Free Letter A Tracing Worksheets (Dinosaur Themed)

August 19, 2023November 9, 2023 Brittney

Welcome to an exciting dinosaur adventure! If your little ones have a fascination with these magnificent creatures from the past, then you’re in for a treat in the form of free dinosaur-themed letter A tracing worksheets that will not only capture your child’s imagination but also help them develop their writing skills. So, gather your young archaeologists, dust off those pencils, and let’s dive into the world of dinosaurs and letter A tracing! These worksheets are perfect for preschoolers, kindergartners, and any dinosaur lover looking to practice their handwriting and include patterns for both upper and lower case letters. Let’s give a roar for learning and fun!

Join My Newsletter to download bundled A-Z themed tracing worksheets and more available in my freebie vault.

Tracing Worksheet Alphabet Themes:

Mermaid
Dinosaurs
Vehicles (Coming Soon)
Unicorns (Coming Soon)
Trains (Coming Soon)

Free Letter A Tracing Worksheets

Click the image below to download and print designs you’re interested in, or join my newsletter to download a bundled A-Z File in any of the themes accessible through my freebie vault.

Dinosaur Themed Capital and Lowercase Letter A Tracing Page

– A is for Ankylosaurus (Click the picture to download and print)

Make These Even More Fun With The Perfect Book!

These tracing sheets are even more fun and engaging when they’re paired with the book “Dinosaur for a Day” by Juliet Jenson and Nabila Amanda.

Enjoy a playful dino adventure that’s the perfect bedtime read (bright, cute, and imaginative, text light, with the pictures do most of the talking)

Join my newsletter to access my freebie vault and download a bundled file of A-Z Dinosaur Letter tracing pages or buy “Dinosaur For a Day” on Amazon.

dino book free printable dinosaur worksheets and dinosaur for a day book

Let your little ones embark on an adventure with some interesting and engaging letter A worksheets and watch them excel in their handwriting abilities, all while journeying through prehistoric times.

Also, if you’ve got an idea for a theme please comment below or message me, I’m working on new ones all the time.

A is for Arctic Sensory Bin Adventure – Letter Themed Sensory Bin Ideas

August 19, 2023August 25, 2023 Brittney

Letter A is for Arctic Play Sensory Bin Ideas

My older kids have just started back at elementary school for the year and I find myself home again with just the littler ones and a chance to dig back into more immersive, age appropriate play.

Last year we had a lot of fun exploring letter themed foods, and this year I think I’m going to see about doing A-Z letter themed sensory bins and activities.

I’m kicking it off with an…

A is for Arctic Sensory Bin Play Idea

Frozen Numbers and Marbles

This one is fantastic for hot summer days and can be done indoors or out, but it does take a little bit of advanced prep.

Grab some small Tupperware containers, fill them with water and added other animals or items to them if you want to extend the play.

I made mine a bit extra by adding plastic numbers, and glass marbles that matched that number to each container (My son is 4 and knows not to put stuff like this in his mouth, if you’ve got younger children adapt what you add in to be taste safe if necessary).

I was hoping that my son would be able to match up animals on the icebergs with the numbers, but the icebergs ended up being too slippery to really add anything to. The numbers still ended up being fun as my son was able to break the marbles out as the ice melted.

Freeze your containers the day before you want to do this activity.

Set Up:

Grab a shallow container (I used a bigger tote for this one)
Fill it up with water and ice
Add food coloring (optional)
Add Assorted Arctic animal figurines (polar bears, penguins, seals, etc.)
Add scopes and water cups

Exploratory Playtime:

Now that everything is set up, invite your child to explore the sensory bin. Encourage them to use their imagination as they create stories and scenarios for the Arctic animals, fostering dramatic play and creativity. They might enjoy arranging the figurines on the ice or swimming through the water, which enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Offer small containers or cups for pouring and scooping, enabling your child to experience different textures and develop their sensory abilities.

Extending the Learning:

To further enhance the learning experience, consider reading Arctic-themed books to your little ones. Engage in conversation about the animals they played with in the sensory bin and dive deeper into their habitats and unique characteristics. This extension of learning reinforces comprehension and broadens their knowledge of the Arctic region.

Happy sensory play!

@slyspoon Easy Letter Play Sensory Bin – Letter A is for Arctic Adventure (with some number play!) ❄️ Dive into a world of icy exploration on a hot day with this Letter A-themed sensory bin! ❄️ freeze numbers, letters, or animals and ice blocks to extend the play ♬ snowfall – Øneheart & reidenshi

Inexpensive, Adorable Mermaid Party Tails! DIY

August 16, 2023May 21, 2024 Brittney

My sister and I were talking recently. I wanted to throw a “Mermaid for a Day” book themed mermaid party to celebrate my debut picture book, she wanted to throw a mermaid party for my niece who was turning four. Things clicked together and suddenly I was throwing a “Mermaid For A Day” themed birthday party for my niece… and since I’ve thrown many boyish birthday parties for my 3 boys over the years, but never one for a little girl I was understandably over the moon to get to do this, and even more fun to get to theme it after my mermaid book!

Disclosure: This post may be sponsored or contain affiliate links (which means I make a percentage of the sale if you buy something).

Inexpensive, Adorable Mermaid Party Tails!

In the “Mermaid for a Day” book a little girl helps a fish and is granted a wish, which she uses to become a mermaid.

Since that’s a key part of the book I really wanted an easy and fun way for the kids at the party to “transform” into mermaids, and the easiest way seemed to be if I had some fun mermaid tails they could put on to play in.

Mermaid For A Day Picture Book Page

I looked around online and didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on play tails. The best online option I found were some like … plastic sack-race bag things that had mermaid tails painted on them. I kept them in the back of my mind, but they weren’t really want I was envisioning.

After more Pinterest and google searches I saw some people had made their own tails out of beach towels, or sewing projects that looked a lot more like what I had in mind.

I took what I saw and realized having four little kids of my own, I wanted something, cute, inexpensive, and not time consuming to make… so I simplified simplified simplified, and came up with these! I spent $6 and made 12 tails, each tail taking me a minute, maybe two to make.

Supplies Needed:

Fabric (of your choice) I got this 4 yards for $6 bundle at Walmart in the scrap fabric section and it was perfect! There were a lot of other fabric options that would have worked, but the nice thing about lace was that I didn’t have to worry about it fraying they way I might have with some of the other fabrics.
Elastic Bands (I used mini colorful hair elastics) that were $1-$2 for a huge pack
Scissors
Ruler (Optional)

Tutorial:

Step 1)

I grabbed my 4 year old and measured his waist (about 24 inches) and used that as my starting point. I folded my fabric in half (hotdog style) and cut out a straight piece that was 24″ wide at the top, then cut it along the fold so I had two 24″ pieces.

4 Yards for $6 Fabric
Fabric Laid Out

Step 2)

Next I moved to the bottom of the fabric and put my finger in the middle of the bottom edge, and maybe 4″ up from the bottom along the left side and pulled it together, kind of bundling the fabric, before securing it with an elastic band.

Gathering fabric for tail

Elastics used for tail
Gathering fabric for tail

Step 3)

I repeated step 2 for the other side, until I had two tail flipper looking sections.

Making second tail fin

Step 4)

Then I added one more elastic around both sides holding the flippers together and kind of hiding the small gap that having the two separate fins had made.

Finished Tail

Step 5)

Finally I grabbed one more elastic and used it at the top to secure the tail around my child’s waist. Done and done.

Honestly the whole process took only minutes. I was able to make a nice bundle of tails very quickly and inexpensively. I think they turned out really cute, and they were a huge hit at the party…. which I was so busy enjoying that I forgot to activity take pictures of the tails… this is the best I’ve got.

If you’re interested in seeing the book I based these off of, here’s a link to “Mermaid for a Day.”

Party Tail

@slyspoon If you have a mermaid party in your future, this is a great DIY tutorial to make inexpensive mermaid tails that the kids love (without Zoe, we’re spending a ton of time) I use them for a party we had a couple weeks ago, and kids ages 3 to 10 were big fans. #CapC#CapCutm#mermaidtailm#mermaidbirthdaym#MermaidBirthdayPartym#MermaidPartyIdeasm#MermaidPartyDecorm#mermaidtailsm#MermaidPartyDIYe#nosewmermaidtaile#nosewdiym#mermaidpartyfavorsm#mermaidpartythemem#mermaidpartysuppliesm#mermaidtaildiy ♬ The Little Mermaid (Marimba Remix) – Harry Goes Boom!


Mermaid For A Day	Dinosaur For A Day	Dragon For A Day	Penguin For A Day
A kind girl becomes and mermaid for a day and plays underwater games with other mermaids including seaweed hide and seek, swimming with dolphins, and exploring sunken pirate ships.	A kind boy gets his with to become a dinosaur for a day. He plays games with other friendly dinosaurs including coconut soccer, building a fort, and throwing stones into a volcano to make lava splash.	A kind boy gets his wish to become a dragon for a day. He spends the day playing with other friendly dragons. They fly together, squish clouds until it rains, make s’mores with their fire breath, and more.	An honest boy gets his wish to become a penguin for a day. He spends the day playing games with other friendly penguins including hockey, having a snow ball fight, fishing, and so much more.

Mermaid For A Day Preview

Mermaid For A Day Promo
Mermaid For A Day Sneak Peek inside book

Making a 5 Minute Smash Cake (DIY)

August 11, 2023August 23, 2023 Brittney

Smash cake taken from the a larger cake

My daughter turned one this month, and for each of my children I’ve done a smash cake for their first birthday (mostly for the pictures) and knowing that my baby girl is my only girl, and my finale baby, I really wanted a simple smash cake for her.

The problem was that we’d just spent the last month in another state visiting family, and we’d just driven home (a tidy 20 hour of driving time… that we’d driven straight through… because we were feeling slightly insane, which is a story for another day).

Our kids did fantastic, but upon pulling up to our home we had time to drop off some of our crew before taking my eldest to the doctor for a suspect ear infection (which was confirmed that night).

And also… I had to do so much school shopping in a very short amount of time since my older kids started school the following week and… I’d done nothing.

So picture chaos across the board, unpacking, sick kid, school shopping, and lots of emotions coming down from a month of endless activities and fun with grandparents. It was just a lot.

All of that is just to paint a small picture of me, wanting a smash cake and small family birthday party for my baby, while also feeling so totally overwhelmed and like I was drowning in life. (Did I mention my husband drove out with us, then flew home to work for the month, before flying back out to drive home with us, which left me as a solo parent with 4 kids – 1 under 1 – for the whole month.)

Anyway. Yes I was super burnt out, and so I cut some corners, but still made it happen, and honestly I’m super happy with this 5 minute cake. It did it’s job, I got the pictures, and no tears were shed.

How to make a smash cake in five minutes:

Supplies Needed:

A normal sized bakery cake
A sheet of semi firm plastic (I used shrinky dink film that I’d washed)
Can of store bought frosting

Step 1)

Open your cake, and tape your plastic into a tube shape.

Step 2)

Carefully put that tube through the center of your cake.

Step 3)

Lift super gently while also picking up your cake and pushing a bit in that middle part from the bottom (prayers here are also a good idea)

Step 4)

Pull out that perfect round slice of cake and put it on a plate, scrape off the store frosting and frost to your heart’s content with a frosting of your choice

Step 5)

Enjoy your little one with their smash cake, and serve slices of the bigger cake to your guest or other family members.

Takeaways

My daughter wanted nothing to do with her cake, not the frosting, not the inside – nothing! (though she did want a bite of the outside of the cake when it came from my fork later) but I still got some cute pictures and in this chaotic time of life for me, I’m counting this cake and experience as a total win. (also all my boys were so excited for their little sister and the cake escapade, they are for sure her biggest cheerleaders)

10/10 would recommend this approach to anyone wanting a simple, easy, inexpensive smash cake.

Baby with Smash Cake

Mermaid For A Day – Interview with Juliet Jenson Author/Illustrator

May 27, 2023May 21, 2024 Brittney

I’m kicking off a picture book author Interview series and I’m excited to start by sharing the picture book “Mermaid for a Day” by Juliet Jenson with all of you.

Mermaid For A Day Book, with open page

Disclosure: This blog does accept sponsored posts and may contain affiliate links (which means I make a percentage of the sale if you buy something).

First, can you tell me why parents and caregivers might want to pick your book? Especially when there are so many mermaid books out there?

Juliet: There are lots of wonderful mermaid books out there, but I wrote “Mermaid for a Day” half for kids and half for caregivers. I wanted to write the kind of book that kids would want to have read to them again and again, while also writing the kind of book that parents would be eager to read to them.

What I really mean is I wanted to create a book that is fun, beautiful, adventurous and full of magic, so it’s exciting for kids.

And I wanted to make it short, easy to read aloud (it rhymes), and to let the pictures do most of the talking for the parents. I know for my own kids, I love reading to them before bed, but some nights the books they want read to them are 50 pages long, with dense text, and I die inside a little. Don’t get me wrong, I love those big books during the day, but before bed I want something fun, and also something short enough to keep their attention. (I’m usually reading to my boys ages 4 & 7 if that helps set the stage)

Mermaid For A Day Picture Book Cover

Can you briefly sum up what the story is about?

Juliet: Sure. It kicks off with a little girl saving a fish who grants her wish to become a mermaid, but only for a day. She spends the rest of the book doing what I think we’d all want to do if we were mermaids as kids, she swims with dolphins, plays dress up with other mermaid friends, builds seashell puzzles, paints with an octopus, plays seaweed hide and seek, explores a sunken pirate ship and more.

Each page is a mini activity that kids can hopefully relate to, with a mermaid twist to it.

What inspired you to write this particular book?

Juliet: Well my daughter had just been born, and I’d been looking for a creative project and this just kind of came to me. Kind of Animorphs for 5 year olds. I typed out the first few drafts of the story while doing middle of the night feedings, and it was just so fun I couldn’t stop.

Do you have a favorite page?

Juliet: I honestly love so many of them, but I think my top two might be the first page of the book, where she’s throwing the fish back into the sea, or the seaweed hide and seek page. I just feel like visually, they were the two the came out so much better than I dared to hope.

Picture of little girl using a bucket to toss a fish back into the ocean
Picture of mermaids playing hide and seek in seaweed

Thank you so much. One last question, if you could have any super power, what would it be, and why?

Juliet: I would definitely love either super speed or the ability to stop time for everyone except me. 🙂 I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but there never seems to be enough time to do even a fraction of them.

***

Thank you so much for sharing this, and if any readers are interested, “Mermaid For A Day” is on sale now on Amazon with both a paperback and ebook, and soon it will be available through all major book retailers.

Buy “Mermaid For A Day” From Amazon


Mermaid For A Day	Dinosaur For A Day	Dragon For A Day	Penguin For A Day
A kind girl becomes and mermaid for a day and plays underwater games with other mermaids including seaweed hide and seek, swimming with dolphins, and exploring sunken pirate ships.	A kind boy gets his with to become a dinosaur for a day. He plays games with other friendly dinosaurs including coconut soccer, building a fort, and throwing stones into a volcano to make lava splash.	A kind boy gets his wish to become a dragon for a day. He spends the day playing with other friendly dragons. They fly together, squish clouds until it rains, make s’mores with their fire breath, and more.	An honest boy gets his wish to become a penguin for a day. He spends the day playing games with other friendly penguins including hockey, having a snow ball fight, fishing, and so much more.