Activities

You will need construction paper, markers and other art materials for this activity as well as printed copies of the classroom rules. Have the children color and decorate their papers. They can use markers, stickers and crayons.

Rules can be helpful

Rules can be good

They help us behave 

The way we should

We follow the rules

And we don't do wrong

The world's a happier place

When we all get along

Include the children in creating rules for the various learning areas. Post rules in each area.

During outdoor time, use paper plates and have the children each stand on a paper plate. Play some music. When the music stops, have the children run to stand on a plate.

In the dramatic play area, using real pots and pans, potholders and cooking utensils, have the children model safety when cooking. Talk about the stovetop eyes and oven. You can discuss the temperature of drinks and cookware during small group..

Read Play it Safe by Mercer Myer; Safety on the Playground by Lucia Raatma or any other book about safety. Discuss the book and have the children share their own experiences on staying safe. This could be done in large group.

During ourdoor time, visit all play structures (inside and outside) and discuss the safety rules for each piece of equipment.

Mark your calendar for safety events throughout the year, such as Fire Prevention Week. Practice the drills that go along with these safety weeks. You want to make sure the children feel comfortable and do not see these drills as a threat.

Make it a habit to talk about safety even though the infants do not fully understand. Talk about things being “safe” or “unsafe.” such as when you take away a broken toy with a sharp edge, tell the infant how sharp edges are “not safe.

Go on a safety walk outside. Discuss the importance of looking both ways for cars, staying with the group and using walking feet during outdor time.

Sing this favorite song during your closing group time. Have a child come forward and describe an item of his/her clothing.

Have the children help you create a timer to help them take turns. You will need two clean, dry 2-liter soda bottles, a tornado tube and salt. Have the children help pour the salt into one of the bottles.

Collect pairs of similar objects, such as blocks, bowls, spoons or vehicles, that differ in one characteristic. For example, you might have two blocks, one red and one green; or two spoons, one wooden, one metal.

Provide picture cards in the writing center area for the children to identify and sort into groups beginning with the same sound.

Place familiar objects, such as plastic animals, balls or small toys in a container filled with sand. As the children dig in the container, name the objects that they find and encourage them to do the same.

Place sand and/or water in a sensory table. Provide a variety of tools for the children to use in the sand/water such as scoops, cups, spoons, sand molds and/or plastic animals.

During outdoor time, designate an area of the sandbox for this activity or fill an outdoor sensory table with sand. Provide different sizes of cleaned containers such as yogurt cups, margarine tubs or small milk cartons with the tops cut off.

Provide toys and small shovels or sturdy spoons for the children to dig holes in the sandbox. Bury small toys in the sand and encourage the children to dig to find them.

Bury several small toys in the sand table. Provide a variety of tools such as spatulas, scoops and spoons so the children can dig and scoop the sand and retrieve the toys. Encourage the children to try different methods of digging and scooping.

During outdoor time, provide sand wheels or other similar toys for the sandbox. The children can experiment with different materials, such as damp sand or fine gravel, noting the changes in how each behaves.