Activities

During outdoor time, blow a whistle so the children will freeze and then tell them to show an emotion on their face. For example say, “Show me a confused face.

For this activity you will need a file folder for each child, markers, magazines, scissors and glue. Lay the file folder open flat on the table. Ask the children to take each end and fold toward the center seam to create a tri-panel book.

During large group, have an EMT visit the classroom and talk about caring for others.

Freeze a tray full of shaving cream and a few small containers of water for glaciers.

Read Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals by Steve Jenkins. Talk about what the word endangered means. Give the children paper and colored pencils or crayons to draw their favorite endangered animal from the book.

Read The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis. Brainstorm other things that are enormous. Encourage children to think of other words that mean really large, such as gigantic or huge.

Invite the children to copy environmental print in the writing center.  Encourage them to continue to try if it gets difficult.

Take a walk around your school or center and point out environmental print related to safety. For example, point out exit signs, stop signs or caution signs. PDM1.4c. This could be done in large group.

Inside the dramatic play area provide a large variety of environmental print such as restaurant menus, food boxes, and coupons. Facilitate play to include letter awareness. Point out familiar letters.

Create puzzles by cutting up snack and cereal boxes. Store the puzzles in gallon-size plastic bags. Ask the family to bring the child's favorite food box from home.

On a dry erase board draw a picture such as grass, sky, tree, flower and sun. Do this before the children arrive so they don't have to wait while you draw. Say a word such as “tower” and have a child erase the drawing that rhymes.

After reading Eric Carle's ABC by Eric Carle, introduce the children to the technique of tissue collage. Provide large letters cut from white construction paper or poster board and various colors of tissue paper cut into squares.

Use two or three clear plastic containers of the same size. Empty peanut butter jars work well, or ask the cafeteria for some mayo or pickle jars. Fill jars with scoops of sand. Label two jars with the amount of sand inside (two scoops, four scoops).

During outdoor time, engage the children in brainstorming a list of distances to measure on the playground.

Engage the children in brainstorming a list of distances to measure during outdoor time.

Put about 20 seashells or other objects in a jar bowl or pile. During large group, encourage the children to observe how full the jar or bowl is or how big the pile is. Remove 10 items from the group.

Make estimating a part of your morning routine. Place small items in a clear plastic jar. The number should not be larger than most of the children can comfortably count.

Place several small objects in a clear plastic container. The number should be within the children's ability to count, usually 10 or less, but possibly up to 20 as the year progresses.

Place several small items such as bottle caps in a jar. This will be your mystery jar. Using the same item, provide an opportunity for the children to watch you place 10 bottle caps in a matching jar.

Establish an estimation station in your math center/ manipulatives area. Gather a number of small plastic jars and fill each jar with different things. For example, cotton balls, marbles, buttons, toy cars and bottle caps.