Activities

Read Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons. On a sunny day, hold a clear glass of water above a sheet of white paper and watch as the sunlight passes through the glass of water.

Have the children paint a piece of bread with milk colored with food coloring. Once they paint their bread, toast it briefly in the toaster or put it in the oven to toast. Once done, have the children eat their painted toast.

You will need five things to create a Rainbow Tray: a cookie sheet or tray; a paint brush; cookingsalt or sand; sticky tape and red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple paper if you want to make the complete rainbow.

Cover a tray with paint in three or four wide lines, in different colors. Give the children Q-tips® to draw and scribble on the tray. As they make lines and squiggles, the paint is removed and the color of the tray shows through.

Teach the children how to create the sounds of a rainstorm by using their bodies. Begin by dividing the class into three or four small groups. As you point to each group, the children should begin mimicking the movement that you show them.

Read Come on Rain by Karen Hesse and ask the children to draw a picture of a rainstorm. Have the children dictate their stories. Talk about other types of storms that are dangerous.  This can be done in small group.

In large group, sing “A Ram Sam Sam,” a popular children's song which originated in Morocco:
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam

Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

A rafi, a rafi

Guli guli guli guli guli ram

Provide a variety of wheeled vehicles and ramps in the block center. Use unit blocks or construct ramps with heavy cardboard taped to a box. The children can experiment with different angles to discover which ramp makes the cars go faster.

Place a piece of paper on baking sheet or tray. Have the children paint with thin tempera paint at the top of the paper and then place a block under the tray to create an incline. Have the children observe what happens to the paint.

Wear a pretend wig or create a large braid of yarn hair to wear.  Tell  a shortened version of the story of "Rapunzel" to the children.  Discuss what makes this story a fantasy.

Hold a soft toy or object over an infant lying on his/her back. Give the infant the opportunity to reach for and grab it.

Place awake, alert infant on his/her back on the floor. Place a floor gym over the infant with rattles and small toys hanging overhead. Encourage the infant to look at and reach for items.

Sit on the floor with the infant. Place an object just out of the infant's reach. When the infant reaches for the object, hand it to him/her. Encourage the infant to reach for the specific item.

Sit with a young infant lying on his/her back

on the floor. Hold a rattle, ball or doll over the infant, moving it a little to catch his/her attention. Encourage the infant to reach for the item above him/her.

Include examples of artists' work in the art center to encourage children to continue practicing the observation skills you introduce during large group time. Seek out books and magazines of artwork or books about artists.

Place a variety of books about solving problems in the reading area for the children to choose.

Sit with the infant in your lap and read A Circle Here, A Square There: My Shapes Board Book by David Diehl. As you read, encourage the infant to touch the pages.

In a small crate or basket, keep a variety of books for the children to choose from. Include board books, simple text picture books, wordless books and books with rhyming text.

Encourage the children to focus on the pictures in books by providing flannel board pieces or picture cards for familiar stories and placing them in the book area.

Select a child to "read" a familiar story that your class knows, such as The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner.  Encourage the reader to select others to help retell the story.  Have the child "read" as the children re-enact.