Halloween can come in different shapes, sizes and containers, including a recycled water bottle, for fun, learning and kindergarten readiness. The preschool years are an important time for the development of physical skills and motor coordination. Not surprisingly, the small muscles in the wrist and hands develop later than the large muscles in the arms. This is important to be aware of so that activities are appropriate for different stages and ages. This is an an easy, little activity for older preschoolers and a more challenging one for younger toddlers, giving them some practice with eye-hand coordination.
After a scavenger hunt through left-over pieces of fabric, cut up some orange fabric into squares of about 2 inches, more or less. Other shapes will also work, depending on what you have. Sitting on the floor, kids can hold the bottle with their legs so it’s stable. With their hands, they stuff the bottle with the bits of orange fabric. In our fabric bag, there was some with pumpkins and spider webs which isn’t as jack-o-lantern looking as all orange pieces. Once it’s done, cut a nose, mouth and eyes out of black paper and tape on, or if kids are old enough, they can cut some out themselves. We had some thin green fabric which we could tuck around the lid and it still screwed on. As simple as that, there’s a jack-o-lantern for Halloween.
Besides the muscle coordination, kids are also practicing following instructions. Once the project is finished, kids can take it for a walk to see if there are any more jack-o-lanterns in neighborhood windows or on front steps. Or they can use it to “I Spy” other things that are orange. What other fun could kids have with this bottle-o-lantern?