Activities

Bring in a variety of maps from tourist attractions or malls. Spread them out and encourage children to notice things about them. A map of an amusement park might include places to eat, roller coasters, different rides as well as shows to see.

Use a marble builder game that lets you snap the pieces together in various ways. Let the children create, take apart and rebuild structures that they can roll the marbles through. This can be done in small group.

Introduce marble or golf ball painting to the children. Place paper in the bottom of a shallow container such as the lid from a box of copy paper. Place marbles in a small bowl of paint; provide two colors of paint.

Provide cardboard tubes cut in half lengthwise, marbles and show the children how to place a marble in the tube and tip it to make the marble roll out. Encourage observations and comparisons.

Cut cardboard tubes in half lengthwise and tape them to a large piece of cardboard or to a wall or foam core, using painter's tape. The tubes should make a continuous track, with the marble able to move or drop from one tube to the next.

Cut paper towel tubes in half lengthwise to create tracks for marbles. Place them in the block center and encourage the children to construct the tracks using the tubes and masking tape.

Cut paper towel tubes in half lengthwise to create tracks. Give the children masking tape to create paths and give them small balls to roll down the tracks.

Cut paper towel tubes in half lengthwise to create tracks. Give the children masking tape to create paths. Give the children small balls to roll down the tracks.

Sing this song with the children to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell” and encourage them to follow your motions:
We're marching all around,

We're marching all around,

Hi! Ho! The Derry-O!

We're march

Offer each child a musical instrument that you have made or bought at a store. Encourage the children to play the instruments. Play the song "The Ants Go Marching One by One" as the children move around the classroom.

Add a date stamp and stamp pads to the writing center so the children can stamp the date on their work.

Provide coffee filters, water-based markers, a cup of water and plastic pipettes.  Encourage the children to draw on the coffee filters using markers and use the plastic pipette to drip water on their drawings.

Nontoxic, felt-tipped markers are easy for infants to hold. Tape paper to the highchair tray. Give the infant the markers. Turn scribbling into a conversation with the infant. Show your excitement at his/her efforts.

Use marshmallows and toothpicks to build structures. Take them apart and start again. This can be done in small group.

During small group, pair the children and supply the table with mini marshmallows and toothpicks or uncooked spaghetti noodles. Tell the children they will work with a partner to build the tallest tower they can.

Read S is for S'mores: a Camping Alphabet Book by Helen Foster James.In a large group setting, ask the children to share camping stories. Hot glue a magnet to the end of a long dowel to represent the stick used for roasting marshmallows.

Discuss use of manners with the children, such as saying “please,” “thank you” and “excuse me.” Create a class book entitled Magnificent Manners. This could be done in large group.

During mealtime, give the infant a spoonful of cool mashed potatoes if appropriate for age. Let him/her explore the potatoes on his/her highchair tray or small plate at the table. You can have the infant pick some up and eat off the tray or plate.

Give the children paper and different colors of masking tape. Tear off strips ahead of time and tape them to the table edge to make it easier to access them. Show the children how to tear the tape to make smaller pieces.

Place a brightly colored, multi-textured mat on the floor, and place the infant on it. Show the infant how to explore each item on the mat. Talk about the bright colors, using descriptive words, as the infant plays.