Activities

Take the infant outside for brief times throughout the year. While outdoors, talk about the weather and the types of clothes and activities appropriate for the day or season. For example, say "It's cold outside today because it's winter.

Provide pictures of various types of clouds such as white, puffy ones and gray clouds on an overcast day. Talk about the clouds. Say, “Before it rains, the sky and the clouds sometimes look gray.

Prior to going outside, have the children predict which outerwear they might need. Ask, “Do we need umbrellas? Do we need heavy coats? Do we need a light jacket?” during outdoor time.

Assign one child to be the class weather watcher or meteorologist. Each day have the child go to the window and report to the class what he or she sees. Create a chart with simple symbols for different types of weather.

Form a circle and provide a pile of clothes for different climates in the middle of the circle. Create cards showing different climates. Talk to the children about what the word climate means. “Climate” is the weather conditions of a region or area.

Use pages from Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons to encourage the children to talk about different kinds of weather. Learn and use new words such as drizzle, sleet or hail.

Weave plastic streamers of different colors securely to stationary objects around the perimeter of the play area to create a maze.  Make sure the streamers are only about ankle high.

Give the children long strips of paper to weave in and out of a chain-link fence.

During outdoor time, give the children long strips of fabric or paper and encourage them to weave through the holes of a chain link fence.

On Fridays, send home a stuffed bear with each child. Encourage children and parents to have the bear participate in all of the family activities. If possible, ask the parent to take pictures and send them to school on Monday.

Provide a balance scale and a variety of items from the classroom. Show the children how to place items on the balance scale and watch it go up and down. Say, "The scale tells us when something is heavy or light. The block is heavy.

Collect clear plastic bottles with lids that are the same size. Fill the bottles with a variety of materials of different weights such as water, cotton balls, sand, beads or feathers. Seal the tops so the children can't open them.

When the family arrives to drop off the infant, make a comment that helps build the relationship with the infant and the family. Welcome the infant and talk about something he/she did. "Good morning, Hunter.

Tune: "Rise and Shine"  Rise and shine and welcome to school today
(clap hands)
Rise and shine and welcome to school today
(clap hands)
Rise and shine and welcome to school today
(clap hands)

Provide individual trays of sand, plastic putty scrapers or spatulas and spray bottles filled with water. Have the children write their names or create a design in the dry sand using an unsharpened pencil. Take a picture of their creation.

You will need a spray bottle with water and construction paper or butcher paper in a bright color. Use the spray bottle to wet the bottom of the children's shoes. Have them step on a piece of bright construction or butcher paper.

Bring three or four puzzles that you previously mixed up, and present a problem to the children. Say, “Oh no, look what has happened! These puzzles are all mixed up and the class is not going to be able to put them together again.

Bring three or four puzzles that you previously mixed up, and present a problem to the children: “Oh no, look what has happened. These puzzles are all mixed up and the class is not going to be able to put them together again.

Cut placemats into four or six pieces to make a picture puzzle. Sit with the children and encourage them to put the puzzle together.

Have one child do something and have the other children describe what that child did. For example, he/she went around the shelf, he/she went under the table or he/she sat next to the block center.