W is for...walrus, whiskers and watermelon

Today we did a cute "W" project that I think turned out pretty cute.

I love to incorporate the letter into the art...it helps the kiddos to visually see what the letter looks like while they are actively learning what it sounds like.

For this project, you'll need brown, black, and white construction paper, as well as googly eyes and pipe cleaners (or fuzzy sticks...)

Cut the brown paper into a simple half oval with a flat bottom, the black into a "snout" and the white into a "W."  Cut the fuzzy sticks into the size you want to use for your whiskers.

The assembly is pretty simple and they all go home with a cute little walrus...with long whiskers!

We also did a fun worksheet..."W" is for watermelon.

Coloring is a great activity...teaches them how to properly hold a writing instrument, and helps strengthen those muscles.  It also helps them practice their small muscle coordination as they learn to color within the lines rather than just scribble.

And this worksheet also teaches them to follow directions.

The instructions at the top read:

W=black

R=red

G=green

The seeds had W's in them, the rind had G's and the rest had R's.

At the bottom we have some space for them to practice their handwriting.

They all did a great job!!  Fun worksheet to mix things up a bit.

XOXO,  Andrea

Chinese New Year...Year of the Snake

February 10, 2013, is Chinese New Year.  And 2013 is the Year of the Snake...so we thought it would be fun to celebrate with a couple of fun Snake Crafts (ewwwww!!)  

We read Stone Soup in November around Thanksgiving time, but it would be a fun Chinese New Year tradition also.  You can click on this link to get our Stone Soup recipe.  Stone Soup is about three Chinese Monks who go to a selfish village in an attempt to teach them what real happiness is.  They teach them that happiness is found in sharing with others.  We use the Scholastic version:

For the first "snake craft," you're gonna need some different colors of construction paper, cut into strips the short way:

You'll need some green construction paper, cut in a circle about the size of a mug.  In fact, we used a mug! 

Fold the paper in half and then in thirds, so that the circle is at the top of a stack of paper, and you'll end up with 9 circles.  Follow our "paper cutting trick" and staple the corners to keep it stable while you cut:

Now, depending on the skill level and age of your kiddos, you can make a small paper chain using staples, tape, or glue.  (We always use Tacky Glue, it is so much better than Elmer's for paper crafts!!)

Fold your green circles into a big snake mouth:

...And staple it to the end ring.  Then cover the staple with glue...

...for the tongue.

Cut some orange and red papers like this...and glue them to the back of the "mouth" like so...

Cut a small piece of white paper to look like "teeth" and glue them to the inside top of the snake's mouth...and add some googly eyes (of course!!)

And there you have it!!

A colorful snake craft for Chinese New Year's!!

Another fun project uses just a toilet paper roll and a small slip of red construction paper for a mouth.

Cut a head shape out of the top of the toilet paper roll and then follow it around with a spiral cut all the way to the bottom...making a skinny tail.

Then decorate it...depending on the age and skill (and patience) of your kiddos, you can let them paint, color with crayons or markers, glue dots or sequins on the snake...

We just colored it with markers.  But it would be cute with glitter, too.

Finish him up with a tongue glued to the bottom of his mouth...

...and add some googly eyes, and there you have Snake #2!!

What are you going to do for Chinese New Year?  We'd love to hear!

Getting Excited for "Under the Sea..."

Under the Sea is one of our favorite units...and we are gearing up for a fun one!!  Here are a few of our past projects. 

Look for some more ideas in coming weeks...

XOXO, Andrea

Candy Cane Sequencing

This is another fun activity that teaches while they play.

It doesn't look like Math, but it is!

Patterns and sequencing are very important to a little math mind.

For this activity, all you need is a print out of a candy cane...like this one, and construction paper in red and white cut in squares.  

Explain that candy canes have a pattern...red, white, red, white, red, white.  Then they get to use their fine motor coordination and their math brains and build a candy cane!

We also happened to be talking about the letter "J" this same week...so we handed out candy  canes and told them to turn it upside down to find a letter.  :)

"T" is for tree

October also means Autumn...and the leaves start to change!

To talk about the changes that are happening in the weather and the trees, we like to do this fun craft.  (It's also a good way to introduce the letter "T.")

Here's what you'll need:

a piece of paper with a tree trunk drawn on it

construction paper cut into squares (red, yellow, orange, brown)

glue

Then the kids glue the pieces of paper at random on the tree, and of course, on the ground.  

Pretty easy, but again, it works their fine motor skills and teaches them a thing or two about trees, leaves, autumn, and the letter "t."

As an alternative to the tree trunk, paint the child's hand print and a few inches up the arm as the tree trunk.  So sweet and cute!!

The Octopus

The Octopus

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs

Is those things arms, or is they legs?

I marvel at thee, Octopus;

If I were thou, I'd call me Us. 

Ogden Nash


Letter O and octopuses are always a lot of fun.  We have a couple of different octopus crafts, I'll post the other one soon

The first one is a coloring page/gluing page.

Print out an outline of an octopus...again, you can google "cartoon octopus drawing" and find lots of choices.

You'll want to have them color it first...practice using those muscles that hold a pencil!!

Then give them a small cup of fruit loops cereal.  They glue the cereal onto the legs of the octopus.

Don't forget to talk to them while they work about numbers (how many legs does an octopus have?), about the ocean, ocean life, and of course, the letter "O!"

Baby, it's cold outside!!

Every fall when we talk about the letter I, the Antarctic visits our preschool for the day!!  The kiddos make an igloo! 

You will need:

a styrofoam bowl for each child

1/2 of a small white (bathroom size) plastic cup for each child

paper

glue 

cotton balls

Instructions:

glue the bowl and the 1/2 cup on the paper ahead of time, giving it time to dry

Cover the bowl and cup with glue and glue the cotton balls on the igloo...

And there you have it!

You can really take this lesson anywhere.  You can strictly stay with talking about the letter "I."  Or you can do a whole theme day about the Antarctic and the animals that live there, or the climate, any number of things!

Sequins and Letters and Glue! Oh My!!

Another easy and fun way to work on letter recognition is to print off a large block version of the letter you are wanting to work on and give them a bottle of glue and some sequins, or buttons, or pom poms, or whatever you would like.  They glue the objects on the letter!  Easy peasy.  Don't forget to talk to them about things that start with the letter while they glue. 

Here is a website with printable letters you can use:

http://printable-icio.ru/image.php?id=28416