Activity Corner – Pinecones

Let me set the stage, every morning I roll out of bed as my dog insistently whines at me to get a move on. I stumble through the house with my eyes barely open, pulling on something that’s halfway reasonable for the neighbors to see me in. Then I pull on a pair of shoes and grab Aria’s leash and we’re off! Every morning, rain or shine, without fail.

And almost every morning we pass by a house in our neighborhood with massive pine trees that drop pinecones galore! They’re all over the place! The neighbors have a never-ending battle of trying to keep the sidewalk clear of all the pinecones, but it inspired me for this post!

One of my favorite picture book series is the Pinecone series by author/illustrator Salina Yoon. The illustrations are absolutely adorable (and you might recognize her artwork from the CSLP summer reading theme this year) and the story is just so, so sweet.

Needless to say, I found a few other cute and informative pine cone stories and a couple of crafts and science experiments to go with this theme. Boom! You can use this as a preschool class lesson, for a library storytime, or at home with your inquisitive little one. Extend your reading beyond just a book and incorporate a simple activity too!

Book List

• Best Friend in the Whole World by Sandra Salsbury
  Check out my review of the sweet story!
• From Cone to Pine Tree by Emma Carlson-Berne
• Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon
• Super Simple Pinecone Projects by Kelly Doudna

Activity Corner

• Why Do Pinecones Open? – Lemon Lime Adventures
  A super simple experiment with three jars and three pinecones and some water! Let your kids observe what happens!
• Bubbling Pine Cone Science – Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
  Less to do about the actual pinecone, but always fun to see baking soda and vinegar bubble and fizz!
• Pinecone Painting Fall Process Art – No Time for Flash Cards
  Love using unexpected tools as paintbrushes!
• Owl Pinecone Craft – Meaningful Mama
  These are so cute!
• Pinecone Monsters – Sprouting Wild Ones
  A perfect craft righ around Halloween!