Activities

Ask the children to collect a variety of sticks. Give each child a ball of play dough and encourage them to create a stick sculpture by placing sticks in the play dough. The children can pull them out and try again.

During outdoor time, ask the children to collect a variety of sticks. Give each child a ball of play dough and encourage them to create a stick sculpture by placing sticks in the play dough. Children can pull them out and try again.

Give the children buckets and encourage them to find nature items, such as leaves, small sticks or bugs. Place the nature items in a bucket. Encourage the children to look up and down for items.

The children will need chalk and items that are found outside. The children will write the numerals zero through 10 on the sidewalk, with your help if needed.

On a large poster board, display five or six common items found in your outdoor area, such as a leaf, rock, stick, grass or acorn. Give each child a basket.

Give the children nature cards and have them partner up by matching their cards. For example, “If you both have a picture of a bluebird, stand up and hold hands.

During outdoor time, have the children go outdoors and draw what they observe. You might use clipboards, paper and pencils. Use these drawings to promote discussion about each other's observations.

Gather lightweight paper (recycled copy paper works well) and old crayons without the wrappers.

During outdoor time, provide paper and remnants of crayons with the paper wrappers removed. Encourage the children to explore texture in art by creating rubbings.

Generate a list of objects for the children to find during outdoor time. Tell the children that, by the time you count to 20, they should find and bring back something fuzzy, beautiful, rough or a piece of litter.

Listen to a recording of nature sounds and have the children draw what they think of when they hear the sounds. Provide paper and crayons or colored pencils for their work. Model descriptive language as they talk about their creations.

Take the children on a nature walk and encourage them to find nature items such as leaves, rocks, pine cones and branches. Provide a large, clear plastic bag for the children to drop their items into.

Go on a nature walk and take your journals. Stop now and then to listen to nature sounds. Have the children draw what they see and hear.

During outdoor time, go on a nature walk and listen to the different sounds you hear from birds, leaves, wind, trees and the children. When back in the classroom, graph the sounds the children recognized.

Play a game with a puppet to demonstrate "near" and "far." When you say "near," encourage the children to lean in toward the puppet; at the same time, move the puppet toward the children so they are very close.

Discuss with the children how we use money for things we need. Discuss how we have to save for the things we want. Chart the children's answers as they talk about things they think we need versus things we want. This could be done in large group.

Encourage the children to name a place in their neighborhood that they visit, such as a grocery store, the post office, a bakery or a gas station. Give the children construction paper, crayons and markers.

Provide a variety of paper cups in several colors and different sizes. Encourage the children to play with the cups by stacking the them and pulling them apart.

Use the grid of multi-colored squares you created during center time and talk about all the different shades and colors you see.

Teach the children to play a new game, such as kickball, for the purpose of introducing new vocabulary. Use words such as throw, kick, catch and pitch as you teach the children how to play the game.