Welcome to week 6 of Stories and Crafts for preschoolers. This week our stories are about transportation and in How Will We Get to the Beach, we’re determined to get there one way or another!
Make a Discovery Bottle
In the story, getting everyone and everything to the beach is a challenge but our characters keep trying, stay calm and eventually reach their destination. You can make a beach themed discovery bottle that is fun to play with and just the thing when the going gets get rough.
Supplies
- 1 8-16 oz clear plastic bottle – look for one with a flat bottom, clear smooth plastic and a big opening for objects
- beach themed objects like craft beads, small stones and shells, small plastic sea creatures and water beads
- small funnel to add water and oil
- water
- glitter glue (optional)
- baby oil
- blue food coloring
- glue to secure the lid
Directions
Add the small objects to the empty bottle before adding water to avoid spills and over flows. Allow your child to choose and drop objects in. Add water to fill the bottle 2/3 full. Add enough blue food coloring to tint the water blue but not so much that the water becomes too dark. If desired, add glitter glue for a mesmerizing, calming effect. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with baby oil. Run a bead of glue around the inside edge of the lid to keep everything contained. After the glue dries, tip the bottle from side to side to watch the objects inside ride the waves. Enjoy!
More Fun
One of the ways the story characters try to get to the beach is on a bicycle. In this video, Murray from Sesame Street goes to bike riding school and learns to ride his bicycle. It took time and practice but he did it!
When things just don’t go as planned, a song like The Big Sea Star is nice because it gives children some self-soothing strategies for their emotional toolkit. Dana and Lindsey from Jbrary tell more about it after the song so be sure to listen until the end. If you’d more ideas about helping kids stay calm, this is the article Dana and Lindsey refer in their video.
Bicycle coloring page
Curious George is a good little monkey and always very curious but did you know he can ride a bicycle? Click here for a coloring page to prove it.
Books
If you and your children liked How Will We Get to the Beach find more books about transportation here.
Marlana Hodgkinson
Marlana is a youth services specialist who has worked in the Kids Library for the last 15 years. She enjoys creating and learning with kids of all ages. Her favorite books all have strong heroines, dragons, and magic. When not at the library, you can often find her riding her trusty bicycle, hiking with her dog Lily, playing board games with her family, or reading another great book.