Alright boys and girls! Time to get your creativity caps on and the art supplies handy, because today, we’re learning about the letter O! So many wonderful words start with the letter O, like onion, over, oven, and orange. Even common phrases we read in story books start with O, like “once upon a time.” To help us learn this letter, we’re going to do an arts & crafts project with our favorite animal that starts with O: an octopus in the ocean.

We’re going to learn how to create a toilet paper roll octopus! To get started, here’s the supplies that you’ll need:

• A toilet paper roll 
• Acrylic paint or markers
• Googly eyes
• A glue stick
• A scissors
• A black sharpie

First, start by cutting 1.5 inch long slits at the bottom of the toilet paper roll with your scissors. Then push the roll down on a flat surface, so that the slits spread out like octopus legs. Next, grab your acrylic paint and paint the outside of your octopus a bold color of your choosing. Paint the interior of the roll at the top and underneath the legs a different color for contrast. Then, use a glue stick to stick on some googly eyes or feel free to draw the eyes on with a black sharpie. 

Use a black sharpie to add a happy smile onto that octopus face, because he or she is happy to be alive and in your home! Finally, feel free to add on stickers, gems, or other decorations to your heart’s content! Don’t forget to create 3-4 of these guys so your octopus can have some friends.

These octopuses are taking over the world of Pinterest right now, as parents are starting to get exponentially more creative with keeping their kids stimulated at home. See the photo of Holly Homer’s toilet paper roll octopus to catch a glimpse of the potential here!

Lastly, we’ve created a coloring book illustration of an octopus in his natural habitat. Octopuses are fascinating creatures with three hearts, high intelligence, and the capability to camouflage themselves by changing color. Feel free to print out copies and invite your kids to color this scene! 

Know any other fun preschool activities that start with the letter O? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!

Congratulations! You’ve made it through the alphabet, and now it’s time to learn the letter “Z”. There are so many cool words connected to this letter such as zip, zero, and zig-zag. Today, we’re going to focus on the word “zoom”! Relax parents, this is not about the Zoom calls you have to join on a daily basis. We’re talking about “zoom” for cars. 

Remember, growing up when you would race cars, and say “zoom zoom”. We were associating a sound with an object and word. For example, “mooo” and “cow” or “quack” and “duck”. Sounds can often help us identify things without even seeing them. In this case, going “zoom” with cars is a fun and creative way for children of all ages to express themselves. These types of activities encourage children to tap into their imagination while helping them build cognitive and social skills. 

So, without further adieu! We’re learning how to create a painting by using cars and going “zoom”. This is a fairly simple craft and requires mild cleanup. 

What you’ll need: 

• A large sheet of plain paper
• A plastic sheet or oilcloth (or a lot of newspaper, depending on how much paint your kids decide to use!)
• A black felt tip pen
• Some paper plates
• Some thicker paint (i.e. acrylic paint)
• Some toy cars that are not precious (i.e. it doesn’t matter if they change colour permanently)!

How to set up this activity: 

• First, make sure all your surfaces and kids’ clothes are covered (i.e. overalls or aprons)
• Layout a large sheet of plain paper and use your black felt tip pen to draw large outlines of the letter Z and add dashed lines for ‘road’ markings
• Squirt a good dollop of paint into each of your trays or paper plates.  
• Add a toy car to each paint tray or plate
• Let your kids roll the car back and forth in the paint to coat the wheels
• Once the wheels are loaded with paint, your kids can drive their cars along the Z ‘road’, following its shape.

You can also find more details on how to make a “zoom” painting here. 

By the end of the activity, you’ll have an awesome, colorful painting of the letter “Z”. After this activity, have some more creative fun with this coloring illustration. You can download and print, and let your preschoolers’ imagination run wild! 

The letter “U” is one of the most unique letters in the alphabet. While not many words start with the letter “U” in the English language as others do, there are tons of fun words that begin with this letter – from umbrella to unicorn to ukulele. 

Perhaps one of the most exciting words that start with the letter “U” is (u)nderwater. From oceans to lakes to pools, being underwater is such a fun activity, especially when it’s hot and sunny out. Not only is being underwater a nice and refreshing place to be to escape from the heat, but swimming fantastic physical activity to keep you healthy and strong. 

Underwater Coloring Page

While you might not live close to an ocean or pool or not know how to swim yet, this underwater activity is something you can do in your own home. Not to mention, you can stay dry while doing so! 

This coloring book page features the beautiful underwater scenery of the ocean. Many of the things illustrated on this page you might have never seen before! For instance, coral reefs, octopus, jellyfish, and starfish are hard to see underwater unless you dive really deep. This coloring book page gives you an awesome window into a whole other world in the deep blue sea. 

Here is what you’ll need for this activity: 

• Printer
• Crayons, Colored Pencils, or Markers 

Check it out below! 

Once you’re done with your coloring page, hang it up on a window and see how the sunlight reflects through the ocean water, just like how it does with real ocean water. If you have any sea creature stickers at home, add them to the page for a unique touch!

Do you have a favorite sea creature? A fish? Or maybe a shark? Let us know in the comments below and snap a picture of how your underwater coloring book page turned out!