Building a miniature working volcano is a favorite among kids. With some help by parents or adults, this can be an easy and educational building project for preschoolers. A salt dough is created using flour, salt, cooking oil and water. Allow the children to form the dough around a soda bottle, making sure to leave the opening clear. You can decorate the volcano with paint or carve into the soft dough. Fill the bottle with warm water, a little red food coloring and a few drops of liquid detergent. Add 2 tbsp. of baking soda. Then, as you slowly pour vinegar into the bottle, watch as your volcano explodes. This project can be messy, so you may want to consider constructing it outside or on top of a cleanable surface.
For a nature-themed project, consider building a birdhouse with your preschooler. Gather approximately 10 to 15 thin, straight twigs, glue, scissors, paint and a clean cardboard milk carton. Cut a circle in the middle of one side of the carton. Glue the spout of the milk carton shut, and then paint the carton a neutral color, such as brown or black. After the paint dries, you can begin gluing your twigs and sticks to the outside of the carton. Make sure to cover the roof with sticks as well, and include a stick by the hole for a perch. Poke a hole in the top to pull a string through it to hang your birdhouse.
Building a marshmallow tower is not only fun, but it's edible too. You will need a few bags of marshmallows. The larger they are, the easier the children will be able to build with them. This activity is ideal for a group of preschoolers because it promotes teamwork within the group. Have the children build a tower as high as they can using only the marshmallows. Then have them work to create other structures such as igloos or castles.
This is a fun project that gives back to nature and lets the children play in the mud. After having a discussion about how birds build their nests, lay eggs and learn to fly, let your preschooler try her hand at nest making. Using various materials such as mud, straw, twigs, string and tape, instruct your preschoolers to make the strongest nest possible. Because this projects can be messy, it should be completed outdoors. Let the nests dry, and then try them out in a small tree nearby. Further the project by talking about the completed nest. Examine how strong it is and how many eggs can fit in each nest. Encourage children to donate their nest to a bird by leaving it in some tree branches.