"It's Child Play!"
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There are enough child play and learning activities here under each letter of the alphabet to keep the kids (and whole family) amused for a whole week!
So a cunning parent could simply plan to “do” one letter of the alphabet for a week, and thus have a six months of activities !
A a
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Arts & Crafts
Apple Stamping
Apple stamping is a lot of fun. Cut an apple in half, and carve out the shape of the letter "A".
Have your child stamp the letter on a sheet of paper and say the "A" sound each time they stamp.
Angels
Cut out a large white triangle for the body, and skin-colored circle for the head, and trace hand prints on white construction paper for the wings.
Glue together, and add facial features and a halo.
My "A" Book
Staple several pieces of white construction paper together with a colored construction paper cover. Print "My A Book" and your children's name on the cover.
Cut out magazine pictures of those things which begin with the letter "A", as well as actual upper and lowercase letters from ads or article titles.
Let the children chose the pictures and letters they want, and glue them onto their book pages.
Later, arrange a time for the children to read their books to you.
Feelie BoxHave a feelie box, that children can't look into, such as covered with a towel or sheet.
Have them guess the object starting with the letter "A" that you have placed in the box.
Make an Airplane
You will need:
2 paper towel rolls
1 toilet paper roll
Craft Sticks
Glue
One of the paper towel rolls, measure about 3" down from the top and cut 1/2 way through.
Measure another 2" down and again cut halfway through.
Remove the section between the cuts.
Glue the second paper towel roll through this section.
Paint the airplane and using craft sticks to form an "X", paint them white and glue to the front of the airplane for a propeller.
Break another craft stick in half and insert them in the tube under the wings for landing gear.
Ants
Use 3 sections of a cardboard egg carton to form the body.
Have the children paint it any color they wish.
Using pipe cleaners, put antennae on the first section, and four legs on each of the 2 back sections.
Draw eyes or use wiggly eyes on the front section.
Make an Ark
Cut out two large boat shapes and punch holes around sides and bottom.
With shoe laces or yarn (wrap ends tightly with tape to prevent fraying), lace the 2 pieces together.
Make a rainbow shape for the top to fit on like a handle.
Let the children color the handle and staple or glue to the top of the ark.
Fill the boat with animal crackers.
As each child selects a cracker to eat, have them tell what kind of animal it is.
"A" Collage
Cut out a large "A" from poster board or other heavy paper.
Have the children find pictures of things in magazines that begin with the letter "A", and either cut or tear them out.
Glue them on the "A."
Acorn Collage
Cutout a large "A" from heavy paper or cardboard.
Have the children collect acorns, and glue them to the "A".
Explain how acorns grow into oak trees.
Ant Fun
Cut out a big letter "A" for each child and let them make ant prints all over it with their fingerprints and a stamp pad.
Use small tip markers to draw in legs.
Games & Activities
Acrobatics
Invite the children to perform acrobatic feats such as somersaults, head stands, back bends, bridges, rocking horses, etc.
Be sure to put down a gym mat, or arrange a field trip to a gym.
Consider sponsoring a gymnastics meet.
ABC Bingo
Easy to make out of construction paper or poster board. Use buttons or beans to cover spaces.
Have children match as you call out lower/uppercase, etc, first child to cover card yells "Bingo."
Prizes can be simple, such as a granola snack or extended time in a certain area.
Aluminum "A"
Cut aluminum foil into long strips and glue to a large cutout letter "A".
Discuss the uses of aluminum with your kids, as well as recycling.
Have each child bring something recyclable from home and let them place in a recycle bin.
"A" Sounds
Talk about things from home that begin with the letter "A" and see how many things the children can think of.
Airplanes
Make paper airplanes and fly them around, or line up chairs in 2 rows and pretend it's the inside of an airplane.
Make up your own tickets, provide flags for someone to wave when the runway is clear.
I know my Address!
Encourage each child to memorize his or her address.
Draw and cut out a large construction paper house to place on a bulletin board.
Then, as the children memorize their addresses, invite them to pin his or her name and address on the house shape.
A good way to help children remember their address is to have them sing it to the tune of a simple song such as "Rain, rain go away."
Animals, animals everywhere!
Take the children to a zoo! Most all zoos have a petting area for younger children.
Talk about each animal and what it eats, what it feels like, and whether or not it would make a good pet.
The "A" Box
Decorate a box with the letter "A". Inside the box place items or pictures of items that begin with the letter "A".
This also works well if you use pictures, and have each child in turn draw out one picture and tell it's name and what they would do with it.
Acrobatic "A"'s
Divide the children into groups of threes. Have the children in each group lie on the floor and use their bodies to form the letter "A".
Let the children in each group trade places and form the letter "A" again, so each child gets a turn at being a different part of the "A".
Then have the children gather in larger groups and form a giant "A".
Astronomical Astronauts
At circle time, show the children pictures of astronauts and talk about what they do.
Transform your drama center into the moon.
Give the children white shirts, boots, and helmets to wear for the astronaut's clothing.
You can make an astronaut's helmet by using a paper grocery bag or cardboard box and decorating with foil, stickers, pipe cleaners, Styrofoam balls and other items found in daycare.
Have pictures of planets hanging all around the center, and maybe even have the children paint a mural of a rocket ship during creative time and put that up on the wall.
Have the children pretend they're walking on the moon, and talk about what it would be like to be weightless in space.
"A" is for animals
Cut out magazine pictures of animals and laminate, if you wish.
Have the children put them on the wall in daycare to make your own zoo, or put the pictures together in a picture book for the daycare.
Then have the children draw 4 of their favorite animals and make a picture book for each child to take home.
Alternatively, photocopy animal coloring book pages for the children to color and make a picture book.
Animal Masks
Make animal masks out of paper plates or grocery bags using decorative items such as stickers, tissue paper, markers, glue, yarn, etc.
Have a puppet show or small play and let the children make up their own lines for their animal.
Moon Walk
Along the astronaut theme, have children look for "moon rocks" in a treasure hunt.
Make the moon rocks out of balled-up aluminum foil or paint Styrofoam balls in silver.
"A" is for Antarctica, Africa, and Australia
Use a globe or world map to show the children where these different continents are compared to our own.
Talk about what a continent is, and read books or show videos on the different continents to learn about their culture.
Encourage the children to become a group pen pal (for younger children) or individual pen pals (for older children) with children from other places in the world.
There are sources all over the internet to get them started on this.
You can also explore what kinds of toys children on these continents play with, and show the children how to make their own.
Alligator Fun
Let the children pretend to be alligators in a swamp.
Call "Alligators Go!" and "Alligators Stop!" at random.
When the Alligators are all going, they make the short sound of the letter "A".
When they are stopped, they are very quiet.
Anyone who makes a sound when they're stopped is "eaten" and is out.
Who Am I?
Give the children clues about an animal, and let them guess which animal you are describing.
Where Do I Belong?
Mount pictures of animals on a tag board or felt board. Have the children sort the pictures into farm, pet or zoo categories.
Grow Your Own Avocado Plant!
Get several avocados. Cut them open to remove the pits.
Help the children plant the pits by sticking three toothpicks in the sides of each pit, evenly spaced.
Fill a small glass with water, and set the pits so that the pointed end of the pit is in the water.
Watch the root of the avocado grow, then replant in loose soil.
This makes a beautiful plant, but it will usually not yield avocados, as most avocado trees take an average of 13 years to produce fruit, and they must be cross-pollinated with other avocado trees to produce fruit.
Accordion Folding
Teach the children to make accordion folds, and have them create something that makes use of the folds.
Examples include a bird with wings, a woman wearing a skirt, or a simple paper fan.
Alphabet Hunt:
Hide some pictures of things beginning with the letter "A", around the room, some easily visible and some a little harder to find.
Then let the children go on a hunt for the pictures.
Recipes & Snacks
Simple Snacks:
Almonds
Alphabet cereal
Alphabet soup
American cheese
Angel Food Cake
Animal Crackers
Apple Butter/Juice
Apples, applesauce
Apricot
Asparagus
Avocados
Apple Chat: Give each child an apple. Ask them to describe the apple using all of their senses except taste.
Then cut the apple in half and explain that they grow from seeds.
Point out the various parts, invite them to count the seeds, and cut the apple into bite-size pieces.
Let them eat a piece and describe how it tastes
Ants on a Log or Raft: Spread cream cheese on a piece of celery (log) or a Triscuit-type cracker (raft).
Let the children put raisins on their logs and rafts.
Letter "A" Taste Test: Try apples, avocados, artichokes, apricots, and any other foods starting with the letter "A" that you can find.
Baked Acorn Squash: Show the children an acorn squash. Put an acorn and the squash beside each other, and discuss how they are alike and how they're different.
Ask the children how they think an acorn squash got it's name.
Help the children see that an acorn squash is shaped like an acorn. Then use the squash to make A-Okay Acorn Squash as follows: Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and pulp.
Put the squash face down in a baking pan and pour in about 1/2 inch of water.
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. The squash is done when the flesh is soft. Pour the water out and turn the squash over.
Put a little butter and brown sugar over the squash, and add cinnamon or nutmeg if desired. Put the squash back in the oven until the butter has melted. Enjoy!
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Finger Puppets
Finger puppets are always a big hit in role playing with children. They can be easily made from construction paper, and decorated with almost anything, such as cotton balls, glitter, yarn, markers, stickers, etc.
Have each child make up a finger puppet and divide the children into small groups. Have each group do a small puppet show for the others.
You can easily construct a stage out of a cardboard box, using tissue paper or fabric scraps for the side curtains.
I'm a Little Airplane
(Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")
I'm a little airplane (children raise arms from sides to shoulder height)
Watch me fly! (Spin one arm in front as if a propeller)
Here are my instruments
From down low to up high (With their other arm, they reach from the ground to above their heads)
First I get all revved up (Make engine-like noises while still spinning their arms)
Then I can fly (Raise arms to shoulder height)
Lifting off the runway (start walking forward)
Up into the sky! (Go up on their tiptoes and continue to move forward. Let them circle awhile before returning to their original positions.)
Ants
Ants, ants,
Everywhere,
Rushing here,
Rushing there.
Carrying treasures
To their nest,
Never stopping
For a rest.
Ants, ants
Here and there,
Hurrying and scurrying
Everywhere.
Alligators and the Monkeys
5 little monkeys
Sitting in a tree
Teasing the alligator
"Can't catch me!"
Along came the alligator
Quiet as can be (whisper this part loudly)
SNAP!!! No more monkeys sitting in the tree! (snap your hands together and tickle the kids)
Sing Hurray for A!
(To the tune of "Farmer in the Dell")
Let's sing hurray for A,
Let's sing hurray for A,
Let's sing hurray for A today
Let's sing hurray for A.
Apple starts with A,
Asparagus starts the same way,
Let's sing hurray for A today,
Let's sing hurray for A.
When the Ants Go Marching In
Oh when the ants
Go marching in
Oh when the ants go marching in
How I want
To be in that number
When the ants go marching in
(Good song for the children to march around the room to)
B b
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Arts & Crafts
Necklaces
Make bead necklaces. Sort buttons.
Blue Birds
Cut out the bird body. Trace circles (head), wings and beaks, one for each child. The children cut out the traced patterns.
Use blue construction paper for the body and head, yellow for the beaks, and white or light blue for the wings.
Have the children draw in the eyes and color in the wing if they want. Write their name on the wing and hang them around the room.
Brown Bears
Use brown paint, paper plates, pompon balls, markers, crayons, tissue paper, lunch bag puppets, whatever you like. Draw or cut out bear shapes and colour and decorate.
Beach Balls
On white constriction paper, trace large circles for the children to cut out. Than with a black marker make a small circle in the middle and divided the ball into six sections.
Than paint the sections in bright colors -- yellow, blue, red -- leaving a section between each color.
Baby Bonanza!
Ask parents to send some baby and new mother magazines and catalogs in.
Invite the children to look through the magazines and catalogs and cut out pictures of baby items - high chairs, baby food, cribs, baby toys, bottles, diapers, playpens, and so on.
Discuss how each baby item is used and then help the children glue the pictures to a large sheet of construction paper.
Balloons
Finger-paint Balloons: Glue five lids (baby food lids) open ends up, in a semicircle on a piece of heavy cardboard and fill each cap with a different color of tempera paint.
Have each child in turn dip all five fingers of one hand into the paint in the lids and then press them on a sheet of white construction paper to make prints.
When the paint has dried, let the children draw lines down from their fingerprints, turning them into balloons with strings.
Painting with Balloons
Pour three or four different colors of tempera paint into separate aluminum pie tins.
Partially blow up a small balloon that matches each paint color.
Then have the children dip the balloons into the matching colored paints and press them on sheets of white construction paper to create balloon prints.
Bee Wings
The letter B could be the wings of a bee. For a big bee attach the letter B to a big blown up balloon.
Be sure to discard the pieces when the balloon pops.
Binoculars
With two empty toilet paper rolls per child, glue the rolls together to form binoculars.
Punch holes at one end on the outside of the rolls and tie a string from one to the other so binoculars may hang around neck.
Decorate with stickers, markers, or paints. Wear on walking field trips!
"B" Beans
Have each child make a large letter B with glue on paper - glue the beans in the letter shape.
Beautiful B Banners
Cut large triangles from blue, brown or black construction paper. Have the children use paint, glitter, scraps and other materials to make a big B on the banner - have children cut out pictures from magazines of items that begin with the letter B - glue them to the side of the banner.
Birthday Cake
Make a large birthday cake from construction paper. Have each child draw, color and cut out a candle from construction paper.
Write their names and birth dates on the candle and glue to the cake.
Bird Feeder
Mix birdseed and peanut butter together. Have the children use popsicle sticks or tongue depressors to scrape the mixture onto wide spaced cones.
You could also string together pieces of bread, orange slices, cranberries and popcorn.
Send home a list with the children of foods that birds will eat - have them bring one of these items in - then make the bird feeders from whatever foods they bring in. hang the food outside for the birds.
If possible hang the feeders from a tree that can be seen from a window so the children can watch the birds eating.
"B" is for Breakfast
Cut out breakfast foods from magazines - glue to a paper plate - write B is for Breakfast at the top
Brown B's
Give the children small dabs of red, yellow and blue or orange and black finger paint - have them mix them with their fingers - makes brown - have the children write B's in the paint.
BeeHive
Help the children cut out a simple bee hive from brown paper - and make a small bee.
Butterfly
Fold white construction. paper in half - cut out a butterfly shape. drop small amounts of tempera on one wing - fold and press together.
Big Bugs
Give each child a potato for a body of a bug. Provide toothpicks, pins with colored heads, pipe cleaners, buttons, and colored paper to complete the bug. Have the children give the bugs names beginning with the sound of B.
Beautiful Blue Bunnies
Give each child bright blue tempera or finger paint and have them paint a cut out shape of a bunny. Have each child tell something about their painting.
Write out what the children say in their own words, then have them find and draw balloons around letter.
Busy Bees
Have children paint a paper plate yellow. Let dry. Then paint on black stripes, if desired. Cut out rectangles with a circle on top for the antennae.
Glue that to the plate. Afterwards just add eyes (either draw them or use the googly eyes) and a smile.
Blue Bubbles
You will need: throwaway cups, Equal amounts of liquid dish soap and water, blue food coloring or blue paint, Straw (cut small slit in it to prevent sucking up into the mouth but allowing bubbles to come out the bottom).
Mix up bubble solution in each cup. Add blue food coloring. Blow bubbles into cup until almost overflowing.
Take white paper and lay in the bubbles. When they pop on the paper, it leaves pretty blue circles.
Beads
Provide opportunities for children to string beads.
Start by having them string the beads in any order - then try to have them follow a pattern.
FingerBugs
Cut out a letter "B" shape. The children cover it with fingerprints and use markers or finger paints to decorate the fingerprints as bugs.
Bears
Cut circles of various sizes from brown construction paper. Help the children arrange the circles on sheets of paper to make little bears.
Suggest that they make a blue bow tie and glue on two buttons for eyes.
Games & Activities
"B" Different!
Get pictures of birds, butterflies, bees, bears, bunnies...
Read and talk about how they are alike and how they are different. What is big? What is small?
Bees
Ask a beekeeper to come to your school/home. We had one who brought everything he used. It was fascinating for us to see all their equipment and the bees, their honey, etc. Talk about queen bees, drone bees, worker bees.
Play "the Flight of the Bumblebee" and teach the children to do the tail wagging dance that bees do when they return to their beehive.
Bounce balls
Balance bean bags on your head while walking on a balance.
Bones
Collect and clean bones from the kitchen: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb.
Sort them and talk about where each came from and what animal.
Let's Pretend
Pretend you are a bag piper, baby, bike, bear, bat, bee, bed, bird, butterfly, bunny, bubble, bean, baseball player, ballerina, etc.
Beans
Do a comparison on the different kinds of beans. Have a bean buffet! ( make different bean dishes)
Make a graph asking: Which beans do you like best? Green beans, Lima beans, Baked Beans, Refried Beans,etc.
Bugs
Ask the Orkin man or another pest control company representative to come to your school/home and give a lecture on bugs.
They usually have samples and may even have coloring books!
Birds
Do a study on birds and have a guest bring birds to your class or go to a zoo or a bird center.
Baskets
Have someone come in to demonstrate basket weaving.
Letter Bag
Introduce each letter by pulling out a Letter Bag (gallon size Ziploc bag containing things that begin with that letter).
The B Bag could contain: buttons, belt, beans, brads, a beet, beads, a bottle of bubbles, a banana (plastic one wouldn't have to be replaced), a stuffed bear, miniature ball, bag, bandana, barrette, bell, bone, bottle, basket, badge, book, balloon, etc.
"B" Box
Have a box containing things that begin with "B" and things that do not. As you remove the things from the box, have students identify them.
Then allow students the opportunity to choose one thing each that begins with the "B" and place it back into the box. Those things that do not begin with B do not go into the box.
You may have the students identify what sound that they begin with also. (Some things that could be used that were not listed for the B Bag are: basketball, baseball, barbecue sauce, bowl, backpack, boot, and battery.)
Beautiful Babies!
Encourage each child to bring a baby picture of himself or herself to school. Display the pictures on a bulletin board.
Invite the children to guess who the babies are. Put in one of your own.
Balloon Lotto
Make a balloon lotto game by dividing a piece of heavy white paper into six sections and drawing a different colored balloon in each square.
Cut matching colored squares out of construction paper.
To play the game, have the children take turns placing the construction paper squares on top of the matching colored balloons.
Balloon Fish
Partially blow up ten small balloons. Place them in a dish pan full of water.
Set the pan on the floor and let the children take turns fishing for balloon fish with a food strainer.
Help each child count his or her catch before putting the fish back in the pan.
Balloon "Keep it Up"
Give each child a balloon. Have the children practice blowing them up.
Help each child tie his or her balloon and play "Balloon Keep It Up".
See how long the children can keep their balloons up in the air without letting them touch the ground.
Balloon Match
To make the game, draw or trace a picture of a clown holding a bunch of balloons on 8 X 12 poster board. Draw the balloons by tracing around a plastic milk cap.
You'll need to save caps in several colors.
With markers, color the clown and each balloon to match your collection of milk caps. To make the board longer lasting, use Contact paper.
Fun With Beanbags
Play a type of tic-tac-toe game where they toss the beanbags onto a board and try to have them land on certain targets.
You could also put letters on the floor, have the children toss a bean bag, and have them name the letter that it lands on.
More advanced children might think of a word that starts with the letter.
Balance
Challenge the children to try walking with a book or beanbag balanced on their heads. Then ask the children to stand with one foot lifted up off the ground.
Then have them close their eyes. Discuss what happens!
Balance Beam
Tape a long strip of wide tape down the middle of a hallway floor.
Challenge the children to walk along the tape line.
See who can walk the farthest without stepping off the tape.
Bean Counter
Give each child one sectioned half of an egg carton and a large handful of dried beans. Post a number between one and ten (depending on the maturity of the children).
Ask the children to count that many beans into each section of their egg cartons.
Backwards Exploring
Try a backward day. What can you wear backwards? You can wear a hat, shirt, or pants backward.
What else can be worn backwards? Can shoes be worn backwards? What are some reasons we don't spend our lives walking backwards?
What would life be like if we had to walk backward?
The Magic Bus
Make a bus out of your chairs (put them all in a big box the kids paint is even more fun) and go on an imaginary trip and see all sorts of B things out the window.
Bus, part 2
Will your local bus company bring a bus for the kids to see inside or can you take a bus ride if you have public transportation available?
Bowling
Use any ball and 2 Liter soda bottles with a little sand in the bottom.
Great fun indoors or out.
Books
A show and tell day could center around everyone's favorite book.
Balloons
Depends on the age for safety! Fill them with a couple scoops of confetti and then blow them up.
Have the kids jump on them and pop them.
Bank
Set up a bank in dramatic play area. Make sure you have a briefcase and deposit slips, etc.
A local bank or parent might make a donation.
Our local bank has a special program for kids. They might do a field trip.
Beautiful!
Help the children make a list of beautiful items, such as a rainbow, a ring, or a sunset.
Ask each child to draw a picture of the item that he or she thinks is the most beautiful.
B Show and Tell
Send a note home asking all the children to bring something for "show and tell" that begins with the letter B.
This works best if the kids can bring something on any day of the week because inevitably, some of the kids and/or parents forget.
When the children share this item that they bring, ask them to put it beside, below or beneath a box.
Babies
Use the opportunity to discuss babies.
The kids can bathe them and give them a bottle and a binky.
Bread
Make some. Those new bread makers aren't quite the same as the good old' days of kneading and punching, but they are fun to use.
Also, a field trip to the bakery will thrill the kids too!
Blow Bubbles
Try different shaped "blowers" to get different effects.
See who can blow the biggest bubble.
Boots
Bring in all kinds -- borrow some from the fire department, a fisherman, a hunter, a soldier or sailor, a construction worker... can you match the boots to their job?
Barney
Dance to loud Barney music or watch a Barney video, as long as your sanity holds out.
Band
Get bells and a drum to bang. Go get some kazoos at the dollar store and have a marching band.
Add other instruments and walk around the block a few times.
Beanie Babies
If you have them, share them. If not, I bet some of the kids do.
Encourage the children to make up stories and plays involving their beanie babies.
B Circle
Have the children stand in a circle.
Throw the ball to a child who has to say something that begins with B. That child then throws to another, etc.
Continue until no more words can be thought of.
Recipes & Snacks
Bananas
Take a survey - find out how many children like bananas - graph the results.
Then make several different banana dishes for the children to sample - such as Banana Nut Spread (mix mashed bananas with peanut butter - spread on crackers), banana pudding, banana berry mix (slice bananas, add other fresh berries, top with yogurt and brown sugar).
Banana splits
Let the children cut their own bananas with a plastic knife.
Bread
Make Banana Bread using your favorite recipe.
Butter
Very easy - pour whipping cream and a touch of salt into baby food jars - shake until butter forms!
Bean Salad
Point out that beans are a vegetable. Make bean salad (mix green, wax and kidney beans top with Italian dressing mixed with a little sugar).
Breakfast
Bananas and bagels or biscuits for breakfast.
Feast on a Blanket
Have lunch on a blanket.
Bugs on a Bed
Give each child a slice of bread.
Have the children first put "bedspreads" on their "beds" using peanut butter, cream cheese or butter.
Then have them put "bugs" on the beds using small edibles such as raisins, nuts, cereal bits, small pieces of fruit or vegetables.
Banana Pudding
Set up supplies to let each kid make their own banana pudding with layered bananas/vanilla wafers/vanilla pudding.
Brown Cows
(Root beer float with chocolate ice cream)
Explain how this drink got its name - "brown" is for the color of root beer and "cow" is for the milk in the ice cream.
Other "B" Foods
Bacon
Bagels
Baked Beans
Banana Bread
Barbecue Beans Bean Sprouts
Beets
Berries
Black Eyed Peas
Bran Muffins
Bread Sticks
Broth
Brownies
Brown Sugar
Brussel Sprouts
Butterscotch
Buttermilk
Beef
Bell Peppers
Biscuits
Bologna
Brazil Nuts
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Lullabies
Teach the children to sing "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and invite them to share other lullabies they know.
Bounce the Balloons
(Sing to: "The Mulberry Bush") This is the way we bounce the balloons
Bounce the balloons, bounce the balloons
This is the way we bounce the balloons,
Gently in the air.
Beauty and the Beast
Rent Beauty and the Beast and have children role play afterwards
Play Beach Boys music.
Sing London Bridges
Have children stand in 2 rows, facing each other, link hands and raise to form a long bridge.
One child at a time goes under the bridge, and the bridge "collapses" on the words "We all fall down", catching whichever child is under the bridge.
Sing Baby Bumblebee
Sing Little Bunny Foo Foo
Add features to the letter B to make a bunny
Bubbles
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle)
Bubbles floating all around (pretend to catch bubbles)
Bubbles fat and bubbles round (make a big circle w/arms)
Bubbles on my toes and nose (point to toes; point to nose)
Blow a bubble. ..up it goes! (pretend to blow bubble; point up)
Bubbles floating all around. (pretend to catch bubbles)
Bub. . .bles fall. ..ing to...the...ground. (sing slowly & sink to ground)
C c
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ART & CRAFTS
Cotton Counting
Glue corresponding number of cotton balls onto paper labeled with a number.
Cookie Jar
Make some pretend cookies out of cardboard or construction paper. On one side color the cookie in and on the other side place a picture of things that begin with the letter C.
Place these pretend cookies in a plastic container and label it "Cookie jar."
Have each child pick a cookie and go over the C word on that cookie, by saying it and listening for the C in the word.
Also, you can give each child a blank cookie & have them draw something that begins with the Letter C.
Collage
Have each child bring in a picture (they may also draw their own picture) that begins with the letter C.
Then, on a big poster board draw the letter C and glue all the kid's pictures around it to make a classroom collage.
Candy-Eyed Calico Cat
Give each child a cat pattern, glue, small scraps of patterned material, toothpicks, flat candies (two for each cat and a few to eat).
Give children these directions: Apply a light layer of glue to the cat.
Cover a as much of the cat as possible with material scraps. Glue on toothpicks for whiskers. Glue on two flat candies for eyes. Allow to dry.
Cloud prints
Put a couple drops of white paint in the center of blue paper, fold, and squeeze the paint around.
Then open them up and write on them what each child thinks they look like.
Crayon Melting
Cover old heating or warming try with aluminum foil and heat up.
Let children lay their papers on the tray and draw with crayons.
The wax melts and soaks into the paper. Let wax dry. These are fun to hang in windows for a stained glass effect.
Candle
Provide art supplies for children to make pretend candles. Use toilet-paper tubes for the candle. Help the children paint the tubes with tempera.
Show them how to stuff red, orange and yellow tissue paper in the top of the tubes for the flame then glue a strip of construction paper around the base for the candle holders.
Help them glue the tubes to small paper plates.
Candy Cane
Make a candy cane with pipe cleaners - use one white and one red - twist the pipe cleaners to make a striped stem.
Bend them into a candy cane shape.
Clock
Make paper clocks on paper plates - Attach construction paper hands with brads.
Identify the big hand and little hand and the number on the clock -if the children are old enough use the clocks to tell the time and hour.
Painting with Carrots
Cut real carrots into 2-3" pieces. Use them like a rubber stamp - dip in orange tempera and print to make a letter C.
Cars
Invite the children to cut out pictures of cars from old magazines and make a collage.
Cat
Draw a simple cat shape on a large piece of paper. If the kids are old enough have them draw it.
Have the children paint their cats black and cut them out when the paint is dry.
Have them add eyes and whiskers.
Cats again
Let them draw pictures of their favorite story book cat or make paper doll cats.
Catalog
Have an assortment of catalogs available.
Let the children browse through and cut out five favorite items.
Glue them on construction paper.
Clover
If Clover is in season have the children pick some.
Cut a large Letter C and glue the clovers on.
Clown
Paint clown faces on all interested children.
Take pictures of your cute clowns.
Note: Be sure to use hypoallergenic paint or costume makeup designed for sensitive skin.
Clown Face
Make a clown face out of a paper plate, construction paper, and an inflated balloon.
Have the children color a clown face, then punch a small hole in the center of the face.
Help the kids pull the knot of the balloon through the hole and tape the knot in the back.
Clothesline Art
Ask children to color, cut out, and clip "C" objects to a clothesline stretched across the room.
Pictures could also be cut from catalogs.
Use clip clothespins. You might want to limit their pictures to things they would find on a clothes line.
Clay
Encourage the children to play with clay. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes in clay, and let them set and dry completely, then paint.
Coal
Make coal or charcoal crystals. put coal or charcoal briquets in a tray.
Mix together 2 TBS each - salt, water, bluing (available in the laundry section), and pour over coal or charcoal. Add drops of food coloring wherever, and coat each piece with a few drops of ammonia.
The next morning you should see crystals beginning to form. If not repeat the process.
Cold
Glue pictures of hot and cold foods on index cards.
Help the children sort the pictures into hot and cold categories.
Caterpillars
Give the children construction paper circles - one for each of the eight basic colors.
Tape one circle to a classroom wall.
Let the children draw various shapes on each circle, and attach to the circle on the wall.
See how long they can make the caterpillar.
Add eyes and antenna to make the caterpillars head.
Comic strips
Save the Sunday comics and daily comics.
Cut the comic strips into separate frames, and cut out a large construction paper C.
Glue comic frames on the letter C - if they are old enough have them sequence them.
Castles
Use paper towel and toilet paper rolls to make a castle.
Cut slits in the tops to attach to other rolls to make varying heights. Paint the tubes goldish and use sponge squares in red paint to make it look like a stone castle.
Clown Bank
Tape a round piece of cardboard to each end of the paper towel tube.
Cut a slot for the clowns mouth. (make it big enough for coins to fit through).
Paint the tube white.
Glue yarn hair and clown features cut from paper.
"C" Box
Decorate a box with the letter C. Inside the box place items that start with C such as: camera, can, card, candle, corn, car, canoe, carrot, coat, comb, cookies, cotton, cat.
Decorative Cans
Collect empty cans, wash them and smooth over any rough edges.
Let the children decorate the cans with colorful self-stick paper or by gluing on wallpaper, felt, fabric, shells or magazine cutouts.
Then let them use their decorated cans as holders for straws, buttons, puzzle pieces, games, or crayons.
Games & Activities
Match my coin
Give each child a penny, a nickel, a dime and a quarter.
Hold up one coin and have the children hold up a matching coin.
Tongue Twisters
Ask children to repeat in unison after you.
Then ask if anyone would like to try to say a tongue twister as fast as possible alone.
Now ask the students to add one or more "C" words to the following to make tongue twisters: "Cassie cooks........" "Clifford counts......" "Carl caught......" "Cliff climbs........" etc.
Coat race
Divide children into 2 teams. Each child is to put the coat on and race to the child at the other end, they took the coat off and the other child had to put it on and race back.
The team that finishes first wins. Then make crowns and have a parade.
Clouds
Go outside and look at the clouds, and use your imaginations to "see" things.
Caps
Sort Bottle Caps or Milk Caps
Cactus
Show the children a cactus plant. The Christmas cactus is especially nice and blooms around December.
Help the children compare the cactus with other plants.
Point out that since a cactus needs less water than other plants, it can live and grow in hot, dry areas.
Calendar
Remind the children that calendars help us keep track of the days, weeks, and months of the year. Make a calendar for each month.
Review the day of the week and the date each day.
Practice saying the days of the week from memory.
Candy
Discuss why cake, candy, cupcakes and cookies should not be eaten often.
Help them make a list of some foods that are healthier (carrots, cucumbers, etc)
Grow a carrot
Choose a carrot that still has green leaves and stems attached. Cut the carrot 2" from the top, and place in a shallow bowl.
Place pebbles around the carrot then fill halfway with water. Set in a sunny window.
New sprouts will appear in about a week.
Once the carrot has sprouted, plant it in some soil and enjoy watching it grow.
Car
Kids love to make car noises. Let them follow you along a imaginary road and pretend to be cars.
Go fast and "zoom", go slowly, stop quickly and "eek" as brakes work, go around lots of curves, putt-putt-putt with engine trouble, etc.
Clean
Emphasize putting toys away when finished playing.
Give out best cleaner buttons to children who help.
Set up a Cleaning Center - include a small broom, mop, dustpan, sponge, apron, feather duster, vacuum, etc.
Demonstrate the proper use then encourage the children to try.
Cloth
Explain that cotton grows on plants. Cotton is made into thread, the thread is woven into cloth and the cloth is sewn into clothing.
Cut cotton cloth into strips. Invite the children to feel the cloth and decide whether warm or cold weather clothing should be made from cotton.
Coats
Discuss why we wear coats. Cut pictures from magazines and make a closet for the coats by folding a piece of construction paper the long way.
Glue a small construction paper circle on the closet for a doorknob and write "My Coat Closet" glue the pictures of the coats inside.
Coconut
Demonstrate how to crack a coconut.
Cut the coconut into little chunks, and invite the children to sample the coconut and the coconut milk.
Coin Fun
Put one coin inside a feelie bag. Invite the children to reach inside and see if they can guess which coin it is.
Color Cards
Write color words on flash cards for older children and practice reading the words aloud.
Coloring Center
Set up a Coloring Center - place crayons, coloring books, drawing paper, tracing paper, markers, colored pencils, etc.
Let the children go wild!
Computer
Teach them a computer game.
Cave
Make a cave in one corner of the play area by draping sheets or blankets over some tables.
Let the children pretend to be caterpillars crawling in and out of the cave.
Ask them to make the hard sound of C as they crawl around.
Catch It!
Cut off the tops of plastic milk jugs with handles to use as receptacles for catching balls and beanbags that the children can "toss" to each other.
Remind the children to be cautious when doing this activity.
Cards
Sort a deck of playing cards according to suits then sequence.
Play card games such as "War", "Uno", "Old Maid", "Fish". use the cards just under 5 for the younger children.
Copycat
Stand in front of the group and demonstrate a movement such as shaking your arm, making a funny face, standing on one foot, etc.
Challenge the children to copy you.
After you have acted out 4-5 movements invite the children to take turns being the leader.
Crawl
Sponsor crawling relays.
Draw two large letter C's on the floor with chalk or tape - have the children crawl along the C.
Recipes & Snacks
Cookies
Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with the kids - a triple C word.
Make Corn on the Cob
Have the children list other foods that are yellow or that begin with C.
Carrot
Have several carrots on hand - clean and cook some of the carrots.
Invite them to taste raw and cooked carrots, and ask how they are alike and different.
Take a survey - graph the results.
Crazy Caterpillar Critters
Provide a variety of vegetables that begin with the letter C, such as celery, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage and cauliflower. Cut these into small pieces and rounds.
Have them assemble a caterpillar in the shape of a C by sticking the vegetables together with peanut butter or cream cheese.
Give each child a piece of cabbage to be the "grass" under the crazy critter.
Chicken Pox Pancakes:
Strawberries, Pancake mix, Bananas, Powdered sugar
Chop the berries into small chunks, allowing one or two per pancake face. Set aside.
Prepare the pancake mix according to package directions.
When the pancakes are done, place each serving in a stack on a separate plate.
For every two stacks of pancakes, you need to peel one banana. Carefully slice off the two ends and put one on top of each stack for a nose.
Then cut two thin slices from each end for eyes.
Then cut banana in half for a long curved mouth.
Arrange the strawberry chunks chicken pox all around each face.
Drop a pinch of powdered sugar on each pox for a tasty bit of puss.
Serves as many little polka dotted people as your heart desires.
Other Snacks
Carrot sticks
Cucumber slices
Celery sticks
Cheese
Crackers
Cinnamon rolls
Cornbread
Cereal
Carrot juice
Cranberry juice
Cantaloupe
Cottage cheese
Cashews
Cupcakes
Cauliflower
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
C is for Cookie
C is for cookie
That's good enough for me,
C is for cookie,
That's good enough for me,
C is for cookie,
That's good enough for me.
Cookie, Cookie, cookie.
Cookie starts with C!
The Runaway Cookies
The cookie jar people Hopped out one night
When the cookie jar lid was not on tight.
The gingerbread man opened raisin eyes
And looked about In great surprise.
The frosted bunny twinkled his nose
And danced around on his cookie toes.
The sugary duck began to quack
And shake the sugar off his back.
The cinnamon bear could only grunt
For he was too fat to do a stunt.
The coconut lamb jumped up so high
That his little white tail flew toward the sky.
They were all so happy to be at play
That they danced and danced
And danced away.
They danced away
So very far
That they never came back
To the cookie jar.
C Song
(Skip to my Lou)
Carrots, castles, candy canes,
Cucumbers and clouds with rain.
Cats and cookies, crayons too.
I think C is cool. Don't you?
I'm a Little Cat
I'm a little cat,
Soft and furry
I'll be your friend,
So don't you worry.
Right up on your lap I like to hop.
I'll purr, purr, purr and never stop.
D d
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Arts & Crafts
The Letter D
Make a large block letter D on a sheet of construction paper and have the children cut it out.
Then taking pictures from magazines, have the children glue objects that begin with the letter D on the large D.
Dime
If you have a dime rubber stamp, use it to make dime prints (heads and tails) all along a letter D cut from light-colored construction paper.
Invite the children to look at the dime prints and describe what is on each side (use large Dime).
Designer belts
Have long rolls of paper to go around each student's waist.
Using cut out shapes, the students will follow a pattern on the belt.
When completed allow the students to wear their belts.
Diamond patterns
Have children create a necklace using diamonds and straws.
Dotted D
Copy large D shapes onto construction paper.
Have children use q-tips and paint to make dotted Ds.
Dots
Children decorate letter D shapes with dots made with a hole punch.
Takes time, but it helps build up the strength in those little hands.
D Dinosaur
Print a large D on a piece of paper for each child.
Place the papers, a capital D stamp, stamp pad, and markers at the writing center.
Invite students to use the stamp and markers to turn their D into a "D dinosaur."
Have them color their dinosaurs and take them home.
Dachshund
Have children fold a long strip of construction paper accordion style.
Ask each child to cut out D-pictures from magazines and glue them to the accordion sections.
Have students design and cut out a dog's head, feet, and tail and attach them to the paper accordion to make a D-dachshund.
Paper Dolls
Cut out and decorate paper dolls to form a multi-cultural garland, decorate with crayons, markers or paint.
If done on posterboard, decorate sections with scrap material, rickrack, buttons, yarn, etc.
Desk Organizer
Cut paper towel tubes into various lengths. Paint each tube a different color.
Glue the tubes (grouped in a bunch - 4-5) to a piece of painted corrugated cardboard.
Use to hold pencils, rulers, paint brushes, scissors, etc.
Dachshund Pencil Holder
For the body, remove the side of a paper towel with scissors to make sort of a well.
Cover the tube and only one end with construction paper. For the head, cut a circle of paper 5" .
Cut a 1/3 wedge out of the circle.
Fold the remaining 2/3 into a cone shape and tape together.
Tape the head to the body.
Add paper ears, draw on eyes, a mouth and a nose.
For the tail, glue a piece of chenille stick to the covered end of the tube. For legs attach 4 small corks with glue.
Daddy
Make an "I love Daddy" card! Simply take a piece of construction paper, bend it in half.
Color (or paint) a picture of Daddy (or for Daddy--if drawing daddy is too hard!)
Than, on the inside write "I love you Daddy!!" (Daddy has 3 D's in it!!)
Dinosaur Crowns
Cut sponges into the shapes of tyrannosaurus dinosaur footprints.
Fold paper towels in half and place them in shallow containers.
Pour a small amount of brown tempera paint on top of each towel.
Give the children crowns cut out of construction paper.
Let the children cover their crown with dinasaur footprints by pressing the sponge stanps first into the paint and then onto their papers.
When the paint has dried, write"tyrannosaurus (child's name)" on the front of each crown.
Daisies
Have the children cut out a circle and glue it to the center of a paper plate.
Show them how to cut petals in a variety of colors and glue them around the circle to form a daises.
Have the children add stems and leaves.
Dads
Ask the children to draw and color large pictures of their dads (or another important male figure in their lives).
Have them tell you something special about their dads to write down on the pictures.
Drizzle Goo
1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup salt, 3/4 cup water, food coloring
Mix all together and put in squeeze bottle.
Drizzle on paper, or on a hot day - your friends!
Make a Dog Collage
Cut out pictures from magazines of dogs and glue them on a posterboard for a dog collage.
Games & Activities
Play Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
Play dominoes.
Visit a Dentist's Office.
Visit a Doctor's Office.
Dinosaur Bones
Make some dinosaur bones out of Clay which hardens.
Bury them in a sandbox and go on a dinosaur dig.
D at Home
Another fun idea is to have the children bring things from home that begin with the Letter D.
Its fun to see the many different objects that the children bring.
Mystery Bag Game
(This can be done for any letter, or many other themes.) Have 2 identical bags each with a cord to close the top.
Have 2 sets of identical items beginning with the letter D (ex. doll, diamond shape, rubber duck). One set of objects should be put in each bag.
The child holds one bag and you hold the other. Put your hand in your bag and select an object, bring it out, say its name (doll) emphasizing the 'd' sound.
Ask the child to put their hand in their bag and try to find the same object using only her sense of touch - not allowed to look inside.
D Math- Feeding the Dogs
Wash and dry five dog dishes or bowls. Number the dishes from 1 to 5 (may add a doggy as well) by taping numbered pieces of paper to the sides. Set out the dishes and fifteen dog biscuits.
Let the children take turns identifying the numbers on the dishes and placing the appropriate number of bones in each one.
Variation: Instead of dog biscuit and dog dishes, use small bone shapes cut out of brown construction paper and paper bowls.
In The Doghouse
Objective: Children will match dots/numerals to numerals.
How to play the Game: Count the spots on each Dalmatian.
Match each Dalmatian to the correctly numbered Doghouse.
You can trace an outline of a Dalmatian from any coloring book and add your own spots.
Putting Doggy All Together
Given a dog divided in to 5 sections numbered 0 to 4, have the children count while pointing to each number. After they have identified the numbers the dogs will be cut apart at the divisions. T
he head of the dog should be placed for the children as a starting point.
Then have the children correctly assemble the dog in number sequence.
Double Decker
Using "Uno" cards the students will match numbers, colors, and patterns.
D's in the Drawer
Print the letter D on an index card and attach the card to an empty drawer.
Place the drawer on the floor, along with your D Display Box. Have the children sit with you in a circle.
Let one child begin by taking an item from the box, naming it and then placing the item in the drawer. Continue until each child has had at least one turn.
My ___ Book
Give each student a set of the pages to the little book. Name an object and have the students find the object and put their finger on it (for all objects).
Allow the students to color object. Assemble the book.
Have each student read their book to the group.
Dogs
Have a picture of a large dog: discuss things dogs do, parts of a dog, what dogs eat, etc. Make construction paper headbands and have the children design the ears they wish to have.
Add pictures of dogs to the band.
Get a hold of a local kennel club and see if they have "trade" magazines they will be discarding.
Doughnut
Cut large doughnut shapes (one for every two children) from different colors of construction paper.
Cut each into two puzzle pieces. Mark one piece with an upper case D and the other with a lower-case D.
Give each of the children a dough-nut half and have them note the colors and the letters.
Then let them walk around to find the matching halves of their doughnuts. May have other halves on the floor or on the board for the students to match.
Dinosaur
For this activity you will need a realistic picture of a dinosaur, chart paper, and a marker.
Show children the picture. Say: "Pretend this dinosaur just walked into the room.
Show me what you would do." Then ask children to describe how they would feel.
Say: "Let's write a story about the day the dinosaur came to our class." Have children dictate sentences for the story and record them on chart paper.
Then read the story back to the children, tracking the words as you do so.
Read the story a second time, asking children to point out words that begin like duck. Display the story where children can "read" it on their own.
Suggest that interested students illustrate it.
D is for dominoes
Introduce them to the children. Make a domino matching game on paper as a learning game.
You have a sheet of paper with drawn dominos on it.
Turn real dominos upside down and let them find them!
Ducky Walk
Have children pretend to be ducks going in a walk. As they walk, instead of quacking they make the D sound.
Dandelion Walk
Walk the neighborhood looking for dandelions. When you find them, help the children to pull them up from their base, getting the roots if you can.
The kids will think they are pretty and you will be "weeding" the neighborhood at the same time!
Dodge Ball
Have the children form a circle facing inward. Choose two or three children to go inside the circle, the other children throw balls into the center trying to touch the inside children.
If they are successful, they exchange places with the children they hit.
Dial Pad
Cut and paste a telephone dial pad and teach the kids to Dial 9-1-1 and/or their home phone numbers.
Recipes & Snacks
Doughnuts
Use 1 package refrigerated biscuit dough. Punch a hole in the middle of each biscuit (a bottle cap will work). Fry in 1 inch of hot oil for about 1 minute or until light brown on both sides (fry the "holes" too).
When cool, shake in a bag of cinnamon mixed with sugar, brown sugar, or powdered sugar.
Dirt Dessert
Give each child a small paper cup with 1/2 cup VanillaYogurt.
Let them measure and crush 1/2 cup of Granola and sprinkle on top for "dirt".
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Donut Song
(Tune: Turkey in the Straw) (Traditional)
Oh I walked around the corner
And I walked around the block
And I walked right into a donut shop.
And I picked up a donut and I wiped off the grease,
And I handed the lady a five-cent piece.
Well she looked at the nickle
And she looked at me,
And she said, "Hey kid can't you plainly see?
There's a hole in the nickle,
There's a hole right through!"
And I said, " There's a hole in my donut too!
Thanks for the donut! Good day!"
Dippy Donut Song
(tune: Baa Baa Black Sheep)
Yum, yum, Donuts.
Chocolate iced,
Glazed and twisted,
Warm and nice.
Cream filled, Peanuts on the top.
Long John! Jelly! I can't stop!
Better than a sticky roll,
Eat them right down to the hole!
Nursery Rhyme
Diddle diddle Dumpling, my son John
Went to bed with his stockings on.
One shoe off and one shoe on,
Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John.
Dinosaur Poem
Dinosaurs lived long ago.
They were so big and strong, you know!
Sharp teeth and claws,
Long tails too.
Some that walked
And some that flew.
Though they don't live here anymore,
We still adore the dinosaur!
E e
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Arts & Crafts
Egg Shell Art
You will need:
crushed egg shells
food coloring
glue
construction paper
You will need a large amount of crushed egg shells for this activity. Sending a note home to parents asking for leftover shells will help.
Soak egg shells in a solution of food coloring and water.
Prepare a number of different colors. When shells are the color you desire, remove and spread on paper towels to dry.
Direct children to make a large, simple drawing or design and to glue on the crushed egg shells wherever they wish.
Allow artwork to dry before displaying.
Fun With "E"
Cut out large letter E shapes. Make a collage of pictures of things beginning with E.
Let the children cut out the pictures and glue them on.
Elephant
Place several pieces of white paper between two pieces of grey paper and cut out an elephant shape.
Teach a lesson on elephants that are an enormous size.
You can talk about sizes big/little.
Glue on pictures of elephants and other enormous animals.
Eggs
Decorate egg shapes cut out of wrapping paper or construction paper.
You can also play a matching game if you cut out 2 egg shapes out of each type of wrapping paper, wallpaper sample, or construction paper.
Envelopes
Decorate envelopes and let the children draw an elephant, or decorate a paper egg to mail to a friend or grandparent.
Easter E
Draw a large block capital and lowercase 'E'.
Color, paint, or decorate the "E" with stripes, polka dots, or some other Easter egg design.
Stay inside the lines!
E is for Eggs
Distribute an empty egg carton and twelve small paper eggs to each group. Have children cut E-pictures from magazines, glue the to the eggs, and place the eggs in the egg carton.
Help the children label the backside of the eggs with the picture name.
Ears
Use a large sheet of paper on which is written the following statement, "I have two ears to hear with".
The children can paste pictures of things, which make a sound that they can hear.
E Practice
Invite children to form the capital letter E using craft sticks.
Glue to construction paper.
Pattern Eggs
Draw and cut out six large cardboard eggs. Glue a different pattern of fabric or wallpaper to each egg.
Cut the eggs in half .Let the children take turns matching the egg halves.
Patterned Egg Match-Ups
Cut 6 to 10 egg shapes out of cardboard. Cover each shape by gluing on a different pattern of wallpaper, wrapping paper or fabric.
When the glue has dried, cut each egg shape in half. Mix up the halves and give them to your children.
Let them take turns putting the egg shapes back together by matching the patterns on the egg halves.
Eight spider leg hats
Make bands that will go around each student's head. Cut eight black strips of paper for each student. Have the student count the strips.
Staple four legs on each side of the hat. On eight small circles write or trace the numbers one to eight. Glue the circles to the end of each leg.
Eyes can be added to the band. Color a spider and number/trace a number on his legs.
E gross motor Elephants
Make enormous elephant ears. Using gray paper make a hat with enormous elephant ears. First use one or two sheets to make the headband.
Fold the paper in half the long way a couple of times to make it stronger. Measure the hat size on the child's head. Staple to secure the hatband in place. Use an entire sheet for each of two fan shaped elephant ears.
Attach them to the side of the hatband. Expand to a large muscle skill movement game. Have your children put their hands in front of their face like an elephant's trunk. Start the game with a simple elephant walk.
Then go through the elephant's day. Have the children stretch and do what elephants do. Stretch and pick leaves from high in the trees or grass from down low on the ground.
Try having your elephants hold trunks or try an elephant hug.
Easels
Get out all your easels and different kinds of paint, chalk, etc.
Eggs
Use plastic eggs (from Easter) and have the children glue Easter-egg grass in half of an egg.
Show them how to make a chick by gluing two cotton balls together and making a tiny face on the top ball.
Have them put their chicks in their eggs and use stickers to decorate the outside of the eggs.
Eskimos
Ask the children to cut out a large round shape for the face of an Eskimo. Show them how to glue white cotton balls around the face for the fur of a hood.
Have them glue or color on other features. Talk about why Eskimos need to be dressed in warm clothing.
Egg yolk painting
Take egg yolks and add food coloring. Makes a very pretty and shiny picture.
Paper Plate Elephant
The children paint paper plates gray. Add construction paper ears, eyes (the BIG wiggly ones look cute), then cut out a circle from the center of the plate - this is where the children stick their arms through to make the trunk!!
Easy Elephants
You can make elephant trunks by painting paper towel rolls gray and when dry the children can put them on and pretend to be elephants.
E Collage
Have each child bring in a picture from home of something that begins with the letter"e".
Then, after each child says what they brought in, make a class collage of all the pictures.
Egg Carton
Make an egg carton nursery by placing empty eggshell halves in the cups of an egg carton. Fill with potting soil and plant a couple of radish seeds or carrot seets in each shell.
Try putting under a grow-light or in a sunny window to hasten growth.
Plastic Eggs
Write sentences on writing paper, cut them apart, and insert a sentence in a plastic easter egg. Students draw an egg from the basket and write their sentence on paper.
When finished, they can trade egg for a different one.
Elmo
Use a heavy piece of paper shaped like Elmo's head and then tear and glue on red paper so it looks like Elmo's fur, then of course add the rest of the features, they look adorable.
Number 8 books
For each student staple 5 half-sheets of paper together. On the front write "book of 8s." Using various stamps the students will stamp 8 prints for each page.
Squares may be used as guides for stamping. On the last page color the number eight.
Eyes and Ears
Have children draw a face on a piece of paper minus the eyes and ears.
Have them look through magazines to find pictures of eyes and ears to glue to their picture.
Games & Activities
Tongue Twisters
Elmer Elephant has enormous ears. Ella Eagle laid eleven eggs. Elsie eats eight eggs.
Ernie eel enjoys exercising. Ernie easily erases errors. Every evening Eric Elk escapes.
"E" Questions
Tell the children to answer "yes" or "no" to these questions and to explain why they answered as they did.
Can an envelope be empty? Is eleven more than eight? Is an easel elastic? Would an elevator eat eggplant?
Are earmuffs electric? Can you hear an echo? Is an evergreen a type of tree? Are some elephants enormous?
Enormous Box
Decorate an Enormous Box and fill it with things that begin with "E"such as egg, egg beater, egg carton, earmuffs, earphones, earrings, elephant, elf, engine, envelop, erasers, elastic, easel, etc.
Elbow
Print the letter Ee on several index cards and also print previously taught letters on other cards.
Have the children wave their elbows in the air when they see the letter Ee on a card.
Exercise!
Exercise with the children. There are a lot of video tapes out there designed for exercise activities for children.
Egg to Bird
Talk about the process of an egg becoming a chicken or other bird - Have pictures or laminated cards depicting the various stages of a baby bird hatching.
Egg Relay
Have an Egg relay race using plastic eggs - see who can get all the eggs in the basket first.
Electricity
Cut out pictures of things that do and do not use electricity. Ask children to sort the pictures.
Discuss how some of these devices are used. Invite an electrician in to talk about his/her job.
Egg Cartons
Provide egg cartons for counting and making sets. Write numbers in the bottom of the cups.
Have the children count the correct number of beans, buttons, etc. into each cup.
E's in the Eggs
Label stickers with E's and attach them to large plastic eggs. Inside each egg put a picture of something whose name begins with E.
Place the eggs in a basket. Have the children sit in a circle with the basket in the middle.
Let each child in turn take an egg from the basket and name the letter on it.
Then have the child open the egg and name the picture inside.
E Practice with grids
Invite children to form the capital letter E using available large blocks.
Talk about the different number and sizes of blocks the children used to make the letter.
Have children trade blocks and form the letter E again.
Emergency
Talk about and then practice with the students what to do in case of a emergency. Explain that the best thing is to go get help from a grown-up.
If no one is around, they should dial the emergency number they learned and tell what happened, give their name, say their telephone number, and give their address.
Stress the importance of staying on the phone to take directions and to answer any further questions.
Number Eggs
Collect five plastic eggs that are all the same color. (Or use eggs of different colors and mix up the tops and bottoms.} Using a permanent felt-tip marker, write the numerals 1 to 5 on the top halves of the eggs and draw corresponding numbers of dots on the bottom halves.
Place the egg tops and bottoms in two separate boxes.
Then let the children take turns finding the matching numbered halves and putting the eggs together.
Extension: When the children have correctly matched the egg halves, let them fill the eggs with corresponding numbers of dried beans, if desired.
Feed the Elephant
Draw an elephant face on the side of a large cardboard box and cut a hole for its mouth with a knife. Give each of the children several unshelled peanuts and let them take turns "feeding the elephant" by tossing the peanuts into the elephant's mouth.
Add more peanuts to the box at end of the game and let each student reach in and grab a handful. Let the children keep and eat as peanuts as they can hold.
Pass the Egg
Have the children sit in a circle. Give each child a plastic spoon.
Have one child be the starter and give them a plastic egg.
Have the children pass around the egg using the spoons
Egg Carton Toss
Give each child an empty egg carton. Ask them to open their egg carton and lay it on the floor. Take a few steps back and toss, one at a time, a handful of beans or other small objects.
When they are finished, have them count how many objects landed int he sections of the egg carton.
Elephant Soccer
Ask the children to form a circle, each child standing with feet wide apart. Ask them to hold their arms down in front of them with their hands clasped for trunks.
Let them roll a ball across the circle trying to get it through someone else's legs. They may use only their trunks to stop the ball.
If the ball does go out of the circle through someone's lets, that person must run and get it and bring it back.
Add more balls to the circle as the children become proficient.
Recipes & Snacks
E is for Egg
Have scrambled eggs for breakfast, or scrambled egg sandwich for lunch.
English muffins
Egg drop soup
Hard-boiled eggs
Egg plant
Eskimo pies
Egg Boats
Hard-boil one egg for every two children. Have the children work in pairs to peel the shell from the egg. Slice the egg in half and carefully remove the yolk and put into a small paper cup.
Have each pair mix the yolk with 1-tsp. Mayonnaise, 1/2 Tsp. Mustard and a dash of salt and pepper
This mixture is scooped back into the hollows of the white. Have each child make a sail for the boat with a toothpick and a paper flag with the letter E on it.
Stick the sail into their "boats" before they eat.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Poem: "The Elephant"
He's ever so big and ever so fat. (hold hands high and then apart)
He has no hands, he has no toes. (shake finger and head for no)
But goodness gracious, (hands on cheeks)
Such a nose! (put right fist on nose and go down, making an imaginary trunk)
One Little Elephant
One little elephant went out to play, (Make an elephant trunk with your arm held in front of your face)
Out on a spider's web one day. (Pretend to walk carefully on a spider's web)
He had such enormous fun,
That he called for another elephant to come! (Motion for the other "elephants" (kids)
(Yell) Too many elephants! There goes the web! (Fall down with the kids)
Self Help A -Z Parenting Happiness Kids games and learning Activities free e-book – 100 pages of games and fun for children of all ages. Happiness and wellbeing child activities and child games, personal development article about parents and childrens play self help, happiness kids fun activities and educational games, childrens education and personal development, kids learning and self growth projects and activities.
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Arts & Crafts
Go Fishing
Make a fishing pole by rolling up newspaper, and tape to secure.
Then cut out and color some fish. Attach yarn or string to the fish, then attach to your pole.
Fan
Fold a piece of paper accordion-style. Tape the bottom together, and fan yourself.
Jumping Frogs
Take a green circle, or paper plate painted green, and fold in not quite in half. Don't fold all the way down. Then add two white half ovals for eyes on top of the fold, and glue behind the fold.
Add a dot in the middle.
For a tongue glue a half oval shape to the bottom of the top flap (the one you folded down). Then add green accordion strips for legs.
Feet Butterflies
Have each child stand on a piece of paper with feet slightly apart.
Trace around each foot to make "butterfly wings". Draw a butterfly body between each pair of feet (wings) and add antennae.
Decorate with crayons, markers, paint, and sprinkle with glitter.
Fabric collage
Cut shapes of various sizes from different textured fabrics. Give the children pieces of construction paper. Let them glue the fabric shapes all over the papers.
Then have them rub their hands all over the collages and describe the different textures they feel.
Feather Painting
Set out feathers or feather dusters and shallow containers of paint. Give each child a large construction paper bird shape.
Let the children use the feathers as brushes to paint their birds.
Personalized Flags
Explain to children that every country has its own flag and people display them and wave them on national holidays to honor their country.
Set out various colors of sticker dots, stars, and other shapes. Let the children create their own flags.
Flower Jars
Let children place small amounts of clay in baby food jar lids. Give them small dried flowers to arrange in the clay. Screw the lids to the jars.
Tie a ribbon around the necks of the jars and let the children give them as a gift to a family member or friend.
Finger paint Fans
Give the children small paper plates to finger paint. After the plates are dry, print a capital and small F.
Tape a tongue depressor to the back for a handle and let the children have fun fanning themselves.
Feathery F
Have a large letter F and glue feathers all over it.
Sandy F
Have a large letter F and sprinkle on colored sand.
When it is dry, it becomes a tactile experience to trace over it.
Festive Frames
Make frames by cutting them out of cardboard or by gluing popsicle sticks together.
Then decorate them with sequins, glitter, stickers, markers, buttons, etc. Glue a magnet to the back of the frame.
Feet
Put a large sheet of paper on the floor, and let the kids step in paint.
Walk across the paper, step into a bucket of water to rinse your feet off.
Rainbow fish
Take a fish pattern, glue brightly colored tissue paper and tin foil pieces on for the scales.
Games & Activities
Fish
Make a fishing game by cutting out fish shapes from construction paper and attaching paper clips to the head of the fish.
Use a straw to make a pole and attach yarn for the line. Use either a magnet, or another paper clip bent like a hook and let the kids fish for their prey! If they can name the color of the fish they can keep it
.Whoever has the most fish wins. You can also use it for letters, numbers, shapes or anything you are trying to teach.
Friendship
Make a circle with the children. Hold hands, squeeze the hand of the person next to you.send the squeeze around the circle, and when your hand is squeezed put one foot forward.
Four and Five
Have the children practice writing the numbers 4 and 5 (maybe on an outline of F?)
Make Funny Faces
Feed The Frog
Take a coffee can and spray paint it green. For eyes glue two wiggle eyes inside two green milk lids (plastic lids from gallon of milk).
Drew on a mouth. For the game, roll a large die and count bugs into the can.
Great math game.
Letter Bag Items
Fan
Father
Feather
Fence
Fig
Fire hat
Fish
Five
Flag
Flower
Fork
Four
Fox
Frog
Fur
Discuss feelings: happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, etc.
Feathers or Fur?
Explain to children about animals having feathers or fur. Cut out magazine pictures to show birds and animals.
Hold the pictures up and ask the children if the animal has fur or feathers.
F is for fire safety
Fire Truck (for dramatic play area)
You need:
1. A large card board appliance box
2. 4 Paper plates
3. Red, white, and black paint
4. Some large paint brushes
Let the children paint the box with the red paint. Then let the children paint the plates with black paint. Cut a ladder out of card board and then let the children paint it white.
After all the pieces dry put them together using tape, and put some fireman stuff in and around it.
Put 2 small chairs in the front for the front of the fire engine.
Fishing for F's
Cut out various fish shapes out of different colored construction paper. On the back of each write or paste a picture of a word that begins with the letter "F".
Place paper clips on each fish. Make a pole out of a safe piece of wood, string and place a magnet on the end of the string.
Have each child take the pole and catch a fish that has a"F" word on it.
The child says the word he caught out loud.
Flags
Look at flags from different countries and explain what the colors, stars, or stripes stand for , then have each child design their own flag.
You can cut out strips of paper for the children to glue on the flag. Have each child explain why they chose those colors and if they represent anything.
Firefighters
Have firefighters go to your school.
Leap Frog
Let the children pretend to be frogs. Show them how to do a frog leap. Let them practice, short leaps, long leaps, slow leap, fast leaps.
Play music and lay out a pond or swamp with mats as lily pads, so the frogs can land on them to rest. You can always play the freeze/unfreeze froggie leap game!!
Recipes & Snacks
A Fabulous, Fantastic, Funny Lunch of "F's"
Frog Legs (Chicken Wings) Baked, BBQ, or Fried French Fries, Flying Fritters (Corn Fritters), Fancy French Bread (Toasted Garlic Bread) Frog Eyed Fruit
(Put drained fruit in Tapioca Pudding).
Finger foods
Serve finger foods for snack-time.
Fabric Snack Packs
Have the children pack snacks such as fruit, raw veggies, and crackers in small squares of fabric.
Help them tie the ends of the fabric together hobo-style. Then let the children carry their snack packs outside for a FUN picnic!
Food Festival
Have each family bring a dish from a different country.
Talk about which country its from and why they chose that dish.
Eat Fresh Fruit for dessert.
Fig Newtons
French Fries
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Poem
Funny, funny froggie, hop, hop, hop
Funny, funny froggie, stop, stop, stop
Funny, funny froggie, run and play
Funny, funny froggie, don't run away!
(Recite this poem miming the actions three times.
First time regular tempo, Second time fast tempo, Third time very slow tempo.)
Sing to Farmer in the Dell.
I'm looking for a friend.
I'm looking for a friend.
Oh, will you be my friend today?
I'm looking for a friend.
Fish Are Swimming (Tune of Frere Jacques)
Fish are swimming,
fish are swimming,
In the sea,
in the sea
, A-splishing and a-splashing,
A-splishing and a-splashing,
Look and see,
look and see.
Five Little Firefighters
Five little firefighters (show five fingers)
Sleeping in a row (rest cheeks on hands & close eyes)
Ring goes the bell-
Down the pole they go. (Pretend to slide down pole)
They jump on the engine (Jump Up)
And put out the fire. (Pretend to squirt with a hose)
Now they're back home-
My, but they're tired. (Stretch and yawn.)
Frog on a Log
There once was a green little frog, frog, frog,
Who sat in the woods on a log, log, log.
A screech owl sitting in a tree, tree, tree,
Came after the frog with a scree, scree, scree.
When the frog heard the owl in a flash, flash, flash,
He jumped in the pond with a splash, splash, splash!
Five Little Frogs
Five little frogs Were down at the pond Down at the pond at play
Along came a hungry ________, And chased one frog away.
Four little frogs Were down at the pond Down at the pond at play.
Along came a wiggly ________, And chased one frog away.
Three little frogs Were down at the pond Down at the pond at play
Along came a giant ________, And chased one frog away.
Two little frogs Were down at the pond Down at the pond at play
Along came a purple ________, And chased one frog away.
One little frog Was down at the pond Down at the pond at play
Along came a flying ________, And chased one frog away.
Then no little frogs Were down at the pond Down at the pond at play
Where do you think the little frogs went When they all hopped away?
Five Funny Fish
Five funny fish went out to play
Far down the river one fun-filled day.
When the mommy fish went f - f - f
Four little fish came swimming back.
Four funny fish went out to play, etc. until no little fish came swimming back.
Then the daddy fish went F - F - F
Five funny fish came swimming back.
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Arts & Crafts
Gum
Glue gum wrappers onto paper. Try to get a variety of different types of gum.
Grass
Glue on grass the kids collect themselves.
Grapes
Use halves of grapes to stamp all over the letter "G", or alternatively, make fingerpainted grapes all over the "G."
Golden G
Get some gold stickers to put on the "G".
Glue and Glitter
Have the kids use glue to make designs on the letter, then finish with glitter!
Gift
Give each child a small box (jello box size is good). give them some wrapping paper and tape.
Watch them try their best to wrap up the Gift, but be sure to put something they made inside first!!!
Golden G again
Make the letter "g" on a piece of construction paper and glue on gold glitter to make a golden g.
Can substitute green, also.
Magic "G"
Materials needed:
White paper
White candle
Water color paint
Paint brushes
Prior to having the children do the activity print the letter G in uppercase and lowercase on plain white paper by using a white candle.
Have the children use watercolor paints to paint over the paper. they will see the magic "G" appear before their eyes.
Oscar the Grouch
Make one with pom poms. Use a film canister for his trash can.
Make Glasses
Use the plastic carriers that hold 6 cans of soda together. Cut them apart so two sections are together. You should end up with 3 pieces.
Then use pipe cleaners to create the ear pieces.
Gift Wrap
Let the children decorate paper bags to make gift bags.
Or you can decorate plain paper to make gift paper. Wrap up items that begin with "g" such as glue sticks, gum, gumdrops, etc.
Gingerbread People
Cut gingerbread people shapes out of brown construction paper or brown paper bags. Give one to each child.
Have the children decorate their shapes with felt pieces ,buttons, ric rac, sequins, fabric scraps, etc. OR Let the children cover their shapes with glue and sprinkle on glitter.
Making Green
Place small amounts of yellow and blue poster paint or finger paint inside a zip lock plastic bag. Put sealing tape over the zip part to prevent "leaks".
Let the children rub the bag between their hands and discover the "magic color" they can create.
Green Gack
Elmer's glue
Borax Detergent
green paint
small cups
popsicle stick
squeeze bottle
First you need to made a borax solution. A squeeze bottle works the best.
Pour in Borax detergent (about 1/2 inch covering the bottom of a 16oz. bottle -- will make 100 gacks). Add water to the rest of bottle, shake well. Take Elmer's glue, fill each child's cup about 1/4.
Then add paint have children stir the solution. Next add the Borax Solution (a good squirt into each cup) H
ave children stir their gack until there is no more liquid left. THIS DOES TAKE SOME PRACTICE (try it first w/o the kids)
Hint: if the gack is still watery stir quickly and if that doesn't help add more glue.
Games & Activities
Grow Grass
Cut a green sponge in the shape of a G. Wet the sponge and place in a shallow pan. Add water as needed to keep the sponge wet, but not soggy.
Let the children sprinkle on the grass seed and watch the grass sprout and grow.
Globe
Show the kids a globe and let them find where they live.
Garbage
Plan G day on trash day. Let the kids watch walk and follow the garbage truck up and down your street.
Grow
Make a grow chart. Measure everyone or have the children lay down and measure themselves with yarn, cut and save it to take home.
Compare sizes.
Garden
Grow a garden.
Have a game day!!
Giggle
Growl like a bear
Gerbil
Borrow one or go to the pet store and see one.
Ghost game
One child leaves the room while the other children pick someone to be the ghost.
"It" hides under a sheet, the child who has left the room reenters and has to guess who is the "ghost", under the sheet.
Gingham
Tell the children that gingham is a fabric with checks the same color.
Have some one that sews save gingham scraps.
Have the children check to see if anyone is wearing gingham clothing.
G day
Have a green day, gold day, and grey day and encourage the children to wear clothing items that match the color of the day.
G Scents
Smell grass, garlic, gumdrops, grease and describe the scents.
Garbage
Pick up garbage around the yard, playground.
Grocery
Visit a grocery store.
Guitar
Ask someone who plays a guitar to visit your group and sing songs.
Giraffe
Discuss giraffes and make a toilet roll and construction paper giraffe.
Ghoulish G's
Ghosts, goblins, gremlins for October.
Grandparents
Have the kids bring in pictures of grandparents current and when young.
Make a matching game out of them.
Recipes & Snacks
Graham Cracker treat
Spread peanut butter on cracker and arrange marshmallows in the
shape of the letter "G" on the top.
Broil for a few minutes until
marshmallows are golden and then arrange raisins on the top of the melted marshmallow.
Snacks
green jello cubes, graham crackers, garlic bread, garbanzo beans, goulash, green beans, greens, grapes, grape juice, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, Gatorade, granola, guava, green split peas (or pea soup), grits, gingerbread
Grassy crackers
Mix green food coloring into cream cheese, or peanut butter to spread on crackers or rice cakes to look like grass.
Gummy Drops
Use Jell-O powder, pour on to a plate. Using liquid droppers (squeeze droppers) drop water onto the plate.
Children roll the drop to the edge of plate with a craft stick. And they have instant gummy drops.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Gumball Man
(Tune: Muffin Man)
Oh do you know the gumball man, the gumball man, the gumball man,
Oh do you know the gumball man, he comes just once a week.
When we put our nickels in the slot, our nickels in the slot, our nickels
in the slot, This is what we got.
_______________ and _______________ (children's names) both got red
______________ and ________________ both got red, but ________ got blue.
Maybe someday we'll be lucky, and instead of one gumball we'll get two.
Groundhog Puppets
Let the children use felt-tip markers to draw groundhog faces on the top halves of tongue depressors .
Give them each a small paper cup with a slit in the bottom. Have them push the bottoms of their tongue depressor through the slits in their cups.
Show them how to move their sticks up and down to make their groundhogs appear and disappear.
Song: (sung to "I'm a Little Teapot")
I'm a little groundhog,
Furry and brown.
When winter comes
I sleep underground.
I'm curled up
As cozy as can be.
When it's spring,
Please wake up me!
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Arts & Crafts
Hands
Ask the children to carefully trace one of their hands and cut out the tracing.
Have them write their names on the cutouts and keep them to attach to and identify artwork throughout the year.
Hairy Harry
You will need:
Styrofoam cup or paper cup
scissors
construction paper
markers
glue
buttons (or cut them out of paper for young children)
potting soil
rye grass seed
Have the children cut eyes, ears, mouths, nose, etc...out of construction paper and glue in place on their cup. Let them also use markers to color on the cup. Let them use buttons to embellish or anything else you may have lying around.
Have the children fill their cups about 2/3 full of potting soil. Then plant the rye grass seeds in the soil. Place the cups in a sunny place and water regularly. Hairy Harry will begin to grow "hair" in about seven days.
Homemade Paint
Materials Needed:
small container with a lid
teaspoons
vinegar
cornstarch
food coloring
Mixture:
1/2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
10 drops food coloring
1. Put vinegar, corn starch and food coloring in the container.
2. Shake. If too thick, add vinegar. If too thin, add cornstarch.
Procedure:
Use as you would tempera paint.
Hand Art
Have students trace and cut out their hands, and do hand art.
Hands make great reindeer antlers, angel wings, chicks, bunnies, turkeys, and butterflies.
Hats
Make hats from construction paper (or even headbands) and have the children decorate them with stickers or cutouts of things beginning with the letter H.
Hug
Children trace and cut out each hand, and attach each hand to opposite ends of a long piece of string.
They can send this "hug" to a relative that perhaps does not live nearby, or just give it to a parent.
Miniature Hats
Prepare hats for the class to decorate by melting Styrofoam cups in a 350 degree oven. Place the cups on a cookie sheet and set them in the oven for 30-60 seconds.
(this goes very quick once it starts.) Have the children decorate them by drawing on them with markers and by tying yard or ribbon around them.
Hang them from a tree branch for a display during H week.
Indian Headbands
Fold a strip of cloth and measure it on your head. Mark the length that is most comfortable for you. Attach velcro dots to the ends with a glue gun (An Adult should do this) Bands can be painted to created Indian symbols. Use a slender brush, and acrylic or poster paint.
Horses
Make horses out of cardboard boxes. Cut the bottom out of a box. Cut handles on each side. Cut a head from more cardboard (side view) and glue on front.
Paint them with house paint before hand or have kids glue on big sheets of construction paper. Decorate with ribbons or stickers and yarn for mane, construction paper ears, buy big eyes from a craft store or make them from black and white paper or felt.
Then have kids hold horse at the side and walk/run around while music plays or jump over simple jumps (the library might have some tapes - or use William Tell's overture).
Horseshoes
Make horseshoes out of plastic or cardboard and toss them.
Stick Horses
Stick horses are fun to make. Draw a horse head outline, add features and staple 2 sides together.
Stuff with newspaper and add either a empty gift wrapping roll or a paper towel one will also work Then you can do all kinds of races.
Games & Activities
Hopping on a trail
Press down contact-paper foot shapes along a play area.
Let the children hop along the trail making the sound of H as they go.
Horseshoes
Have the children play a game of horseshoes with plastic horseshoes.
Height
Measure each child's height.
Holes
Have each child use a Hole puncher. For more fun, you can buy small punches in the scrap-booking section of any craft store or Wal-Mart.
They come in various sizes and shapes.
Play hula hoops
House of H's
Make an outline of a house out of cardboard. Cut it out, and have the children each bring in a picture of something that begins with the letter H.
Paste the pictures onto the house. You now have a house full of H's. You can even tack it up onto a bulletin board.
Heart wreath
Cut out a 9-inch circle from cardboard, cut out a 3 inch wide circle from the center. Cut out the same ring out of construction paper and glue them together.
Cut out 2 to3- inch hearts from patterned wall paper or wrapping paper. Glue each heart around the wreath.
You can also crumple up tissue paper of different colors and glue one to the top of each heart on the wreath.
Heart puzzle
Cut out an outline of a 10 inch heart out of white construction paper for each child. Have each child color and write a message or words on the heart.
Cover the heart with contact paper. Then cut the heart into three to five sections.
Give the sections back to the child and have them put their very own puzzle heart back together.
Make a happy book
Play Hop scotch or Heads Up/Seven Up
H Letter Bag
Make a letter bag with items beginning with the letter H. First show the children each of the items in the bag, explaining what each is, and clearly pronouncing its name.
Then the child can reach in and pick an item and try to name it without pulling it out and looking at it. If that is too difficult, they can pull it out and then tell you the name of the item.
Ideas for items to include in Letter H bag: house, horse, hairbrush, hairpin, hand, hamburger (toy), handle, hand lotion, hanger, handkerchief, hazelnut, heart, hen, hexagon.
Recipes & Snacks
H FOODS
Ham, hamburger, hash, hazelnuts, hoagie, honey, honeydew melon, hot chocolate, hot dog, hot sauce
Honey crackles
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbspns honey
4 cups cornflakes
Heat butter, sugar and honey until mixture is frothy.
Boil for 3 minutes. Pour over cereal in a large bowl. Mix well.
Spoon into patty pan cases and let set.
Happy Hamburgers
Provide each child with a small bun or biscuit, serve them a cooked hamburger patty and have them place the hamburger on the buns and give it a happy face by decorating with cheese chunks, ketchup and mustard.
Horse chestnuts
Ingredients: 1/2 pound soft butter
1 1/4 pounds smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 pounds confectioners sugar
1 large package of chocolate chips
Procedure:
1.Mix the butter and peanut butter together until smooth
2. Add the confectioners sugar. (you may need to mix this by hand)
3. Roll the mixture into small balls (about 75)
4. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler
5. Dip three-fourths of each ball into the chocolate.
6. Place the "horse chestnuts" on waxed paper to dry.
let the children make them, count them eat them enjoy them.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
"H" Makes Me Happy
H is for hair and H is for hand
(point to hair, then hand)
H is for heels on which we stand
(stand back on heels)
H is for houses here and there
(gesture to left, then to right)
H is for hats seen everywhere.
(stand hands on top of head)
H is for hearts and horses too,
(touch chest, then gallop in place)
H makes me happy, how about you?
(point to others)
Play Hokey Pokey
Humpback
Humpback! Whatta whale!
(make a big "hump" in front of self)
Splashed the water with his tail!
(big clap)
"Here I go!", I heard him say.
(cup hands to mouth)
Down he went and swam away!
("Dive" with arms)
Finger play (children are sitting)
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Arts & Crafts
Inchworms
Have the children cut an egg carton in half lengthwise. Have the children use green tempera paint and paint the half of carton green.
Decorate with markers, paint, stickers. Add pipe cleaners for antennae and buttons for eyes.
Igloos
Have the children color or paint igloos on dark construction paper.
Ask them to draw someone beside the igloo. Have the children tell little stories about their igloos.
Games & Activities
Icicles
Have the children pretend to be icicles as they move about on the play area. Choose someone to be the sun.
When the sun touches someone, he or she must "melt" and fall down, laying very still.
Inchworms
Play music and have the children move as inchworms on all fours. Show them to move like an inchworm, they should move their arms first, making their bodies go down, then their bodies arch up as the move their feet forward.
Insect Hunting
What you will need for a bug hunt:
A keen eye
Clean, clear containers with air holes or netting on tip. (empty yogurt containers work well)
trowel, or large spoon to collect specimens
Notebook to write down and sketch the insects you find
an overripe banana and a spoon full of brown sugar
Magnifying glass (optional)
Microscope (optional)
for nighttime bug hunting: all of the above plus a flashlight.
Indians
Talk about American Indians. Make an Indian drum out of an oatmeal box, make an Indian vest & headband out of a grocery bag.
Burn an incense
I Spy
Play the game "I spy something_(a color)_____"
Sit the children in a circle, and spot an object of a particular color and say "I spy something_____".
Then go around the circle and have each child guess.
The correct guess gets his or her chance to spot something.
Insect Stamping
Take a stamp pad and let the children place their fingertips into it and press it on a piece of paper and draw the rest to look like different insects; bee, ant, butterfly, etc.
I Search
Trace a giant version of the letter I on construction paper. Place the paper in a center. As children visit the center let them put their names on the back.
Then instruct them to search through magazines and newspapers and cut out as many of the letter "I's" as she can find and glue them to the gigantic letter I.
I Sew
Use a permanent marker and draw on Styrofoam plates with upper and lower case letter "I's". Use a golf tee to punch evenly spaced holes on the lines.
Use bright colored yarn to "sew" the letters I and i.
"I" meaning 'me'
Discussing self, capitalization of the pronoun, make a collage/drawing of "Things I like to Do" in an 'I' shape.
Icing Play
Learn to make cake-icing/frosting, color it, them mould letters and words from it.
Or decorate the top of biscuits with the icing and scratch the letter and words in while still soft.
Insect Zoo
Make up an imaginary insect zoo. All insects must have six legs and have an i-shaped body.
Give them all names that begin with i.
Itch
List things that make you itch.
Invitations
Write invitations to a class event.
Use the computer to make very professional looking ones.
Islands
Play Islands by giving out one large sheet of newspaper to each child participating. When the music stops, each child must fold their paper in half and step on it.
Children are eliminated from the game if feet are not on the paper. As the game progresses the papers get smaller.
Instruments
Make some musical instruments - drums, clapping sticks, shakers - for class, then sing songs with musical accompaniments..
Use some of the instruments to accompany a storytelling session.
Recipes & Snacks
Roll-the-Can-Ice-Cream
This frozen treat is really child's play (fun for grown-ups too).
Supplies -
For the freezer you need:
two empty cans - a 1-lb and a 3-lb with plastic lids
1 1/2 cups of rock or kosher salt
20 cups( about 7 1/2 lbs) of crushed ice
For the ice cream you need:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of chocolate chips
In the small can mix cream, milk, beaten egg, sugar, vanilla, and chocolate chips. If you use the egg, be sure it is fresh and has no cracks. Uncooked eggs can cause food poisoning.
Cover the small can and set in the center of the larger can. Layer half the crushed ice alternately with half the salt in the empty space between the cans. Cover the larger can.
Now the fun begins:
Choose a hard level surface like a cement walk way and roll the can back and forth for about 10 minutes. Open outer can; empty old ice and water, lift out small can; wipe lid dry and remove. With a rubber spatula scrape ice cream from can sides.
Stir and cover. Return small can. Repack with remaining ice and salt. Cover and roll for 5 more minutes.
Ziploc bag ice cream
You will need: For each child
1 pint-size zip-type plastic bag
1 gallon-size zip-type plastic bag
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoon salt(regular table salt that pours will work)
PROCEDURE:
Fill the large bag half full of ice. Add the salt. Seal the bag. Put milk, vanilla,& sugar into the small bag. Seal it. Place the small bag inside the large one & seal again carefully.
Shake until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes. Wipe off top of small
bag. Then open carefully & enjoy!
Build an insect
2 celery sticks (body)
6 carrot sticks (legs)
2 licorice sticks ( antennae)
2 raisins(eyes)
Can use cheese spread to help stick the limbs to the body
Food that starts with letter I
Ice, ice cream, ice tea, Italian bread
Iron sandwiches
It's basically grilled cheese, but instead of putting it in a pan, you wrap it in wax paper and use an iron with the kids to make the "grilled" sandwich. The kids love it!
Ice cubes
Fill two ice trays - one with blue food coloring and little water, and the other one with yellow food coloring.
In a clear plastic cup, pour room temperature 7-up or other clear soda and then drop ice cubes in.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
The Letter "I"
I stands for me when I want it to,
I is for ink and for ice cream too.
I is such a simple letter,
There's no other that I like better.
It's Raining, It's Pouring
It's raining, it's pouring;
The old man is snoring.
He went to bed and he
Bumped his head
And he couldn't get up in the morning.
I See the Moon
I see the moon,
And the moon sees me.
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.
I see the moon
The moon sees me
Under the shade of the old oak tree
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the one I love.
Over the mountains
Over the sea
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the one I love.
If You're Happy and You Know It
If you're happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you're happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
If you're happy and you know it,
Stomp your feet
(Stomp feet twice)
If you're happy and you know it,
Stomp your feet
(Stomp feet twice)
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it,
Stomp your feet.
(Stomp feet twice)
If you're happy and you know it,
Shout "Hurray!"
(Shout "Hurray!")
If you're happy and you know it,
Shout "Hurray!"
(Shout "Hurray!")
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it,
Shout "Hurray!"
(Shout "Hurray!")
If you're happy and you know it,
Do all three
(Clap hands twice, stomp feet twice then shout "Hurray!")
If you're happy and you know it,
Do all three
(Clap hands twice, stomp feet twice, then shout "Hurray!")
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it,
Do all three.
(Clap hands twice, stomp feet twice, then shout "Hurray!")
Insect Song
Insects, insects,
You are so very small.
Insects, insects,
Sometimes I see you crawl.
You fly and you buzz right by.
You jump up in the sky.
You are so small, the smallest of all,
Little insects, friends of mine.
J j
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Arts & Crafts
Jack-o'-lanterns
You can make them out of paper, or make real ones out of pumpkins.
Jewelry
Make jewelry by stringing beads on dental floss.
Paint with Jello
Paint or finger paint with jello.
It has a good smell! Use several different flavors.
Jack In the Box
Make a simple jack in the box by using an empty small shoe box. Tape the lid onto the box on one side, cut a slit in the bottom of the box.
You can cut out figures of people or animals from magazines and cover with clear contact paper. Use clear postage tape to adhere to a craft stick,
Insert the stick through the bottom of your box. When you push up on the stick the lid should pop up.
Or you can put the same stick in a paper cup and have the figure pop in and out of the cup.
Jack-O-Lanterns
Make small jack-o-lanterns using oranges. Draw on the faces with a black marker.
Pumpkin Shakers/Maracas
Paint paper plates orange. Put two paper plates together adding a green stem between the plates. Staple around the edge leaving space to add beans inside.
Finish stapling. Let the children decorate with black construction paper shapes.
Junk
Make creatures out of junk such as bottle caps, empty clean milk jugs or cartons, aluminum pie plates, lids, etc.
Make junk prints using the above items or potato smashers, toothbrushes, sponges, pastry blenders dipped into paint and then pressed onto paper.
Games & Activities
Jumping activities
Jumping races, jumping rope, jumping over things.
Pretend to be Jack Be Nimble and jump over a candlestick. Do jumping Jacks, jog.
Jigsaw puzzles
Jars
Have many different jars and lids on a tray. Children can match the correct lid to the jar.
They can arrange them by size.
Jet planes
Arrange your dramatic play area to be a jumbo jet.
Jewelry
Have different jewelry available for dress up.
Dramatic play area can be a jewelry store.
J is for Jar
Bring in an oversized jar, and have the children put a picture of something that begins with J in the jar.
You can then play a game, that each child picks a picture out of the jar and has to name it.
Go on a Journey
Take the children on a journey walk and see if you can see anything that begins with "J" .
Talk about where you will go, and afterwards have a snack with crackers and different jams.
Jump rope games
Jump rope together, and teach the children different jump rope rhymes.
For instance:
I like coffee, I like tea
I like to sing with the girls(boys) and the girls(boys) like to sing with me.
Jingle Bells
Get different sizes of jingle bells and other items that jingle like keys and see if the children can identify the objects.
Jelly Bean Sampling
Have the children close their eyes and sample different flavors of jelly beans. See if they can determine what flavors they are tasting.
J Box
Before the children arrive, place J items (jack-in-the-box, jar of jam, jug, jacks, etc) in full view.
After they all arrive play I spy a J object in the room and give clues until they find it.
Joke Day
Send a note home that tomorrow is joke day. Each child will be allowed to tell one joke.
Read a children's joke book.
Learn Japanese
Invite a Japanese person to your class.
Make some Japanese food or visit a Japanese restaurant.
Jelly Beans
Estimate the number of jelly beans in a jar. C
ount and graph jelly beans by color.
Jungle
Look at jungle pictures.
Talk about jungle animals.
Jack Be Nimble
Make a candlestick by putting a flame cut out of yellow paper into a toilet paper roll. Say the rhyme as the children line up and jump over the candlestick.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Make your own.
Draw a picture on some paper with lines already drawn on it, then cut on the lines and put it back together again.
Music
Play music on different-sized jars with varying amounts of colored water in them.
Jeans
Have the children count how many are wearing jeans, count the pockets in the jeans.
Juice
Wow! how many kinds of juice can you and your children make?
Talk about fruit juices and vegetable juices.
What kinds of fruit and/or vegetable juice can we buy?
Jello Fun
You will need clear gelatin, food coloring and eyedroppers.
Make Gelatin, then once it's formed, place in a sensory tub. Have plenty of eyedroppers for each of the children to use and several colors of food coloring.
Have the children fill the eyedroppers with food coloring and insert into the clear jello.
The kids will get a kick out of watching the color fill the molds!
Jumping Jacks
Teach the children how to do jumping jacks. Count the number of times you can do them, see how high you can count.
You can also call out the letter "J" every time you do a Jumping Jack.
Jump Rope Games
Jump rope; play "limbo"; put rope on floor and played "snake" on the floor where they have to jump over the wild slithering snake as holders shake rope.
Here's a jump rope rhyme:
Cinderella, dressed in yellow
Went upstairs to kiss a 'fella
Made a mistake
And kissed a snake
How many doctors
Did it take?
(count until someone messes up)
Make a Job Jar
List different jobs on slips of paper, put them in a jar.
Let each child choose one and act it out like charades.
Listen to Jazz
Learn to play Jacks
Recipes & Snacks
J Foods
Jam
Jambalaya
Jello
Jelly
jerky
johnnycakes
juice
jellybeans
Jello jigglers
Jack O Lantern Pizzas
Give each child a half of an English Muffin. Spread pizza sauce on it.
Let children break American cheese slices into shapes for eyes, nose and mouth.
Bake at 400 until cheese melts slightly.
Jiffy Jelly Jam
Mash together 1 tsp of honey,
2-3 drops of lemon juice,
and one cup of thawed and drained frozen berries (any kind)
(This recipe works well for younger children).
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Jack in the Box
Get a large cereal box from the store and paint or color it like a jack in the box.
Completely remove top of box so it is easy to get in and out. Children then take turns being " JACK "
Recite this poem while each child takes his/her turn.
"Jack In The Box
Jack In The Box
Curl Up Small"
(Children curl up small on the floor)
"Jack In The Box
Jack In The Box
Jump Up Tall "(Children pop up as high as they can)
Sing "Jelly Beans"
(to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")
Jelly beans are fun to eat.
They are such a silly treat.
Green and orange and red and blue
Sometimes they are hard to chew.
Jelly Beans are fun to eat.
I think they are my favorite treat!
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Jack Sprat
Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
So between them both it seems
They licked the platter clean
Jack Be Nimble
Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jump over the candlestick!
Jack-In-The-Box
Jack- in - the - box all closed up tight, not any air, not any light.
(Squat with body in a small ball)
My but it's dark down here in a heap. Let's open the lid.....
And up we'll leap
(Jump to standing position)
Jam
Who'll have jam?
There's jam for tea.
Jam for Pam and jam for Sam
And jam for little me.
Who'll have jam,
There's jam for tea.
Damson jam and bramble jam.
And apple jam for me.
Jump Jack & Sue
Jump Jack, jump Sue,
Jump, jump, jump do.
On the sofa, on the chair,
Over the wall and up in the air.
K k
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Arts & Crafts
Kangaroo
Cut out the shape of a kangaroo, let the kids color it.
Put a pocket/pouch on the tummy and put the letter Kk in there.
Make a face on it.
Kites
Cut out a diamond shape and some yarn for the tail.
Turn on the music and let the kids "dance" with their kites.
King
Make everyone a crown, let them decorate it with stickers or jewels cut out of construction paper.
Have them talk about what they'd do if they were king for a day.
Kiss
Put lipstick on everyone, even the boys, and have them KISS the letter Kk.
Have them pucker up and make different shaped kiss prints on paper.
Key Chain
Cut several key shapes out of poster board. On each shape glue a small picture or a sticker of something whose name begins with K.
Print the letter K on the shape also. Punch a hole in the top of each key shape and fasten the shapes together with a key chain.
Give the keys to the children and let them take turns naming the letters and pictures on them.
K is for kitchen
Have children glue cutouts of a stove/oven and refrigerator on a piece of paper. Make the cutouts have an overlay so that the oven door and fridge door can open.
Cut out pictures from magazines of food items to glue on the inside......or have the children draw the items.
Games & Activities
Key
Ask the parents to send in all the old keys they have.
Let the kids trace them and play with them.
Kindness
Talk about what this means.
Knot
Learn to tie a knot.
Fly a Kite
Purchase an inexpensive kite. Take the children outside to fly the kite on a windy day. Let them take turns.
Have them answer questions such as what happens when you let out some string, when you pull in some string? what happens when the wind stops blowing?
Kick
Have everyone practice their kicks...not on each other though :)
If any of the children are tae kwon do students, let them exhibit some of their special kicks.
K Balance
Have children try making their body into the shape of the letter K by standing with one leg out and one arm out.
Good for practice of balance. Then have children lay down and form the letter K.
K is for kittens
The Three Little Kittens
They lost their mittens
And they began to cry..........
Act out this nursery rhyme story using real mittens.
Koala
Show pictures (can find them in National Geographic and the like) of a Koala bear, and talk about what life is like for them, what they eat, where they live, etc.
Recipes & Snacks
Kite cookies
Using any sugar cookie recipe, cut the cookies in a diamond shape and bake.
After the cookies cool, use pull and peel licorice for strings and let the kids decorate their cookies with different colored frosting.
Kiwi
Be sure to remove seeds before giving to small children.
Not only are they a choking hazard, but they are a little on the tart side, sometimes too much for young taste buds!
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
I Like Kites
(sung to: Three Blind Mice)
I like kites, I like kites
They fly high, they fly high.
The keep on spinning round and round,
Sometimes they even touch the ground,
They fly through the air without a sound.
Oh, I like kites.
Oh, I'm a Kangaroo
(sung to Farmer in the Dell)
Oh, I'm a kangaroo,
I live down at the zoo.
I like to jump around a lot.
How About you?
Oh, I'm a kangaroo,
I live down at the zoo.
I carry a baby in my pouch.
How about you?
L l
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Arts & Crafts
Leopard
Make a leopard bracelet.
Let the kids add the spots.
Tape or staple ends together.
Lions
Red and yellow finger paints
paper plates
yellow cotton balls
wiggle eyes
black marker
pink and brown construction paper
brown chenille pipe cleaners
glue
Let children finger paint the paper plate with red and yellow paints. Let dry. Discuss the color change and what color lions are. Show them pictures of real lions. Discuss facial features.
Second, have the children stretch out the cotton balls and glue them around the edge of the paper plate to make the mane.
Third, they will be ready to glue on the eyes or draw their own eyes, then glue the pink construction oval shaped noses, brown construction ears in the shape of squares with top corners rounded, and 3 chenilles on each side of the lions nose.
Last, let the children draw a great big smile on their lion. Hang from the ceiling when dry.
Lollipop Tree
Get a styro foam cone place it upside down on a table and have the kids stick lollipops in.
You can color the cone different colors and have the kids stick the lollipop of that color in the correct section or so for some patterning.
Lavender sachets
Ask the children to bring in some lavender stems - they need to dry for at least one week before making the sachets or buy some from the florist.
You need : circles of tulle or organza, circles of lace (slightly larger than tulle circles), thin elastic and ribbon. Give each child a circle of material and have them place the lavender in the middle.
Pull circle up and tie tightly with elastic. Place into center of lace circle and pull up.
Tie with ribbon. (If lace is has large gaps have children lace the ribbon through it before tying.)
Lacing
If you don't have lacing items, Draw simple everyday items on cereal boxes or other cardboard. Then use a hole puncher around the edges for lacing.
Shoe strings work great. To keep from losing them tie one end securely to one hole. The children can lace with the other end.
Lamb
Paste cotton onto a picture of a lamb.
Ladybug
Make a small one and glue it to a stick for a finger puppet.
Games & Activities
Lavender Buds:
On a dry day cut an odd number of long stems of lavender. Arrange them in a cone shape.
Bind together with cotton thread-wrapping around the flower heads finishing below the flower heads. Knot. Bend the stems upwards over the flowers.
Tie one end of a long length of cotton tightly around the stems.
Weave the cotton in and out of the stems, pulling tight as you go. When you reach the end, tie a knot in the cotton and tuck out of sight. tuck these in your drawers or under your pillow.
Lavender Bags:
two 2 inch pieces of material
pinking shears
pins
needle and thread/sewing machine
colored ribbon
Pick a bunch of lavender and hang to dry, upside-down in a cool, dry place until absolutely dry. Break off the brittle flowers to use for making the bags or potpourri.
Cut two pieces of material 6 inches square with pinking shears. Pin together with right sides together and sew along three sides. Clip the two bottom corners.
Turn bag right side out and fill with lavender.
leaving a long end of thread, sew running stitches around the bag from the top. pull the two ends of thread tight to close the bag and tie a knot.
Tie some colored ribbons around the bag to decorate.
L is for Library
Take the class on a visit to the local library, and see all the books of literature, etc.
L is for limbo
Play some limbo music and have the children dance under a limbo stick as an exercise activity.
L is for Love
We start with a discussion of what is love? We ask love is sharing, what can you share? Love is inviting someone to play, who could you invite?
Love is helping your family, how could you help your family? Then inside a big red heart, the children draw a picture of what love is.
Legs
Sit in a row and count everyone's legs.
Llama
Color one
Listen
Stop look and listen before you cross the street.
Look
Look through a kaleidoscope.
Little
Big and little
Lost
Talk about what to do if you are lost.
Large
Large and small
Lace
Let the kids feel lace
Lake Talk about who lives in and around a lake. Make a boat.
Lap
Everyone come sit on my lap. Take turns, try someone else's lap.
Laws
Talk about what laws are and why we have them.
Line leader
Talk about helpers.
Lemon
Everyone taste it....SOUR
Light
Everyone bring a flashlight to share and shine them.
Lollipop
Lick it or make paper ones to learn colors.
Line
Draw a line on the driveway. Play tug o'war.
Lips
Where are your lips?
Litter
Help clean up litter. Don't be a litter bug.
Letter
Mail yourself or someone else a letter.
Letters and letterbox
Write letters to friends in the classroom, post them in a class letterbox and have a letter carrier that gives out the mail.
Leaf walk
Select different types of leaves and laminate them in advance. Punch a hole in the top and string with yarn to make a necklace. Give each child a necklace and set out on a walk.
Discuss the different sizes, shapes, and colors of leaves. Have the children try to find the tree their leaf came from.
L box
Each day of the theme, give one child a shoebox and ask them to put an object in it that starts with L.
Then during group time, give the children clues and ask them to guess what the object is.
Ladders
Put ladders out for outdoor play. Make sure enough adults are present to supervise ladder play, and discuss ladder safety with the children.
Leapfrog
An all-time favorite.
And most importantly... Don't forget to LAUGH!
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
I love you, I love you,
I love you divine.
Please give me your bubblegum.
You're sitting on mine!
Little Liza jane
You gota gal and i got none, Lil'l Liza jane
come my love and be my one, Lil'l Liza jane
O Eliza, Lil'l Liza Jane
O Eliza, Lil'l Liza Jane
(could do some discussion and comparison of nicknames with this song. What nicknames do each of the children have? Does your mommy or daddy call you something other than your name (like I call my granddaughter Lil' Bit)....etc.
Lavender's Blue (nursery rhyme)
Lavender's blue, diddle, diddle.
Lavender's green.
When I am king, diddle, diddle,
You shall be queen.
Who told you so, didle, diddle?
Who told you so?
Twas mine own heart, diddle, didle
That told me so.
roses are red, diddle, diddle
Violets are blue.
Because you love me, diddle, diddle,
I will love you.
Looby Loo
here we go looby loo,
Here we go looby light,
Here we go looby loo,
All on a Saturday night.
You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You give your right hand a shake, shake, shake
And turn yourself about!
Nursery Rhymes:
Lazy Mary Will You Get Up?
Lazy Mary, will you get up,
Will you get up, will you get up?
Lazy Mary, will you get up
Will you get up today?
No, no, Mother, I won't get up,
I won't get up, I won't get up.
No, no, Mother, I won't get up,
I won't get up today.
Can have a discussion with the children about the word "lazy" and about how good it feels to sleep in sometimes.
On the other hand, about disobeying Mother by refusing to get up.
Little Bo Peep
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
And doesn't know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they will come home
Wagging their tails behind them.
Little Boy Blue
Little boy Blue, come blow your horn
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack, fast asleep.
Could combine Little Boy Blue and Lazy Mary and compare them. Talk about why it's bad the sheep's in the meadow and the cow's in the corn.
What was the little boy supposed to be doing? Why do you think the boy was so tired? What is a haystack? What is a meadow?
Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner
Eating his Christmas pie.
he stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum.
And said, "What a fine boy am I!"
Finger play:
Have children act out each animal.
The lion walks on padded paws
The squirrel leaps from limb to limb
While flies can crawl straight up a wall,
And seals can dive and swim
The worm, it wiggles all around,
The monkey swings by it's tail,
and birds may hop upon the ground
Or spread their wings and sail.
But boys and girls have much more fun
They leap
and dance
And walk
And run.
Leaves
The leaves are whirling round and round. (wave fingers in air)
The leaves are falling to the ground (wave fingers down to floor)
Round and round, round and round (roll one hand over the other)
Falling softly to the ground (softly wave hands down to ground.)
M m
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Arts & Crafts
Masks
Give each child a paper bag to fit over their head. Help them to cut out openings for eyes, nose and mouth.
Supply a variety of materials for them to decorate their masks.
Or use a paper plate and cut out eye holes and decorate. Attach a popsicle stick to the back edge.
"Me" Book
Have each of the children bring 4 or 5 snapshot-sized pictures from home. Use Zip Lock baggies for the children to insert 2 pictures front to back.
You can insert a cardboard between the pictures to make it more sturdy.
Add 2 binders on the zipper end and the children can flip through their own book.
Magic Wands
Make magic wand with straws and any type of streamers, ribbon etc.
Decorate it any way you like, tape on the ends.
Macaroni Necklaces
These can be colored with markers or dipped in watercolors, let dry, and string.
Marble Art
Materials
tongs
toilet paper or paper towel tubes
paper
variety of different sized marbles
tempera paint poured into shallow containers
Directions:
Have the children pick up a marble with the tongs and dip it into the paint. Drop the marble on the paper. Move the marble around with the tube, holding the tube just above the paper so as not to rub the tube on the paper.
When they are finished with one color, pick up the marble with the tongs. Get another marble and pick it up with the tongs and dip it into a different colored paint.
Drop it onto the paper and use a clean tube to move it around. Use several different sized marbles and several colors of paint.
Remember, the finished product does not matter although there will be an interesting printed paper when they are finished.
"Me" Poster
For older children have them make a "me" poster. Give each child a large sheet of paper and have them draw a picture of themselves.
Have them draw or write important things about themselves- what they like, don't like, favorites, and so on. Title the posters All about Me or My favorite things.
Make an M collage
Give each child a sheet of paper and lots of items to work with such as macaroni, mini stickers, masking tape, mirrors, anything they can glue to paper that starts with the letter M.
Give them magazines to look for items. Also have them think of things that start with the letter M that they can use.
Make Medals
Cut out tag board circles. Punch a hole on one edge. Set out markers, ribbons, glitter, etc depending on the age of the children.
Let them decorate their medals. Place a ribbon or yarn through the hole to create a necklace.
Mushrooms
Make mushroom prints by cutting mushrooms in half and pressing in paint then on paper or fabric.
Monster
Have the children draw a monster. For younger children, use this opportunity to talk about monsters, and how they're not really hiding under the bed, in the closet, etc.
Moose
Make a moose head band, and attach antlers like a moose.
Games & Activities
Marching
Pretend you are in a marching band and have everyone play an imaginary instrument, or instruments that you have made yourself.
March around the room to music or make your own.
Your Special Monkeys
Sing "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." Use how many children you have in your class and sing the song to have them fall of the bed (roll to the floor).
Mime time
Be a mime ; Act out what ever you want but do not talk!
M Mountains
Pre-draw M's on a long piece of butcher paper, have the children go over the M's with markers.
Measuring
Which weighs more- a cup of macaroni or a cup of mini-marshmallows; a cup of macaroni or a cup of M&M's? etc.
Use some magnifying glasses or magnets.
Money
Look at pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
Get some play money and have a "general store" where the children can "buy" toys to play with.
Mom, mummy, mother
Make a special gift/picture for mom.
Mouse
talk about mice and read stories where the character is a mouse.
Mittens
Have the kids put on their winter mittens and see how much they can do during the day with them on.
Also have some sets of mittens for the kids to classify by color, shape, size, pictures. (buy several pairs of the stretchy kind in the off season and you can have all the colors of the rainbow.)
Muscles
Kids can learn about some of the major muscles (arms, legs, body) and learn why (by doing) and how they work. Have them pick up a light object and then a heavy object.
Tell them it takes more effort (muscle power) to pick up heavy items then it does light items.
Mountain
Take a look at some books about mountains.
Talk a little about how they are formed.
Machines
Make a machine with our bodies. One person does a movement, lets say a hand clap the next person comes and joins the other, maybe lifting a leg at the same time as a clap.
The next person joins in and so on. Noises are good to add too.
Mad
Have the children talk about times that they were mad/angry. Discuss ways to deal with anger other than yelling, hitting, kicking, etc. For example: Count to 10
Say the alphabet
Hit a pillow
Take 5 deep breaths very slowly
Do some sit ups or other physical activity
Go outside and yell or stomp your feet
Listen to your favorite music.
Maps
Look at maps and discuss how maps are use. Have the children draw maps of their neighbor.
Mouths
Discuss what you can do with your mouth--laugh, eat, sing, talk, smile, etc. Help the children label the different parts of the mouth: lips, tongue, palate, gums, teeth.
Make a collage of mouths cut from magazines. For fun you could add some animal mouths.
Make mud pies
Using the mud, draw M shapes on paper.
Moon
Read the book "Good Night, Moon" and take a look at the moon at night.
Menus/meals
Have children cut out pictures of foods starting with "M" to glue onto a paper plate.
You can add a discussion about nutritious foods and junk foods, if you like.
Mailbox Magic
Place items starting with the letter M in an old mailbox. Let the children reach inside and try to guess what the item is they are touching.
Some ideas of items: macaroni, marshmallows, magnets, magazine, map, mascara, mask, milk carton, mirror, mitten, monkey, moon, mop, mouse, muffin tin, music box.
Play Musical Chairs
Lots of musical opportunities with this letter!
Recipes & Snacks
Monster Mash
Give each child a bowl and a fork. Have them mix and mash 1/2 banana, 1/4 C. Applesauce, 1/2 Tsp. Honey and 1 Tsp. peanut butter.
Have them sprinkle the top of their Monster Mash with cinnamon and eat.
Marshmallow Sculptures
Give the children marshmallows and toothpicks.
They come up with the most incredible marshmallow sculptures!
Take a picture of them before they get eaten.
Many-Any Berry Milk Shake:
For eight small servings, mix in a blender 1 cup plain yogurt, and 4 cups fresh or frozen berries.
Muffins
Bake muffins with your class.
Milk
Make a milkshake with chocolate syrup.
Macaroni and cheese.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Itsy Bitsy Monkey
(Obviously, to the tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider) The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the coconut tree.
("Climb" up the tree, by alternating cupped hands one on top of the other in the air.)
Down came a coconut & hit him on his knee---OWWW!!!!
(Make a double fist above head & hit your knee on "ow!")
Out came a lion a-shakin' his mighty mane---ANNND---
(Frame your face with your hands, fanning fingers out for mane. Shake head & hands.
Slow down tempo on "And")
The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the tree again!
(Increase the tempo & climb back up the tree)
Self Help A -Z Parenting Happiness Kids games and learning Activities free e-book – 100 pages of games and fun for children of all ages. Happiness and wellbeing child activities and child games, personal development article about parents and childrens play self help, happiness kids fun activities and educational games, childrens education and personal development, kids learning and self growth projects and activities.
N n
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Arts & Crafts
N is for name
There are just tons of things kids can do with their names. Here are a few:
1. Make "name" necklaces, using a small piece of sentence strip with their name on it, tied up as a necklace with a length of yarn.
2. Make a "name" chart. Give each child an 8" long piece of sentence strip with their name on it in black marker. Have them color it "nicely". Glue all of the names onto a large piece of butcher paper, hang it in the hallway for all the school to see.
3. Make name puzzles. Take each child's name, write it on an 8" long piece of sentence strip. Write it again on another piece, and this time cut between the letters. The children get to put the names back together. Very good for beginning phonemic awareness in young children.
4. Sing the Name Game song (from the 1960's).
N is for necklace
Let the children make a necklace using Fruit Loops and/or Cheerios.
Make name tags
Make name mobiles
Use different shaped construction paper pieces. Punch a hole in the top and bottom of each shape. On both sides of the rectangle shape, help the children write "my name is".
Help the children write their name on the other shapes.
You can unbend a paper clip into a "S" shape to attach the pieces together.
Attach a piece of yarn to the top of the rectangle and hang up.
Napkin
Demonstrate how to use a napkin correctly at mealtimes. Let the children fold a white napkin any way they choose. Drop food coloring onto the napkin, one drop at a time.
Watch the colors blend together. Carefully unfold the napkins to dry. Glue corners onto construction paper.
Cut out frames to put over these "abstract pictures."
Neckties
Use paper or scrap fabric to cut out necktie shape to decorate.
Night
Draw pictures of the night on black paper. You can glue on golden adhesive stars.
Nose
Discuss what and why we have noses.
Make a collage of noses cut from pictures.
Use scented markers to draw pictures of noses and identify the smells.
Newspaper Painting
Tape large pieces of newspaper on the children's tables or the floor and let the children paint "N" things on the newspapers.
Or they could use sponge cutouts of letters and paint their names on the newspapers.
Nuts collage
Save shells from peanuts and other nuts. Break them into smaller pieces. Have the children glue them onto a piece of poster board.
(BE SURE NO CHILDREN HAVE AN ALLERGY TO NUTS. NUT ALLERGIES CAN CAUSE SEVERE REACTIONS IN SOME CHILDREN.)
Noodle necklaces to lace
Color rigatoni with food coloring and rubbing alcohol and let dry.
Nests
Make from yarn pieces, twigs, grasses and mud! Think of the fun!
Feeding the Squirrel Some Nuts
Take an oatmeal container and put brown paper on the outside and cut two holes out. Glue a squirrel on the inside of the container.
What I do is cut some poster board squares and number them from 1 to 20. I purchased different kinds of nuts. I have the children pick a number and then they put that number of nuts in the squirrel home for the winter.
Games & Activities
N is for nice
During snack time, each child is encouraged to say something nice about someone at their table.
This takes a little prompting, but by Friday, you'll have children who watch out for their friends and do things that can be mentioned during snack!
It is very heart warming.
N is for nutrition
This is quite the riot to hear what the children think is "healthy" food on Monday, then compare their answers with what they answer on Friday!
Send this list home to parents and let the parents look and hopefully think about how their children think about food. In the skill center you could put out magazines, and ask the students to cut out pictures to glue on a paper plate, to represent a healthy meal.
Nutritious Stew
Have the children bring in vegetables from home, discuss what they brought in, then (with adult supervision) wash, peel, cut and cook the vegetables making a stew.
Put it into a slow cooker to eat the next day.
N is for night
Talk about night.
Let the children draw pictures of what they see outside at night.
N is for nose
Talk about the sense of smell. Let the children use their noses to sniff a variety of different things: vinegar, vanilla, lemons, markers, etc.
Net
Display a real net. Discuss how nets are used to catch butterflies, fish, shrimp, etc.
Buy some netting fabric and talk about where it might be used on clothing (dance costumes, formal dresses, hat veils, wedding dresses).
Newspapers
Point out the different parts (sections) to the children. Look for the comics, want ads, sports, weather, movies. Cut the newspaper into small pieces and glue onto a large N shape.
If possible visit your local newspaper office.
Make newspaper hats.
Help the children find the "N"s on a page of newspaper.
Nickel
Make paper rubbings of a nickel. Play heads and tails with a nickel
Nurse
invite a nurse to come visit your group of children. Discuss why we have nurses and what they do. Role-play being a nurse.
Pantomime taking temperatures, weighing and measuring, giving shots, putting on band aids, etc.
Recipes & Snacks
Nachos
Make nachos using the following recipe:
round or triangular corn tortilla chips
1 can refried beans
small jar mild salsa or taco sauce
6 oz. cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Arrange the chips in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Top each chip with 1/2 Tsp. of refried beans and then 1/2 Tsp salsa.
Add a small amount of cheese (grated or cut into small chunks) to the top of each.
Put the cookie sheet in a 425 degree oven, watching carefully, until cheese melts and bubbles.
Name Cookie
Bake or buy large sugar cookie. Let the children write their names using the squeeze decorator frosting.
Or frost the cookies and use the letters of alphabet cereal to spell each name.
Nests
1 pkg butterscotch morsels or chocolate chips
1 can Chinese noodles
jellybeans, grapes, cooked peas
butter (optional)
Melt the morsels (chips) in a pan over low heat. Remove from heat and add the noodles. Give each child a small piece of wax paper, and about 2 Tbsps of mixture.
Invite the children to form the mixture into a nest shape. (The children can put butter on their hands to keep the mixture from sticking to their hands.) When the nests are hard, fill with jellybeans, grapes or beans.
Safety note: Do not give jelly beans, whole grapes or nuts to young children. They may choke on these items.
Other N Snacks
Nachos, navy beans, nectarines, Neapolitan ice cream, noodles, nut bread, nuts (not for small children).
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Letter sound song
(to tune - Sing a Song of Sixpence)
Naughty Nick is noisy,
banging all around.
But he's not a bad boy
when he makes his sound.
Listen can you hear him,
"Nnnn...." he says all day.
Even when he's banging nails that's what you'll hear him say.
N Poem
I use my hammer and five nails.
(Show 5 fingers.)
"That's too noisy," my neighbor yells!
(Raise voice.)
I'll hammer them now before it's night!
1,2,3,4,5
(Pretend to hammer.)
And to my neighbor I'll be polite!
Here's a Nest
Here's a nest for robin redbreast. (cup hands)
Here's a hive for busy bee. (clench fist)
Here's a hole for jacky-rabbit. (thumb around forefinger)
And here's a house for me! (fingers together forming the roof of a house)
The N Song
(Tune: Skip To My Lou)
N's in the nest now, what'll I do?
(Make a nest with hands.)
N's in the nest now, what'll I do?
N's in the nest now, what'll I do?
I'll go (sound of N) for N now.
Nail the N's, that's what I'll do.
(Pretend to pound a nail.)
Nail the N's, that's what I'll do.
Nail the N's, that's what I'll do.
I'll go N for N now.
Needle the N's, that's what I'll do.
(Pretend to sew.)
Needle the N's, that's what I'll do.
Needle the N's, that's what I'll do.
I'll go N for N now.
Net the N's, that's what I'll do.
(Pretend to catch something in a net.)
Net the N's, that's what I'll do.
Net the N's, that's what I'll do.
I'll go N for N now.
(the children can help add other verses)
The Nut Trees
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
See the nut trees,
See the nut trees,
Growing here,
Growing there,
Hazelnuts and walnuts,
Almonds and pecans,
Everywhere, everywhere.
Self Help A -Z Parenting Happiness Kids games and learning Activities free e-book – 100 pages of games and fun for children of all ages. Happiness and wellbeing child activities and child games, personal development article about parents and childrens play self help, happiness kids fun activities and educational games, childrens education and personal development, kids learning and self growth projects and activities.
O o
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Arts & Crafts
Octopus
Make a wind sock octopus
Ornament
Make some for the Christmas tree.
Oscar the grouch
Take a film canister, and add a green pompon.
Give him some wiggly eyes and glue the film canister lid on top.
Owl
Make an owl puppet.
Oyster
Take a small paper plate and fold in half.
Add a cotton ball to the inside and draw eyes on top.
Printing O's
Pour different colors of tempera paint into shallow containers. Set out white construction paper and objects with round open ends, such as cardboard toilet paper tubes, drinking straws, butter tubs of all sizes, and plastic bottles.
Invite the children to print O's of various colors and sizes by dipping the open ends of the objects into the paint and pressing them on their papers.
Fruity O Project
Trace a big O and a little O on a piece of paper and make copies for the whole class. Get Fruit Loops and let the children glue them inside the O's.
You usually wind up gluing some and eating some as you work. Staple the finished and dried Fruit Loop paper to a bigger piece of construction paper and let the children take them home.
Octopus In The Ocean
Give your child a butter tub to use as a body of an octopus. Have him/her cut out 8 legs and tape them to the lid then put the lid on the upside down tub.
Use markers to add eyes, mouth and other features.
Other Fun With O
~Make collages with different colored and sized ovals
~Listen to recordings of opera or orchestra music
~Form O's with your fingers, arms, mouth
~Paint an ocean mural and add octopus and oyster shapes
~Pretend to be an owl
~Bake pretend foods in an a toy oven
Orange Fish
Supplies needed:
oranges (cut in half crosswise, lengthwise, and wedges)
orange tempera paint
construction paper or poster board
Let cut oranges set overnight to dry (printing comes out more distinct). Dip into orange paint and print away!! Kids love all the different designs!!
Or, use a fish reproducible. (Sort of an outline type - no scale detail or anything.)
Colored the fins and tail orange. Have a dampened sponge in a pie tin and put orange tempera paint on resulting in a stamp pad.
Using their thumbs the children make orange thumb print stamps to be the fish's scales.
"O" Collage
Materials:
1 "O" cut out of orange construction paper per child
"O" reinforcements
Directions: Have the children stick reinforcements anywhere they wish onto their "O"
Owl Faces
Materials:
1 9-inch paper plate per child, labeled
7-inch squares of yellow construction paper
cup cake holders
1 black triangle/1 black rectangle per child
Directions: Cut the 7-inch squares of yellow construction paper in half diagonally to make triangles. Have children color the paper plate brown. Help child glue yellow triangle on his/her plate as shown.
Then have children glue on two cake holders for eyes. Have children glue black triangle in one eye, rectangle in other in bottom of cups.
Games & Activities
Olives
Let the kids play with green and black olives. Fit them on your fingers and eat them.
Obstacle Course
Set up a simple obstacle course in your room. For example, include cardboard cartons to crawl through, small pillows to jump over, a long board to walk across, and a padded footstool to climb over.
Let the children take turns going through the obstacle course throughout O week.
On the final day, make ribbons from construction paper and print O's on them.
Present one ribbon to each child as he/she completes the obstacle course.
O is for Office
Create a pretend office in a corner of your room, using small tables for desks. Set out such things as small pads of paper, play telephones, junk mail, pencils, paper clips, rubber stamps and ink pads.
Let the children have fun playing in your office during your O unit.
Show and Tell Guessing Game
(can be played with any letter sound)
Each child must find an object at home that begins with the Oo sound.
He/She conceals the item in a bag. When it is his/her turn the child gives us 3 clues so a picture pops in our head of what it might be. The child can pick 3 children (or however many you wish) to guess the hidden object.
For instance, if the child conceals "oatmeal" in a bag, the 3 clues might be
: 1. It is light brown.
2. You eat it hot for breakfast.
3. You can bake cookies with it.
Keeping in mind the sound of O, the children try to guess that the hidden object is oatmeal.
Whooo Is It? Game
For this listening game, choose one child to be the Parent Owl and have the child leave the room.
Choose 2 or 3 other children to be owlets, or baby owls. Have all the children cover their mouths with their hands, and ask only the Owlets to begin saying, "Whooo, whoooo."
Then have the Parent Owl return to the room, listen carefully to the "whoooo-ing" and try to find his or her babies. Continue the game, each time choosing different children to be the Parent Owl and the Owlets.
Octopus Stories
Have your child draw pictures of an octopus having an adventure in the ocean.
Have him/her tell you a story to go with the pictures and you write the words down for him/her.
Then have your child find all the O's in his/her story and trace them with an orange crayon.
Outdoors: Activities
Construct a mountain range or some trees (bring some pine cones and leaves), to go backpacking, look for bears and deer, bring your binoculars.
Have a campfire, use a sleeping bag for nap time (around your campfire), lantern, flashlights, tent(s), don't forget cooking items.
Barbecues, ice chest, picnic basket, picnic table canoeing (box: refrigerator is the best) or rowboat.
Make paddles (from empty gift wrap rolls) Fishing, (pretend/made) poles, hooks, fish
Opposites
Make a list of opposites then each child can pick two to illustrate and make into Our Book of Opposites
Orange Day
Everyone bring in something Orange from home.
Have students fill in...I have an orange _____. then illustrate.
Recipes & Snacks
Oatmeal
Make oatmeal cookies.
Oranges
Make orange sweet rolls and eat
Make edible O's using cookie dough
Taste different olives then graph which kind do you like better
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Let's Sing For Letter O
(Tune: Skip To My Lou)
Let's sing now for the letter O
Let's sing some O words that we know.
Olive, owl, and octopus, too.
Oh, letter Oo we do like you!
Ten Little O's
(Tune: Ten Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little O's.
Four little, five little, six little O's.
Seven little, eight little, nine little O's
Ten little O's in the ocean.
O-O-O say the O's (short O sound)
O-O-O say the O's
O-O-O say the O's
Ten little O's in the ocean.
The O's go see an octopus.
The O's go see an octopus.
The O's go see an octopus.
Ten little O's in the ocean.
The O's go see the wise old owl.
The O's go see the wise old owl.
The O's go see the wise old owl.
Ten little O's in the ocean.
(The children can help add other verses of O things.)
Then:
One little, two little, three little O's.
Four little, five little, six little O's.
Seven little, eight little, nine little O's
Ten little O's in the ocean.
I Am Learning Oo
(Tune: The Farmer In The Dell)
I am learning Oo.
I am learning Oo.
Hi ho the derry O.
I am learning Oo.
Other verses to add:
Oval begins with Oo... (make an oval with your hands)
Overalls start with Oo... (point to someone wearing them?)
Over begins with Oo...
Oh my! begins with Oo... (hand on side of face)
Ocean begins with Oo... (wavy hand motion)
Ostrich begins with Oo...
October begins with Oo... (point to calendar)
Octopus starts with Oo...
The children can help add other verses of O things and can help decide on the actions for the song.)
Three O's Finger play
Here's an O
(thumb & index finger)
And here's an O
(2 hands forms an O)
And a great big O you see.
(arms make an O)
Are you ready?
Can you count them?
1, 2, 3!
Optometrist Song
(Tune: Down By The Station)
Down at my office,
When you come to visit,
I have a big machine
To look into your eyes.
I can help you see more
If you're having trouble.
Click, click, click, click,
Look inside.
Squeeze The Oranges
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Squeeze, squeeze
Squeeze the oranges,
Squeeze them all this way,
So we can have some orange juice
To start our sunny day.
Wise Old Bird
A wise old owl sat in an oak.
The more he heard, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?
Wise Old Owl
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
Wise old owl, wise old owl,
In the tree, in the tree.
Who-oo are you winking at?
Who-oo are you winking at?
Is it me? Is it me?
I Like Omelets
(Tune: Skip To My Lou)
I like omelet, yes I do,
I like omelet, yes I do,
I like omelet, yes I do,
And my tummy loves them too! (rub tummy)
Replace "omelet" with other food that begins with Oo and sing again.
October Days Poem
October days are here you see
Skies of blue for you and me
Leaves are falling to the ground
This one's yellow, that one's brown
Apples swinging in the tree
Pick a red one just for me
Pumpkins growing on the vine
Pick the big one...it's mine!
Try a local search of our site for your answers
P p
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Arts & Crafts
Easy Putty
Here is a recipe for putty that the kids really enjoy.
This putty is stretchy, rubbery and bounces like a ball and it picks up newspaper comics.
Just like the store bought stuff!
1 Tbs. liquid starch
Food coloring
2 Tbs. white glue
Plastic Easter Egg or Zip lock baggie
Mix white glue and food coloring together in a small bowl. Pour liquid starch into a second small bowl.
Slowly pour the glue mixture on top of the liquid starch. Allow the concoction to stand for 5 minutes or until the glue absorbs the liquid starch.
Remove putty from bowl and knead (At first this mixture may look as if its a mistake, but it isn't.
The more you knead the putty, the better the consistency will be) Store the putty in a plastic Easter Egg or baggie.
This makes enough for one child.
P is for puzzle
You can use this on a Christmas card, old greeting card or even photo. Remove the front of the card (the picture part) and attach a magnetic sheet to the back.
You can laminate the front of the card if you want but it isn't required.
Cut the card in six to eight squares depending on the size of your card.
Place the card on your refrigerator and the kids can mix up all the pieces and then put them back in order to make the picture again.
Dried Peas on "P"
Materials:
1 "P" cut out of black paper, labeled
dried green peas
glue
Directions: Have children glue dried green peas to "P".
Pumpkin prints
Take small pumpkins, cut them in half and remove the seeds.
Dip the pumpkins in orange paint and make prints.
Can also use potatoes cut in half, and designs carved out of the inside.
Popcorn
Lay out a white bed sheet and place a popcorn popper in the middle of the sheet with the top off (make sure children stay off the sheet as the popper is running)
Watch as the popcorn shoots out of the popper and onto the sheet.
Painting
Paint with fingers, feet, brushes, etc.
Pinwheels
Mark an X from corner to corner on a square piece of paper.
Cut on the lines almost to the center. Help children attach every other corner piece to the center.
Fasten a pin through the center of the pinwheel into the eraser of an unsharpened pencil.
P's Peas
Use dried peas for creating an interesting collage - look at dried peas, split peas, black-eyed peas, etc.
Purple and Pink
Provide paint in purples and pinks - talk about pale or pastel colors and provide them to paint with.
Letter P Project
Trace a big P and a little p on a piece of paper and make enough copies for all your children
Pop some popcorn and let the children glue popcorn to the letters.
They can eat some and glue some.
Paper Plate Collage
Have the child print a P on a paper plate then look through magazines to find pictures that begin with P.
Cut them out and glue them all around the P.
This activity can be done with a "partner."
Games & Activities
Have a pajama party!
Everyone wear pajamas, slippers, robes, etc. Have a laid-back day.
Read lots of stories, lay around on sleeping bags and huge soft pillows.
Eat letter P snacks: popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, popsicles, prunes, etc.
Patterns
Have Children observe various types of patterns, both visual and sound.
Zig zag, polka dot, stripes etc.
Pumpkin
Have children explore a pumpkin, outside and inside.
Have them touch, smell, taste, and describe it.
Poison Awareness
Help children learn about dangers from household poisons.
P Explorations
Provide one of the following sets of objects for children to explore; paper, pens, people or pets.
Have them describe the items.
Potato tasting
Prepare potatoes in various ways for children to taste.
Then have each child vote for the positively perfect potato by placing a sticker in the appropriate column of a chart.
Platypus
Learn more about this unusual Australian marsupial that lives in the water, has a duck bill, webbed feet and fur.
Other animals that start with P
Porcupine, polar bear, parrots, panthers, penguins, panda bears, pachyderms (elephants/ rhinoceros), palomino (horses)
Pogo
Have a pogo stick available for outdoor play.
Pirates
Have a pageant or parade perhaps of Pirates!
Palindromes For older children explore palindromes - a word that reads the same backwards as forwards, e.g. rotator, madam, etc...
Parachutes
Play with commercially available parachutes, create parachutes from plastic bags for dolls etc.
Play peek-a-boo
Peel a pear
See who can make the longest strip of skin - give the children a plastic knife.
Pentathlon
Set up a pentathlon event in the playground - children must complete the five activities.
P Sounds
Talk with older children about how "ph" makes a f sound as in photography or pharmacy.
Piano
Play the piano and let the children have a turn at the keys.
Peanut Number Game
Set out 10 plastic containers numbered from 1 to 10 and a basket of peanuts.
Let the children take turns placing the appropriate number of peanuts into each container.
Graph Pizza Toppings
Make a graph with a list of pizza toppings on the left side and blank spaces for tallying on the right.
Conduct a survey of the children to find out which toppings they like. Have each child write his/her name on a sticky note.
Tell the children they can only vote for their favorite topping. Name a topping from the list and ask the children who like that topping stick their name next to the topping.
Do the same thing for all the toppings and until all children have put their sticky note on the graph.
Then ask the children to decide which topping is the most popular and which is the least popular.
Dramatic Play Center
Set up a movie theater with seats, screen and a popcorn cups.
Let children take turns being the usher, the popcorn vendor, the ticket taker, etc.
Watch a short movie (if possible videos of themselves).
Recipes & Snacks
Purple popsicles
Pour purple colored juice into Dixie cups, when almost set insert stick.
Or make the juice purple by mixing red and blue juice.
Talk about mixing colors to get other colors.
P Snacks
Peanut butter
popcorn
pasta
pineapple
pizza
potato pancakes
regular pancakes
cheese pretzels
Mashed potato and pumpkin
Mash together cooked potato and pumpkin with a little milk and butter for a yummy side dish.
Pizza!
Make pizzas for lunch or snack using an English style muffin split in two, tomato sauce, pineapple, diced ham and cheese.
Cook under a grill until cheese is melted. Can also use round Pita bread as a pizza base.
Popcorn Squares
36 servings
8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup peanuts
1 cup M & M's
1 cup gumdrops
1 cup butter
1 (16-ounce) package marshmallows
Combine popcorn, peanuts and candies in bowl; mix well. Heat butter and marshmallows in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until blended.
Pour over popcorn mixture, tossing to coat. Spread in 9x13 inch dish. Chill for several hours. Cut into squares.
Party Popcorn
20 to 25 servings
1/4 cup margarine
1 (10-ounce) package marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
10 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped pecans
Melt margarine in saucepan. Add marshmallows and peanut butter. Cook until smooth, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Combine with popcorn, sunflower seeds and pecans in large bowl: mix well.
Shape into balls; place in paper liners.
Sugar-and-Spice Apple Corn
16 servings
4 quarts warm unsalted popped popcorn
1 cup unsalted walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tsp apple pie spice
Combine popcorn, walnuts and dried apples in bowl; mix well. Combine margarine, brown sugar and pie spice in saucepan; mix well. Cook until bubbly, stirring constantly.
Pour over popcorn mixture, tossing to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in airtight container.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
The P Song
(Sung to: B-I-N-G-O)
I know a word that starts with P,
And pizza is its name.
P-I-Z-Z-A P-I-Z-Z-A P-I-Z-Z-A
And pizza is its name.
Other words to spell:
P-U-P-P-Y
P-E-N-N-Y
P-A-P-E-R
P-A-I-N-T
I Like Pizza
(Sung to: Skip To My Lou)
I like pizza, yes, I do.
I like pizza, yes, I do.
I like pizza, yes, I do.
And my tummy likes it, too.
Peter Piper
(A Tongue Twister)
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
The Pig
(Tune: Camp town Races)
The pig rolls in the mud all day.
Oink-oink, oink-oink.
That is what he likes to say,
Oink-oink-oink-oink-oink.
Curly tail that grows,
Pudgy little nose.
Mud is where he likes to be,
And it really shows.
A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track
Tune: Pop! Goes The Weasel
A peanut sat on a railroad track,
Its heart was all aflutter.
A train came chugging down the track-
Toot! Toot! Peanut Butter!
I Wish I Were A Pepperoni Pizza
(Tune: The Oscar Meyer Theme Song)
Oh, I wish I were a pepperoni pizza,
That is what I'd truly like to be.
For if I were a pepperoni pizza,
Everyone would be in love with me!
Peanut Butter
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
Peanut butter, peanut butter,
Good for you, fun to chew.
Spread it on a sandwich,
Spread it on a cracker.
Good for you, fun to chew!
Q q
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Arts & Crafts
Q is for Quilt
Make a class quilt. Give each child a 4x4 square of white art paper.
They can draw a picture, create a design using pattern blocks (standard math manipulatives in primary classrooms) or anything else that ties in thematically with a class unit.
Glue onto large piece of colored butcher paper. Glue down small yarn bows into each "intersection".
Put it up for all to enjoy.
Q is for Queen
Let the girls (and boys) decorate construction paper crowns. Staple on a headband and your room will be full of queens!
Q-tips
Paint with Q-tips. Make structures out of Q-tips and play dough or clay.
Let the children take them home after they dry. If using clay, have the children paint their sculptures first.
Quilt
Make a quilt throughout the year of the children's experiences at school for them to view.
Or have each of the children's parents make one square of a quilt, that has something to do with the child and their experiences at child care.
Have the children talk about the picture/material/whatever about their quilt square.
Then, sew it all together and put it in the book center as a backdrop for the children to wear.
If you have an old pioneer creek village, see if they have a demonstration of making quilts and take your children to go and see it.
Quacking for Q
Print Q's and q's on some index cards and print several other letter on several more cards.
Have the children sit in front of you. Hold up the cards one at a time.
Whenever the children see a Q or a q have them quack.
Quarter Rubbings
Make a large Q shape on a piece of paper.
Let the children make crayon rubbings of "quarters" on white paper using different color crayons
. The children cut out the rubbings and glue them on the big Q.
Variations: The children can also look through magazines for question marks and cut them out to glue on the Q. Glue Q-tips to a large Q.
Games & Activities
Q is for Quiet
Spend a half hour or so (that's long enough for 3-5 year olds!) being quiet. Read a story quietly.
Play a quiet game such as "Silent Ball", where a ball or bean bag gets tossed from child to child, without making any noise.
Draw a picture of you doing something quietly.
Q is for Quick
Spend another half hour or so doing things quickly - moving quickly outside, playing "hot potato", etc.
Quack
Talk about ducks. Talk about how they say, "Quack."
Talk about the letter that "quack" starts with.
Quadruplets (can do same for Quintuplets)
Find a picture of quadruplets and show it to the children. Talk about how quadruplets means that 4 children were born at the same time, just like twins are called twins because two babies are born from the same mother at the same time.
Quail
Put a picture of a quail up in the room and talk about the interesting name that the bird has.
Quake
If anyone has ever been in an earthquake, or the children in your care have, you can talk about how they felt when the earth shook and trembled.
Quarter
Bring a quarter in for display. Let the children look at it.
Set up a shopping center with fake money in the dramatic play area and see if the children can identify which one is the quarter.
Quartet
Find a quartet that can perform to children or listen to a quartet. Make your own quartet with the children and have them sing songs in groups of four. (It was worth a shot!)
Queen Bee
Talk about the queen bee and how her job is to produce more baby bees.
Question mark (?)
Draw one on the board. Give the children examples of questions they ask and have them ask questions.
Quick
See how "quickly" the children can clean up.
Quiz
Play a "quiz" game. Have a few items out on display.
Cover them up and quiz the children to see if they can remember which objects were on the table.
Play the Quiet Game
The teacher chooses a child to be "it." The child who is "it" walks around looking at the other students in the class for a set time (maybe one minute) and chooses the person who is the "quietest."
That person becomes "it," and you can repeat the process.
Quiet or Loud Sounds
Talk about different sounds. Students decide if they are "loud" or "quiet" sounds.
Game: Mother and Her Baby Quails
Choose one child to be the Mother Quail and let the others be the baby quails.
Have the Mother Quail start walking around the room.
Then sing the song below, each time signaling one of the baby Quails to get in line behind the mother. Continue singing until everyone is in line.
If desired, choose a new Mother Quail and play the game again.
(Tune: Down By The Station)
Out in the forest
Early in the morning,
See the Mother Quail
Walking to and fro.
See a baby quail
Get in line behind her.
Quickly, quickly, off they go.
Recipes & Snacks
Quiche
Bake a quiche for lunch. You could even do this as a cooking activity with the children.
They can help measure the ingredients.
Quaker Oats
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Little Quail
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
Little quail, little quail,
Feathered head, feathered tail,
I like to watch you strutting by,
Or flapping as you start to fly.
Little quail, little quail.
I'm A Busy Quilter
(Tune: Itsy Bitsy Spider)
I'm a busy quilter,
I sew and sew all day.
When my quilts are finished,
I can stop and play.
Sometimes my quilts are fancy,
Sometimes I make them plain.
Sometimes my quilts are different,
Sometimes they're all the same.
I've Got The Letter Q
(Sung to: He's Got The Whole World)
I've got the letter Q on my quilt.
I've got the letter Q on my quilt.
I've got the letter Q on my quilt.
Q goes q-q-q (Sound of KW)
(Make a Q with fingers. Pretend to smooth out a quilt.)
Little Duck
(Sung to: Yankee Doodle)
Once there was a little duck,
Who lived down by the lake.
His mother had to quack at him
`Cause he was always late.
Quack, quack, quack, quack,
quack, quack, quack
Hurry, don't be late,
Quack, quack, quack, quack,
quack, quack, quack
Don't make your mother wait!
Did You Ever See A Duck?
(Tune: Did You Ever See A Lassie?)
Did you ever see a duck, a duck, a duck,
Did you ever see a duck who waddles so slow?
She waddles and waddles and waddles and waddles.
Did you ever see a duck who waddles so slow?
Did you ever see a duck, a duck, a duck,
Did you ever see a duck who quacks so fast?
She quacks and quacks and quacks and quacks.
Did you ever see a duck who quacks so fast?
Quiet Time
Quiet time, quiet time
That's the time for me.
My mouth, my head,
my hands, my feet
Are quiet as can be.
Letter Q
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
I am learning
I am learning
Letter Q
Letter Q
Not used very often
Not used very often
Letter Q
Q...Q...Q
Quentin The Quail
(Tune: Frosty The Snowman)
Quentin the quail begins with letter Q.
He has lots of quills and a question mark,
And a quarry is his home.
(Repeat)
Q is for Quilt
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Soft warm quilt, I love you so.
You warm me from head to toe.
No more shivers q...q...q.
Grandma made you just for me.
Soft warm quilt, I love you so.
You warm me from head to toe.
R r
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Arts & Crafts
Rabbit
Let the children draw rabbits and add a cotton ball tail.
Painting with Radishes
Cut radishes in half with a sharp knife. Give each child a plastic lid filled with red tempera paint.
Have each child draw a large letter R with a red crayon - dip the radish halves in red paint and use them to rubber stamp along the crayon line to make a Radish R.
Raisin R's
Glue raisins in the shape of an R. Be sure to have enough to eat and glue.
Reindeer
Trace each of the children's hands for antlers, cut a large triangle for the head.
The children can glue the hand antlers on the top, a red fingerprint nose and two black thumb print eyes.
Rabbits
Paper plate rabbits:
Use a small white paper plate and a large white paper plate.
Glue the face parts, i.e.. nose, whiskers, eyes, nose, ears to the small paper plate.
Glue on a tail and feet to the large paper plate.
Then glue both together.
Voila, cute and very individual rabbits!
Sock rabbits
Collect a used white sock from each child and stuff it with stuffing.
Then glue on ears, nose, and eyes.
Let the children use permanent pens to make the whiskers.
Tie off the end of the sock to make a tail.
Rice R
Color the letter R and then glue on rice.
Rainbow
With an outline of a rainbow, color in the different colors.
Paint with the color red.
R is for rectangle
Make rectangle collages include big and little rectangles, thin and fat rectangles.
R is for rain
Cut out an umbrella shapes and let the children sponge paint raindrop shapes with various colors of blue.
R is for rabbit
Make rabbit ear head bands and give the children cotton ball tails and pretend to be rabbits for a day.
Rubbings
Each child gets a white piece of construction paper.
You then put various small objects under the paper like coins, paper clips, rulers, etc. Have the children rub over the objects with pencils.
You can teach the children about various textures that objects have.
You can also play a guessing game, by placing an object under the paper without them looking, and have them try to guess what it is as its starts to appear.
R Art
Make a big R and a little r on a piece of paper and make copies for all the children. Set out glue and different kinds of ribbon cut into short pieces.
Let the children choose the ribbon pieces they want and glue them all over their letter R shapes.
Rockets
Make them using toilet tissue cardboard centers.
Cut small circle from construction paper then cut to the center of the circle and then form into a cone shape and glue or paste.
Glue to top. Add Christmas tree tinsel to the other end for flames.
Roadway racers
Make cars for the children to have races with from cardboard boxes.
Cut off bottoms and top. Paint the box. Add straps using long brads(tape the exposed ends) or use colored telephone wire which bends easily) Add doors and headlights with another color of paint after the first is dry.
The children can then be race cars drivers (wearing their car over their shoulders).
Range Riders
Make stick horses from cardboard.
Paint. Add yarn manes.
Reindeer
Cut a triangle out of brown construction paper.
Put one point down to be the nose.
Trace the child's hands to be the antlers.
For Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, we glue red glitter to the nose area.
Games & Activities
Radish
Help the children plant radish seeds in milk cartons - they grow fast!
Radio
Listen to a radio during quiet time - help the children list the different radio programs - i.e. - weather, public announcements, news, music, talk show, call in. etc..
Have them draw a simple picture of a radio.
Read
Set up a reading center - feature books with R words in the title.
Write a letter home encouraging parents to read to their children this week.
Robots
Have the children move around the room as robots.
Give them commands like "stop", "go", "sit", etc..
R is for rocks
Gather rocks and put in a plastic tub, let children classify rocks into sizes (big, medium and small) on to a big piece of paper, a medium piece of paper or a small piece of paper with the corresponding words written on each size paper.
R is for red
Have a red day and everyone wear red.
R is for records
If you're lucky enough to be able to get a hold of an old children's record player and records, let children operate independently in a listening corner.
R is for run
Have relay races.
Pet Rock
Find a special rock and make a pet rock by adding facial features.
Reading Time
Do a special week or two that one child per day brings a book in to read aloud to the class. Then set a certain time to read.
The children get excited when the book they have brought is the book of the day!
Rock Matching Game
Collect 5 pairs of rocks ranging in size from small to large.
Paint the rocks and allow them to dry.
Group the rocks into pairs of matching sizes. Print an uppercase R on one of the rocks in each pair and a lowercase r on the other.
Then mix up the rocks and let the children take turns finding the matching pairs.
Recycle
Make new things from the old trash that you collected.
Teach children the importance of recycling.
Rivers
-longest, locations
-talk about the profile of a river (tributary, rapids, mouth)
-use a water table to demonstrate
-life in the river (strong upstream swimming fish, plants, birds, beavers)
Recipes & Snacks
Raisin
Make rice and raisin pudding.
Raisin-Apple Muffins
1 cup Cheerios or Apple Cheerios, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/4 cups of all- purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tsp. baking powder
3/4 Tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/3 cup milk
3 tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg
1. Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms only of 12 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2 X 1 1/4 in.
2. Mix cereal, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir remaining ingredients.
3. Divide into muffin cups.
4. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes.
Rice cakes with peanut butter
Red jello
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
A classic favorite. Try to teach the children how to do this song in rounds, where one group starts, and when they reach the second "Row, row, row.." the next group starts at the beginning.
The Rooster
(Tune: Pop! Goes The Weasel )
The rooster crows at the break of day.
To say the day is new.
We all know just what he'll say,
It's cock-a-doodle-doo!
I'm A Railroad Engineer
(Tune: Down By The Station )
Down at the station
Early in the morning,
See all the trains
Standing in a row.
I'm a railroad engineer,
I jump aboard my train.
Chug, chug, chug, chug
Off I go.
Rainbow Colors
(Tune: Hush, Little Baby)
Rainbow purple, rainbow blue,
Rainbow green and yellow too.
Rainbow orange, rainbow red,
Rainbow smiling overhead.
Rainbow Song
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
When the rain falls from the sky,
(Flutter fingers downward.)
Don't forget to look up high.
(Cup hand above eyes and look up.)
If the sun is shining there,
(Make a circle with arms above head.)
You may find a rainbow fair.
(Sweep arms in an arc above head.)
Red orange, yellow, green and blue.
And you'll see there's purple, too.
Ten Little Reindeer
(Tune: Ten Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little reindeer,
Four little, five little, six little reindeer,
Seven little, eight little, nine little reindeer,
Playing in the snow.
The Robot Song
(Tune: The Wheels On The Bus)
The arms of the robot swing up and down,
Up and down, up and down,
The arms of the robot swing up and down,
All around the room.
The legs of the robot move back and forth...
The head of the robot turns side to side...
The buttons on the robot blink on and off...
The voice of the robot says beep, beep, beep...
Rain Finger play
Rain on the green grass.
(Flutter fingers down to ground.)
And rain on the tree.
(Flutter fingers up over head.)
Rain on the housetop,
(Make upside down "V" with hand and arms.)
But not on me!
(Circle arms over head to make umbrella.)
Rain
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Rain, rain falling down,
(Flutter fingers up and down.)
Landing all around.
(Move arms out to sides.)
What a lovely sound you make
(Cup hands behind ears.)
Splashing on the ground.
(Wiggle fingers up and down.)
S s
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Arts & Crafts
Hands-full-of-Sunflower
This project incorporates a special "signature" from each child -- their individual hand print shapes.
Not only are the little hands in the craft cute, but using a special item that reflects each child's personally fosters self-esteem and sparks a sense of ownership.
They can see themselves clearly reflected in the craft.
This large sunflower "reaches" to the sun and has real sunflower seeds on its face, an extra tactile dimension to the creation.
Needed:
Paper plate
Paper towel tube
Paint brush
Glue
Stapler
Sunflower seeds
Eight cutouts of child's closed hand print
Two green construction paper leaves
Green tempera paint
STEP 1 Paint paper towel tube with green paint. Let the tube dry.
STEP 2 Staple the eight hands around the lip of the paper plate.
STEP 3 Place glue in the center of the plate and pour sunflower seeds on top. Discard the ones that did not stick... and eat them! It's also fun to scatter different things for "seeds" into the center of the flower -- buttons, sparkle beads, pebbles, dried beans, peanut shells.
FINALE Staple the painted tube to the back side of the paper plate. Glue the two leaves to the green "stem" of the flower.
PROJECT CHALLENGES The main challenge with this craft is the stapling part. When stapling the tube to the plate, you may wish to staple one end of the tube shut first and then staple the plate to the tube.
A heavy duty stapler will work best for this, however, the handheld one will work with a few tries.
Scribble Art
Have the children scribble on a piece of paper with black crayon.
Then have the children use other colors to color in the sections between the scribbled lines.
They will be surprised at the colorful picture they end up with.
Straw Painting
For each child place a small drop of tempera paint in the center of a large piece of paper
. Give each child a straw and have them blow (lightly) the paint around the paper to make a design.
Tie Snakes
(especially appropriate for the rain forest theme)
Take one of dad's old/ugly ties- the busier the print the better. cut open on of the ends, and fill 2/3's all the way will fiber fill. Then, insert either a hanger you have made straight or a length of medium-light gauge wire, fill the rest of the way, and sew/glue/web-iron the tie closed again.
The wire or hanger seems pretty important to giving the body some shape and letting you give it that "S" shape, but you could skip that part if you had to.
Now, add googly eyes and the long tongue with the "V" shape at the end, and you have a rain forest anaconda! Young ones should be able to do most of the project!
When making your snake leave the tag on the underside, the children put the snake around their neck and put their finger through the tag to make them move.
Paper Towel Roll Snake
This would be good for Earth Day. Recycle those paper towel rolls!
Start at the end of the paper towel roll & cut in a circular or spiral line like the one that is already on it. When you get to the end cut out a head shape. Now cut the tail into a tapered shape
Now the snake can be put on your arm, it will wrap around. Let the kids paint.
"S" with stickers
Materials:
1 "S" cut out of black construction paper, labeled star stickers
Directions: Have child decorate their "S" with stars.
Spider Webs
Materials:
1 sheet of black construction paper per child, labeled
white paint
cup for paint
marbles
spiders
Directions: Place black construction paper in a box top. Dip marble into white paint.
Place the marble in the box top and have child move the box top around to form the "web".
Have the child glue a spider onto the web.
Snowman Head Chain
3 6" Paper plates
felt pens
hole punch
colorful ribbon
Black felt for hats
Children make snowmen faces for each plate, glue on hats. Hole punch at 'ear' place on each head. (Through the hole punched holes) Connect the heads with the ribbon, tied in pretty bows.
The outer two ribbons should be left longer to tie to whatever to display your happy snowmen faces.
Sock Snowmen
With a clean white tube sock, insert a juice can lid, or any other metal lid (flat side down, so Snowman sits upright) stuff with a little fiber fill (Bottom of body), tie off with white thread/yarn/string, more fiber fill (Middle of body), tie, and still more fiber fill for 'head' & tie off.
Stuff the top of the sock into a little black hat you've already purchased. Finish off by adding the button eyes, whatever for nose, mouth, buttons. Little fabric rectangle for scarf around the neck.
Salty Surprise
paper
watercolors
paint brushes
salt shaker
water
1) Let the child paint a picture using regular watercolors.
2) Allow the child to shake salt on his painting while it is still wet.
3) When the painting dries it will sparkle!!
Sky
Make cloud pictures with white chalk or cotton on blue paper.
Strawberries
Make strawberries for art. Cut 2 large strawberries from red tissue paper.
Glue or staple around the edges, leaving the top opened.
Stuff with shredded scraps of paper.
Use green paper to make the leaves on top.
Games & Activities
Skipping
Teach the children how to skip. Show them how to jump and kick on alternate feet or to step and hop on alternate feet.
Have a Silly Sandwich Social
Use Sandpaper to cut out the letter S so the children can feel the shape.
Have a graphing activity to graph favorite Sandwiches.
Make a Spider String painting
Play Simon Says
For Sensory Time
Shaving cream
Soap
Smells
Satin
Scrub brush
Sour cream
Number: Seven
Shape: Star
Activity: Scavenger Hunt
Slithering Snakes
Pretend to be Snakes and make the SSSSSS sound and slither on the carpet.
Sing N Swing
Sing silly songs while playing on a seesaw or while skipping.
Let everyone take a turn.
Smelly Scents
Put different scents (strawberry, lemon, vanilla, peppermint extracts) on cotton balls and then put them in plastic containers with tops. Have children guess what they are.
Sliding S
Make a big letter S on the carpet using masking tape. Have class take off their shoes and slide on the letter S in their socks.
Sports Day
Tell the children a day before to think of their favorite sport and why so they can talk about it at class the next day. Have the children wear something to school that day that is from their favorite sport or sport team).
When they come in, form a circle and have each child tell about their favorite sport. You can elaborate on the topic by joining in and telling the class various sports facts.
That day for snacks have bite sized hot dogs, popcorn and pop to drink.
Shapes Treasure Hunt
Prior to class, hide various shapes around the room. When you begin your lesson show the children the various shapes they are to find.
Give each child a copy of the shape they are to find, and a clue. Then set them loose to find their shape.
As a reward, have snacks of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that are cut out from various different shaped cookie cutters.
Seasons
Draw a tree in all four seasons.
Seeds
Plant seeds.
Silhouettes
Make silhouettes of each child.
This makes a nice gift for a holiday.
Sun Pictures
Place an object on a piece of colored construction paper and place it in the sun for several hours.
The paper will fade around the object.
Leaves work really well.
Recipes & Snacks
Make Sun Tea
Slippery Snakes
Materials:
1 1/2 cups apple juice
one 3-ounce package any flavor gelatin
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
5 ice cubes
2 self sealing plastic bags
1. Pour half of the apple juice into a saucepan. Heat until boiling. Remove from heat. Add flavored gelatin and stir. Pour remaining apple juice into mixing bowl.
Sprinkle it with unflavored gelatin.
2. Stir gelatin and juice in mixing bowl. Add to hot juice, add ice cubes. Stir until ice cubes melt. Refrigerate about 10-15 minutes. Put half of the apple gelatin into each plastic bag. Close and seal.
3. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Cut about 1/4 inch off one corner of the bag. Hold the bag over the baking sheet, slowly squeezing the bag to form snake shapes.
Repeat with remaining mixture. Chill for 2 hours.
Other S Snacks
Sandwiches
Sugar cookies
Salad
Soup
Strawberries (Be SURE to check for allergies, many children are allergic!)
Salsa
Sour cream (good on baked potatoes or in a cake!)
Bears in the Snow
Spread cool whip dessert topping onto a graham type cracker.
Add gummy bears or bear shaped cookies. ENJOY!!!
This activity provide a great sensory experience as well as fine motor control for the assembly.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Little Skunk's Hole
I stuck my head in a little skunk's hole ,
And the little skunk said "Oh bless my soul"
" TAKE IT OUT , TAKE IT OUT REMOVE IT !!!!!!!!!! "
Well I did not take my head out of the little skunk's hole
And the little skunk said "Oh bless my soul ,
TAKE IT OUT TAKE IT OUT REMOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
PSSSSSSSSSSSST
I removed it tooooooo late!
Mr. Lion and his sneeze
Mr. Lion said, "I am going to sneeze!"
(Point to self)
So he put his head down between his knees!
(put head down between knees)
He opened his mouth and out it flew
(open mouth)
A GIANT SUPER LOUD....ACHOOOO!!!!
(kids sneeze loudly)
The jungle floor jiggled and the trees all wiggled
(kids wiggle and jiggle body)
And the birds were flown to Bombay
(make flying motion with hands)
And the elephants were tossed every which way
(slap hands on knees)
Mr. Lion looked up and roared at the sky
(have kids pretend to look up)
"Oh my, a windstorm just passed by!
Swans In The Park
(tune: "rock-a-bye baby")
Swans glide across the pond in the park,
With feathers so white and beaks that are dark.
They spread out there wings and take to the air.
The swans fly away, but I don't know where.
A Salamander
I saw a little creature that was slimy, smooth, and wet.
I thought it was the oddest thing that I had ever met.
It was something like a lizard, but it had no scales at all.
It was something like a frog, but it didn't hop- it crawled.
So I took it to my teacher and she told me right away,
" I see you brought a salamander into class today."
Gray Squirrel
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel,
Swish your fluffy tail.
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel,
Swish your fluffy tail.
Wrinkle up your little nose,
Hold a nut between your toes.
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel,
Swish your fluffy tail.
Sally The Camel
(Tune: Dem Bones )
Sally the Camel has two humps,
Sally the Camel has two humps,
Sally the Camel has two humps, so
Ride Sally, Ride! Boom, Boom, boom.
Sally the Camel has one hump,
Sally the Camel has one hump,
Sally the Camel has one hump, so
Ride Sally, Ride! Boom, Boom, Boom.
Sally the Camel has no humps
Sally the Camel has no humps,
Sally the Camel has no humps, so
Sally is a HORSE!
Snowflakes
(Tune: Mary Had A Little Lamb )
Snowflakes falling from the sky, from the sky, from the sky,
Snowflakes falling from the sky, to the earth below.
Watch them as they dance and whirl, dance and whirl, dance and whirl,
Watch them as they dance and whirl, soft white winter snow.
Sing, Sing, Sing
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat )
Sing, sing, sing with me.
Sing out loud and clear
To tell the people everywhere
That music time is here.
T t
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Arts & Crafts
Salt Dough Fun
Make salt dough and shape them into the letter T.
Bake them in the oven until they are hard (recipe below).
Then paint them to play with or add a magnet to the back to stick them on the fridge.
Or before baking add a small hole at the top (with a straw) and after they are baked and decorated you can hang them with ribbon or string.
Salt dough recipe
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water
Mix together, when it forms a ball take it out of the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes.
After you have made your shapes, bake them for 4 hours at 275 degrees or until they are completely done.
Check them because they can get a bit toasty on the back if you leave them for too long.
Glue tinsel on letter T's.
Make T's by gluing together tongue depressors.
Tie-dye
Have children bring to school one plain T-shirt and decorate with fabric paints or do Tie-dye!
Turkey Draw
Draw a turkey. Spread your fingers out on a piece of paper and trace around your hand.
Your thumb makes the head so add a beak, eyes and the red wattle.
Color the feathers made by your fingers and add legs. Write a story about your turkey.
Toothpick T's
Materials:
"T" cut out of brown paper
colored toothpicks
glue
Directions: Have children glue on toothpicks.
Games & Activities
Tiptoe T
Make a big letter T on the carpet with masking tape. Let children tip toe on the letter T.
Tea Party
Have a Tea party - invite the moms and dads!
Tower
Build a tower with the blocks. See how tall they can build it!
The Timer Game
Have the children sit in a circle with you. In the middle place several items that begin with the T sound like tape, a tambourine, a teddy bear, a toy telephone, a toy truck, a turtle, a toothbrush.
Name each of the items with the group. Have the children turn around or close their eyes while you hide one of the items in a bag or a box.
When they turn around or open their eyes, set a kitchen timer for the desired number of seconds and have they children try to guess which item you have hidden before the timer rings.
Let the first child to guess correctly hide an item for the next round of the game. Or have the child choose someone who has not yet had a turn.
T Time
Print T and t on index cards and mix them in with other letters on index cards. Have the children sit in front of you. Show them how to use their pointer fingers to form the letter T and t.
Then hold up the cards one at a time.
Whenever the children sees a letter T or t he/she must make the T or t with their fingers.
Tongue Depressor Game
Color sets of tongue depressors with red, yellow and blue felt tip markers. Let the children use the tongue depressors for counting and sorting games. Or draw vertical red, yellow and blue lines on index cards.
Have the children use the cards as guides to create color patterns with the tongue depressors.
Variation: Use colored toothpicks instead of tongue depressors depending on the age of the child.
Recipes & Snacks
T Snacks
Toast
Tea
Tangerines
Tuna
Teddy Grahams
Trix cereal
Taffy / toffee
Tapioca pudding
Tofu
Triscuit crackers
Tomato
Trident gum (for older kids)
Twix candy bar
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Finely chopped nuts (Check for allergies!)
1 egg
Jelly or preserves (raspberry is good)
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
1/4 Tsp salt
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Separate egg, reserving egg whites. Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolk.
3. Add vanilla, flour and salt. Mix well.
4. Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then nuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2" apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
5. Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Tap Your Toe
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Tap, tap, tap your toe,
Tap your toe for T.
Tap for train and turkey and toy,
Tap, tap, one, two, three.
I'm a Teacher
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
I'm a teacher, can't you see?
I plan lessons every day.
I help children work and play.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
I'm a teacher, can't you see?
The Turtle
(Tune: Pop! Goes The Weasel )
The turtle wears a shell on his back,
He walks so very slow.
Just put him in the water and watch.
He can really go.
The Tapping Song
(Tune: The Muffin Man )
(Each child gets two tongue depressors or popsicle sticks or rhythm sticks.)
Listen while we tap our sticks,
Tap our sticks, tap our sticks.
Listen while we tap our sticks,
We will tap them (number) times.
(Tap and count.)
The Choo-Choo Train
(Finger play )
This is a choo-choo train
(Bend arms at elbows)
Puffing down the track.
(Rotate forearms in rhythm.)
Now it's going forward.
(Rotate arms forward.)
Now it's going back.
Rotate arms backward.)
Now the bell is ringing.
(Pull pretend bell cord.)
Now the whistle blows.
(Hold fist near mouth and blow.)
What a lot of noise it makes.
(Cover ears with hands.)
Everywhere it goes.
(Stretched out arms.)
The Train
(Tune: The Farmer In The Dell )
The train is on the track,
The train is on the track,
Clickity clack, oh clickity clack,
The train is on the track.
The train carries (child's name.)
The train carries (child's name.)
Clickity clack, oh clickity clack,
The train carries (child's name.)
The train is on the track,
The train is on the track,
Clickity clack, oh clickity clack,
The train is on the track.
The Wheels on the Train
(Tune: The Wheels on the Bus )
1. The wheels on the train go clickity clack,
Clickity clack, clickity clack.
The wheels on the train go clickity clack,
All along the track.
2. The whistle on the train goes whoo-ee-whoo...
3. The people on the train go up and down...
4. The conductor on the train says, "All aboard!"
The Baby Turtle Song
(Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb )
I am just a baby turtle,
Baby turtle, baby turtle,
I am just a baby turtle,
Tucked inside my shell.
I will stick my right foot out,
Left foot out, right arm out.
Then I'll stick my left arm out,
And go explore the world.
Hello, Mr. Turkey
(Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It )
Hello, Mr. Turkey how are you?
Hello, Mr. Turkey how are you?
With a gobble, gobble, gobble,
And a wobble, wobble, wobble.
Hello, Mr. Turkey how are you?
There Was A Little Turtle
(Finger play )
There was a little turtle.
(Make a fist with your right hand in front of you.)
Who lived in a box.
(Place left palm under your fist.)
He swam in the puddles.
(Make a rippling motion with your hand.)
And he climbed on the rocks.
(Make right fingers walk up your left arm.)
He snapped at a mosquito.
(Bring thumb & fingers together in a snapping motion.)
He snapped at a flea.
(Bring thumb & fingers together in a snapping motion.)
He snapped at a minnow.
(Bring thumb & fingers together in a snapping motion.)
And he snapped at me.
(At yourself this time then looked surprised.)
He caught the mosquito.
(Clap hands together.)
He caught the flea.
(Clap hands together.)
He caught the minnow.
(Clap hands together.)
But he didn't catch me!
(Shake head, smile and point to self.)
U u
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Arts & Crafts
U Mobile
Hang a small umbrella upside down. Cut out pictures of things that begin with the U sound.
Glue each picture to a piece of paper and write the letter U on the back.
Then hang the pictures from the upside down umbrella to create a mobile.
Umbrella Collage
Prepare large cardboard umbrellas and divide into 4 - 6 sections.
Each section to be painted or filled with different collage media, eg cut up cupcake pans, colored scraps, stars, glitter.
Umbrellas
Materials:
1 small paper plate per child, labeled
1 right boot/1 left boot per child
water colors
Directions: With a black marker, draw a black dot in the center of each plate for the umbrella tip.
Let the children paint on the backs of the plates. Glue on boots to peek out from the bottom of the umbrella.
Under and Over art
To help youngsters understand the opposites over and under, give them the opportunity to contribute to two class murals. Cut two bulletin board paper lengths to match the length and width of a table. Tape one length to the table to paper.
Tape the other length to the underside of the table, trimming the paper if necessary to accommodate the table legs. Arrange pillows under the table.
Encourage children to use crayons to decorate the paper taped over the table, and to lie or sit on the pillows while decorating the paper under the table as well.
U practice
Bend pipe cleaners into "U" shapes.
U Collage
Cut out pictures of things that begin with U.
Have the children make a collage.
Games & Activities
Fun With U
~Throw a ball underhand
~Pretend to be ushers and show people to their seats
~Make an underwater picture
~Walk upstairs
~Bring in a photo of your uncle to share
~Listen to the story of The Ugly Duckling
USA
Through maps and discussion, begin to develop a concept of the United States both in size and unity.
Ukulele
See if anyone in your high school band or a parent knows how to play the ukulele.
If so, ask that person to come play for the class.
U Guessed It!
Play a word guessing game. All the words you guess should begin with the "U" sound you hear at the beginning of the word "umbrella."
a. I am going on a trip to visit my aunt and ________. (uncle)
b. That pile of trash isn't pretty, it is _______. (ugly)
c. When it rains we put up our _______. (umbrella)
d. The opposite of over is ________. (under)
e. The person who calls the strikes in a baseball game is the ______. (umpire)
Utah
Cut out the state or gives student a picture of Utah.
Explain that Utah is one of the 50 states in the USA.
Have the students talk about what they think people do in Utah.
Allow students to write/trace or glue "U"s to the state.
Useful Utensils
Make a list of utensils and explain why they are useful.
Emotions: Upset
Show the student a picture of some one that is upset.
Have the student suggest things that made the person in the picture upset. Have the student share a time when they were upset.
Discuss ways that can make you feel better when you are upset.
Unicorn
Show a picture of a unicorn to your students to stimulate their curiosity.
As a group make up a story about the Unicorn.
Have the student draw or glue a unicorn to their paper and record their response to this statement: "If I were a unicorn I would..."
U Math - Umbrella Color Game
Cut one umbrellas shape each from the following colors of felt: green, red, purple, blue, yellow, and orange.
As you read the poem below, let the children help place the appropriate colored umbrellas on a flannel board.
We keep our umbrellas, so perky and gay,
Ready and waiting for a rainy day.
Here is a green one to keep me dry
When I open it up and hold it high.
Have you seen the umbrella that's ruby red?
It looks so regal held over my head.
The rain can get heavy, oh me, oh my,
But the purple umbrella will keep me dry.
I love the umbrella of sweet sky blue.
It's big enough for both me and you.
The yellow umbrella is bright like the sun.
Jumping puddles with it is ever so fun.
The orange umbrella is saved for showers,
The kind of rain that wakes up the flowers.
Our umbrellas are fun and so nice to see.
Just look at them all, I'm sure you'll agree.
Under the Rope
Have the children experiment with all the ways they can think of to move under a rope. Have them take turns holding the ends of the rope as the others go under.
Play this game in the same way as "Follow the Leader" so that all the children can try moving in different ways.
Recipes & Snacks
Ugli Fruit
Try Ugli Fruit for a snack. Also called Unique Fruit, it's a cross between an orange and a grapefruit and it's delicious!
Make an upside-down Cake
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
I Am Learning Letter U
(Tune: London Bridge )
I am learning letter U,
Letter U, letter U.
I am learning letter U
U-u-u-u!
Other verses:
Umbrella starts with letter U
Under starts with letter U
Up begins with letter U
Us begins with letter U
Children can add other verses and hand motions as they think of them.
Under The Umbrella Game
(Tune: Frere Jacques )
Choose one child to wait in the bathroom (or hide his/her eyes.)
Pick another child to hide behind a large umbrella.
Class Sings: Who is missing? Who is missing?
Do you know? Do you know?
Child who was in the bathroom:
Is it _______? Is it ________?
Class: You are right. You are right.
or Guess again. Guess again.
U Song
(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean )
Let's stand up and sing for umbrella,
Umbrella starts with U.
Let's stand up and sing for umbrella,
And for the letter U.
U, U, U, U,
Let's sing for the letter U, U, U.
U, U, U, U,
Let's sing for the letter U.
(Repeat using other words that begin with U in place of the word umbrella.)
Unicorn Song
(Tune: Pop! Goes The Wheel )
One night I dreamed of a little white horse
That had a great big horn
Right in the middle of its head.
It was a unicorn.
I rode all night upon its back,
As I dreamed along.
But when the morning light appeared,
Poof! It was gone!
I'm The Umpire
(Tune: Take Me Out To The Ball Game )
I like to work at the ball games.
I like to work with a crowd.
I judge the balls and the pop up flies.
I rule what's right and I'll tell you why
I'm the ump-ump-ump-ump-ump-umpire
And every game is the same.
"Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out
At the old ball game!
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V v
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Arts & Crafts
Valentines!
Make a Valentine out of red, pink or white paper. Cut out "V" from a newspaper and glue them on the valentine. Find magazine pictures or draw pictures beginning with the "V" sound on the valentine.
Have your child label the pictures using "invented spelling" (or correct spelling for older children). Your child should say the word a few times so he/she can listen to the sound at the beginning, middle and end of the word.
Your child should guess how the word is spelled and write his/her letter guesses under each picture.
V is for Velcro
Make two pieces of felt for circle time and put Velcro on them so you can stick the two Vs together.
Take it apart and talk about Velcro and the letter "V" during circle time.
Alternately, let children decorate the letter V with Velcro cutouts.
V Collage
Materials:
Purple Construction Paper
Velvet
Glue
Directions:
Cut 1 "V" out of purple construction paper, per child, labeled.
Cut velvet into small pieces. Have children glue velvet onto "V".
Vest Day
Let children who have vests wear them on a designated "vest day".
You could also make vests for the children to decorate from the large size paper shopping bags.
You can split them up the middle of a wide side and cut out a circle shape on the bottom of the bag where the neck will go. Cut holes on each narrow side for the arms to go through.
Let the children decorate them with, glitter, ribbon, fabric scraps, vegetable stamping, the possibilities are endless.
Violets
Make violets with tissue paper and construction paper stems and leaves.
Games & Activities
Valentine's Day!
You can make valentines and sing valentine songs.
Creative Writing and Math: Brainstorm
What is your favorite vegetable?
Draw a picture of yourself enjoying your favorite vegetable then write a sentence telling about your picture.
Make a graph on a large sheet of paper listing the names of vegetables across the top and the numbers from 1 to 10 (or whatever number you choose) in a column down the left side. Give each child a sticky note to write his/her name on.
The children take turns placing their vote on the graph under their favorite vegetable. After everyone has had a turn, read the graph to tell which vegetable is the class favorite, which is the least favorite, which is the favorite of the boys? the girls?
Listen to some violin music.
Valentine Word Search
Write all the little words the class can make from the letters in the word Valentine and add them to a class list added to all week.
Veterinarian
Visit an animal hospital or invite a veterinarian to talk to the children about caring for their pets.
V Guessing Game
Play a word guessing game. All the words you guess should begin like "valentine."
a. I like ice cream. My favorite flavor is ________. (vanilla)
b. When we moved, our furniture went in a moving ________. (van)
c. Pumpkins grow on a _________. (vine)
d. Peas, carrots and corn are __________. (vegetables)
e. When mother cleans the rug she uses a _________. (vacuum cleaner)
Vacation
Talk about vacations that people have gone on or read a children's book about someone going on vacation.
Vacuum
Let the children try vacuuming the carpet (ha! this would be a funny one to watch).
Or use pretend vacuums for kids that you can put into the housekeeping center.
Vase
Have a vase out on a "V" table with other objects.
Let the children talk about things they can put in the vase.
If it the weather is nice, go on a nature walk and see if you can find something to put in it. Violets might work!
Vegetables
Talk about different vegetables. Make a vegetable matching game.
Play vegetable games at circle time.
Voice
Record voices on tape and see if the children can recognize whose voice they hear.
Veterinarian
Set up your dramatic center with a lab coat (an old white shirt would help too . . . with buttons), stethoscope, stuffed animals, a table, etc.
Read a story about a veterinarian.
Video game
Let children play one on the computer.
Viewfinder
Get one for your class and let them look through it.
Vineyard
Show pictures of a vineyard and talk about how grapes grow in a vineyard.
Violet
Have a violet flower out for children to look at, or just pictures of one.
Vision
Talk about the 5 senses and how vision helps us to see things.
Vitamins
Ask the children if they take vitamins in the morning.
Volcano
Make a volcano for the science portion of your class.
Show pictures of real volcanoes to the children.
Volume
Put measuring cups into a water bin and let children measure the volume of the water.
Volunteer
Have a volunteer from another place (perhaps a grandparent) come into the classroom to help out for a day.
Recipes & Snacks
Snacks
Vegetables
Velveeta cheese
Vienna Sausages
Vegetable Soup
Velvet Cake
Vanilla Cookies
Vanilla pudding
Vanilla
Eat vanilla ice cream or cake. You can also have a cooking activity that you use vanilla in.
Vermicelli
Make a lunch with vermicelli noodles (Long slender threaded pasta).
Speak about the funny name of the noodles.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
The Veterinarian
(Tune: Oh, My Darlin')
Bring your dogs, bring your cats,
Bring your hamsters one by one.
I take care of the animals,
I'm a veterinarian.
Substitute other animal names for the words "dogs", "cats" and "hamsters.
I Love To Make The Letter V
(Tune: Pop! Goes The Weasel)
I love to make the letter V
For everyone to see.
(Form V with 2 fingers)
V is for vinegar, V is for van,
And V is for victory!
Repeat substituting other words that begin with V for the words "vinegar" and "van."
I'm A Great Big Vulture
(Tune: I'm A Little Teapot)
I'm a great big vulture in the sky,
Flying in a circle, oh, so high.
I just love to soar around and around.
Then down I swoop right to the ground.
Do You Know My Valentine?
(Tune: Do You Know The Muffin Man?)
Do you know my valentine,
My valentine, my valentine?
Do you know my valentine?
His/Her name is _______.
H-E-A-R-T
(Tune: Bingo)
There is a shape and it means love
And heart is its name-o.
H-E-A-R-T, H-E-A-R-T, H-E-A-R-T,
And heart is its name-o!
Oh, Valentine
(Tune: Oh, Christmas Tree)
Oh, Valentine, oh, valentine
I think you'll like my valentine.
It's big and pink and lacy, too.
Three special words say, I love you.
Oh valentine, oh valentine
I think you'll like
my valentine.
Will You Be My Valentine?
(Tune: London Bridge)
Will you be my Valentine,
Valentine, Valentine?
Will you be my Valentine,
Be a friend of Mine?
Stand in a circle and give one child a big decorated heart. As the children sing, she/he walks around the circle and chooses a friend to give the heart to. Repeat until everyone gets a turn.
W w
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Arts & Crafts
Watermelon Fun
Let the kids eat a piece of watermelon; have them save the seeds on a paper towel and then show them how to rinse them off. glue on the "W" made of heavy paper or cardboard.
Wallpaper
Cut out a "W" from wallpaper samples; or, use wallpaper sample 1x1 inch precut squares to fill up the W-shape.
Walrus
Use an uppercase "W" in white construction paper as the teeth of a walrus!
Mini-Wheats
Glue on frosted mini-wheats (cereal) onto the "W".
The kids will love to eat this as a healthy snack!
Wet W
Use white cutouts of the letter for this project. Place as many little jars of colored water (use food coloring) as you can out for the children.
Provide cotton swabs or cotton balls and tell the children to make their letter "W" all Wet (and beautiful!)
Whiskers
Give the kids chenille things ("pipe cleaners") and googly eyes, and lots of other imaginative doodads.
Tell them to make a pet/monster/whatever that has Whiskers using the "W" anyway they want.
Get fake fur remnants from a clothing or department store.
Wheelbarrow
Make a wheelbarrow from a laundry scoop and two black buttons/circles.
Add some dirt and and a gummy worm!
Worm
Use the "W" cutout from green or yellow construction paper as the worm body.
Let the kids go crazy with finger paint, doodads, etc.
You could even hide the worm in green grass (fringed green art paper)!
Wood Sculptures
Gather as much "odds and ends" wood as you can find. Make colored glue by mixing a little tempera paint (powder paint works too) with white glue.
Cover your work table with plenty of newspaper. Give each child a cardboard base to work on. Let the children make wood sculptures. Use paint brushes with the colored glue.
Let the children glue wood pieces together. The neat thing about this, is that the children don't have to paint the sculptures because the glue already has color in it and the children can see where they have put glue.
The glue will keep for a couple of days if it is covered. Glue will wash out of paint brushes with hot water. Use many different colored glues at once.
Wheelbarrow Planter
Need:
Laundry detergent scoop
2 plastic milk jug lids
6" length of ribbon
potting soil
flower seeds (seeds)
craft glue
water
Glue a milk jug lid to each side of the scoop to form the "wheels". Allow the glue to dry. T
ie the ribbon to the handle of the scoop. Fill the scoop with potting soil, and plant the seeds.
Sprinkle the soil with a few drops of water. You can have the child make these planters as gifts.
Water Paint
Go outside on a warm summer day with a bucket of water and paint brushes.
Let the children paint on the sidewalk with the clear water.
The picture will stay for a while, but slowly dry away so they can start all over with another creation.
Wallpaper Pictures
Let the children cut out shapes and pictures from wall paper books.
Have them glue their designs to construction paper.
Wind Sock
Children draw pictures/decorate a white 6 X 18 piece of paper. Cut tissue paper strips of different colors about 1" by 20" long.
On the back of the drawing glue the strips so they hang down and move. Roll the paper in a circle and staple.
Add a yarn hanger at the top and hang the windsocks around the room
. When our windows are open and the wind blows the windsocks move with the breeze.
Wheel Painting
Pour small amounts of tempera paints in shallow containers.
Give the children toy cars and pieces of construction paper.
Let them run the wheels of their cars in the paint, then all across their papers to create designs.
Wax
Make candles with beeswax sheets. You can also do wax resist pictures for art. Let the children draw pictures using wax candles or wax blocks on finger paint or some kind of thick paper.
Then, let the children use water paints to paint over their picture.
The paint won't adhere to the wax and will make a neat open-ended art project.
Paper Bag Whales
Have children stuff small paper bags with crumpled sheets of newspaper. Tie the tops of bags to make the tail. Children then can paint the bags grey. Allow to dry.
Cut out shapes for eyes (black) and glue to the sides of the whale.
Water shapes can be cut from blue paper to make spouts of water coming from whale's blowhole.
Watermelons
dark green paper
light green paper
red paper
black paint
Cut a large watermelon shape out of dark green, cut one slightly smaller out of light green, and a still smaller red one. Glue these to resemble a slice of watermelon.
Use black thumb prints on red part to represent seeds or use blacks circles from a hole punch and glue them on.
Games & Activities
Weights
Make boxes of different "weights" and ask the children to tell you which one weighs the most (is heaviest) and which one weighs the least (is lightest).
W is for wishes
Make a wishing well and let the children toss coins (or use poker chips for coins) into the well and make a wish.
Have an adult write down the children's wishes and secretly send those home. Parents might have a fun time fulfilling wishes of their children.
W is for water
Spray water on W after they have been sprinkled with powdered tempera or chalk dust.
Worms
Have the children pretend to be wiggly, crawly worms. Have them slide across the floor.
Wagon
Go for a wagon ride.
Winter
Talk about the season.
Wiggle
Get up and wiggle.
Wet
Water play OR have the kids bring a swim suit.
Get wet in the tube or the pool.
Whistle
Can you?
Work
Talk about jobs.
Have the children talk about what their parents/grandparents do.
Lacing Letters
Make a twelve inch cardboard set of several letters.
Punch holes in the outline of each letter about one inch apart.
Attach a two foot piece of yarn to the letter. Allow children to lace the outline of the letter.
Washing Windows
Let children use a squeegee and some water to wash car windows or windows in your home or center.
Sneaky, eh?
Wind
Take the kids outside and fly a kite together.
Web
Make a web with glue on black construction paper and sprinkle with silver glitter.
Read The Itsy Bitsy Spider and then sing the song.
Wonder Walk
Take the children on a "Wonder Walk." Have each child take an egg carton along and fill the compartments to match the poem below.
Reproduce the poem and glue it into the egg carton lid.
Something green
Something brown
Something for a fairy crown.
Something hard
Something yellow.
Something shiny, my young fellow.
Something long
Something wide
Something with something else inside.
Something smooth
A bit of down.
Something that should have stayed in town. (litter)
Recipes & Snacks
Wheaty Wonders
1 C. White Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
4 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
1/3 C. Oil
3/4 C. Milk
Have the children help measure and mix the ingredients. Divide into 20 parts and have the children knead the dough for about a minute.
Have them press the dough flat to about 1/4 inch thick. Place butter in an electric skillet heated to 350 degrees.
Place the dough patties into the skillet and fry on each side for about 4 minutes, until brown.
Serve with butter, peanut butter, honey or jelly.
W Snacks
Walnuts
Waffles
Whipped cream
Wheat
Wieners
Watermelon
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Ooey Gooey
Ooey Gooey was a worm
A mighty worm was he
He crawled upon the Railroad track
The train he did not see
Ooey Gooey!!
The Watermelon Song
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
Watermelon, watermelon,
Tastes so yummy, tastes so yummy,
Green on the outside,
Red on the inside,
With black seeds, with black seeds.
Wiggle Worm
(Tune: Did You Ever See a Lassie?)
Did you ever see a wiggle worm.
A wiggle worm, a wiggle worm?
Did you ever see a wiggle worm
Move this way and that?
Move this way and that way,
Move this way and that way,
Did you ever see a wiggle worm
Move this way and that?
Have the children wiggle their fingers, arms or entire bodies as they sing the song.
Wheels
(Tune: The Wheels on the Bus)
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All over town.
Continue adding other vehicles with wheels:
The wheels on the car go round and round...
The wheels on the taxi go round and round...
The wheels on the motorcycle go round and round...
I See The Wind
(Tune: Hush Little Baby)
I see the wind
When the leaves dance by.
I see the wind
When the clothes wave "hi."
I see the wind
When the trees bend low.
I see the wind
When the flags all blow.
I see the wind
When the kites fly high.
I see the wind
When the clouds float by.
I see the wind
When it blows my hair.
I see the wind
Most everywhere!
Welcome, Little W
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Welcome, little W,
We like you we really do.
Waffles that we love to eat,
Watermelons, oh, so sweet.
W, we'll wave today,
When we see you come our way.
Welcome, little W,
We like you we really do.
Worms and wagons here and there,
Walls and windows everywhere.
W, we'll wave today,
When we see you come our way.
I'm a Great Big Whale
(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a great big whale,
Watch me swim.
Here is my blowhole,
Here are my fins.
See me flip my tail as down I go,
Then up I come and "whoosh" I blow.
I'm a Writer
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
I'm a writer, I'm a writer,
I write stories, I write songs,
I can make you laugh or cry
I can make you dream, that's why
I'm a writer, I'm a writer.
The Wind
The wind has blown the clouds away
And brushed the sky with blue.
It stirred up mischief yesterday
And still is at it, too.
It has done its best to shake
The leaves from our old tree.
And now it's trying hard to make
A windmill out of me.
Wind
(A Finger play)
The wind blew through my ten tall trees
(fingers up)
And made them bow and bend.
(sway hands back and forth)
It raced about and picked them up
And made them straight again.
(fingers straight up)
Five tall trees reached for the sky
(one hand up)
Five bent in an arch
(bend at wrist)
And round and round they blew around
(alternate up and down)
In the windy month of March.
X x
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Arts & Crafts
Stick letters
Required:
Twigs and small sticks
Glue
Cardboard or wood
That pile of sticks and twigs on your lawn or in your garden is an "alphabet in waiting." Before using the twigs and sticks to create letters, have your child help you organize them into piles by size (an activity in itself).
For pre-readers, assemble alphabet letters, then ask if anyone knows the letter's name. For children with reading skills, you can assemble complete words for them to pronounce.
The reverse of this game is to say a letter or word, and have your child fashion the letters out of the twigs and sticks.
Finally, consider making twig and stick signs with glue and a piece of cardboard or wood. Kids will enjoy making signs with their names on them, or making mailbox signs (for covered porches).
And there's a fringe benefit too; you may make your letter carrier's job just a bit more fun to do.
X Borders
Have the children draw a picture of something having to do with a topic you are studying in the classroom.
Ask them to leave a small space all around the edge of the picture, and have them make a border of colorful X's.
Make X-rays
Give each student a piece of black construction paper and white chalk.
Have them trace their hands with the white chalk onto the paper and then add "bones" inside the hand to make it look like an x-ray.
X collage
Materials:
1 "X" cut out of black paper, labeled.
4 thin rectangular-shaped gum erasers
4 pencils with eraser
white glue
Directions: Dip the long end of the gum eraser into the paint; then press on the letter.
Dip the eraser end of the pencil into the paint; then, press 2 circle prints onto each corner of the long eraser print for bones.
X-traordinary Puppets
Have each child stuff a paper bag and tie it with yarn or string at the bottom. Have the children use paper to cut out and glue on eyes, ears, an X nose, and a mouth.
Let them glue on scraps of yarn or draw X's all around the top and sides of the sack for hair.
Ask them to make X's all around the bottom of the sack.
Butterfly from an X
Show the children how to make butterfly wings from an X by closing the sides of the X with lines.
Have the children decorate the butterflies, adding antennae, spots, bodies, and so on.
Games & Activities
X Marks the Spot
Make up a map of the class room, then hide candies in different areas (in zip lock baggies). Then make "Treasure maps" for groups to work on to find the treats which were under the hidden "X".
Have an assistant such as a parent stay and help read the questions to each group. The questions can be something like: "A place you go to cook dinner"
So the group works together to figure out it is the "home living center". Once in that center they would search to find clue #2 and so on, until the last clue that reads something like:
You will find an "X" under a blue circle, "X" marks the spot for the treasure. The children love this.
They have to work together to figure out the clues, they have to do some logical thinking and then they have to share once the treasure is found.
Large-scale Tic-tac-toe
Required:
Pinecones, rocks and other natural elements
Garden hoses
String or rope (not necessary for winter/beach) OPTIONAL
Flower pots
Paper plates
Fast-food containers
Markers or crayons
Who says you can only play tic-tac-toe with paper and pencil? Move the game to the big backyard, where you can play it on a large scale. First you'll need to create a tic-tac-toe playing board.
You can do this with garden hoses or lengths of swing or rope. If you're on the beach, dig lines in the sand. You can do the same with a fresh snowfall. Next you'll need some X's and O's.
Try these: flower pots, rocks, leaves, balls, branches, pinecones, seashells, driftwood, and other natural playing "pieces."
During winter, try using snowballs for O's and icicles for X's. You and your child can also make large-scale tic-tac-toe pieces out of paper plates from picnics or from hard foam food containers from fast-food and takeout restaurants (draw X's and O's with markers or crayons).
For a variation, try "human tic-tac-toe." With this game, the object is to get three body parts in a row- without moving off the squares!
X-rays
Show the children real X-rays if possible. When my child needed X-rays I ask for a copy of them and they gave me one free of charge after I explained.
Then give them a piece of black construction paper and Q-tips to make their own x-ray. There are also X-ray fish. You can get a book from the library with pictures of these fish for you library area.
Xylophones
You could also put xylophones on your music area.
X Race
Divide the children into 3 or more teams of equal sizes. Have the first player on each team race to an X taped on the floor at a distance from the beginning spot.
When they reach the X, have them stop and jump to form an X with their bodies.
Then have them run back; tap the next person on the shoulder, saying X; and sit down at the end of their line. The first team with everyone sitting down is the winner.
X People
Have the children pretend to be X people.
Tell them you will ask them to move in certain ways, at the same time keeping their bodies in an X shape.
Call out movements such as running, walking, jumping, hopping, leaping, lying down, tiptoeing, and going backward.
Recipes & Snacks
X-shaped cookies
X-cellent Punch!
Combine lime or pineapple sherbet with ginger ale or Sprite. Stir well.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
X-ray Technician Song
(Tune: Hokey Pokey)
I put the film in,
I take the film out, I put the film in
And I turn you all about.
I am a technician
And I take the X-rays out.
That's what it's all about.
I take an x-ray one,
I take an x-ray two,
I take an x-ray three
To show what's inside of you.
I am a technician
And I take the X-rays out.
That's what it's all about.
Y y
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Arts & Crafts
Y Yarn Art Project
Trace and cut out a large Y shape from construction paper.
Cut different colors of yarn into different lengths. Let the children arrange then glue the yarn all over the large Y.
Yellow Collage
Have children bring in things that are yellow that can be glued onto a class collage or an individual collage, such as, scraps of fabric or paper, beads, buttons, yarn ribbon, etc.
Yellow Flowers
Give each of the children a piece of paper and yellow paint.
Have them paint yellow flowers on their paper.
They can draw in green stems and grass to complete the picture.
Make yellow books
Have each child fold a piece of yellow construction paper in half to form a book.
Suggest children cut out pictures from a magazine of yellow items to glue inside their books.
Yeast
Place a little yeast, sugar and warm water in a bottle. Put a balloon over the top of the balloon. As the yeast ferments, it will cause the balloon to inflate.
Taste bread made with yeast and bread that was made without yeast. Smell the yeast.
Grow a Yam Plant
Print a Y with a marker on a glass or clear plastic cup.
Pass around a yam and let the children examine it. Stick several toothpicks into the side of the yam around the middle.
Balance the toothpicks on the rim of the cup and fill the cup with water. Place the cup in a sunny spot. E
very day have the children check the yam for signs of root and leaf growth. Add more water as necessary.
Make "My Y Book"
Staple several pieces of paper together to make a book.
Have your child look through magazines to find pictures of things beginning like "yellow yarn." Glue one or two to each page then have your child label the pictures using "invented spelling."
Your child should say the word a few times so he/she can listen to the sounds at the beginning, middle and end of each word.
Your child should guess how the word is spelled and write his/her letter guesses under each picture.
Yellow yarn mobiles
Put white glue in an open bowl and invite the children to dip the yellow yarn in the glue using a popsicle stick to saturate the yarn completely except for the end the child is holding.
Then have the children arrange the yarn on waxed paper in interesting designs. Ask children to bend the end of the yarn to use as a hanger and cut off the end they were holding since it has no glue on it.
When the glue is dry, remove the mobiles from the waxed paper and hang them in a window or from the ceiling.
Yarn Y's
Make a Y pattern from heavy cardboard. Help the kids trace around the pattern on yellow construction paper. Invite the children to cut out their own Y's.
Give each child several pieces of yarn in different colors to cut into small pieces. Give them a small cup of glue and have them brush glue on the yellow paper Y.
Drop pieces of yarn on the glue
Yolk paint
Mix up food coloring and egg yolks.
Paint whatever you want.
This will give a nice effect.
Yellow soap crayons
Measure one cup of mild powdered laundry soap. Add one tablespoon of food coloring.
Add water by the teaspoonful until the soap is in liquid form.
Stir well. pour the soap into ice cube trays. Set in a sunny dry place until hard.
Games & Activities
Yell
Practice your Tarzan voice. Talk about how it feels to be yelled at.
Yes for Y
Print Y and y on index cards and print other letters on several more cards. S
it in front of the children and hold up the cards one at a time.
Whenever the children see a Y or y, have them say, "yes."
Yardsticks
Let the children measure things around the room with a yardstick.
Yards
Give each child a large sheet of white paper to make a map of their yard at home.
Provide time for each of the children to tell about their yard map.
Yellow Day
Have children wear yellow and bring yellow things to share.
Have a yellow snack.
Yogurt
Graph favorite flavors.
Taste different varieties of yogurt.
Use yogurt containers for measuring liquids.
Egg Yolks
Look at egg yolk. Compare cooked with uncooked yolks. T
alk about yellow chicks growing from yellow yolks.
Flannel board Activity
Five Yellow Polka Dots
(Precut 5 yellow circles from yellow felt)
Five yellow polka dots lay on the floor,
One sat up and then there were four.
Four yellow polka dots got on their knees,
One tipped over and then there were three.
Three yellow polka dots stood on one shoe,
One fell down and then there were two.
Two yellow polka dots started to run,
One stopped quickly and then there was one.
One yellow polka dot rolled toward the door,
When it disappeared there were no more.
You Are Important!
Make a "you" bulletin board with the heading "You are most Important" and have a mirror in the center.
Make yellow play dough.
Yo-Yo
Suspend a yo-yo from the ceiling and have children watch it move and follow it with their eyes to improve coordination.
Yawning
Talk about rest, bed time, and yawning.
Yarn
Have the children make shapes on the floor with their yarn and ask them to step inside their shape, walk on their shape, make their shape disappear, etc.
You could give the children a piece of yellow yarn. They can use it to measure objects in the class.
They can also look for things that are longer than, shorter than, and the same length as their piece of yellow yarn.
Recipes & Snacks
Snacks
Yams
Yogurt
Yellow cake
Yeast rolls
Yummy Yogosicles
Have each child measure the following ingredients into a small bowl.
1/4 C. Yogurt (vanilla, banana or plain)
1 Tsp. Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (thawed)
1 Tsp. Honey
Mix well and pour the mixture into a small paper or plastic cup and freeze.
When the mixture is solid enough to hold up a popsicle stick, put one in and refreeze until firm.
Yum Yum Yams
2 cans yams
2 apples (peeled/sliced)
5 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp Margarine
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
Drain the yams, arrange on bottom of baking pan sprayed with Pam. Add a layer of apples.
Sprinkle the margarine, sugar and nuts on top.
Sprinkle nutmeg over top. Bake @350 for 30 minutes.
Yellow Foods
bananas
corn
pineapple
apples
corn muffins
scrambled eggs
butter....make it with real whipping cream and have on yellow crackers
chicken noodle soup
Yogurt fruit dip
One 8-ounce carton plain yogurt
1/4 cup apricot or peach preserves
1/8 Tsp. ground cinnamon
Apple, pear, or peach slices
Cut up any large pieces of fruit in the preserves. In a small mixing bowl, stir together apricot or peach preserves, yogurt, and cinnamon.
Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours. Serve with fruit. Makes 1 cup dip.
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Let's Give A Yell For Y
Tune: The Farmer In The Dell)
Let's give a yell for Y!
Let's give a yell for Y!
Y is for you and for yellow, too.
Let's give a yell for Y!
Substitute other Y words for the word yellow.
A Yellow Daffodil
A little yellow cup,
A little yellow frill,
A little yellow star,
And that's a daffodil!
No More Yelling
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
No more yelling,
No more yelling,
In our room,
In our room,
Quiet voices only,
Quiet voices only,
In our room.
In our room.
Who Is Wearing Yellow?
(Tune: The Farmer In The Dell)
Who is wearing yellow?
Who is wearing yellow?
Hi Ho the derry-o
Who is wearing yellow?
____ is wearing yellow.
____ is wearing yellow.
Hi Ho the derry-o
____ is wearing yellow.
We Wish You A Happy Y Week
(Tune: We Wish You A Merry Christmas)
We wish you a happy Y week.
(Form the letter Y with your arms over your head.)
We wish you a happy Y week.
We wish you a happy Y week.
Y-y-y-y-y.
(Make the sound of Y)
Let's all yodel now for Y week...
Let's all yo-yo now for Y week...
Repeat:
We wish you a happy Y week...
Yak Song
(Tune: Three Blind Mice)
Yak, yak, yak; yak, yak, yak,
Has broad shoulders, has a broad back.
He's big and strong and knows the way,
He works hard almost every day,
He doesn't get much time for play.
Yak, yak, yak.
Yellow Song
(Tune: Someone's In The Kitchen With Dinah")
Yellow is the color of bananas
Yellow is the color of the sunshine, too
Yellow is the color of corn on the cob
I like yellow don't you?
Yellow Birdie
(Tune: "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain")
Yellow Birdie sitting in a lemon tree,
You're as pretty and as yellow as can be.
I will give you such a treat,
Lots of bugs and worms to eat,
If you promise not to fly away from me.
Bend and Sway
(Tune: "London Bridge")
Yellow flowers bend and sway
Bend and sway, bend and sway;
Yellow flowers bend and sway
When the wind blows.
Yellow ducks say
"Quack, quack, quack," (repeat)
In the water.
Yellow birds
Are flying high (repeat)
In the sky.
Yellow lemons
In my tea (repeat)
Make me pucker.
Yellow chicks
Peck yellow corn (repeat)
In the barnyard.
Yellow songs
Are fun to sing (repeat)
I love yellow.
Z z
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Arts & Crafts
Zipper Rubbings
You'll need different colored crayons, a piece of white paper and a variety of zippers from jackets, duffel bags, jeans, purses, etc.
Lay the zipper as flat as you can on a table. Place the paper on top of the zipper then using the side of a crayon, rub it over the zipper.
Do this with different kinds of zippers in different colors all over the paper.
Marble Painted Zebras
Materials:
white construction paper
zebra pattern
box lid
marbles
black paint
Directions:
Cut out 1 zebra from white construction paper per child, labeled. Place zebra into box lid. Place marbles into black paint.
Next place marble into box lid. Have child move box lid back and forth to paint on black stripes.
"Z" Collage
Materials:
red construction paper
rick rack, various colors
glue
Directions:
Cut out 1 "Z" per child out of red construction paper.
Cut the rick rack into small pieces. Have the children glue on the rick rack to their "Z"s.
Z Creature
Put the letter "Z" on a piece of paper. Have the children make their own letter "Z" creature by adding arms, legs, eyes, and whatever else their imagination leads them to make as part of their creature.
Zany Zoo Animals
If you fold a narrow band of paper on each narrow side of a 9x12" piece of construction paper and then fold the paper in half, it will stand up.
Cut an oval or circle shape out of the paper on the "feet" edge. Give the children scraps of paper, foam felt, yarn, glitter, etc to form eyes, heads, tails, fins, horns, beards, etc.
Ziploc Bags
There are now 2 types of Ziploc bags, you may want to offer both types. Place 2 or more different colors of tempera paint in the bag.
Let the children zip them shut. Invite them to make "new" colors by mixing them together. For your more adventurous children you may want to place a piece of duct tape over the zipper to keep it closed.
Games & Activities
Fun With Z
~Listen to a recording of zither music
~Zoom around like cars, jets, or rockets
~Form Z's on the floor with bodies
~Plant zinnia seeds
~Look for zeros in addresses and license plates
Zoo!
Plan a trip to the zoo. Prepare by studying different animals you will see, reading books, watching videos and filmstrips about the zoo.
Make a list of questions about things the children want to find out. Let the children do projects after the field trip, such as making books or art projects for different animals. Match words and pictures of zoo animals.
Zoo Animals Guessing Game
What Am I? Ask the children to take turns acting out animals that are found at the zoo.
As each animal is acted out, write its name on the board.
Zip It!
Teach children how to zip up their zippers if they don't already know how to. Also, make a board with various objects that children can open and close (locks, etc.) and make sure there is a zipper on there.
Have the children cut zigzag lines.
Talk about the number Zero and practice drawing them.
Zinnias
Start zinnia seeds in the little peat pots.
Talk about the different sizes and colors that zinnias come in.
Zigzag
Talk about walking in a zigzag, then practice walking that way.
It will help if you place masking tape on the floor in a zigzag pattern for the children to walk on.
Recipes & Snacks
Yummy Zucchini!
Zucchini Bread
Fried Zucchini (cut into strips like french fries, bread, and fry. Serve with ketchup!)
Zesta saltine crackers
Zwieback Toast
Songs, Poems & Finger Plays
Zany Z's
(Tune: London Bridge)
Zany Z's are zipping by,
Zipping by, zipping by.
Zany Z's are zipping by,
Zip! Zap! Zoom!
Zany zebras are zipping by,
Zipping by, zipping by.
Zany zebras are zipping by,
Zip! Zap! Zoom!
Zip Your Lips!
(Tune: If You're Happy And You Know It)
If you're loud and you know it, zip your lips!
If you're loud and you know it, zip your lips!
If you're loud and you know it,
Then your mouth will surely show it.
If you're loud and you know it, zip your lips!
The Zipper Man
(Tune: The Muffin Man)
Do you know the zipper man,
The zipper man, the zipper man?
Do you know the zipper man?
He loves to zip and zip.
He has a zipper coat,
A zipper coat, a zipper coat.
He has a zipper coat
That he can zip and zip.
He has two zipper boots...
He has a zipper tent...
He has a zipper bag...
Let the children add verses about other things they can zip.
Nine Little Zebras
(Tune: Ten Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little zebras,
Four little, five little, six little zebras,
Seven little, eight little, nine little zebras,
Galloping across the plain.
Nine little, eight little, seven little zebras,
Six little, five little, four little zebras,
Three little, two little, one little zebra,
Galloping back again.
I'm a Little Zebra
(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little zebra,
White and black,
Big bushy mane
Riding down my back.
I like to gallop
And run and play
Out on the African plains all day.
Zoo Keeper Song
(Tune: Down By The Station)
Down at the zoo
Early in the morning,
You can see the animals
Standing in a row.
You can see me feeding
One and then other.
I am the zoo keeper,
Watch me go!
Down at the zoo
Early in the morning,
You can see the animals
Standing in a row.
You can see me cleaning
One and then other.
I am the zoo keeper,
Watch me go!
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Self help happiness & personal development resources, self help free e-books and self help articles listed for your convenient self help happiness personal development search in the self help subjects of self image, self help relationships tips, self help resources for happiness, being happy self help emotion management, panic attack self help, self help for low self esteem, self help famous quotes, anxiety self help resources, stress management self help tips and depression self help articles and resources.
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Parent child self help e-book: Children activities and games a-z. How to have Fun with the Kids on a rainy day. Babysitters self help activity guide to keep children happy.
Happiness and wellbeing child activities and child games, personal development article about parents and childrens play self help, happiness kids fun activities and educational games, childrens education and personal development, kids learning and self growth projects and activities.
Self Help Parenting Happiness Activities e-book – 100 pages of games and fun for children of all ages:
- sourced from http://childfun.com/
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