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Lesson Plan Cheat Sheet First Semester Curriculum Focus- During this semester children are working through level 1 standards from your quarterly agenda. 1st Semester Week : 1Theme: Back to SchoolBook: Wheels On The BusColor: YellowLetter(s): ANumber(s): 0,1 Shape: CircleSight Words: A, An, Are, AtCurriculum Suggestions: Discuss everything involving back to school. Infant Room will need to explore play-doh daily. Toddler 2 will utilize felt boards daily to get children to recognize gender and names. In Preschool have children practice writing first and last name daily. Lesson Plan Ideas:All Ideas can be changed to any aspect of back to school: Buses, Pencils, ErasersHave a bunch of pencils for the children to count or to sort.You could get pencils that are different colors and have the children sort them into cans with construction paper covering it that is the same color as the pencil.?You could have 6 cans with the numbers 1 to 6. Have the children place one pencil in the 1 can and 2 in the two and so on.?You could sharpen 5 pencils to different lengths, then have the children line the pencils up from shortest to longest.Find colored paper clips and have the children sort the paper clips according to color.Place the numbers 1 to 6 in the bottom of each of the cups in a muffin tin. Have the children place one clip in the one, two in the two and so on.?Create a pattern with the colored paper clips. Red, blue, red, blue have the child continue the pattern. Ask the children to create their own pattern.Grab a few paper clips and set them out on a paper plate. On another plate, have the children copy the design.Estimating JarYou will need 4 clear jar that are the same size. Fill one jar about 1/4 of the way with paper clips. Count the clips as you fill the jar and end on a round number, like 10 or 50. Write the number of paper clips on a post it, place the post it on the jar. Fill the second jar about 1/2 way with paper clips, again counting and recording and posting on the jar. The third jar should be filled about 3/4 of the way with clips and again record the number and post it on the jar. The last jar you can fill however you like, place a post it on the jar with a question mark. Allow the children to observe the four jars together and guess how many clips are in the fourth jar. Record the children's guesses. After everyone has guessed, count the clips together. Show the children how the number of clips in the first three jars are related to the fourth jar.You can do any of the activities above with erasers as well.1st Semester Week : 2Theme: Our ClassroomBook: Create Book About First Week in ClassColor: BlueLetter(s): BNumber(s): 2 Shape: SquareSight Words: Ball, Be, Big, Boy, But, BestCircle time/ Morning Time Ideas: Let children label classroom, discuss classroom rules, make our class poster, take pictures of children playing with classroom items to label those particular areas. 1st Semester Week : 3Theme: Getting To know My TeacherBook: Brown Bear, Brown BearColor: OrangeLetter(s): CNumber(s): 3 Shape: TriangleSight Words: Can, Cat, Car, Children Circle Time/ Morning Time Ideas: Continue to go over classroom rules, talk about apples...Lesson Plan Ideas: Fingerprint Apple TreeUse brown ink along the side of the child's hand to make the tree trunk. Use green ink on the child's thumb to make as many leaves as the child wants. Use red ink on the child's pinky finger to make the apples.Apple Trees Cut out a piece of green paper to fit on top of the toilet paper tube. Cut two slits in the toilet paper tube about 1/2 inch down. - Have your child decorate the paper with a red marker to make apples. - Have your child press one finger into a red ink pad and press onto the green paper to make apples. - Have your child press the eraser of a pencil into a red ink pad and press onto the green paper to make apples.- Have your child color the paper with markers or crayons.Slide the paper onto the tube.MATHDifferent Apples Next time you go to the grocery store with your child. Point out all the different kinds of apples. Tell your child their names. Buy a few different kinds, and when you get home, let your child try them. Ask your child how each one tastes. Ask your child how each one is different.Apple Sequencing Gather three to five different sized apple. Set them on a table and ask your child to arrange the apple according to size. For younger children, you can just start with two apples and ask which is the smallest.Apple Lacing Cards Cut colored poster board into an apple shape and punch holes around the edges. Them let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards.Apple Chart Prepare sliced apples for lunch, red and yellow. Ask each child which color apple that they ate. Allow them to mark the column on a graph that corresponds to their answer.Apple Toss Obtain a laundry basket, or a bushel basket, and red bean bags, or small red balls. Use masking tape to tape a line on the floor. Place the basket a couple of feet away from the line. Have the child stand behind the line, and try to toss the balls or bags (apples) into the basket.Match the Apples Cut out two apple shapes from 4 or 5 different colors of construction paper. You may laminate them to make them last longer. Have the children pick an apple and then find it's mate. Variation: Use the same color for the apples, and draw on different designs.Apples in the Basket You need apples and a small laundry or buschel basket. Ask your child to place 5 apples in the basket. Count with your child as they place the apples in the basket. How many apples will fit in the basket? Have your child guess how many will fit, and then see how many it takes to fill the basket. You can also tape numbers onto the bottom of the baskets, and have your child place the appropriate number of apples into each basket.1st Semester Week : 4Theme: All About MeBook: I Like MyselfColor: WhiteLetter(s): DNumber(s): 4 Shape: OvalSight Words: Day, Do, Did, Dog, Down Circle Time/ Morning Time Ideas: Help children to recognize body parts... do hand prints, sing head shoulders knees and toes. Count fingers and Toes, During math time use one to one correspondence w/ body parts hand, feet, etc.Lesson Plan IdeasFinger PrintsSupply each child with a piece of white paper and different colored non-toxic stamp pads. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time.Self PortraitChildren can use torn paper to make a self portrait.Shadow ArtUse an overhead projector, or the sun to create a siloutte on the wall. Tape a piece of paper on the wall, and trace the outline. Have the child cut out the siloutte. YOu may choose to have them decorate the shadow.I like.... CollageSupply the children with many different magazines, with foods, toys, etc. Let the children cut out things they like and glue them onto a piece of paper.Feet ButterfliesHave children take off shoes and socks, paint the bottom of their feet with non-toxic tempera paint. Have the child step onto a piece of paper with their feet and heels together. When dry, add antennae with markers or crayons or yarn.Me PuppetTake a picture of each child. Have the child cut out the picture and glue to a popsicle stick.Paper Bag PuppetsSupply each child with a brown paper bag, yarn and other items to make a puppet. The flap at the bottom of the bag is the mouth.Paper Plate FacesHave the children draw facial features onto a paper plate to make a face. Supply the children with yarn or easter grass for hair.Paper Plate Faces 2Have the children cut out facial features from a magazine and have them glue them onto a paper plate for a funny face.Paper Plate Faces 3Supply the children with different multicultural colors of paper. Have them tear the paper and glue them onto a paper plate to cover the paper plate. After the glue dries have the children draw on facial features with a marker or crayon, or they hay glue on facial features from a magazine.I Like...When I was in Second Grade we did an "All about Me" Board and a warm fuzzies book. The "All About Me" board was a bunch of pictures of me and my family and there were also things that said a little bit about me... like "My favorite food is Spaghetti" or "I have a cat named Missie" The Warm Fuzzie book was a book that the teacher wrote compiling all the nice things the other children said about me. "I like her hair" "She is a good student" "I like to play with her" I still have this book somewhere amounst the few things that made it from move to move. Anyway, have the children sit in a circle and say one nice thing about the child sitting next to him/her.Life Size MeHave the child lay on a piece of butcher paper and trace them. Have the child color the paper, then cut it out.Life Size Me IIHave the children make crazy poses on black butcher paper. Trace them, then have the children cut them out. Finally hang them around the room for some fun shadows. Do the parents know which one is their child?Feeling PaintingDivide a piece of paper into 4 sections. Have the children draw a picture of Happy, Sad, Mad and scared one in each of the 4 sections. Label the boxes for the children.____ Friends, Holding HandsFill in the blank with the name of your class. Write this title in the middle of a piece of butcher paper. Then individually, paint a child's hands with a paintbrush and non-toxic paint. Using a paintbrush will increase the quality of the print, opposed to dipping the hand in paint. Have the child make a handprint around the edge of the paper. Wash the child's hand and repeat with all the children and teachers on your class.Games, Math and ScienceHair Color ChartHave the children raise their hands if they have brown hair. Count and record the number of children that have brown hair. Repeat for red, blonde and black. Graph the results. Ask the children "what color hair do most of the children in our class have?"Height ChartMeasure each child's height and create a graph to represent the children's height in your class.Eye Color ChartHave the children raise their hands if they have brown eyes. Count and record the number of children that have brown eyes. Repeat for blue, green and hazel. Graph the results. Ask the children "what color eyes do most of the children in our class have?"Where's Your ....?Ask the children "Where's your ____?" Fill in the blank according to their age.Here are some examples:head, eyes, nose, foot (easy)fingers, ankles, knees, neck, forhead (medium)knuckes, wrist, thigh, forarm, palm, spine (hard)Feelings ChartAsk the children "How do you feel today?" Record the answers and create a chart. Talk about the results.Listen to your heatbeatAllow the children to listen to their heartbeat with a stethescope. The toy ones work, but some of your parents may have access to a real one.Guess how I feel:Have one child stand in the middle of the circle and act out an emotion. The other children can guess what it is.My Friends and Me JumpTake pictures of the children and laminate them. Have the children hop from one picture to another.My Friends and Me Musical ChairsSet out the pictures on the floor in a circle. Have the children walk around the circle of pictures. When the music stops have the children race to their picture. Every child should have an picture to stand on.My Friends and Me TimeSet out the pictures on the floor in a circle. Have each child sit on his/her own picture for circle time.I am Special Because....?Have the children finish the sentence "I am special because...." Record their answers.Jump Jim JoeSung to "Hurry Hurry Drive the Firetruck"Have the children sit in a circle before lunch. Pick one child, have that child pick a friend, then have the two children hold hands and follow the directions as you sing:Jump, Jump, Jump Jim Joe,Shake your head,Nod your head,Tap your toe,Round and round,And round we go,Go and wash your handsWITH SOAP1, 2, 3 Good FriendsSung to "10 little Indians"1, 2, 3 good friends,4, 5, 6 good friends,7, 8, 9 good friends,10 good friends are we!You can also sing it in SpanishUno, dos, tres amigos,Cuatro, cinco seis amigosSiete, ocho, nueve amigosDiez amigos son!Who is here today?Sung to "the Farmer in the Dell"Who is here today?Who is here today?Everybbody clap your hands,Who is here today?Jill is here today!Jill is here today!Everybody clap your hands,Jill is here today!Substitute Jill for the names of the children in your class. Great circle time song where the children can dance or jump while you sing their name.My Friend May I?Played just like Mother May I? The child and parent stand at opposite sides of a room. The child asks if he/she may: take so may step forward. i.e. "Mother may I Please take 3 baby steps forward?" the answer would be either, "Yes you may", or "No you may not." The child wins when they reach you. Encourage the use of descriptive words, such as little, big, huge, tiny, and giant. You can also play this with a group of children. The winner would be the one who reaches you first.Name Ball GameHave the children sit in a circle and supply the children with a ball or bean bag. The child must say the child's name that they are going to pas the beanbag to or roll the ball to.Friend MemoryAsk the parents to supply you with a picture of each child in the class. Make 2 black and white photo copies of each photo and glue the copies to the back of a blank index card. Now you have the cards to play memory.Who is missing?Have all the children cover their eyes. I have found that when they lay on their bellies they tend to peek less. Tap one child on the shoulder. That child will hide. Then the other children have to guess who is missing.Hello My Friend!Have one child sit in the middle of a circle on a chair. This child should cover his/her eyes. Then pick one child to go up to the child in the middle and say "Hello my friend, can you guess who I am?" The child in the middle gets three guesses. Then the child who spoke sits in the middle and the child that was in the middle chooses another speaker. The children can use their normal voices, but if they are familiar with the person in the chair, silly voices can be more difficult and amazingFollow mePlay follow my friend just like follow the leader.Mystery CanSend a large coffee can home with a child. Send a letter with the can similar to this:Dear parents:This month we are going to be playing a game called "Mystery Can" I am sending the can home with your child. Please help your child find something to place inside the can that is special to your child and return it tomorrow with three clues written on a piece of paper. The children will try to guess what it is and the first person to guess correctly will take home the can.Me Me you!!!Played like "Duck, Duck, "me" instead of "duck" and "you" instead of "goose."1st Semester Week : 5Theme: FamilyBook: There Was A Old LadyColor: PurpleLetter(s): ENumber(s) : 5Shape: RectangleSight Words: : Eat, Ear, Elephant, EyeCircle Time/ Morning Time: Do Alphabet Hunt outside before playing. Ask parents to donate a household item Lesson Plan Ideas:Arts and CraftsFamily TreeHave the children make a family tree with branches and glue. For the purpose of this try to get branches with y's and let the children pick the branch to write the names of their family members.Magazine Collage Have the children cut out pictures of families in parents magazines. Have the children glue the pictures onto a piece of paper. Ask them to name the people in the picture and label them.Family PuppetsHave the children cut out pictures of family members in parents magazines. Have the children glue them to a piece of heavy paper. When the glue is dry, cut out the pictures from the heavy paper and attach the pictures to a Popsicle stick or straw with tape to make a puppet.Family Puppets 2Ask the parents to bring in pictures they no longer want. Cut out the people in the pictures and attach the pictures to a Popsicle stick or a straw with tape to make a puppet.Paper Bag Family PuppetsSupply each child with a brown paper bag, yarn and other items to make a puppet. The flap at the bottom of the bag is the mouth. Ask the children to give the puppet a name.Fingerprint FamilyMaterials: Non toxic ink pad, Paper, Black pen or crayonShow your child how to make finger prints on a piece of paper. Have your child draw eyes, nose mouth and hair to create a face. Ask the children to name the people in the picture.Balloon FamilyMaterials: Balloon, Marker, Yarn Blow up a balloon, have your child tape pieces of yarn onto the balloon for hair, and let them draw on a face.Family Place matHave the children cut out pictures of families in parents magazines. Have the children glue the pictures onto a piece of paper. Laminate the paper and use for a place mat.Paper Plate FacesHave the children draw facial features onto a paper plate to make a face. Supply the children with yarn or Easter grass for hair.Paper Plate Faces 2Have the children cut out facial features from a magazine and have them glue them onto a paper plate for a funny face.Paper Plate Faces 3Supply the children with different multicultural colors of paper. Have them tear the paper and glue them onto a paper plate to cover the paper plate. After the glue dries have the children draw on facial features with a marker or crayon, or they hay glue on facial features from a magazine.Smiley Face NecklacesCut out circle shapes from many different colors of paper. Have the children draw a face on a circle. Punch two holes near the top of the circle. Supply the children with noodles, yarn and their smiley face to make a necklace.Bingo Dabber FamilySupply the children with non-toxic bingo dabbers. Ask the child to dab a piece of paper with the dabber a couple of times. When dry, have the child add a face to the dots. Ask the child to tell you the names of the people in the family in their picture. Label the people for them.Potato Prints Cut a large potato in half from the top to bottom, so it's a really long oval. Supply the children with the potato half, different colored paints, and paper. Have the children dip the potatoes in the paint and press them firmly onto the paper. If the potatoes are not cut evenly the shape will not appear clearly. After the paint has dried, have the children add facial features to the ovals with black markers.Broom ArtSupply the children with a broom, a large piece of butcher paper and some paint. Tape the paper on the floor and add the paint. Have the children use the broom to paint the paper. You may want to have the children take off shoes and socks, and roll up long pants... this is REALLY MESSY!!!Bubble ArtAdd a little food coloring to bubble mix. Go outside and blow some bubbles. Have your child catch the bubbles on a piece of paper to create bubble art!!Bubble Art IISupply the children with a bowl with bubble mix in it and a straw with a hole near the top to prevent children from sucking the soap up. Have the children blow into the straw while it is in the bowl creating bubbles. Then, have the child place a drop of food coloring on the top of the bubbles and quickly press a piece of paper on the top of the bubbles to create bubble prints.Math, Science and GamesAnimal Families: Talk about animal families.. what do we call a baby chicken, baby dog and so on.big/small Create large and small animal shapes have the children sort or tell you which is bigger.Lacing CardsCut colored poster board into a baby or face shape and punch holes around the edges. Them let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards.Bean bag tossHave your child toss bean bags into a box with pictures of people on it. You can use masking tape to mark where the child should stand.Laundry Basket TossSupply the children with folded socks, (In a ball), and have them throw the socks into a laundry basket. You can use masking tape to mark where the child should stand.Picture Matching Find family stickers. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut in a jig-jag form. Use a highlighter to highlight the edges. Do this with many different stickers. Have the child match the stickers, and line up the two halves of the index card.Family MemoryFind family stickers. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut the index card in half. You can use these cards to play memory.Family BowlingObtain 10 half gallon milk cartons, or 2 liter bottles. Fill the bottles about 1/8 full with water and seal the lid. Then, decorate the bottles like people, adding yarn for hair, and use permanent markers for the eyes nose and mouth. Set the bottles up like they were bowling pins and have the children roll a ball to try to knock them over. If they don't knock over easily, remove some of the water.Family ChoresEven toddlers are old enough to take on some of the chores around the family home. Help the children learn about chores with these activities.Set The TableLet the children set the table. Have them set out the place mats, cup, plates, napkins, and silverware.Wash the DishesProvide the children with CLEAN plastic dishes in the sand and water table with warm soapy water and sponges.Fold the ClothesYou can show preschool children how to fold hand towels. Supply them with the hand towels in the dramatic play area.Clean UpExplain that cleaning up is a chore as well. Your program should already include this element in your class every day.Rub-A-Dub ClassroomSpray a little soapy water on the walls, tables or shelves and supply the children with paper towel to clean with.Sweep the FloorOlder children can sweep the floor, clean the lunch tables, and clean up after art projects.Give the Baby a BathPlace warm soapy water and waterproof dolls in the sand and water table. Remind the children to be very careful with their "babies". You can also provide clean empty baby shampoo containers and baby towels.Dramatic PlayYou can add these items to your home living area. Make sure all bottles and boxes are empty and cleaned thoroughly.plastic baby bottles, (preschool and up) detergent bottles, dish soap bottles, hand soap bottles, cereal boxes, food boxes, aprons, hot pads, child safe utensils, (potato masher) oven mittens, hand towels, wash cloths, shampoo bottles, baby soap bottles, cleaning spray bottles, dresses, clip on ties, scarves, shoes, bibs, baby spoonsGroup TimeSmiley Face shapesCut out circle shapes from large white construction paper. Have the children add facial features to the circles, and after they dry write each child's name on them. Laminate them so you can use them for the activities below.Smiley JumpSet out the smiley shapes on the floor. Have the children hop from one smiley shapes to another.Smiley Musical ChairsSet out the smiley shapes on the floor in a circle. Have the children walk around the circle of smiley faces. When the music stops have the children race to their smiley shapes. Every child should have an smiley face shape to stand on.Smiley Circle TimeSet out the smiley shapes on the floor in a circle. Have each child sit on his/her own smiley face for circle time.I Love My Family Because....Have the children finish the sentence "I Love My Family Because..." Write down the children's answers and post them on a bulletin board.Grandparents day: Have a grandparents day party, or invite a different grandparent each day to read a special story. Be sure that stories are well rehearsed, and interesting to the children. Talk about members in a family, father, mother, sister, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more.Mommy says: Played like Simon Says. Replace mommy with other family members.Mother May I? The old game, mother may I take three little steps forward? Replace mother with other family members.Sand and Water Table -Have the children bathe the dolls in the water table with soap and water.Family Duck, Duck, GOOSE!Substitute other names in this game to suit your needs. Try Duck/Duckling, Cat/Kitten, Mommy/Baby, Daddy/Baby etc.1st Semester Week : 6 Theme: FriendsBook: How to be a FriendColor: GreenLetter(s): FNumber(s) : 6 Shape: StarSight Words: Find, Fly, For, FriendsCircle Time/ Morning Time Ideas: Make rectangle quilt (Draw rectangles on open ended paper), Make rectangle with the children laying on the floor.Lesson Plan IdeasArt Friendship Art 3Have each child draw a picture for another child.Friendship Art 4Have one child trace another child's hand, color it and cut it out.Friendship Art 5On a very big piece of paper, have one child lay down, and the other child trace the first child. The children may color in their bodies and cut them out to hang around the class.Friends Holding HandsHave the children use non-toxic paints to paint their hands. Then have one child place their left hand on a piece of paper and another child places their right hand on the same paper. Label with the children's names.Friends Holding Hands 2Have each child place their hands along the outside of a large piece of paper. On the center of the paper write "Preschool Friends Holding Hands" Change Preschool to be more appropriate to your program. Say your class is the bluebird class... "Bluebird Friends Holding Hands"Ask the parent to bring in pictures of the children with a friend to post in the classroom. Place a piece of contact paper over the picture to attach it to the wall at eye level. Talk to the children about their friends in the picture. If possible, take pictures throughout the week to post as well, of the children with their new friends.Friend MemoryAsk the parents to supply you with a picture of each child in the class. Make 2 black and white photo copies of each photo and glue the copies to the back of a blank index card. Now you have the cards to play memory.Who is missing?Have all the children cover their eyes. I have found that when they lay on their bellies they tend to peek less. Tap one child on the shoulder. That child will hide. Then the other children have to guess who is missing.Hello My Friend!Have one child sit in the middle of a circle on a chair. This child should cover his/her eyes. Then pick one child to go up to the child in the middle and say "Hello my friend, can you guess who I am?" The child in the middle gets three guesses. Then the child who spoke sits in the middle and the child that was in the middle chooses another speaker. The children can use their normal voices, but if they are familiar with the person in the chair, silly voices can be more difficult and amusing.Follow my FriendPlay follow my friend just like follow the leader.Friendship collageHave the children cut pictures of children out of magazines and glue them to a piece of paper. New Friends Chant(chanted to "I've got Spirit")Teacher should chant the song a few times then start the chant with herself and point to the first child. The child she chooses chants then points to another child who chants.?If they don't catch on the whole group can chant everything but the line "my name is" The teacher would point to each student on their turn.Meeting new friends?Is fun to doMy name is _____How about you? (child points to another child)Photo albumYou can purchase a photo album from most craft stores. They come in a variety of sizes. Ask the parents to bring in a picture of their child, or take pictures of each child. The child would decorate one page of the book, then place the picture of the child on the page, along with their name. The possibilities for this activity are endless!Body ShapesOne child lays on a large piece of bulletin board paper while another child traces around them. The children can cut the shape out and decorate it.?Who is this?Have a picture of each child. During circle time, ask the children "Who is this" as you show them each picture.1st Semester Week : 7Theme: Places I goBook: Oh The Places You'll Go By Dr. SeussColor: PinkLetter(s): GNumber(s) : 7Shape: HeartSight Words: Get, Go, Good, GirlLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time : Discuss places children enjoy goingWeek : 8Theme: Fall Book: It's Fall By Linda GlaserColor : BlackLetter(s): HNumber(s): 8Shape : DiamondSight Words: Happy, Have, Help, HereSpecial Events This Week: N/ALesson Plan IdeasCircle Time: Talk about Fall and what happens during this seasonArtFingerprint Apple TreeUse brown ink along the side of the child's hand to make the tree trunk. Use green ink on the child's thumb to make as many leaves as the child wants. Use red ink on the child's pinky finger to make the apples.Apple NecklacesCut out apple shapes from different colors of paper. Older children can do the cutting for themselves. Then depending on the ages.. either punch holes in the apples or allow the children to punch the holes. Then supply the children with yarn that is about 18 inches long with one end that is wrapped with a little piece of masking tape. Have the children lace the apples onto the yarn, then tie it to make a necklace.Fall CollageGo for a nature walk. Supply the children with a Ziploc bag to collect twigs, leaves, acorns, etc. When you arrive back at school, encourage the children to use the materials to create a fall collage. Use glue to affix the materials to the paper.Nature Walk BraceletPlace a piece of masking tape around each child's wrist, sticky side out. Have the children place materials they find on their nature walk on the bracelet.Science, Math, and GamesSink or Float?Ask the students to predict whether they think acorns will sink or float. Try it out!Acorn SortProvide many acorns for the children to sort. They can sort by color, size, whether they have a cap or not.Acorn CountingPlace small pieces of paper numbered 1 through 6 in the bottom of a muffin tin. Supply the children with 21 acorns. The children should place 1 acorn in the 1 tin and 2 in the 2 tin. And so on.Apple Hide and Seek?Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" an apple in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the Apple, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the Apple.Apple Sizing?Cut out many different sized Apples. Ask the children to line up the Apples from largest to smallest.Apple Numbers?Cut out ten Apple shapes. Number them one to ten. Ask the children to line up the Apples from one to ten.Apple Colors?Ask the children to sort the Apples by color.Apple Sort?Ask the children to sort the Apples by size.Pass the ApplePlayed like hot potato... have the children sit in a circle and pass an apple around the circle when music is playing, when the music stops the child holding the apple sits in the middle or the "apple pie pot" until the music stops again and the next child replaces the first. You may also chant "hot apple, hot apple 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10" and the child who has the apple on 10 is in the "apple pie pot."Pass the Apple IIFor older children. Have one child hold an apple under his/her chin and try to pass the apple to a friend. You could do this in a circle or you can do a relay race where the children have to run with the apple under their chin.Week : 9Theme: Fire Safety Week Book: Clifford The Firehouse Dog By Norman BridwellColor : RedLetter(s): INumber(s): 9, 10Shape : OctagonSight Words: I , In, Is, It, IceSpecial Events This Week: Fire Truck Visit at Akeba AcademyClasses: AllTime: 10:30amLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeDiscuss Fires, and the prevention of Fires. Science, Math, and GamesFirefighter Says:Played just like "Simon Say" except the teacher says "Firefighter Says." With younger children, do not make children sit out... just say "Firefighter didn't say."Smoke, Smoke, FIRE!!!Played like "Duck, Duck, Goose" except the children will go around the circle, and say "smoke, smoke, Fire."Dramatic PlayPretend to Squirt a Hose Spray ArtFill a spray bottle 3/4 full with water. Place a small amount of paint (powdered or liquid) into the water. If you use too much or do not shake well the paint will clog up the spray bottle. Do this for at least three different bottles, with three different colors. Then place a large piece of paper on the floor, on an easel, on a wall or fence outside. Then have the children spray the colored water on the paper. Allow the paper to dry.Stop, Drop and RollHave the children stop, drop and roll.Fire DrillEven though you are expected to do fire drills on a regular basis. Have your class do a fire drill during the theme.Smoke CrawlExplain to the children that if there is a lot of smoke that they should crawl instead of walk. Have the children practice crawling.ArtPut The Flames OutGet red and yellow sidewalk chalk. Draw flames on a sidewalk and let children put them out with water bottles.Fire Truck Sponge PaintingYou can find already shaped sponges at most art and craft stores or you can make your own. Obtain sponges shaped as fire trucks. Have your child dip the sponges into paint and press on a piece of paper to create an fire truck scene.Red and Yellow Shaving Cream ArtAdd a few drops of red or yellow paint to shaving cream. Have the children use this to paint with. Not mixing the paint in will give it a special look.Firefighter HatsMake hats from newsprint or butcher paper. An easy way to do this is to place the paper on the child's head, then place a piece of masking tape around the child's head, like a headband, on the paper. Then crumple the sides up. Have the children paint their hats red.Fire TrucksSupply the children with a picture of a fire truck to color or paint red.Fire Truck StickersSupply the children with fire truck stickers to place on a piece of paper.Week: 10-REVIEWTheme: Leaves Book: The Leaves on The Trees by Thom WileyColor : BrownLetter(s): Review A-I ---> Monday A-C, Tuesday D-E, Wednesday F-G, Thursday H-I, Friday (Assessment)Number(s): Review 0-10 --> Monday 0-1 , Tuesday 2-4, Wednesday 5-7, Thursday 8-10, Friday AssessmentShape : Review Monday- Circle, Square / Tuesday-Triangle, Oval Wednesday-Rectangle, Stare/ Thursday-Heart, Diamond, Octagon Friday AssessmentSight Word Review and Assessment (Monday) A, An, Are, At, Ball, Be, Big, Boy, But, Best (Tuesday) Can, Car, Cat, Come (Thursday )Day, Do, Did, Dog, Down (Friday) Eat, Ear, Elephant, Eye Find, Fly, For, Funny Get, Go, Good, Girl Happy, Have, Help, HereSpecial Events This Week: Chocolate Cupcake Day----- October 18, 2013Report Cards Go HomeParent Conferences This WeekPrep For 2nd SemesterLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time IdeasLeaves are all around us.We eat leaves.Leaves change colors, usually from green to red, orange, yellow and brown.Leaves can be found on trees.Leaves fall to the ground and we rake them up.ArtLeaf CollagesCut out different leaf shapes out of fall colors and have the children glue the shapes onto another piece of paper.Leaf RubbingsHave the child place a leaf under a piece of paper, and rub the paper with crayon, and the leaf shape will appear. This works much better with green leaves.Leaf PrintsObtain a leaf for each child. Have the child paint the vein side of the leaf. Press the leaf onto a piece of paper to create a leaf print.Leaf HandsTrace your child's hand onto a fall color of construction paper, and cut it out to make it look like a maple leaf.Leaf TreeUse brown construction paper for the trunk of the tree, and tape up fall leaves to the wall to make a huge fall tree in your classroom.Leaf PaintingHave the children paint, using leaves as paint brushes.Leaf GlitterFind some old brown leaves. Have the children crumble them up and use them as glitter. You could even paint them before you crumble them to make different colored glitter.Leaf MobileHave the children attach leaves to a hanger with different lengths of string to create a mobile. Hang around the classroom.Dramatic PlayRaking LeavesLet children help you rake the fall leaves, they can rake with smaller rakes, or help you place leaves in bags, or what we do is bury them in our garden, so our garden is heathier the next year.Raking Leaves IISupply the children with smaller rakes to add to the dramatic play area. Let them pretend they are raking leaves.Leaf FallHave the children pretend they are leaves falling from a tree.Science, Math, GamesLeaf CrunchingPlace leaves in the sand and water table. Encourage the children to examine the leaves and crunch them in their hands.How Much is a HandfulHave each child grab a handful of leaves then count how many leaves they grabbed. Record each amount. Compare the results. Ask the child to estimate how many they will grab in their next handful. Have the child grab another handful and count the leaves again.Leaves ObservationsTake the children on a walk outside to observe the leaves. What color leaves do they see? Are all the leaves the same or are they different. Ask the children to draw a picture of what they saw.Collecting LeavesHave the children collect different kinds of leaves.Leaf GraphHave the children count the number of leaves they collected from each type of tree, and graph the results.Leaf SortHave the children sort the leaves they collected by color, size or type of leaf.Leaf BlowHave the children blow a leaf across a table with a straw. Have a leaf race. See who can blow their leaf across the table first.Leaf CountHave the children count how many leaves they have collectedLeaf Count IIMake pictures of trees with different numbers of leaves on the trees. Have the children count the number of leaves on the tree.Leaf MatchSet out two of each kind of leaf and have the children find the matches.2nd Semester Week 1Theme: PumpkinsBook: Five little Pumpkins by?Dan YaccarinoColor : OrangeLetter(s): JNumber(s): 11Shape : CircleSight Words: Jump, Jacket, Juice, JugSpecial Events This Week: End of 1st SemesterPumpkin Cheesecake DayLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeTalk about pumpkins, discuss what time of year pumpkins are grown in, and have a pumpkin readily viewable to children.MathPumpkin Face Matching Cards:??Create a set of pumpkin face matching cards.? Program pumpkin shapes with different expressions such as happy, sad, angry.? Make two sets for the children to use as matching cards.? Talk about feelings with the children and ask them to recall things that have made them feel different emotions.Pumpkin Seed Counting Cards:?Create a set of pumpkin cards to program with numbers and pumpkin seeds. Program one set with the numbers 0-12, and on another set glue corresponding numbers of real pumpkin seeds to the cards. Kids can use them to count and match numbers with sets.Pumpkin Seed Counting Game:?On a file folder create a pumpkin seed counting game.? Trace/draw ten pumpkin shapes on the inside of the file folder.? Write the numbers one through ten in them (one number in each pumpkin).? Collect 55 pumpkin seeds, wash and dry them.? Let the children place the correct number of seeds in each pumpkin shape.?ArtPumpkin PuppetsEach child should cut out a pumpkin shape from orange construction paper. Then either cut out facial features, or color them on with a black crayon. Paste to the bottom of a paper lunch bag. Then add a green construction paper stem.Pumpkin Seed ArtCollect pumpkin seeds from inside a pumpkin. Let them air dry and have the children use the pumpkin seeds to make a collage.Pumpkin Seed ShakersYou need: dried pumpkin seeds from inside your pumpkin, two paper plates (for each child) and a stapler. Have the children put some seeds on one of the paper plates (bottom side down). Next, have them place the other plate on top of the first plate (bottom side up). Help the children staple their plates together with the seeds inside. Let the children paint, use markers or crayons to decorate their shakers.Fingerprint PumpkinsHave the children make orange fingerprints on a piece of paper. Use a non-toxic orange ink pad. Show the children how to use one finger at a time. Use a green pen to draw stems on the paper and draw vines to connect some of the pumpkins. (You can do this for younger children or have older children draw the vines and stems themselves.Science, Math, and GamesPumpkin ScienceWhat is inside a pumpkin? Let the children explore the insides of a pumpkin. It's a great sensory experience.Pumpkin SeedsSave the pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin. Boil 2 cups seeds in 1 quart water with 2 tbls salt for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and toss them in 1 tblsp of butter. Spread the seeds on a baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Stir frequently.Pumpkin FacesProvide the children with many different pumpkin faces. Ask the children which pumpkin is happy? How does this pumpkin feel? How does that pumpkin make you feel?2nd Semester Week 2Theme: Fall FestivalBook: Corduroy's Halloween By: B.G. HennesseyColor : YellowLetter(s): KNumber(s): 12Shape : SquareSight Word: Kick, Kite Kids, KindSpecial Events This Week:Monday: Crazy Socks DayTuesday: Hat DayWednesday: Tacky DayThursday: Fall Festival & Dress up/ Costume/Kite Day Friday: Show your School Spirit Day (Wear Akeba Colors)Lesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeDiscuss with the children the importance of trick or treat safety. Talk about the fair and come up with ideas for fall festival. Get Parents involved...ArtTrick or Treat BagHave your child decorate a brown paper bag. They can make a pumpkin, a black cat, or a witch. Reinforce the bottom and add handles.Halloween PrintsObtain cookie cutters that are Halloween shaped. Have the children dip the cookie cutter in a shallow container of paint, then press onto a piece of paper to make prints.Dramatic PlayHalloween Dress UpHave them dress up, then ask them what they are. Some of my favorites are dresses, side heeled shoes, scarves, plastic hats, sports jackets, and children's costumes.Go Trick or TreatingCreate an imaginary neighborhood for your child(ren) to trick or treat in. Have the children dress up?and pretend to go trick or treating from class to class and practice trick or treating. 2nd Semester Week : 3Theme: Farm AnimalsBook: Open The Barn DoorColor : BlueLetter(s): LNumber(s): 13Shape : TriangleSight Words: Like, Little, Love LookSpecial Events This Week: N/ALesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeExplain what animals are usually at a farm, talk about what they eat and where they sleep. Sing songs about farm animals and have children reenact how the different animals walk and what noises they make if any. ArtBlack Sheep?Cut out sheep designs out of white construction paper. Let your child glue black yarn onto the paper, or let them use a black crayon to color the sheep.?Pig Painting?Cut a pig shape from pink construction paper. Let your child paint on the "mud" with black or gray tempera paint.?Cows eat Grass?Cut out cow shapes. Explain to your child that cows like to eat grass. Go outside and have your child pick some blades of grass. Have them glue the cows, and the blades of grass onto a piece of blue paper.?Cow SpotsSupply each child with a piece of white paper and black non-toxic stamp pads. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time.?GamesPin the Feather on the Turkey?Played just like pin the tail on the donkey. Provide the children with a huge turkey shape, and feathers. You may want to use tape instead of pins to attach the feathers on the turkey. Blindfold one child and have them tape the feather on the turkey.?Also try:Pin the Tail on the Sheep. Use a cotton ball with tape one it and a picture of a sheepPin the Tail on the Pig. Use a curly pig tail shape cut from ping paper and a picture of a pig.?Farmer Says:Played just like "Simon Say" except the teacher says "Farmer Says." With younger children, do not make children sit out... just say "Farmer didn't say."?Duck, Duck, Goose?The children sit in a big circle. Then choose one child to be "it." The first child walks around the outside of the circle, and taps each child's head saying "duck, duck, duck" then the child who is tapped as "goose" chases the first child around the circle. The first child runs to reach the spot where the "goose" was sitting and sits down and the other child becomes "it." If the second child catches the first child, the first child sits in the middle of the circle called the “pot.”MathStamping PatternsUse farm animal rubber stamps to create a simple pattern on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the?pattern?on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.?Chick Sequence Cards?Make simple sequence cards for your child. Draw the different stages of a chick hatching from an egg. Draw an egg in its nest, an egg cracking, a chick partly out of the egg, and a chick that is completely hatched.?Animal SortCollect plastic farm animals, let the children sort them according to type, or size.?Animal Cracker JarFor older children. Fill a small jar with animal crackers. Ask each child to guess how many animal crackers are in the jar. For younger children, limit the number of animal crackers to less than ten. Record each child's guess. Count the animal crackers.?Vote and Graph itHave the children vote for their favorite farm animal and graph the results. Which animals did most children like the best??ScienceExamine feathers?If you can obtain some feathers, allow your child to examine the feathers with a magnifying glass. Do feathers float in water??Which seed is it?Place many different kinds of seeds on a paper plate. One of each kind. Talk about the seeds with your child. Then tell your child that you are going to describe a seed, and you want them to guess which one it is. Take turns trying to guess which seed the other is describing.?Dramatic PlayNesting Hen?Place some plastic eggs under a pillow. Have the child sit on the pillow and guess how many eggs are under the pillow. Count the eggs with the child.?Play Farm?Use play cows, pigs and other animals and a box for the barn. Have your child pretend with the animals.?Dress up Farmer?Supply overalls, straw hats, scarves, and boots to pretend to be a farmer.?2nd Semester Week 4Theme: Fruit & VegetableBook: Fruits and Vegetables / Frutas y vegetales (English and Spanish Foundations Series) (Bilingual) (Dual Language) (Pre-K and Kindergarten)?- By Gladys MendozaColor : GreenLetter(s): MNumber(s): 14Shape : RectangleSight Words: Me, My, Mine, MomSpecial Events This Week: N/ALesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeIn this unit children will learn about healthy foods. Children will taste many kind of vegetables and fruit and also learn how and where they are grown and having fun with vegetables theme-related activities.ArtVegetables Prints.?Prepare some firm vegetables such as carrot, okra, potato, green pepper, etc. Cut it in half. Drain on paper towel to remove excess juice. The children dip the vegetables in paint and press the vegetable on paper.Produce CollagesMaterials Needed: Provide advertisement flyers from local supermarkets, glue sticks, scissors and construction paper. The children cut out and glue their favorites on the construction paper.?Grape FingerprintsSupply the children with red, green and purple non toxic ink pads and paper. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add vines with a black penSeeds CollageSupple the children with a variety of seeds from fruits. Have them glue the seeds onto a piece of paper.Fruit Loops NecklacesSupply the children with Fruit Loops and yarn. Have the children thread the Fruit Loops onto the yarn to make a necklace.MathFavorite Fruit and Vegetable Bar Graph.?Ask children their favorite vegetable. List some Fruit and vegetables on the cardboard. Count how many children like the particular fruit and/or vegetable. Graph the number of children. Hang the poster on the wall.Count the seedsBefore you cut a piece of fruit, have your child try to guess how many seeds will be inside. Cut open the fruit and count them. How close was he/she. Write down your child's guess.. and how many seeds that were in the fruit. The next day repeat the process. Compare your results. Were there more, less, or the same amount of seeds in the two fruits.?Graphing SeedsGraph the number of seeds in various kinds of fruit. Before you count, ask the children which fruit they think will have the most seeds, and which they think will have the least.ScienceVegetable Tasting Center.?Cut small piece of vegetables, raw and cooked. Encourage children to taste and compare different vegetables. Ask children compare them to same vegetable cooked.Colored Celery Stalk.?Prepare 2 plastic cups, half fill with water. Add few drops food coloring : red in one cup and blue in the others. Cut up the middle of leafy celery stalk. Put half of the celery stalk on the blue cup and the other half in red cup. Put the celery stalk in the cup at warm, light place. Look at the celery after an hour. What has happened to the stalk? Leave your experiment for a night and then look at it again. What do the leaves look like now? It will show how water travels through the stalk and into its leavesTaste It/Graph It Have the children taste a bit of a lemon and a lime. Cut out lemon and lime shapes from yellow and green paper. Place each child's name on one lemon and one lime. Create on a piece of poster board two columns, one with a smiley face and one with a sad face. Place tape on the back of each lemon and lime shape. After the children have tried the lemons and limes have them place their lemon and lime in the appropriate column.Fruit Feel BoxPlace a piece of fruit in a box with a hole in one side. In the hole should be a long sock with the end cut off. Have the child feel the fruit and describe it. What piece of fruit do they think it is?GamesFruit HopPlace fruit shapes on the floor. Have the children hop from one fruit shape to the next.Fruit Seat MarkersCut out and laminate big fruit shapes to be used as seat markers for the children to sit on during story and circle time.Fruit, Fruit, Veggie!Play this like Duck, Duck Goose! You could get more specific and say orange, orange, cucumber!Dramatic PlaySet up a Vegetable Stand.?Provide the children plastic fruits, a cash register, play money and bags. Create name cards “seller”, “buyer” and “cashier“ for children to wear around their neck. Encourage the children for buy, sell and pack the vegetables. The children can take turns being a buyer, seller or cashier.2nd Semester Week 5Theme: Native AmericansBook: Ten Little Rabbits?- Virginia GrossmanColor : YellowLetter(s): NNumber(s): 15Shape : OvalSight Words: New, No, Nice NightSpecial Events This Week: N/ALesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeDuring circle time talk with children about the Native American culture. Explain to them the differences of their culture as far as what different foods they eat, how they dress, and how they live.Sing Indian Song during circle time Ten little Indians?(You can replace "Indian" with "Pilgrim".)1 little, 2 little 3 little Indians,?4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians,?7 little, 8 little 9 little Indians,?10 little Indian boys and girls.?They jumped in a boat and the boat flipped over,?They jumped in a boat and the boat flipped over,?They jumped in a boat and the boat flipped over,?10 little Indian boys and girls.?They swam and they swam and they swam to their mother,?They swam and they swam and they swam to their mother,?They swam and they swam and they swam to their mother,?10 little Indian boys and girls.?She hugged them, kissed them, and sent them to bed,She hugged them, kissed them, and sent them to bed,?She hugged them, kissed them, and sent them to bed,?10 little Indian boys and girls.ArtNative American VestsMake and decorate vests from paper grocery bags.?Plains Indian HeadbandsMake headbands from strips of construction paper and feathers. Explain that not all Native American Indians wore feather headdresses. Also feather headbands were only worn on special ceremonial occasions.?TeepeesYou can show the children how to make teepees from paper by making the paper into a cone shape and taping it. Have the children decorate their teepees. You can explain to children that this was one of the many different housing that some Native American tribes lived in. Today, Native Americans live in houses and apartments.? Do face painting on your kids so they look like Indians.MathNative American Counting GameUse Styrofoam or poster board and cut about 4 inch circles as many as you want. On each circle draw symbols denoting a number value on one side only. Place the circle in a basket and have each child toss the circles in to the air. You count the symbols on only the circles that land symbol side up. Then have children pick the correct corresponding numeralWhat Feather Is Missing:?Cut Indian feathers from assorted construction paper, or if you can get different colored "real" feathers, use these. Have the kids sit in a circle. Place four or more feathers in the middle of the circle. One of the children will hide his eyes, while another takes a feather away. The other child will try to guess which color is missing, and which child has the feather. Play this game until each child has a chance to guess the missing color.Feather Sorting?Cut out several different feather shapes from construction paper or provide the children with store bought craft feathers (can be used the above activity as well). Ask the children to sort the feathers according to color. Ask the children "How many red feathers do you have?" etcSciencePopping popcorn?What happens when you heat up corn kernels? Get an air popper and let the children watch the corn kernels pop. Be sure to let the children know that the container is hot. WARNING: Popcorn is a choking hazard and should never be served to children under the age of three. Children over the age of three should be directly supervised while eating popcorn.Dramatic PlayIndian Play?Provide the children with Indian clothing, cradleboards, beaded necklaces, set up teepees and allow the children to pretend to be Indian. You may also choose to provide different animal skins for a sensory experienceGamesPlay pass the featherPass a feather around with music playing. Whoever has the feather when the music stops, has to stand up and give a war cry.2nd Semester Week 6Theme: ThanksgivingBook: Im Thankful Each Day By: P. K. HallinanColor : BrownLetter(s): ONumber(s): 16Shape : StarSight Words: On, One, Off, OldSpecial Events This Week: Thanksgiving Dinner In ClassroomLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time Discuss with children the foods commonly associated with Thanksgiving, different ways people celebrate Thanksgiving, how do other cultures celebrate the harvest and, the history of ThanksgivingArtI am Thankful for my Family Art?Show your child how to make finger prints on a piece of paper. Have your child draw eyes, nose mouth and hair to create a face. Ask the children to name the people in the picture. Write the family names below each print.?Turkey Headbands?Have the children cut paper strips to make a headband out of. They make glue, staple or tape the headband together. Provide the children with feathers, glitter, sequins or other materials for them to decorate the headband with. You can write "Turkey Suzy" on the headbandHand Turkey?Paint the palm of your child's hand brown, as well as their thumb. Then paint each of their fingers a different bright color such red or blue. Have the child press their hand onto a piece of white paper. For older children, let them draw on feet and characteristics such as eyes and nose. The thumb represents the turkey’s neck and the palm the body.MathTurkey Feather Game?Find a picture of a turkey that you like. Make six copies of it. Cut out the bodies of the turkeys (so you just have to add the feathers to make the turkey complete). Write the number "one" on the first turkey, two on another; repeat with the numbers three through six. Provide the children with twenty-one feather shapes, cut from construction paper or store bought craft feathers. Ask the children to place the appropriate number of feathers on each turkey. One feather on the turkey with the number one it... and so on.?Dramatic PlayThanksgiving Day?Pretend to have a feast just like Thanksgiving. Pretend to eat all the foods that you would have at Thanksgiving.?Lincoln Logs?Provide the children with Lincoln Logs to build withGamesPin the Feather on the Turkey?Played just like pin the tail on the donkey. Provide the children with a huge turkey shape, and feathers. You may want to use tape instead of pins to attach the feathers on the turkey. Blindfold one child and have them tape the feather on the turkey.?2nd Semester Week 7Theme: Wintery FunBook: It's Winter by Susan SwanColor : WhiteLetter(s): PNumber(s): 17Shape : HeartSight Words: Play, Pretty, Penguin Special Events This Week:Classroom Assessments are to be completed this week12/4/2015 - Santa's List Day ( make Christmas lists in classroom)12/5/2015 - Bathtub Party (Wear Pajamas to work/school)12/7/2015 - Christmas Parade 10:00amLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time During this time the teacher will explain what the season (winter) is and what happens during this season. Talk about the change of clothing to be worn during this seasonArtWinter Clothes?Supply the children with stencils of winter clothes and boy and girl shapes, and lots of different papers, or wall paper. Have the children trace the stencils and cut them out. Have them glue the winter clothes onto the boy/girl shape.Pine tree Art?Provide a child with a pine tree branch, paint and a piece of paper and have the child dip the pine tree branch in the paint and use as a paintbrush.Tin Foil ArtSupply the children with blue paint, paintbrushes and tin foil to create a picture on a different texture.Sponge PrintingProvide the children with winter shaped sponges. Have the children press the sponge into some paint and press onto a piece of paper. For more detailed art, paint the sponge with a paintbrush, then press onto the paper.SciencePlay Doh FunWinter shaped cookie cutters and play-doh can provide a sensory experience. The children could also roll white play-doh into three different sized balls to create a snowman.Blue Cling WrapPlace blue cling wrap on a window so the children can look outside through it. You could also make toilet paper binoculars with blue cling wrap on the ends.MathCounting SnowballsUse an empty egg carton for this activity. Supply the children with white pom poms. Write numbers in the bottom of the egg carton sections. Have the children place the appropriate number of pom poms in each section.Winter Shape Match Up?There are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups: (Use your own Winter Shapes... mitten, hat, snowflake, etc)---Cut out Winter Shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one Winter Shape. Ask the children to find one person with the same color Winter Shape.---Cut out Winter Shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the Winter Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Winter Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half.Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Winter Shape pieces are distributed.---Cut out Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Winter Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Winter Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half.Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Winter Shape pieces are distributed.---Cut the Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of Winter Shapes with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the Winter Shapes with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one Winter Shape and have them find the child with their match.---Cut the Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two Winter Shapes. Give each child one Winter Shape and have them find the child with their match.---Cut the Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Winter Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a Winter Shape. Give each child one Winter Shape half and have them find the child with their match.---Place matching Winter stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match.---Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the Winter Shape to the file folder and laminate it's match.GamesWinter Shape Hop?Cut out large Winter shapes from colored paper. Laminate them and cut them out. Place them on the floor and ask the children to hop from one Shape to another. These may also be used at seat markers for group time.Mitten Hide and Seek?Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" a mitten in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the mitten, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the mitten.Mitten Hide and Seek?Play the game the same as above, except hide the mitten. Then tell the children individually whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the mitten. Allow the other children to have a change to hide the mitten, and tell children whether they are "hot or cold". It may be a good idea to discuss the meaning of hot and cold before you play this game.Winter Shape Fishing Game?Tie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored, and Winter Shapes from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each Winter Shape. Spread the Winter Shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the Winter Shape. Have them try to catch the star or the biggest tree. For a twist, label the Winter Shapes with letters or numbers.Winter Shaped Games?The following games require you to cut out many different winters Shapes from construction paper. You may choose to laminate these Winter Shapes so they last longer.2nd Semester (Week : 8)Theme: Polar AnimalsBook: Who Lives Here? Polar Animals?- Deborah HodgeColor : PinkLetter(s): QNumber(s): 18Shape : DiamondSight Words: Queen, Quit, QuiteSpecial Events This Week:12/9/2015 - National Pastry Day12/13/2015 - End of 2nd Nine Weeks/ Report Cards go home12/13/2015 - Ice Cream DayLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeTalk to the children about polar animals. Can anyone name some? Write them down. What does "polar" mean? What is the weather like in the polar regions? Record answers. Have a globe ready to show the children where the North and South pole is. Discuss that it is very cold in the regions around the poles. These areas are called the polar regions. The land is covered by snow and ice, also known as glaciers, all year round. Ask the children what they need to wear when it's cold outside. Ask the children if animals wear coats, mittens and gloves. How do you think the animals keep warm. The fur and fat keeps them warm. Discuss that polar bears, penguins, schrews, seals and walrus live in the polar regions.Art Torn Paper Polar AnimalsSupply the children with a full sheet of blue paper and half sheet of white paper. Ask them to make polar bear or penguin by tearing pieces of the white paper and gluing them onto the blue paper. Small amounts of other colored paper may be used.?Sticker ArtSupply the children with stickers of polar animals and have them place them on a piece of white paper to make a polar scene.?Stamp ArtSupply the children with stamps of polar animals and have them make a polar scene with the stamps.?Paint like a polar animalSupply the children with paper and paint and have the children paint like a seal or penguin might paint. You may want to have them put a pair of clean socks on their hands to help them imagine not having fingers to use.?Sponge ArtSupply the children with sponges of polar animals and paint and have them make a polar scene with them.?MathVote and Graph itHave the children vote for their favorite polar animal and graph the results. Which animals did most children like the best??Would a bear be a good pet?Have the children vote if a polar bear would be a good pet. Record the results on a graph. What is the result? Discuss with the children that a bear would not be a good pet and reasons why. Ie.. claws, eat a lot of food, they don't like humans, they might hurt us.?Polar Animal Shape Match UpThere are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups: (Use your own Polar Animal Shapes... Penguin, Seal, Bear etc)?---Cut out Polar Animal Shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one Polar Animal Shape. Ask the children to find one person with the same color Polar Animal Shape.?---Cut out Polar Animal Shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the Polar Animal Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Polar Animal Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Polar Animal Shape pieces are distributed.?---Cut out Polar Animal Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Polar Animal Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Polar Animal Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Polar Animal Shape pieces are distributed.?---Cut the Polar Animal Shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of Polar Animal Shapes with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the Polar Animal Shapes with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one Polar Animal Shape and have them find the child with their match.?---Cut the Polar Animal Shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two Polar Animal Shapes. Give each child one Polar Animal Shape and have them find the child with their match.?---Cut the Polar Animal Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Polar Animal Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a Polar Animal Shape. Give each child one Polar Animal Shape half and have them find the child with their match.?---Place matching Polar Animal stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match.?---Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the Polar Animal Shape to the file folder and laminate it's match.?---Cut four or five different Polar Animal Shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one Polar Animal Shape and have them form groups depending on what color they have... red animals here... or have them form groups depending on what animal they have.. penguins here.?SciencePolar Bear FatYou will need a pair of plastic gloves. Prepare a bucket of ice water. Fill one glove 1/4 full with?shortening? Then have the child put a clean glove on their hand, then into the?shortening?glove. Use a rubber band or tape to seal the glove around the child's wrist (be sure it isn't too tight) Have the child place one had in the glove then into the water, and the other hand right into the water. Ask the child what they notice. The?shortening?acts as a great insulator against the cold, just like a polar bears fat. This is why a polar bear, and other animals, can swim in icy cold water.Dramatic PlayDramatic PlayPuppets are always a great addition to any dramatic play area, or other stuffed polar animals for the children to play with.Provide plastic balls for the children to try to balance on their noses.Have the children pretend to be penguins and waddle.?GamesPolar Animal Shape Hop?Cut out large polar animal shapes from colored paper. Laminate them and cut them out. Place them on the floor and ask the children to hop from one shape to another. These may also be used at seat markers for group time.?Polar Animal Hide and Seek?Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" a polar animal in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the polar animal, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the polar animal.?Polar Animal Hide and Seek?Play the game the same as above, except hide the polar animal. Then tell the children individually whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the polar animal. Allow the other children to have a change to hide the polar animal, and tell children whether they are "hot or cold". It may be a good idea to discuss the meaning of hot and cold before you play this game.?Polar Animal Shape Fishing Game?Tie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored polar animal shapes from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each polar animal shape. Spread the polar animal shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the polar animal shape. Have them try to catch the star or the biggest tree. For a twist, label the polar animal shapes with letters or numbers.2nd Semester Week 9Theme: Snow & IceBook: Color : RedLetter(s): RNumber(s): 19, 20Shape : OctagonSight Words: Ride, Run, Rest, ReadySpecial Events This Week:Prepare For Assessments For Next Week 12:30pm - 1:30pm12/18/2015 - Bake Cookies Day12/20/2015 - Go Caroling Day At Gracemore @ 10am Preschool only12/20/2015 - Newsletters and Classroom Supply List are Turned inLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeShow children what Snow and Ice looks like. Explain to them what can be done with either snow and or ice. ArtCotton SnowmenLet your child use cotton balls to glue on blue paper to create a snowman!! If your child is older that three, you can glue beads on for the eyes, nose, mouth and buttons!Paper Snowflakes?Help your child make paper snowflakes. Hang them from the ceiling, and from the tree. Last year I got butcher paper, and I made 3 foot snowflakes, with my son, for my front window, and my parents. They loved them.Fingerprint Snowmen?Show the children how to make fingerprints on a piece of paper. Then, have them try to make a few snow men. With a big fingerprint on the bottom, medium in the middle and small on the top. Have the children add features with a pencil.Shaving Cream SnowmanThis project was made by mixing shaving cream with glue. A Popsicle stick was used to spread the mixture onto the paper. Scraps of paper can be used for eyes, nose, mouth, hat, buttons and arms. In the images, white paper was used. I would suggest a different color such as blue, or mixing blue paint or food coloring into the shaving cream mix.MathCounting SnowballsUse an empty egg carton for this activity. Supply the children with white pom poms. Write numbers in the bottom of the egg carton sections. Have the children place the appropriate number of pom poms in each section.Snowman CountingMake snowmen shapes on index cards. Write numbers on the hat of each snowman. Provide the children with colored pom-pom. The children look at the number on the hat and place the appropriate number of pom poms on the snowman.Snowman Number MatchingMake snowmen shapes on index cards. Write numbers on the bellies of one set and matching buttons on another set. I.e. 1 card with the number "1", and a matching card with one button. Mix the cards up, and have the children find the matches.Snowman Color MatchingMake snowmen shapes on index cards. Create different colored hats in pairs. Have the children match the snowmen based on the color of their hat.Snowman SortingMake snowmen shapes on index cards. Make each snowman a little different. Have some with black hats, some with red, some with three buttons, some with two, some with scarves, some without. Then have the children sort the snowmen. Ask the child how they sorted the snowmen.ScienceSensory Snow:?-Place some snow in your sand and water table for the children to experience.-Supply the children with some snow and a balance or scale-Look at a snowflake under a microscope-Make snow cones (not with real snow)-Watch snow melt-Time how long it takes one tablespoon of snow to melt, compare that to the time it will take one cup of snow to melt.GamesConnect FourYou can place snowflake stickers on the pieces of a "Connect Four" game. Play the game according to the traditional rules.Sequencing SnowballsProvide the children with three different sized foam ball for the children to sequence. If you have multiple sets you could also have the children sort the balls by size.Play Doh FunWinter shaped cookie cutters and play-doh can provide a sensory experience. The children could also roll white play-doh into three different sized balls to create a snowman.Snowball TossHave the children toss foam ball into a basket for a fun gross motor game.Parachute SnowballsAdd foam balls to your parachute activity. Have the children try to get the snowballs off the parachute or keep them on.Dramatic PlayPretend to be a snowflake?Ask the children to pretend to be a graceful snowflake falling from the sky. You could even play soothing music for them to dance to.Melting?Have the children pretend they are a snowman that is melting.2nd Semester Week 10Theme: ChristmasBook: The Sweet Smell Of Christmas by Patricia ScarryColor : Review All Monday--> Orange, Blue/Tuesday--> Yellow, Green/ Wednesday-->Black, Brown/Thursday-->White, Pink, Red Friday AssessmentsLetter(s): Review All Monday--> J,K, L, / Tuesday--> M, N/ Wednesday--> O, P/ Thursday--> Q,R/ Friday AssessmentNumber(s): Review All Monday-->11,12,13/ Tuesday--> 14,15/Wednesday-->16,17/ Thursday--> 18,19,20 Friday--> AssessmentShape : Review All Monday--> Circle, Square, Triangle/Tuesday-->Rectangle, Oval/ Wednesday Star, Heart/ Thursday Diamond Octagon Friday--> AssessmentSight Words: Review All--> Monday-->Ride, Run, Rest, Ready /Tuesday--->Queen, Quit, Quite Play, Pretty, Penguin/ Wednesday--> On, One, Off, Old New, No, Nice Night Me, Thusday--> My, Mine, Mom: Like, Little, Love Look Kick, Kite Kids, Kind I, In, Is, ItFriday-->AssessmentSpecial Events This Week:Akeba Academy and The Rock will be Closed 12/24 and 12/2512/27/2015 - Make Cut Out Snowflakes DayLesson Plan Ideas n Circle TimeTalk about the Christmas Holiday, and what all take placeArtHand Print WreathShow the children images of traditional?Christmas wreaths.?Trace each child's hands several times onto a piece of green paper. Have the children cut out these hand shapes. Supply each child with a paper plate and show them how to cut out the center of the plate. Have the children glue their green hands shapes onto the plate to make a wreath. You could also have them use a paper hole punch on red paper and glue the holes on for holly.Cookie Cutter PaintingPut a small amount of tempera paint in a large shallow container. (A pie tin works well) Show your child how to dip the cookie cutter in the paint and press onto a piece of paper to create a print. You can make holiday pictures or greeting cards by using holiday cookie cutters and colored paper.Candy CanesDraw or trace a candy cane shape onto a white piece of paper. Then have the children cut or tear red strips or paper to place on the candy cane. Have the children glue the red pieces of paper onto their candy cane as the stripes. After the glue has dried, the child (or an adult) can cut out the candy cane shape.Fingerprint TreeEither have the children cut out their own tree or make one for them. Then let them use a non-toxic stamp pad to put fingerprints (Christmas Ornaments and lights) on the tree.MathCount the StripesMake many different candy cane shapes with different different numbers of stripes. Have the children count the stripes on the candy canes. If you made candy cane art (above) then have each child count the stripes on their candy cane. You could ask the children who had the most, the least and make a chart of how many lines were on the candy canes. Which number of stripes did most people make??Christmas Shape Match UpThere are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups: (Use your own Christmas Shapes... wreath, tree, star, bell, ornament... etc)---Cut out Christmas Shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one Christmas Shape. Ask the children to find one person with the same color Christmas Shape.?---Cut out Christmas Shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the Christmas Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Christmas Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half.?Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Christmas Shape pieces are distributed.?---Cut out Christmas Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Christmas Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Christmas Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half.?Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Christmas Shape pieces are distributed.?---Cut the Christmas Shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of Christmas Shapes with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the Christmas Shapes with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one Christmas Shape and have them find the child with their match.?---Cut the Christmas Shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two Christmas Shapes. Give each child one Christmas Shape and have them find the child with their match.?---Cut the Christmas Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Christmas Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a Christmas Shape. Give each child one Christmas Shape half and have them find the child with their match.?---Place matching Christmas stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match.?---Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the Christmas Shape to the file folder and laminate it's match.?ScienceWhat scent is this??Gather four or different objects with different scents, like Christmas Cookies, a Candy Cane, yams etc. Blindfold the child, then place the object close the the child's nose, and ask the child to smell it and try to identify what it is.Lacing CardsCut colored poster board into a Christmas shape (tree, wreath, star) and punch holes around the edges. Them let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards.?Stamping PatternsUse Christmas Theme rubber stamps to create a simple pattern on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the pattern on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.Dramatic PlaySet up Christmas Tree in classroom and let children do a secret santa and place gifts under tree for children to open on Christmas DayGamesWhat time is it Santa??This is a fun game to play outside. You can change the name to suit any theme.?The children all line up against a wall or fence.?And one child, (Santa) or the teacher faces away from the children, a good distance away from the children.?The children yell, what time is it "Santa",?Santa answers 1 o'clock, and the children all take one step toward Santa.?The children yell again, what time is it "Santa",?Santa answers (fill in the blank) o'clock, and the children all take same number of step toward Santa.?This continues until all the children are very close to Santa, then Santa will answer it's midnight, and chases the children back to the fence or wall that they started at. The first person Santa touches will be the new Santa.?Gift Hide and Seek?Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" a gift in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the gift, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the gift.?Gift Hide and Seek?Play the game the same as above, except hide the gift. Then tell the children individually whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the gift. Allow the other children to have a change to hide the gift, and tell children whether they are "hot or cold". It may be a good idea to discuss the meaning of hot and cold before you play this game.?Christmas Shape Fishing Game?Tie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored, and Christmas Shapes from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each Christmas Shape. Spread the Christmas Shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the Christmas Shape. Have them try to catch the star or the biggest tree. For a twist, label the Christmas Shapes with letters or numbers.?Christmas Shaped Games?The following games require you to cut out many different Christmas Shapes from construction paper. You may choose to laminate these Christmas Shapes so they last longer.?3rd Semester Week 1Theme: New YearBook: Color : BlueLetter(s): SNumber(s): 21Shape : TriangleSight Words- See, Said, She, SchoolSpecial Events This Week:Akeba Academy and The Rock will be Closed 12/31 and 1/1/2014Lesson Plan IdeasCircle Time Ideas- During circle time discuss with the children what it means to be in a new year and talk about the date MathBell balancing: 3+?Supply the children with bells and a balance. Show the children how to make the balance even. Count the bells on each side.?ScienceBell ringing: 3+?Supply the children with many different bells. What different sounds do they make. How are the sounds different.?Bell ringing 2: 3+?Supply the children with pairs of bells. Mix them up. See if they can find their matches by the sound.?ArtPaper Party Hats:?You will need colored construction paper, a stapler or tape, a hole punch and yarn at the minimum. You may choose to have the children decorate the paper with markers, paint, crayons, string, glitter, the year, or however they wish. After the paper has dried, form a cone shape to fit the child's head. Then staple or tape the shape securely. The cone shape is formed by rolling up the paper so the longer sides of the paper forms the top and bottom of the cone. After you have secured the shape with tape or staples, cut the bottom of the cone so it is even all the way around. Punch two holes in the hat near the bottom to attach a string that will secure the hat on the child's head. Tie on the string.?Bells:?You will need yarn, a pencil, craft bells,?Styrofoam?cups and decorating materials. Have the children decorate their cup. Cut a piece of yarn, no longer than the height of the cup. Tie the yarn to the bell. Then poke a small hole on the bottom of the cup. Thread the yarn through the hole so the bell is inside the cup. Tie the yarn in a knot (or a couple of knots) so it will not come loose. Now you have a bell.?Chinese New Year dragons:?Have the children make dragons out of lunch size paper bags and decorations like googly eyes, and paper scraps. Have a New Year's Parade and walk through the school and have the children place the dragons on their hands and wave them up and down.?GamesBells on Shoes:?Younger children will enjoy this activity. You can thread craft bell onto the shoelaces of your children. Then have your children walk around, dance, or stomp.?Dramatic PlayCountdown to the New Year:?Supply the children with party hats and noise makers. Pretend to countdown to the new year. Did you know a lot of noise is made to scare the old year away and welcome the new year??Chinese Nian Fun:?Read this story:?Long ago, in Han times, there was a monster whose name was "Nian". This monster came once each year to a little village and scared everyone! One day, just by luck, the villagers discovered that "Nian" had a couple fears of his own. He was afraid of the color red and even more afraid of scary loud noises! The villagers prepared. When "Nian" appeared, everyone in the village ran for the red banners and noise makers they had made. They waved their banners and rattled their noise makers, which scared "Nian" so much that "Nian" ran away and was never heard from again! Which explains why people in China believe the color red signifies joy and luck, and why noise makers are rattled on Chinese New Year. At midnight, firecrackers, paper dragons, noise makers, the waving of red ribbons and banners all help to drive away any lingering evil spirits from the old year. (In case "Nian" is still lurking about somewhere!) Let one child be Nian, and the others be the villagers. Ask the children to find something red to scare Nian. Read the story again and let the children act it out.Noisemakers 1Cut a piece of construction paper that will fit around a Pringles container. Have the child decorate the paper however they choose. You can glue other paper onto it, decorate it with crayons, markers, etc. Tape or glue the construction paper over a Pringles container. Fill the container with beans, rice or corn?kernels.? Place the lid on the container and have the children shake their noisemakers.?Noisemakers 2Take two sturdy paper plates. (The stronger the better)Place some beans on one of the plates and place the other plate on top of the first so that both eating surface areas are facing each other. Use masking tape to seal the plates together. Have your child decorate with markers, glitter, construction paper, or ribbons. When dry, shake. Shake to music, shake it each time you take a step. Shake, Shake Shake!!!Happy New YearTeach the children to say Happy New Year in other languages.Danish - Godt Nyt?rFrench - Bonne annéeGerman - Gutes Neues JahrHebrew - Shanah tovahRussian - S Novym GodomSpanish - Feliz A?o NuevoBell Estimation Jar:Fill a jar with bells. Have the children take turns estimating how many bells are in the jar. To help with their estimation, have them pull out 10 bells and look at them, they may hold them in their hands or spread them out, whatever helps with their estimation. Then return the 10 bells to the jar. After everyone has estimated count the bells in the jar together.3rd Semester Week 2Theme: My SensesBook: My Five Senses by AlikiColor : YellowLetter(s): TNumber(s): 22Shape : RectangleSight Words: That, The, They, This ThreeLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeDiscuss the 5 senses and the what does each sense do... what body part is associated with each sense...ScienceSand and Water Table Ideas:?(All, except taste)- Add a little food coloring to water- Add plastic ducks with water to the sand and water table.- For older children (over 3) place broken dried eggshells in the sand and water table.- Supply the children with different colors of plastic Easter grass for a tactile experience.- Add food coloring and soap to the water- supply the children with colored pasta noodles or rice- Add Shaving cream- Add ice or snow to water- Add ice or snow- Add warm water in one section and cool water in another- Add leaves- Add beans- Add dirt- Add feathers- Add Pine Cones- Add a little Kool Aid to the water- Add goopWhat's in the Sock??(Sight, Touch, Sound)?Find a very colorful sock. Place something in the sock, like a block, or a toy. Let the child feel the object and try to guess what it is.What scent is this??(Smell)?Gather four or more different objects with different scents, like vanilla, mint, lemon, popcorn. Blindfold the child, then place the object close the child's nose, and ask the child to smell it and try to identify what it is.What Taste is this??(Taste)?Gather four or more different food objects with different tastes, Skittles can be used. Blindfold the child, then ask the child to taste the food, and ask the child to taste it and try to identify what it is. [Note: some children may have allergies or diet restrictions, please keep these in mind when choosing items for children to taste. Peanuts products, strawberries and meat products are ones that you should avoid.Wet or Dry?(Touch)Have the children touch a variety of different fabrics that are wet (with water) and dry. Have the children guess whether they are wet or dry.Milky Rainbows:?(Sight)Provide every child with a shallow container of milk. Place a couple drops of different food coloring in the milk. Next have the child dip a toothpick into a little dish soap and then dip it into the milk. What happens? Try it again!ArtPlay Dough?(Sight, Touch, Smell)Play dough is great sensory activity. Children can use tools to manipulate the dough. Add a touch of Kool-Aid to add a scent to your dough.Texture Collages?(Sight, Touch)Provide the children with a variety of different materials to create a collage. Foil, lace, paper, cloth, string, lace, ribbon are just a few examples of materials that can be used.Torn Paper Art?(Sight, Touch)Have your child tear many different colors of paper. Let your child glue the torn pieces of paper onto a piece of paper.Fingerprint Art?(Sight, Touch)Supply each child with a piece of white paper and non-toxic stamp pads. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, decorate with a black pen. You can make the fingerprints into bugs, balloon, apples, etc.Paper Plate Shaker?(Sight, Touch, Sound)Take two sturdy paper plates. (The stronger the better) Place some seeds or beans on one of the plates and place the other plate on top of the first so that both eating surface areas are facing each other. Use masking tape to seal the plates together. Have your child decorate with markers, glitter, construction paper, or ribbons. When dry, shake. Shake to music, shake it each time you take a step. Shake, Shake Shake!!!Kool Aid Art?(Sight, Smell)Sprinkle a little dry kool aid mix onto a piece of paper. Have your child spray water from a spray bottle onto the paper. Use different colored kool-aid mix. For added adventure, you may choose to take your children out into the rain with a piece of paper that has kool-aid on it.Cotton Ball Clouds?(Sight, Touch)Make gray cloud shapes from construction paper. Have the children glue on cotton balls.Cereal Rainbows?(Sight, Taste, Touch, Smell)You will need a box of Fruit Loops (or similar cereal), paper, pencil and glue. For younger children, you should draw a rainbow shape on to the paper then have the children glue the fruit loops inside the shape. Older children can make their own rainbow shape, or trace it. You may also do this project as open ended art by allowing the children to make whatever they wish with the fruit loops. Okay, for the taste part, most children will want to eat the cereal while working, provide the children with 2 bowls of cereal, one for the art, and one to eat.Paint with Clouds?(Sight, Touch)Supply each child with a piece of blue paper, a cotton ball and white paint. Have the child dip the cotton ball into the white paint and press onto the paper to make cloud prints.Shaving Cream Art?(Sight, Touch, Smell)Add a few drops of paint to shaving cream. Have the children use this to paint with. Not mixing the paint in will give it a special look.Rubbings?(Sight, Touch)Cut a variety of shapes from paper doilys or sandpaper. Tape these shapes to the table. Have the children place a piece of thin white paper over the shapes and rub a crayon over the shape.Rainbow Eggshell Collage?(Sight, Touch)Use food coloring to color crushed eggshells a few different colors. (You can use eggshells from eggs you have used, there is no need to hard boil these egg shells.) Let your child glue the eggshells to a piece a paper after the dye has dried.Cookie Cutter Painting?(Sight)Put a small amount of tempera paint in a large shallow container. (A pie tin works well) Show your child how to dip the cookie cutter in the paint and press onto a piece of paper to create a print.Stencil Art?(Sight)Provide the children with stencils to trace. They may use markers, glitter, paint, crayons.. etc to decorate the shapes.Sticker Art?(Sight, Touch)For a very simple art project, supply the children with a piece of paper and stickers. For younger children this provides an excellent fine motor activity.Sponge Print?(Sight, Touch)You can find already shaped sponges at most art and craft stores or you can make your own. Have your child dip the sponges into paint and press on a piece of paper.Potato Prints?(Sight, Touch)Cut a large potato in half from the top to bottom, so it's a really long oval. Supply the children with the potato half, different colored paints, and paper. Have the children dip the potatoes in the paint and press them firmly onto the paper. If the potatoes are not cut evenly, the shape will not appear clearly.Balloon Prints?(Sight, Touch)In a pie tin, place 3 to 5 teaspoon sized portions of colored tempera paint evenly spaced about the area. Inflate a small balloon to a size which will easily fit in the palm of your child's hand. Show your child how to "dip" the balloon in the paint and press firmly onto a piece of paper. Let your child mix the colors, or use one color at a time. This is messy, but the results are wonderful.Bubble Art?(Sight, Touch)Supply the children with a bowl with bubble mix in it and a straw with a hole near the top to prevent children from sucking the soap up. Have the children blow into the straw while it is in the bowl creating bubbles. Then, have the child place a drop of food coloring on the top of the bubbles and quickly press a piece of paper on the top of the bubbles to create bubble prints.3rd Semester (Week : 3)Theme: OuterspaceBook: Color : GreenLetter(s): UNumber(s): 23Shape : StarSight Words Of The Week- Up, UnderSpecial Events this week: N/ALesson Plan IdeasCircle Time Ideas : Space is big, dark and cold. There is no air or water in space. Astronauts explore space in specially designed spacecraft called spaceships. Robots are also used to explore space. The only place in space that people have been to is the moon. Some people think that there may be life on other planets. Planets are in outer space. There are 9 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The Sun is in space and is a huge ball of fiery gases.Astronauts are community helpers. Talk about how astronauts get to the moon and survive their visits. Talk about what they wear, how they breathe in space, and what they eat. Discuss why astronauts go to the moon. Ask the children if an astronaut could bring back a crater. Talk about where the space shuttles take off and where they land. Show pictures of the moon. Talk about how there aren’t any plants, people, or animals on the moon. Ask the children what people, plants, and animals need that they can’t find on the moonArtSpace Helmets…Materials: Medium sized paper grocery bag, tape, crayons or markers, glue and scissors. Cut off the top of the bag, so when the bag is on your head it will just cover your ears. Cut down part way on one end to form a bill on your forehead. Reinforce it with tape. Draw, color and cut out emblems to glue on the sides of the space helmet. Ideas would be American Flag, space ship, and the letters U S A. or cut a square face hole out of one side of a paper bag. Let the children decorate the bags with crayons or markers to make space helmets.Moon Craters…Use the bubble wrap that comes in packages and covered it with plaster of Paris. Let dry and peel off. Wouldn’t this look like moon craters or such? Then they let the children paint it.Shape Robots…Cut various shapes out of colored paper. Give children a piece of construction paper to glue their shapes on to make a robot of some sort. Allow them to use markers to finish off their robots.Styrofoam Robots…Set out Styrofoam packing pieces and toothpicks and paint. Let the children stick the Styrofoam pieces.Rockets…Collect cardboard toilet tissue holders and 3 oz. paper cups. The children can glue or tape the cup onto the top of the tissue holder to create a rocket. Let the children paint it, or draw on it with felt tip markers. They may add a door, windows, and ladders.My Own ConstellationMaterials:PaperPaint or stickersChalkDirections:Give all of your children black paper. Let them either use paint to make stars or use star stickers. Finally they can connect the stars with paint or chalk and make their own constellationMy Spray Bottle Solar SystemMaterials:PaintSpray BottlePaperCrayons/MarkersVarious Other Art Supplies of Your ChoiceDirections:Dilute white paint with water and put it in a small spray bottle. Let your children spray this mixture onto black construction Paper. This will make the paper look like space. Next show your children several pictures of the solar system. Then invite them to design their own solar system on the paper3rd Semester Week 4Theme: MLK DayBook: I Have A Dream Speech by Martin Luther King Jr.Color : BlackLetter(s): VNumber(s): 24Shape : OvalSight Words: Very, VoiceLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeExplain that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who is a hero to many. He worked hard toward peace--ALL people getting along and being treated the same. Back then, people were treated badly if they did not have the same color skin.Dr. King wanted to change that. He made a speech--or long talk--that he had a dream that someday, ALL people would get along no matter what color their skin was.ArtPeaceful Classroom HeartsMaterials Needed: Assorted colors of construction paper, supply of heart shaped tracers (hearts cut out of stock paper or manilla folders); markers, scissors, assorted arts and crafts items (sequins, ribbon, etc.) and glue.1. Children choose a color of paper and trace a heart on it with a marker.2. They then cut out the heart as best they can.3. Encourage them to write their own name on the front of their cut out heart.4. Ask each child to name ONE thing that would make their preschool class a peaceful place to be so that everyone is happy and safe at school.5. Write their responses on their heart.6. Tell them to decorate the heart AROUND the words you just wrote so that you can still see the words!7. When dry, hang up as a display with the caption "How our Classroom Stays Peaceful".VARIATION: One year, we taped a piece of paper of their response and they decorated that as well. When dry, the hearts were hung on a display wall and the parents lifted each paper to read each child's response!Buddy Handprint CollageProvide a piece of paper as large as your art table! Place out different colors of fingerpaint and have the children cover the paper with their prints. Show them how to use their hands to "stamp" the paper.EXTENSION: Fingerpaint is NO fun unless you can just wipe your hands all over the paper!Tell the children that first they are going to just make handprints on the paper. When done, you will place another large piece on the table for them to do what they want with!MathHand TracingProvide different shades of multicultural paper. Have the children trace their hands with crayons. Either they can cut them out orjust have them decorate their hands.This is a great fine motor activity and they can cooperate by helping each other learn how to trace!Memory GameMaterials: 2 laminated pictures of each child in the classroom. Play a memory game with the pictures. Helps with name recognition as well as with memory and fine motor skills!How Many are MissingMaterials Needed: Place up to 8 little people (plastic) out. Have child count them.Instruct them to close their eyes. Take one away. Ask how many are missing? Or, which one is missing? Can they identify the missing person? If 8 is too many, start with 3!ScienceSame on the InsideMaterials Needed: Brown eggs and white eggs (you will need a brown and white egg per PAIR of children). Have children investigate this in pairs and small groups.Let them investigate the eggs, describe the similarities and differences. Then open them. You can give them hard boiled eggs so that you don't have to worry about them falling and breaking!You can then follow up by showing them 2 eggs that have NOT been cooked and ask if they think they will look the same on the inside.The message will get through...though different on the outside, same on the inside, just like people!3rd Semester Week 5Theme: OppositesBook: Color : BrownLetter(s): WNumber(s): 25Shape : DiamondSight Words-Want, We, Will, With, What Lesson Plan IdeasCircle Time - Teaching opposites is an ideal way to help improve your child's ability to communicate. The addition of descriptive words to their vocabulary will greatly transform the level of detail your child can convey -?'soft?bunny',?'bigteddy' or 'little?boy'.Art Black and White ArtUse a variety of materials. The children can use black and white paint, make a collage, use crayons, markers, you get the idea. note: When something appears to be black it absorbs all the colors of light, where white reflects all colors of light.Hot and ColdTalk about the clothes you wear outside in the winter when it is cold and the summer when it is warm. Have the children create a summer scene on half of the paper and a winter scene on the other half.The Opposites HatCut out many square pieces of construction paper. On each one write and action such as: clap your hands above your head, stomp your feet loudly,shout your namereach upstand upjump up and down fastetcPut these papers into a hat or box and during circle time have a child draw a paper, and read what it says. The child will then do that action then have them to the opposite.Opposite pairsFor older children you could show them how opposites are pairs... ie in, out up, down.Inkblot Art:Fold a piece of paper in half. Have the children paint on half, then fold in half again so that you have two opposite images.Left/Right:Do the Hokey Pokey. Concentrate on left and right.Left/Right ArtFold a piece of paper in half. Have the child create two different pictures on each half of the paper. You can also do this with the top and bottom halves of the paper.Happy/Sad CollageProvide the children with magazine with people and children in them. Have the children cut out the pictures and glue them to a piece of paper. Have the children tell you how each person feels.Feelings ArtAsk the children to create a project that shows "happy" and "sad".Happy/Sad FacesProvide the children with a variety of precut facial features from magazines. Have the children glue the features on paper plates to create happy and sad faces.MathFind a small teddy bear and a big one to teach big and small or baby and adult.Using balls of different sizes and weights you can teach big and small, heavy and light, and float or sink.ScienceMagnets:All magnets have a north and south pole. These poles are opposites and attract each other. Have the children experiment with magnets and see if they can find two poles that are alike and two that are opposite.Balance Fun:Provide the children with a balance. Have them place objects on both sides. Ask which weighs more? Which weighs less?Here/There:Play the shell game with two cups and a toy. Ask the children is the toy here point to a cup, or there? You could also use left and right.More/LessDisperse similar objects to all the children. Give three to some, four to others, one to some, and so on. Take a couple for yourself. Then show the children how many you have. Ask who has less? Who has more?3rd Semester Week 6Theme: Community HelpersBook: Career Day by Anne Rockwell Color : WhiteLetter(s): XNumber(s): 26 Shape : Octagon Sight Words: When, Where, Who, WhySpecial Events this week2/4/14 Thank a Mailman Day Child AssessmentsLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time ideas: Familiarize children with the community helpers in their community , excite an interest in a variety of professions ,and discover ways your children can currently help in their community?MathMatch upFind object or pictures that correspond with different community helpers (mailbox, dentist chair, fire truck, etc.). Additionally find pictures of community helpers in uniform. Let your children match which object goes with what helperScienceDentist ApprovalCut out two large teeth, as well as several examples of good and bad food. Let the children sort the food as to which one's the dentist would approve ofArtDental Floss PaintingMaterials:PaintDental FlossPaperDirections:Cut out large teeth out of poster board or construction paper. Let your children string paint with the dental flossPoliceman BadgeMaterials:PaintbrushCardBoardPaperAluminum Foil>Directions:Cut out badge shapes out of the cardboard. Next cover the cardboard with Aluminum foil. Finally the kids can use the non-brush side of a paint brush to etch a badge into the aluminum foilCommuntiy Helper Bag (Doctor, Mailman, Vet, etc)Materials:PaintPaperMagazine Clippings (of community helpers and their tools)Directions:Give the children the materials and let them design their own community helper's bag.Fireman HatMaterials:Paper PlatesPaper BowlsPaintCardboardAluminum FoilDirections:Cut out the center of a paper plate then attach a paper bowl to the plate. Let your children paint the hat red and then cover a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil to make the emblemPolice Car ArtIn a pie tin, place 3 to 5 teaspoon sized portions of different colored tempera paint evenly spaced about the area. Supply the children with washable toy cars that have wheels that roll. Have the children dip the wheels in the paint and roll across the paper.3rd Semester (Week : 7)Theme: Valentine's DayBook: Happy Valentine's Day, Curious George by N. Di'AngeloColor : PinkLetter(s:YNumber(s): 27Shape : HeartSight Words: Yes, You, YourSpecial Events this week:Valentine's Day Party 2/11/2016Report Cards go home 2/11/2016Lesson Plan IdeasCircle Time ideas:MathHeart Matchclick here to see an image of this projectCut out many different hearts from different colors. Have the children find the matching heart.Valentine Match Up There are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups:Cut out heart shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one heart. Ask the children to find one person with the same color heart.Cut out heart shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the hearts in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a heart, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the heart pieces are distributed.Cut out heart shapes from one color of paper. Cut the hearts in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a heart, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the heart pieces are distributed.Cut the heart shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of hearts with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the hearts with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one heart and have them find the child with their match.Cut the heart shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two hearts. Give each child one heart and have them find the child with their match.Cut the heart shapes from one color of paper. Cut the hearts in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a heart. Give each child one heart half and have them find the child with their match.Place matching heart stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match.Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the heart to the file folder and laminate it's match.ScienceWater PlayAdd a couple of drops of red food coloring to your water in the water table.Red Colored RiceYou'll need:uncooked white ricered food coloringwhite vinegarnon-toxic gluecardboard or paperPlace 1/2 cup rice into a clean bowl (either glass or one that you don't care about). Add 5 drops of red food coloring and 1/2 tsp. vinegar to set the color. Mix around until the rice has absorbed the color. Spread rice evenly onto a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 200 degrees for 45 minutes, this dries the rice. After the rice has dried and cooled, place in a ziplock bag and seal.Heart BubblesBend a red coat hanger in the shape of a heart to use as a bubble maker.StreamersMake a streamers with red ribbon, streamer or a plastic lei and a popsicle stick. Have the children dance and move with the streamer.Cling Wrap SciencePlace red or pink cling wrap on a window so the children can look outside through it. You could also make toilet paper binoculars with red or pink cling wrap on the ends.Connect FourYou can place heart stickers on the piece of a "Connect Four" game. Play the game according to the traditional rules.Stamping Patterns Use rubber stamps with red, pink or purple ink to create a simple pattern on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the pattern on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.ArtHeart Hands PyramidPaint the child's hand white, and place three hand prints on the bottom of the page. Paint the other hand red and place one hand print at the top. Then have the child mix the paint on their hands and make two pink hand prints in the middle.Glue HeartsPlace glue on a piece of paper in a heart shape. Have the children place glitter, colored rice (shown on left) or Kool-Aid (on right) on the glue.Popsicle Heart Frameclick here to see an image of this projectHave the children glue four Popsicle sticks together to form a rectangle. Add foam accents or decorate as desired.Heart Punch CollageBuy the Punches!!We used a heart punch to make many different colored hearts for the children to glue to different colors of construction paper. We punched wall paper and construction paper.Contact Paper ArtYou will need a picture of a heart or the letter "v". A reverse image is needed if the letter or picture can be backwards, such as the letter "E". Place the image on the table and place a piece of contact paper, sticky side up over the image. Supply the children with scraps of construction paper to tissue paper. (Pieces of a plastic lei were used for the photo of this project) Children use the scraps to create the image on the contact paper.Cotton HeartPlace glue on a piece of paper in a heart shape. Have the children place cotton balls on the paper.Heart HandsPaint the child's hands pink (and/or) red. Have the children make a heart shape as shown with their hands.GamesWhat time is it Mr. Valentine? This is a fun game to play outside. You can change the name to suit any theme. The children all line up against a wall or fence. And one child, (Mr. Valentine) or the teacher faces away from the children, a good distance away from the children. The children yell, what time is it "Mr. Valentine", Mr. Valentine answers 1 o'clock, and the children all take one step toward Mr Valentine. The children yell again, what time is it "Mr. Valentine", Mr. Valentine answers (fill in the blank) o'clock, and the children all take same number of step toward Mr Valentine. This continues until all the children are very close to Mr. Valentine, then Mr. Valentine will answer it's midnight, and chases the children back to the fence or wall that they started at. The first person Mr. Valentine touches will be the new Mr. Valentine.Valentine Hide and Seek Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" a valentine in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the Valentine, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the valentine.Valentine Hide and Seek Play the game the same as above, except hide the valentine. Then tell the children individually whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the heart. Allow the other children to have a change to hide the Valentine, and tell children whether they are "hot or cold". It may be a good idea to discuss the meaning of hot and cold before you play this game.Valentine Fishing Game Tie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored, and sized hearts from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each heart. Spread the heart shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the hearts. Have them try to catch the red heart.. or the biggest heart. For a twist, label the hearts with letters or numbers. Ask the children to catch a specific heart, or ask them which heart they caught3rd Semester Week 8Theme: President's DayBook: President's Day by Anne RockwellColor : RedLetter(s): ZNumber(s): 28Shape : CircleSight Words- Zero, Zoo Special Events this week:Parent Conferences this weekLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time ideas: During circle time ask your preschoolers who the president is? Ask them what the president does and then explain briefly his job. Ask them what they would do if they were president of their school and write down their answers.MathCoin TossMaterials: Provide coins and large paper circles (decorate each one to look like each coin!).The children toss to try and get the coin to land on the circle.EXTENSION: Have the children guess if it will land on heads or tails!Coin RubbingsMaterials: Provide large crayons with the papers peeled off of them and a variety of coins.Show the children how to place paper over several coins and make coin rubbings to help develop their little muscles!Coin SortingMaterials: A variety of coins and bowls to sort them into.Discuss the different people on the coins:Penny: Abraham LincolnNickel: Thomas JeffersonDime: Franklin RooseveltQuarter: George WashingtonScienceMoney HuntMaterials: Hide coins in your sand table. Provide "logs" (small sticks and twigs) to dig for them!Cleaning PenniesGive all your Abes a bath this Presidents Day!Provide: dish detergent, bar soap, water, ketchup, vinegar, salt and pennies...and goggles (to keep eyes clean!).Ask the children which items will clean the pennies. Write down their guesses and then let them try out each one. Have a pan of water available to rinse the pennies off!Quill WritingMaterials Needed: Feathers with pointed ends (purchase at craft stores) and paint.Show the children how people used to write using quills!ArtCherry Tree PaintingMaterials Needed: green paint, red paint, paint brushes, brown strips of paper, scissors, glue sticksHave children practice cutting the paper strip. Whatever shape they have left is the trunk of their tree.Provide green paint and brushes (provide different shades of green or green and white paint and let them discover shades of green)to paint the leaves.When they are done, provide a thin layer of red paint and rounded brushes and show them how to "dab" the brush into the paint to make cherries on the trees (or provide corks to make the cherries).FlagsMaterials Needed: Fingerpaint and paper.Let the children make their own flags with fingerpaint. Encourage them to make stripes or dots with their fingertips!3rd Semester (Week : 9)Theme: MulticulturalBook: Color : OrangeLetter(s): Spelling First Names, Writing First Names Number(s): Review 1-30Shape : SquareSpecial Events this week:2/24/14 - National Tortilla Chip Day2/26/14 - Tell a Fairy Tale DayLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time Ideas: Have pictures of children from many different cultures displayed throughout your classroom. Make sure you classroom has books that also include multicultural children. Any dolls, or action figures can also be multicultural. Ask parents to bring in pictures of the children and their families to display in the classroom.MathLucky Charms- From IrelandHave the children sort the Lucky Charms shapes using egg cartons, each space is for a different shape.Apple Activity- Multicultural ActivityHave two apples, one red and one green. Ask the children to describe how the two apples are the same and how they are different. You can use a venn diagram to display the results. Then cut the two apples in half. Show the children that even though the skin color is different, the two apples are both the same on the inside, just like people.ArtRainbow Spaghetti -From ItalyCook spaghetti noodles, drain and cool. Fill a gallon Ziploc bag one quarter of the way with water. Add food coloring to the water. Add part of cooked spaghetti and mix around in the Ziploc bag until noodles change color. Drain, repeat with other colors. Place the noodles in separate bowls. Children can take one noodle from each color to create a rainbow on a plate for a snack.Children can take one noodle from each color, dip it in glue and place it on a piece of paper to create a rainbow.Rice Rainbows - From JapanUse the colored rice recipe in the recipes section to color rice many different colors. Have the children create a rainbow by gluing the colored rice onto paper in arc shapes. You can use a rainbow coloring page as a guide.Kite Art - From JapanCut out a kite shape and have your child decorate it with paint, glitter, fabric, crayons, or whatever you can come up with.My Hands Mural- Multicultural ActivityMix multicultural paint to match each child's skin color. Paint the child's hands and have the child press their hands onto a large piece of butcher paper or onto paper that you use for your bulletin board. Write the child's name near their hand prints. Repeat the process for each child. Chinese Lanterns: Have each child fold a piece of paper (red is best) in half so that the two longest sides are together. Then have the children cut one strip of paper off. Then have the children cut slits in the paper starting at the fold and going almost to the edges. Have the children make four or five slits. Then roll up the paper connecting the two shorter sides with tape or glue. Then the children may glue the first piece they cut off to the top of the lantern for the handle.ScienceRice Play - From JapanUse the colored rice recipe in the recipes section to color rice many different colors. Place the colored rice in your sand/water table. Let the children explore the rice using measuring cups, containers, funnels, and other items.RecipesColored Rice - from JapanYou'll need:uncooked white ricefood coloringwhite vinegar non-toxic gluecardboard or paperPlace 1/2 cup rice into a clean bowl (either glass or one that you don't care about). Add 5 drops of food coloring and 1/2 tsp. vinegar to set the color. Mix around until the rice has absorbed the color. Repeat the process with other colors. Spread rice evenly (keeping the colors separate) onto a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 200 degrees for 45 minutes, this dries the rice. After the rice has dried and cooled, place each color in a ziplock bag and seal.GamesFive Sticks-ChinaEach child should have five sticks (Popsicle sticks work well). The sticks from each player are tossed into a pile. One child starts first and tries to remove a stick from the pile without moving any of the other sticks. If they are successful, they keep the stick, if not they have to leave it in the location where it was as soon as it disturbed another stick. Play moves to the next player and continues until all the sticks are gone. Modification: use sticks of different colors. Have the child roll a die or draw a card to determine what color stick they must pull out of the pile. With ECE, I would have the child keep the stick if they picked the right color and if they can pull it out without disturbing the pile, they get a bonus stick. Windmill-RussiaPlayers sit in a circle and pass a ball quickly around the circle. If a player misses the ball they are out, but if it was a bad pass the passer is out. The original game would have the children eliminated one by one, an ECE modification would be to have the child sit out for one round in the middle of the circle until the next child takes their place.Zoo-Estonia ModifiedThis game is very similar to musical chairs. There should be a chair for each student minus one. So if you have 10 students, you need 9 chairs. On each chair, place a picture of a zoo animal. Place the chairs in a circle. Have the students sit in the chairs, and have one student stand and be the zoo keeper. Once the children are seated, ask them the name of their zoo animal, to make sure they know what animal they are. Then have the zoo keeper walk around the outside of the circle and call off the names of the various animals, as the zoo keeper calls off the names, the child that is that animal gets up and places their hands on the waist of the last person in the line. After all the animals are called, the zoo keeper will then say "the animals have escaped" and the children will all act like their animals until the zoo keeper sits down. Then all the children will find a seat. The last child standing is the next zoo keeper. And the children assume the identity of the animal on their new chair. Five Sticks-Isreal - ModifiedPlace five Popsicle sticks or straws two feet apart from each other like railroad ties. Have the children place only one foot in each space between the straws, as they walk through. As they get better they can run through the path. Modify the sticks so that they are different lengths apart from each other.Throw the Rocks At the Can-Italy- ModifiedEach child will have a bean bag and a 2 liter soda bottle. Each soda bottle should be lined up, and each child should be lined up an equal distance away from the bottles. One child is designated to be it. They do not have a bean bag or a soda bottle. The children on the line throw their bean bags at the bottle to try to knock it down. They retrieve their bag after each throw. If they knock over their bottle then they have to run and get their bean bag and run away from the child who is it. The child who is it must first place the bottles back up, then chase after any children who have already knocked over their bottles, but may not chase anyone who has not knocked over their bottle. The child who is it also may not chase anyone if there is a bottle knocked over. Adding sand to the bottles with help with stability.4th Nine Weeks (Week : 3)Theme: Dr. SeussBook: Color : BlueLetter(s): WNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : TriangleSpecial Events this week:Circle TimeArt FootprintsMaterials Needed: Fingerpaint and paper! The children make footprints, one of each color. Allow them after that to sit on a chair and just "paint" with their feet!This is a great followup activity to?The Foot BookColor BookMaterials Needed: A variety of colors of paint, brushes, and half sheets of construction paper.Encourage the children to use one color on each half sheet to make their own color book.VARIATION: Let the children experiment mixing colors while they paint.Great activity to go with the book?My Many Colored DaysGrocery Bag HatsMaterials Needed: One grocery bag for each child and items to decorate it!Roll the paper bag so that it fits on each child's head. Let them decorate by painting or by glue on some crazy Seuss-like items: chenille wires (pipe cleaners), stickers, fabric, etc.You could also use this activity to work on patterns with the children. In advance, draw bold stripes on the bag with a dark marker. They can try to create a patterned hat using each striped area.Another idea would be to provide paint, glue and feathers. Make their own Gertrude McFuzz hats!Another Hat Idea!This idea suggested by Jessica from Battle Creek, MIMaterials needed: red and white paper, paper plate (with the middle cut out).The children use the paper to make layers to see how high they can make their hats!Seuss World CrittersMaterials: Provide a large variety of recyclable items (boxes, water bottles, etc.), arts and crafts materials (ribbon, yarn, Google eyes) and glue.Encourage the children to make their own creature and name it!Great follow up to the?ABC?book!MathHow Many Feet?Materials: construction paper, marker, scissors and rulers!Encourage your children to trace their foot and cut it out. They can use these cut outs to measure everything in the classroom--the chairs, tables, their friends! Also provide rulers so they can measure with them as well.Bubble PoppingProvide bubble wrap and encourage the children to count each bubble they pop (fine motor development and counting all in one!)Fish MatchingMaterials Needed: Programmed Fish shapes of different colors or with different numbers. Children match either by color or number as a follow up toOne Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue FishDaisy-Head Maisy Headbands and moreMaterials: Strips of long construction paper (about 2 inches wide and long enough to be a headband!); artificial flowers, glue.Encourage children to create patterns with the flowers and foliage and glue it to the strips of paper. When dry, they can wear their Maisy Headbands.EXTENSION: Provide large wreaths (purchased at a craft store or donated). The children can place the flowers in the wreaths. You can either hang the wreaths or leave them in the manipulative center for the children to use all week.One Fish Two Fish SortingMaterials: Colored Goldfish snacks and bowls.Give each child a handful of colored fish for them to sort and count.....and, of course, EAT!Block BalancingMaterials: Wooden unit blocks, foam blocks and any other blocks you want to add!Can your children balance as many items as the Cat in the Hat did? Try adding stuffed animals and see how high the blocks can go to balance them!Run the ZooAdd zoo animals (stuffed or sorters/counters) to your block area for your children to build a zoo. Be sure to include the book?If I Ran The ZooHop on POPSMaterials:?Hop on Pop?book, bubble wrap and tapeAfter reading the story, bring children to a large area where you've taped oooodles of bubble wrap! They should remove their shoes and HOP ON THE POPS!Balance....Balance!I LOVE the Cat In the Hat Story! After reading this book, provide different ways (and encourage your children to come up with a few as well) to balance:On one footOn heelsOn toesWalk on a line of tapePlace a line of wooden unit blocks in a row to use as a balance beam if you don't have one.Use bean bags and balance one: on your head, on your elbow, one your back, on your foot!Pin The Hat on the Cat!?Thank you Esily from Greenbelt, MD for this idea!This is a variation of pin the tail on the donkey.Materials Needed: Blown up picture of the Cat in the Hat. The red and white hat that can be taped to the cats head.Blind fold the child and have them place the hat on top of the cats head as close possible and give out a sticker as a prize. Everyone wins :)Favorite Book ChartMaterials Needed: A large sheet of paper with the names of all of the Dr. Seuss books you've read with the children this week!At the end of your Dr. Seuss Theme, have all of the books you've read out for the children to look at.Encourage the children to print their name on a piece of paper. If they are not writing their names yet, have papers with each child's name available.Give the children their name and a piece of tape. Have them place their name next to their favorite Seuss book.Is there a class favorite? Which book was enjoyed the most? The least?ScienceOobleckMake your own Bartholomew Oobleck!2 cups of water1 cup of glue2 tablespoons of Borax (it is found in the laundry detergent aisle).Mix 1 cup of the water with the 1 cup of glue.In a separate bowl, mix the remaining cup of water with the Borax and a few drops of food coloring if desired.Pour the Borax and water mixture into the glue/water mixture SLOWLY while stirring. Once it becomes rubbery, stop pouring in the borax mixture! Pour off the excess liquid and let the kids enjoy using this!Remember, this WILL stick to clothes, hair and carpeting!How Many Teeth?Materials Needed: Hand mirrors, tooth shaped paper, marker, the book?The Tooth BookChildren count how many teeth they have and write it on a paper. It is fun to compare! Who has all 20? Has anyone lost teeth yet?GoopMaterials: Cornstarch and waterMix equal amounts of cornstarch and water into your sensory table. This is the greatest texture! It is hard when you touch it. When you scoop some up, the heat from your hands melts it and then it hardens again!Tooth Paste Sculpting!Add mini tubes of toothpaste to the sensory table. Let the children squeeze them out and sculpt with them after reading?The Tooth Book. Ask a local dentist if they can donate some in exchange for your passing out their brochure to families (be sure this is ok with your school's administration first!)4th Nine Weeks (Week : 4)Theme: WindBook: Color : YellowLetter(s): XNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : RectangleSpecial Events this week: Send out reminders to tell children to wear green on Monday for St. Patrick's DayLesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeTalk to children about the wind and let them go outside and feel the wind... pretend to be the wind and blow. Let them blow at each other pretending to be the wind.MathMatching GameMaterials: In advance, cut out many kite shapes and laminate them for durability to use from year to year.Now, cut each kite into 2 pieces. Use different designs to cut out each kite such as cutting one simply in half, another as a semi-circle. The idea of this activity will be for the children to match the numeral with the number of dots. If each kite "top" fits ONLY into ONE kite bottom, you will have made this game self correcting, much like a puzzle.Program the kite halves using a dry erase marker. Program them based on the concept you are working on in the classroom such as:Write a number on the top half and the corresponding number of dots on the bottom half.Write an upper case letter on the top half and the lower case number on the bottom half.Or, make the set as a color matching set. Make one kite of each color. Laminate them. Cut them in half and have the children match the colors.Additional Kite MatchingAs a variation to the above activity, make kites but do NOT cut them. Instead, add a tail to the bottoms of the kites. Program the kites with a number AND the corresponding number of dots. Pre make bow shapes from paper and the children place the appropriate number of bows on the kite tail to match the number on the kite!Wind SocksMaterials Needed: Strips of cardboard cut into about 1 inch by 18 inch pieces; crepe paper of different colors; scissors; tapeLet the children use the scissors to cut strips of paper and then tape them to their cardboard strips. Encourage them to create a pattern with them.Examples, depending where your children are at with pattern recognition:AB or ABB patterns work great (AB might = blue, red, blue, red; ABB might equal blue, red, red, blue, red, red).When complete, staple ends together. Hole punch and hang wind socks using yarn or string.ScienceThere is AIR!Materials needed: A large, deep bowl of water with bright food coloring in it; tall, clear drinking glass, paper towel.Push the paper towel into the bottom of the glass in front of the children.Ask them what will happen to the paper towel if you put the glass into the water?Accept (and record!) all answers!Invert the glass and push it straight into the bowl of water (so, the opening of the glass is going into the water. Be sure to hold the glass straight--don't tip the glass while doing this!).Lift the glass straight out of the bowl. Remove the paper towel and pass it around.Note to them, if they don't state it, that the paper towel is dry.Ask why they think the paper towel did not get wet?There is air in the cup which pushed the water away from the paper towel.Moved by the WindMaterials: Collect different items for your children to try to move with breath! You'll need straws and items such as cotton balls, craft sticks, pieces of ribbon, leaves, a small book, etc.Have children try to move each item by blowing them with their straws.EXTENSION: Make a chart with each item and list the children's guesses! Will the wind move it? How many think yes? How many think no?ArtWind Painted KitesMaterials Needed: Construction paper cut into kite shapes, tempera paint, a windy day!When outside, put a few drops of paint on the kite shapes and let the kids hold the papers up for the wind to move it around! When dried, add ribbon to the end for tails.EXTENSION: Bring straws outside for the children to blow the paint on the kites. This can also be done inside!Paper Bag KitesMaterials Needed: White or brown lunch sized paper bags, markers, crayons and stickers, paint--whatever you'd like to use to decorate them.The children decorate their bags. When dry, hole punch a hole in the top side of the bag (use re-enforcer tabs or tape to make the hole sturdy).Tie a piece of yarn or string in the hole.Take them outside and fly those kites!More Kite ActivitiesMaterials: Thin, wooden dowel rods (2 for each child); fabric in the shape of a kite or sturdy paper in the shape of a kite; tacky glue; string; markers (or fabric paint if using fabric) to decorate the kites.In advance, prepare the dowel rods. Each child will need one full size rod and one that is cut in half (and sanded so that there are not sharp edges.)In advance, prepare the paper or fabric into the correct sizes. The large dowel rod will need to fit on it.Have the children decorate their fabric or paper.The children help glue the dowel rods onto their kites. I place one vertically (the full size rod) and then other two a placed horizontally on either side of the full sized rod.When dry, attach string to the full sized rod in the middle. (If you need to, hot glue the rods for extra durability).Enjoy flying!NOTE: This is a several day project. If you want to finish is quicker, glue and hot glue the rods in place first. The children can then decorate around the rods and use the kites the same day.ParachutesI know, this doesn't technically go with a Kite Activities theme, however--they fly and they're cool and the kids will love them!Materials Needed: One fabric square for each child (12 inch square--like a bandana size); Four 12 inch pieces of yarn or string; empty spool (one for each child) or other items that you can tie onto the bottom.In advance, hole punch the 4 corners of the fabric. Have the children help to put one piece of yarn into each hole. Tie each piece of yarn.Thread the 4 ends of the strings into the spool or item.Go outside or into a large area and throw them into the air and watch the wind/air help them land!Kite StringsMaterials: Sturdy string (twine works well), clothes pins to place on the edge of each piece of string; variety of paint colors in shallow trays; paper with kite shapes drawn on them with a thick black marker; scissorsThe children practice cutting on solid lines by cutting out their kites.Using the clothes pins to hold the sting, they dip the sting in paint and then glide the string over their kite shapes.When done, hang your kites in your classroom!Cloud ArtMaterials: paper, paint (watered down a little bit), plastic spoons, strawsPlace spoonfuls of paint on the paper. The children use the straws to blow the paint around!EXTENSION: Have the children cut the paper into kite shapes first. When done, glue straws on the kite to make the cross shape and then hang in your classroom4th Nine Weeks (Week : 5)Theme: St. Patrick's DayBook: Color : GreenLetter(s): YNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : OvalSpecial Events this weekSt. Patrick's Day Lesson Plan IdeasCircle TimeArtGreen and White Art?Let children make pictures using green glitter, Crayons, Pens, Colored Pencils, Markers, Paint, String, Yarn, Ribbon, Tissue Paper, Torn Paper, Holes from a Hole Punch, Shamrock Stickers, Buttons, Colored Glue, Colored Tape, Chalk, Wet Chalk, Wrapping Paper, Shamrock Shaped Sponge Painting, Shamrock or Leprechaun stamps or Pasta or rice colored with green food coloring.?Shamrock TattoosFor a special treat on St. Patrick's Day, apply Shamrock Tattoos to the children's hands.?Blarney StoneClick here to see a larger image of this projectLet the children paint a rock as they desire. When the rock is dry parents can use it as a paper weight.?Shamrock MobileHave the children cut out and decorate different shamrock shapes, then attach the shapes to a hanger with yarn for a mobile. You can also use?Shamrock Cutouts.Shamrock HeadbandHave the children cut out and decorate two shamrock shapes. Then, have the children cut out two strips of paper, that when connected will fit around their head. Connect the strips with glue or tape, (staples will catch the child's hair). Attach the shamrocks to green pipe cleaners and then onto the headband. You can also use?Shamrock Cutouts.Green Shaving Cream Art?Add a few drops of green paint to shaving cream. Have the children use this to paint with. Not mixing the paint in will give it a special look.?Shamrock Hats?Make hats from newsprint and have the child decorate with green paint or shamrock stickers.?Shamrock PeopleGive the children a piece of white paper, and a green shamrock shape. Have the children glue the shamrock onto the paper, and then draw a body as if the shamrock was a head. You can use these ?Shamrock Cutouts?for the body.Shamrock People 2?Draw a large shamrock shape from green construction paper (or use?Shamrock Cutouts.). Have the children cut it out with 4 smaller shamrock shapes. Have the children draw a face on the large shamrock shape. Supply the children with 4 strips of paper to fold accordion style for arms and legs. Have the children glue the small shamrocks onto the the strips of paper as hands and feet, then glue the arms and legs onto the body.Torn Paper Shamrocks?Draw a shamrock shape on a piece of paper. Have the children tear pieces of green construction paper, and glue them inside the lines for the shamrock shape.?Shamrock Necklaces?Supply the children with shamrock shaped stencil. Have the children cut out shamrock shapes from construction paper. Then, have them use a hole punch to make a hole, so they can thread them onto a piece of yarn.?Noodle Necklaces?Supply the children with pasta noodles that have been dyed green, or use many different colors for a rainbow necklace, and yarn. Have the children thread the noodles onto the yarn to make a necklace.?Sponge Art?Supply the children with St Patrick's Day sponges and paint and have them make a St Patrick's Day scene with them.?Shamrock Cookie Cutter Art:?Obtain a?cookie cutter?that is shaped like a shamrock. Have the children dip the cookie cutter in a shallow container of green paint, then press onto a piece of paper to make shamrock prints.?Green Spray Paint Art:?Obtain a clean spray bottle. Add water and a little bit of liquid or powdered tempera. Then, place a large piece of paper on an easel, and have the children spray the colored water onto the paper.?Kool Aid Art?Sprinkle a little dry green kool aid mix onto a piece of paper. Have your child spray water from a spray bottle onto the paper. For added adventure, you may choose to take your children out into the rain with a piece of paper that has kool-aid on it.?Rain and Rainbow Collage?Look in a magazine or newspaper for pictures of rain, or rainbows, cut them out, and let your child glue them onto a piece of paper for a collage.?Torn Paper Rainbows?Apply glue onto a piece of paper where the first color of the rainbow should be, you can make a half or full arc. Have your child apply red torn paper to the glued area. Next apply glue under the red torn paper for the next color, and so on!! (you will only be able to do three or four colors)?Easy Rainbows?Tape three or four different colored crayons in a straight line. Show your child how to draw a rainbow with one stroke.?Cereal Rainbows?You will need a box of Fruit Loops (or similar cereal), paper, pencil and glue. For younger children, you should draw a rainbow shape on to the paper then have the children glue the fruit loops inside the shape. Older children can make their own rainbow shape, or trace it. You may also do this project as open ended art by allowing the children to make whatever they wish with the fruit loops.?Leprechaun Foot Prints?Obtain a very long piece of white paper, about six feet long is nice. Then have each child walk across the paper after a teacher has painted their feet green.Math Shamrock Search?Cut out many shamrock shapes (or use these?Shamrock Cutouts) and hide them around the room. Have the children search for them like an Easter Egg hunt.Shamrock Search 2Cut out one shamrock shape (or use one of these?Shamrock Cutouts). Hide it in the room. Have a chair in the center of the room. The children should look for the shamrock, then the first child to find the shamrock sits in the chair. The child in the chair then goes to get the shamrock, the other children hide?their?eyes and the child hides the shamrock, and the process is restarted.Color GraphCount the number of children wearing green. Record. Repeat with red, orange, yellow, blue and purple. Create a graph that represents the number of children that were wearing each color. Children could be represented in each of the colors if they were wearing all of the colors.Four Leaf Clover?Cut out four, three leafed clovers, and one four leafed clover. Set all five clovers on a table and ask the child to find the four leafed clover.?Four Leaf Clover Sizing?Cut out five different sized clovers. Have the child arrange the clovers by sizeScienceRice PlayPlace the colored rice in your sand/water table. Let the children explore the rice using measuring cups, containers, funnels, and other items.Green Shaving Cream Add a few drops of green paint to shaving cream. Be sure that the children's clothes are protected as the paint may stain the clothing. Goop Mix 2 cups water with a little green food coloring, add 6 cups of cornflour/cornstarch to make goop.GamesLucky Leprechaun TossHave the children try to toss the Leprechaun into a laundry basket.Lucky Leprechaun Blanket/Parachute PlayPlace Lucky Leprechaun on a blanket or parachute and have the children shake the edges, popping Lucky Leprechaun into the air. Have the children try to keep Lucky Leprechaun on the blanket or parachute. Then ask the children to try to shake him off. Add Lucky Leprechaun to your dramatic play or block area.Lucky Leprechaun Hot potatoHave the children sit circle and pass the Lucky Leprechaun to each other while music plays. The player who is holding the "hot potato" when the music stops is out for a round and sits in the center of the circle. Start the music again and the player who is holding the "hot potato" when the music stops replaces the child sitting in the center of the circle.4th Nine Weeks (Week : 6)Theme: BirdsBook: Color : Black Letter(s): ZNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : StarSpecial Events this weekLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time IdeasMathBird Sizing?Draw different sized bird shapes and laminate them. Have the children arrange the birds according to size.?Bird SortDraw different kinds of birds and have the children sort the bird by color. Or you can cut out pictures of birds and glue each onto a separate piece of paper. Have the children sort the birds.?Measuring SeedsSupply the?children?with bird seed and measuring cups to experiment with.?Where is my nestCut out bird and nest shapes from many different colors of construction paper. Have the children match the bird to the correct nest.?Place the eggs in the nestTape numbers one through six in the bottom of a muffin tin. Have the children place the appropriate number of eggs in each nest (the muffin holes)?Seeds and a BalanceProvide the children with bird seeds and a balance to experiment with.?Seed SortProvide the children with a variety of different kinds of seeds to sort.?Does it FlyTalk about different kinds of birds and whether they can fly or not.?My Favorite Bird GraphAsk the children what their favorite kind of bird is. Graph the results.?Bird TossObtain Bird beanie toys or stuffed animals. Have the children try to toss these toys into a laundry basket.?ScienceStamping PatternsUse bird shaped rubber stamps to create a simple?pattern?on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the?pattern?on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.Vinegar and EggsWell we probably all have seen this at one time or another. Place a hard-boiled egg in a cup of vinegar, and see what happens. It bubbles. After one day, take out the egg, wipe it off with a paper towel and feel the egg. Ask your child questions about what you see and feel.?Sunflower SeedsServe Sunflower seeds for a snack.?Does it FlyTalk about different kinds of birds and whether they can fly or not.?ArtBird Collages?Have the children cut out pictures of birds from magazines, and glue them onto a piece of paper for a collage.?Bird Seed Collage?Allow your child to use bird seeds to create a collage.?Paper Bag Bird Masks?Let children use yarn, paints, crayons and paper scraps to create their own bird mask. You may have to cut out the eyes, mouth and shoulders for younger children.?Paper Plate Bird MaskHave the children paint a paper plate. When dry have the children add feathers and a nose. Cut out holes for the eyes and add a?Popsicle?stick to the back of the plate near the bottom with glue.Bird?Place matHave the children cut out pictures of birds from magazines. Have the children glue the pictures onto a piece of paper. Laminate the paper and use for a?place mat.Sponge PrintYou can find already shaped sponges at most art and craft stores or you can make your own. Obtain sponges shaped like birds. Have your child dip the sponges into paint and press on a piece of paper.Feather HeadbandsMeasure your child's head, and cut a piece of construction paper long enough to create a headband. Glue the paper together so the headband fits snugly on your child's head but is loose enough to take off easily. Glue the feathers to the headband.?Bird Necklaces?Have the children cut out bird shapes from construction paper. Then, have them use a hole punch to make a hole, so they can thread them onto a piece of yarn. Add colored noodles to the necklace.Bird RubbingsCut bird shapes from paper doilys or sandpaper. Tape these shapes to the table. Have the children place a piece of thin white paper over the shapes and rub a crayon over the shape.?Cookie Cutter PaintingPut a small amount of tempera paint in a large shallow container. (A pie tin works well) Show your child how to dip the bird shaped cookie cutter in the paint and press onto a piece of paper to create a print.?Sticker ArtFor a very simple art project, supply the children with a piece of paper and stickers. For younger children this provides an excellent fine motor activity.Bird Spray Paint Art:Obtain a few clean spray bottles. Add water and a little bit of liquid or powdered tempera. Then, place a large piece of cat shaped paper on an easel, and have the children spray the colored water onto the bird shaped paper.Kool Aid ArtSprinkle a little dry kool aid mix onto a bird shaped piece of paper. Have your child spray water from a spray bottle onto the paper. For added adventure, you may choose to take your children out into the rain with a piece of paper that has kool-aid on it.?Feather Painting?Provide each child with a feather, paint and paper. Ask the children paint a picture using the feather as a paint brush.?Hand TurkeyPaint the palm of your child's hand brown, as well as their thumb. Then paint each of their fingers a different bright color such red or blue. Have the child press their hand onto a piece of white paper. For older children, let them draw on feet and?characteristics?such as eyes and nose. The thumb represents the turkeys neck and the palm the body.?Eggshell collageUse food coloring to color crushed eggshells. Use a few different colors. (You can use eggshells from eggs you have used. There is no need to hard boil these egg shells.) Let your child glue the eggshells to a piece a paper, after the dye has dried.?Egg People?Give the children a piece of white paper, and a pastel egg shape. Have the children glue the egg shape onto the paper, and then draw a body as if the egg was a head.?Cotton Ball EggsLet your child glue different colored cotton balls onto a piece of egg shaped paper.?DuckiesTrace a duck shape on a piece of paper and have children glue on different colored feathers onto the duck.?Baby ChicksGive each child one egg cup cut from an egg carton and two yellow cotton balls. Have your child glue their cotton balls in their egg cups, one on top of the other. Then let them add an orange construction paper beak, and black construction paper eyes.?Egg-Shaped Balloon PrintsIn a pie tin, place three to five teaspoon sized portions of different colored pastel tempera paint evenly spaced about the area. Inflate a small balloon to a size which will easily fit in the palm of your child's hand. Show your child how to "dip" the balloon in the paint and press firmly onto a piece of paper. Let your child mix the colors, or use one color at a time. This is messy, but the results are wonderful.?Paint like a BirdSupply the children with paper and paint and have the children paint like a bird might paint. You may want to have them put a pair of clean socks on their hands to help them imagine not having fingers to use.?4th Nine Weeks (Week : 7)Theme: PlantsBook: Color : BrownLetter(s): Review A-ZNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : HeartSpecial Events this weekLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time IdeasMathWhich seed is it?Place many different kinds of seeds on a paper plate. One of each kind. Talk about the seeds with your child. Then tell your child that you are going to describe a seed, and you want them to guess which one it is. Take turns trying to guess which seed the other is describing.?Bean CountingSupply your child with many different kinds of beans. Have your child count the beans.?Bean SortingSupply your child with many different kinds of beans. Have your child sort the beans by type.?Bean MeasuringPlace a good amount of different kinds of beans into a dish pan. Provide different containers and cups for your child to place the beans in. Small and large. Let them experiment on their own, and with you. Let them pour the beans from one container to the other. Which container holds the most beans, or the least??Count the seedsBefore you cut a piece of fruit, have your child try to guess how many seeds will be inside. Cut open the fruit and count them. How close was he/she. Write down your child's guess.. and how many seeds that were in the fruit. The next day repeat the process. Compare your results. Were there more, less, or the same amount of seeds in the two fruits.?Graphing SeedsGraph the number of seeds in various kinds of fruit. Before you count, ask the children which fruit they think will have the most seeds, and which they think will have the least.SciencePlant a SeedDecorate a paper cup or a clay pot and plant a seed. Take care of the seed and watch it grow.?Plant Seeds 2Place many bean seeds in a wet paper towel in a ziplock bag. Place the bag in the sun and observe observe a couple of weeks.?Plant ExperimentsWhat does a plant need to grow? You can ask the children, do a few experiments to see what plants need to grow.. sunlight, water, air...Roots Grow DownCut a piece of paper towel to fit in a baby food jar. Put a little water in the jar then place grass seeds between the paper towel and the jar. The seeds will sprouts rapidly and the children will see the roots growing down and the plant pushing up toward the light. Place the lid on the jar and flip the jar upside down for a few days and observe the results.Plants Need Warm AirPlace a wet sponge in a pan or dish with a little bit of water. Ensure there is always a little water to keep the sponge wet. Place grass seeds on the sponge and place it in the refrigerator for a week. After the week, place the sponge in the sunshine. The seeds will sprout in the sun, but not in the fridge.?Celery Dye:Place a stalk of celery in a cup with water and blue food coloring (about 10 drops in 1/4 cup water should do). Wait a day or two, and see what happens. This activity shows that plants get water through their roots and the movement of the water through the plant.?SunlightObtain two identical colorful flowers. Ask the children to compare the flowers. Are they the same color? Place one in the sun for a week and one in the shade for a week. Compare the flower color after a week.?Plant a gardenLet your child help you plant your flowers in the spring. Or let your child plant a seed for indoors. Make sure the plant receives the proper care so it will grow.?DirtProvide the children with dirt in the sand and water table.?Which seed is it?ArtBean CollageSupply your child with many different kinds of beans. Have your child glue the beans on a piece of paper to form a collage.?Nature MosaicUse the items from the nature walk to glue on a piece of paper to create a nature mosaic.Mud PaintingFinger paint with real mud or use chocolate pudding.4th Nine Weeks (Week : 8)Theme: MusicBook: Color : PurpleLetter(s): Review A-ZNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : DiamondSpecial Events this weekLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time IdeasMathMusical Instrument Memory Match…Reproduce two identical sets of instruments. Glue one picture onto a blank 3×5 index card, making a matching pair. Play game in same manner as traditional Memory Game.ScienceWater Table Fun…In the science area have available drinking glasses and small pitchers of water and unsharpened pencils…Pour varied levels of water in the glasses and let the children experiment and discover the varied high and low sounds they create by tapping on the various glasses of water with the pencils. Invite them to change the water level in a particular glass and listen for different sounds.ArtFinger Paint to Music…Let the music inspire your young artists and watch the masterpieces transform.Drums…Use coffee cans or formula cans with plastic snap-on lids or oatmeal container. Use wooden spoons for drumsticks.Flute…Punch three small holes along the top of an empty toilet paper roll. Cover one end with piece of waxed paper. The child can hum into the open end & move his finger along the top to create varied musical sounds.Rhythm Sticks…Tap wooden dowels or hollow bamboo sticks together to make a rhythm sound.Rubber Band Guitars…Stretch six rubber bands around a shoebox & strum.Sand Blocks…Cover one side of two blocks with coarse sandpaper. Have the children hold the blocks in their hands with the sandpaper sides facing. They rub the blocks together to the music.Triangle…Take clothes hangers and either leave them as they are of cut and make into small triangles. Tie a string on the top. The triangle needs to be suspended to make a nice sound. Use old spoons to tap on them.Bells…You can make great jingle bells by using a Chinese jump rope and heavy elastic thread. Cut the Chinese jump rope into lengths that when tied will stretch to fit loosely around the children’s wrist. Form a circle with the lengths of jump rope and tie in a tight knot. Then tie on bells with heavy elastic thread.Bells 2…I had the children paint on donated paint stir sticks, and then I drilled six holes down the center. I then had the children thread a two-foot colored ribbon (cloth or paper, in a rainbow of colors) through a small bell then thread both ends of the ribbon through the drilled hole in the paint stir stick. I tied a large knot on the opposite side of the stick as the bell. The end result was six bells on one side and a rainbow of ribbons on the other, with a handle for each child to hold and make beautiful music.Jingle Bell Gloves…Take an old or new children’s glove, the stretchy kind is best, then you sew a jingle bell to the end of each finger. You can get the jingle bells in different sizes or you can do them all the same size.Jingle Sticks…You need to have access to a workbench. Precut small rectangular pieces of wood. Have the children sand the edges smooth and paint in any manner they wish. Pound 2 metal bottle caps (per child) flat. Nail the 2 bottle caps (face to face) to the rectangular stick of wood. Do not nail them tightly to the wood….you want the bottle caps to be able to move and hit against each other when you tap the stick against the palm of your hand. Now you have a jingle stick! (I “think” older 4′s & 5′s could flatten the bottle caps and hammer them on the wood….but as I said before….I have not yet tried it!Kazoo…Made from a paper towel roll with wax paper held over one end with a rubber band. The kids decorate them and can also put small holes in them to it seems more like an instrument.Maracas…This activity may be one that you want older children or you yourself to complete, read on to see why.Glue a thick outer coating of strips of newspaper onto the light bulb. Make sure you completely cover the whole bulb and the insert portion. It’s a lot like papier-m?ché. Place the bulb inside of a brown paper bag and give it one sharp bang with a hammer near the neck of the bulb. Of course this will break the glass. Shake all of the glass toward the bottom (neck of the bulb).Punch a small hole, large enough to place small beans into for added rattling. Apply layer of tape and more newspaper strips to cover hole. Let dry completely and paint. Shake your hearts out!4th Nine Weeks (Week : 9)Theme: EasterBook: Color : WhiteLetter(s): Review A-ZNumber(s): Review 1 -30Shape : OctagonSpecial Events this weekEaster Party in ClassroomsLesson Plan IdeasCircle Time IdeasDiscuss the Easter holiday and what takes place during this time... Let children to be bunnies and hop around in the classroomMathStamping PatternsUse Easter Theme rubber stamps to create a simple pattern on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the pattern on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.Easter Egg BalanceSupply the children with plastic eggs and a balance to play with.Chick Sequence CardsMake simple sequence cards for your child. Draw the different stages of a chick hatching from an egg. Draw an egg in its nest, an egg cracking, a chick partly out of the egg, and a chick that is completely hatched.Easter Match Up There are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups:Cut out egg shapes (or ducks, bunnies) from different colors of paper. Give each child one egg. Ask the children to find one person with the same color egg.Cut out egg shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the egg in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of an egg, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or, give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with two or more circles depending on how the egg pieces are distributed.Cut Easter shapes (eggs, ducks or bunnies) from one color of paper. Label one set of shapes with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the shapes with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one shape and have them find the child with their match.Cut the shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two shapes. Give each child one shape and have them find the child with their match.Cut the egg shapes from one color of paper. Cut the egg in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of an egg. Give each child one egg half and have them find the child with their match.Place matching Easter stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match.Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the egg to the file folder and laminate it's match.Easter Fishing GameTie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored, and Easter Shapes (eggs ducks and bunnies) from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each shape. Spread the shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the shapes. Have them try to catch the red shape, or the biggest shape. For a twist, label the shapes with letters or numbers. Ask the children to catch a specific shape, or ask them which shape they caught.Easter Shaped Games The following games require you to cut out many different Easter shapes from construction paper. You may choose to laminate these shapes so they last longer.Easter Shape SizingCut out many different sized Easter shapes. Ask the children to line up the Easter shapes from largest to smallest.Easter Shape NumbersCut out ten Easter shapes. Number them one to ten. Ask the children to line up the Easter shapes from one to ten.Easter Egg NumbersView an image of this projectTeacher cuts out many different colored Easter Egg shapes. On one side the teacher writes a number one trhough ten. On the other side the teacher draws pictures to represent the number (or places that many stickers) on the other side.Easter Shapes Colors Ask the children to sort the Easter shapes by color.Easter Shapes SortAsk the children to sort the Easter shapes by size.ARTEaster preschool lesson plansEaster themed preschool lesson plans. Arts and crafts, games, math, science, group time activities, songs and snack ideas.Eggshell collageUse food coloring to color crushed eggshells. Use a few different colors. (You can use eggshells from eggs you have used. There is no need to hard boil these egg shells.) Let your child glue the eggshells to a piece a paper, after the dye has dried.Pink or Yellow Shaving Cream Art?Add a few drops of red or yellow paint to shaving cream. Have the children use this to paint with. Not mixing the paint in will give it a special look.Egg People?Give the children a piece of white paper, and a pastel egg shape. Have the children glue the egg shape onto the paper, and then draw a body as if the egg was a head.Cotton BunniesLet your child glue cotton balls to a piece of paper in the form of a bunny.Cotton Ball EggsLet your child glue different colored cotton balls onto a piece of egg shaped paper.Easter BasketView an image of this art projectChildren cut out two identical Easter basket shapes and about three different colored eggs. The grass in the picture can be made with green construction paper and store bought Easter grass. Children can glue the eggs and grass to the basket, then staple the two basket pieces together.Easter Egg and ChickView an image of this art projectChildren cut out an egg and a chick shape. The student can then cut the egg in half as shown and glue their chick onto the bottom half of the egg. The teacher can use a brad to connect the two piece of egg.Humpty DumptyView an image of this art projectThe picture says it all.Flower Punch CollageBuy the Punches!!We used a flower punch to make many different colored flowers for the children to glue to different colors of construction paper. We punched wall paper and construction paper.DuckiesTrace a duck shape on a piece of paper and have children glue on different colored feathers onto the duck.Baby LambsCut out Lamb out of white construction paper. Let your child glue cotton balls onto the paper.Sponge PrintYou can find already shaped sponges at most art and craft stores or you can make your own. Obtain sponges shaped as lambs, bunnies or ducks. Have your child dip the sponges into paint and press on a piece of paper to create an Easter scene.SCIENCEJelly Bean Color MatchView an image of this projectTo Prepare: You will need jelly beans and a clean egg carton. Color the bottom of one row in the carton various color that match the colors of the jelly beans you are using, i.e. red, purple.To Play: The children sort the jelly beans into the appropriate hole.View an image of a variation of this projectVinegar and EggsWell we probably all have seen this at one time or another. Place a hard-boiled egg in a cup of vinegar, and see what happens. It bubbles. After one day, take out the egg, wipe it off with a paper towel and feel the egg. Ask your child questions about what you see and feel.CarnationsObtain a white carnation. Fill a clear vase or jar half with water. Ask your child which color he/she would like to make the carnation, and add food coloring in the vase to that color (Make the color dark). Color mixing is a good science lesson. Then put the carnation in the water. What happens after a few days?GAMESDuck PondThere is a commercial game out on the market that teaches children about colors using the classic duck pond game. Try out this game.Duck Pond 2Obtain ten plastic ducks that will float in water. Depending on the skill you would like to work on laminate five numbers, colors or letters to the bottom of ten ducks, so there are two matching ducks. Place the ducks in the water table or a dishpan with water. Have the children pick a duck and ask them what color, letter or number they got.Duck Pond Concentration GameUse the ducks from the above activity. Place the ducks in the water table or a dishpan with water. Have the children pick a duck. The child will keep the first duck and try to find its match. Played like concentration.Easter Egg Match-UpCollect different colored plastic eggs. Take the eggs apart and have your child find two egg halves of the same color and put them together.Easter Egg SortHave the children sort the eggs by size or color.Basket GameSupply the children with five baskets and easter eggs. Place a piece of paper with a number on it in each basket and instruct the children to place that many eggs in the basket. If the basket says "5" place five eggs in the basket. ................
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