Activities

Read the book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and discuss the different stages of growing up.

Before reading Nancy Carpenter's Lucky Ducklings, encourage the children to make connections by asking questions such as, “Have you ever seen baby ducks following a big duck?” or “Have you ever been scared walking over a grate?”

Read the book Lulu's Lunch by Camilla Reid. As you read the book, have the children raise their hands to express their preferences for bananas, spaghetti, both or neither.

On butcher paper, create a graph with three columns. Place a familiar restaurant logo at the top of each column.

For toddlers to learn words, they need to hear lots of words spoken every day. Snack timeand lunchtime are great opportunities to make this happen. Talk about the different foods the children are eating every day and label them.

At lunchtime, choose a small group of children to count out each lunch item while distributing them. The children should place one item at each child's place at the table.

During lunch or snacktime, ask the children questions designed to help them use prior knowledge about the foods they are eating

and how they were prepared. For example, you might say, “These are yummy mashed potatoes.

Create a “mad jar.” When a child gets upset, he/she goes to the “mad jar,” opens the lid and shouts into the jar. After letting out his/her shout, the child puts the lid back on the jar. Consider decorating the jar with words or facial expressions.

Use masking tape to create block letters on white construction paper. Give children paints and ask them to completely cover the paper, tape and all. When the paint is dry peel off the tape and the letter “magically” appears.

Give a child a toy microphone and explain to the children that the child holding the microphone is the one allowed to speak.

Obtain a microphone or create one using a paper towel roll and a ball of aluminum foil.

Give each child a book or have one child model this each day. Ask the children to hold up their pointer finger and explain that it is their “magic finger” which helps them read. Put “magic” child- safe lotion on their pointer finger.

Create a magnet bottle using a clear plastic bottle with lid. You will need metal objects that are attracted to a magnet, sand, glue, tape and a string with a bar magnet. Place the metal objects inside the bottle.

Create discovery bottles using magnetic and non-magnetic items. Fill one empty water bottle with rice and magnetic items, another with rice and non-magnetic items.

Cut different facial features from magazines in the writing center. Laminate and place magnets on the back. Give the children a metal cookie sheet, and encourage them to make different faces.

Place paper clips in a bowl. Provide scrap paper and pencils in the math center. Encourage the children to use a hand magnet to attach the paper clips and see how many will connect.

Using the writing center area provide magnetic letters and a cookie sheet for the children to create words and break down the sounds.

Put a large glass of water on the table, and drop a paper clip into the glass.

Provide magnets and items in the science center that are attracted to and not attracted to them. Encourage the children to guess which items will stick to the magnet and which ones will not.

Use laminated pictures of family members and the children. Glue magnets to the back. Provide a cookie sheet and have the children place the pictures on the cookie sheet.