More preschool and kindergarten craft ideas

A House for Hermit Crab Graduation Gift

To go with the Hermit Crab theme, purchase a small board book version of A House for Hermit Crab to give to each student that transfers out of your school. Add the "Letter from the Teacher "(see below) or a short personal message to the inside of the front cover. Another cute idea would be to have all the kids add their thumbprint and sign their names on a piece of paper and to fold and glue the paper to the inside of the back cover.

Poem from Teacher to Student

Like the little hermit crab, you outgrew your shell,
and now you’re ready to say goodbye. I can tell.
You’ve learned a lot of things, and when you open the next door
you’ll have new friends and a new school to explore.
Knowing and teaching you has been a pleasure,
Memories of you I will always treasure.

Copyright KidsSoup, Inc.

Stationary Sets
Purchase inexpensive stationary sets for each child.

Remember Me Bag

Include the following poem with a lollipop, a bookmark, pencil and eraser, and some Hugs and Kisses candies in a paper sack or re-sealable plastic bag and present the goodie bag to your children on graduation day.

A lollipop because you are so sweet
A bookmark to mark the last page you read
A pencil and an eraser to practice your writing
And Hugs and Kisses to remember me!

Bag with Snapshots and Letter
Label a lunch bag with children’s name and a title such as “Preschool Memories.” In the bag, include snapshots and a letter telling children how much you enjoyed them during the year, making sure to write about a few of your favorite memories.

Forget Me Not Seeds
Purchase packets of Forget Me Not seeds at your local garden nursery. Attach the following poem to the packet and sign your name to make a cute graduation gift.

This past year, we’ve had a blast.
I sure wish that it could last.
I will miss you more than a lot.
And I hope that you will forget me not.

Playdough
Mix up a batch of playdough and divide into baggie-sized portions. Attach the recipe below for how to make homemade playdough to each baggie and add a cookie cutter.

Cooked Playdough

Materials:

3 cups flour
1 ½ cups salt
6 tsp cream of tartar
3 tbsp oil
3 cups water
Large saucepan

What you do:
Dissolve salt in water in a large saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir constantly over a medium heat until a ball forms by pulling away from the sides. Knead the dough mixture until it matches the texture of playdough (about 1 to 2 minutes). Note: This recipe is not toxic in small amounts. However, it not a food item and should be kept out of reach of pets, as it can make them sick.

Uncooked Playdough

For each child, in a baggie, add 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of salt with the following directions on how to make playdough:

Mix 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of salt in a bowl. Add 1 cup of water to the mixture. Mix well. Then knead the dough. Store in a resealable baggie.