Activities

During outdoor time, provide an outdoor discovery box containing binoculars, insect catchers, magnifying glasses, containers for rock, leaf, and stick collections or small shovels and pails.

Have books available in the reading center that discuss community helpers. Talk to the children about the books and the helpers that are described in them.

Provide the infant with one or two dishes, bowls and cups from a play dish set. As the infant explores, talk about how to use the utensils. For example, pretend to drink from the cup and then offer the infant the cup to mimic your actions.

Face the infant and make eye contact. Carry out a simple “conversation” by imitating the sounds and facial expressions that he/she makes. Repeat “ma ma ma” and pause to give the infant time to respond.

Have the children look at you, point to and move different body parts. Create a chant to make it easy for the children to follow your instructions. For example, say:
Point to your feet, now stomp, stomp, stomp.

Have the children form a circle and give each child a paper shape such as a triangle, a square, a circle or a pentagon.

Create sound amplifiers by cutting off the bottoms of large foam cups. During outdoor time, invite the children to hold them up to their ears and listen to the many sounds of a rural or urban environment. Ask them to identify the sounds they hear.

Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Do you know my valentine, valentine, valentine?

Do you know my valentine, her/his name begins with "J" 

(Children whose names begin with J should stand).

Tune: “Do You Know the Muffin Man”
Do you know what time it is,

time it is, time it is?

Do you know what time it is?

It's time to go outside!
Repeat the song and name other part of the day: …to lunch, …for story time,

Examine a snakeskin. Pet shops will often save them. Have the children look at the patterns on its surface. Demonstrate how shedding happens by having the children spread white glue on the palms of their hands to dry.

When the infant is in the highchair, use the gesture for “more” before you give him/her more food. Ask, “Do you want more Cheerios?” Put hands in a position that looks like you want to clap, bend fingers over and touch them together.

Do your ears hang low?

Do they wobble  to and fro?

Can you tie them in a knot?

Can you tie them in a bow?

Can you throw them over your shoulder like a continental soldier?

Do your ears hang low?
Yes my ears hang l

Inside of the dramatic play area create a “Feel Better” prop box with items to use to care for someone, including a soft toy, a blanket, a book to share and toy doctor supplies. A child's job can be to deliver the box when someone needs comforting.

Recite the nursery rhyme as you do the hand gestures suggested:
Doctor Foster
Went to Gloucester
In a shower of rain (Sprinkle rain.);
He stepped in a puddle (Tickle the foot.

Supply items related to a doctor's office such as a toy stethoscope, doctor's smock, pressure cuff and baby dolls to keep in a prop box.

Use a white tube sock as a pretend arm cast. Cut the toe off the end so it leaves the fingers free. Show a real X-ray of a broken arm, and explain that when we break a bone, the doctor has to use a cast to hold it in place.

Provide the children with a sample of blocks from the classroom such as a few unit blocks, some table blocks, LEGO®s or LEGO® DUPLO®s, cardboard blocks or alphabet blocks. Talk about how they are the same. Say, “You can build with all of these.

Introduce the concept of dissolving. An easy way to describe it is to have children touch various solids such as corn starch, jello, salt, pepper and candied sprinkles. Discuss that some of these will change into a liquid when water is added.

Read Doggies by Sandra Boynton. The children will love hearing all of the different barks that dogs can make. Encourage the children to imitate the different barking sounds.

Us the dramatic play area to create a doggy day care by adding stuffed dogs, plastic bowls, brushes, plastic dog bones, balls and a dish pan.  Invite the children to think of activities the dogs can do throughout the day.