Activities

Encourage the children to make up stories about things they see, such as the milk truck leaving the school's cafeteria. Ask questions to spark their thinking.

Invite the children to select an instrument. Explore “outdoor sounds and indoor sounds.” Have the children play loudly during outdoor time and quietly indoors.

During outside play, provide a radio or a CD player with music for the infants to listen to.

During outdoor time, using rhythm sticks, have students make music by tapping on different objects outside. Have them compare differences in sounds. Tapping on a fence makes a “clinking” sound. Tapping on a big tree makes a “thunking” sound.

During outdoor time, create an obstacle course for the children to practice following directions and moving about in various ways.

Take a variety of paintbrushes outside. Provide water for the children to “paint” with. The children can paint on any available surface because the water will evaporate.

During outdoor time, provide a number of floor puzzles for the children to work on while outside.

Provide a number of floor puzzles for the children to work on during outdoor time.

Encourage children to rest outdoors during nap time. Encourage children to use their senses by asking questions about what they hear, see, feel and smell, during outdoor time.

During outdoor time, visit different areas with the children. Ask them to come up with two or three outdoor rules. Discuss the importance of following the rules to stay safe and keep from being hurt. Post the rules outside with picture cues.

During outdoor time, visit different areas with the children. Ask them to come up with two or three outdoor rules. Discuss the importance of following the rules to stay safe and keep from being hurt. Post the rules outside with pictures cues.

On a windy day provide children with scarves and invite them to move like the wind during outdoor time.

Have the children work together to rake leaves and then jump in the piles in the fall.  Use teamwork to plant and care for an outdoor spring garden.  Fill a small pool and gather toys for water play in the summer.

Cut giant shapes from cardboard and take them outside. Trace the shapes with sidewalk chalk. Give a child a cardboard shape to match to the shape on the sidewalk. Make comments such as, “You matched the triangles,” and “You matched the circles.

Provide a tri-fold cardboard background reflecting seasonal scenes and a CD player or tape player with music reflecting favorite classroom rhymes and songs.

During outdoor time, take instruments and a CD player outside, sit on a blanket and have an outdoor singalong. Sing traditional songs like “I've Been Working on the Railroad” and “She'll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.

Move storytime to an outside area. Take a large blanket or outdoor pad for the infant to sit and lay on while the story is being read. The book can be about insects or other items commonly found outdoors.

Periodically during the year, provide children with photos taken at different times during the year and encourage them to put the photos in order based on which happened the earliest in the year.

Pack sandwich items into a rolling cooler. Take the cooler, a blanket and all the supplies you need, such as paper plates, and go on a nature walk, during outdoor time. Have the children help prepare sandwiches to eat “in the woods.

Hang art paper on a fence or on easels.  The chidren can paint during outdoor play.