Hot Coco Activities

Here are some of the other hot coco related activities we did this week that I don’t have photos for.
We made marshmallow sculptures using different sized marshmallows and toothpicks.
The kids made snowmen, sharks, flowers, houses, towers etc. The kids took them all home before I could get pictures.

We did pretend marshmallow counting. Cups were labeled with numbers one through ten. The children had to put the right number of cotton balls into each cup. Since we have kids of different ages, this is simply set out as a center and those who are able to complete this activity do it and those who have no interest or aren’t ready don’t.

We did the sensory coco powder and flour mixture. The children used spoons and measuring cups for pouring.

Some of the kids decorated their own hot chocolate mugs. We had a few different coloring pages for them to choose from.
They colored with markers or crayons and then glued cotton balls for marshmallows.

We did a hot coco taste test with hot chocolate, marshmallows or whipped cream and then made a chart showing how many liked marshmallows and how many liked whipped cream. Only one child liked whipped cream while everyone else liked marshmallows.

To end our week, we had frozen coco popsicles. Some had marshmallows frozen inside and others were plain. The problem was that we forgot to put the popsicle sticks in them so they were ice cubes instead, but the kids said they were good. Next time, we will definitely add the sticks.

Hot Coco Puff Paint

I made coco puff paint, but I didn’t exactly measure my ingredients. Actually, I don’t know if it will turn out like puff paint, but I thought it would be interesting for the kids.
First, I used probably about a cup of glue.
Next, I added two or three squirts of shaving cream.
I mixed well and added three t-spoons of coco powder and mixed again until the whole mixture was brown.
It was the consistency of pudding.




We used the paint in the afternoon. Here are some of the paintings. Some of them were sharks, snowmen, houses etc. The kids were involved in painting their creations for at least fifteen minutes. Some kids did more than one.




Update: When the paint dried, it wasn't very puffy, but it had a smooth texture.

Hot Coco Activity Box

This activity was inspired by the hot coco activity box created by Deborah Teachpreschool.
I used three small brown paper bags which I shredded for hot chocolate, cotton balls for marshmallows and spoons and paper cups for scooping and pouring.
The next day, we added measuring cups and spoons for a slightly different experience.






The kids enjoyed scooping and pouring the pretend coco and marshmallows. We had the activity available to them for most of the week. We also had a bucket of coco and flour mixed together as a sensory activity, but our younger kids decided that the pretend coco and the real coco should be mixed together. Needless to say, we ended up with a big mess, but they had a lot of fun!

Hot Coco Play-dough

This week, our theme is hot chocolate. I have a few posts planned for showing what we have done. The first thing is I made hot coco play-dough. The recipe I used can be found here. It smelled like brownies while it was cooking and it still has a strong coco scent. The only thing I did differently was add a few drops of glycerin and another spoon full of coco powder.


I added a special surprise inside. I found marble sized white beads to use as marshmallows.



The kids have really liked playing with these. The challenge is not losing them. The play-dough was a success! I’m sure we’ll be using it until it dries out.

Marshmallow Sorting

Here’s an activity I had thought of for Valentines Day, but instead of using only hearts, I decided to make it a shape sorting activity instead. I used an egg carton and silicone ice cube tray with hearts. I had the regular round marshmallows and the strawberry heart shaped marshmallows. This is a really simple activity for preschoolers, but toddlers could do this as well. You could add more challenge for preschoolers by having them count the marshmallows or by adding other foods of different shapes to sort. I had counted out the exact amount, but for a little snack, you could add some extra for them to eat. This activity is good for fine motor skills, classifying and learning about shapes.

Hot Coco Craft

For this hot coco craft you will need:

1 Styrofoam or paper cup,
1 Brown paper lunch bag,
Coco powder or hot chocolate packet,
Cotton balls,
Glue
And scissors.

I started off with a plain white Styrofoam cup. Then I cut up pieces of the paper bag and glued a small piece into the bottom of the cup.


Next, I took larger strips of the paper bag and glued it around the inside of the cup so that all the white was covered.


I thought painting with a coco powder and water mix was a good idea, but all it did was make everything wet and the glue wasn’t sticking.


Luckily, I didn’t do this for very long and was still able to do the next part of the project. I decided to just spread some glue around the inside of the cup on the sides and the bottom. Then I sprinkled some coco powder in the cup and swirled it around. It made the cup smell like chocolate and made it look more realistic.

The coco powder and water painting might work well for scented water colors. I only used maybe half a t-spoon of coco powder and mixed it in a small bowl of water. I might have used half a cup.



Finally, I added some cotton balls as marshmallows by gluing them to the bottom and edge of the cup. I only put one on the bottom and two on the top, but would’ve put more if I had a larger cup. You could also use real marshmallows as well.





This came out pretty well and only took about fifteen minutes including the time it took to gather the materials. I’ve seen a few different hot chocolate activities on the blogs lately, but wanted to do my own version of one. Plus I wanted to try a hot chocolate craft with the kids and after trying this myself, I think it would work well. I’ve learned after one planning disaster that it always is better to test the activity yourself first especially if it’s an arts and crafts activity.

Sorting and Counting Snack

I got some random food together and put it on a plate for counting and sorting. Kids can learn about healthy and unhealthy foods, sizes, shapes and textures of foods, food groups etc. I put the platter there for an easy sorting tray. Since Thanksgiving was yesterday, it's a good time to make a post about food.

What’s on the plate:

1 role,
2 apple slices,
3 candy corn,
4 pieces of celery,
5 coco puffs,
6 marshmallows,
7 grapes,
8 pieces of cheese,
9 raisins,
And 10 pieces of blueberry granola cereal.







healthy foods in the top sections and unhealthy foods in the bottom.


hard, Soft, rough, smooth, crunchy etc.


Round coco puffs, rectangle pieces of cheese, oval grapes, etc.

I made it so that each food had a certain number from one to ten. This platter only has five sections so here it is with just five foods.

You can add toothpicks to all these foods to make any creation or design. Here's a simple one with a grape, apple slice and two marshmallows. Using toothpicks with marshmallows is always fun and it works the best because they stick.

In the Kitchen

Here’s another sound and picture matching activity. This one deals with things that can be found in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy it.
Click here for the folder with sounds and pictures.


Track List:
1. Hot Chocolate
2. Popcorn
3. Frying Bacon
4. Pouring Cereal
5. Chopping Vegetables
6. Filling Sink
7. Refridgerator Closing
8. Cracking Eggs
9. Ice Cubes in Glass
10. Rolling Pin Rolling Dough
11. Silverware
12. Spreading Jelly on Toast
13. Peeling Potatos
14. Nut Cracker
15. Mixing Whipped Cream

 

 

 

All pictures were found using Google Images and they are clip art.

Matching Pies to Foods

Monday’s match is part two of the Numbered Pie Match.
For this one, the children can match the pie with what food it is made from. This way, they can see the food in its original form and what you can make out of it. Of course, this activity would be better before or after making real pies.

 

All pictures were found using Google Images and they are clip art.