativity! If you want to make a sorcerer’s hat too, visit the Halloween crafts section …

I am delighted to be able to announce that we added a new section to the Animaplates web site. In it, you will find our first puppet play script: “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. (Since this article was written, other puppet play scripts have been added. There are also links to the instructions for making …