Spring Theme for Preschool

Transcription

1 Spring Theme for Preschool Ahhh, spring activities time! Finally! For those of you who have, or still are, "surviving" the winter weather in your area...let's think SPRING! This theme is endless in the possible activities and adventures for this season. Some graphics for this theme were created by Amanda at Creatively Crafting Using the Standards Conversion Chart Type in each of your program s equivalent standards next to my standard. Save to your computer. Refer to this chart each time you use a theme from Preschool Cubby Using the Weekly and Daily Planning Forms In the weekly planning form, ALL of the boxes are editable! Simply print as they are OR move activities to the days you want them or replace activities with your own! You ll find my standards listed under each activity. This is where you will enter YOUR program s standards (that you added to the Conversion Chart) 1. Refer to the conversion chart you completed and look up my Standard Letter/Number. 2. Replace that letter and number with YOUR program s equivalent that you typed into the Conversion Chart. 3. Print! The Weekly AND Daily Planning forms are both 100% editable so you can move the activities to the days you want to do them or even replace them with your own activities! (If you do that-be sure to change them on the daily planning forms as well AND replace the standards in that box with the correct standards for the activity you have replaced mine with!) NOTE: The blue areas will NOT print blue, don t worry! Those areas are the editable areas. They will print with a white background when you print! 1

2 Spring Theme WEEKLY PLANNER CIRCLE MON Standards TUES Standards WEDS Standards THURS Standards FRI Standards 5 Little Raindrops 3,7,40,41,44,45 ART MATH/MANIPULATIVES SCIENCE MUSIC & MOVEMENT GROSS MOTOR Puddles 3,10,12,13 STORY TIME Spring by Richard Allington 1,6,38-40,44 Beans, Beans, Beans! 13,14,20-26,27 Cloud Dough 3,23,26,35 It's Raining! 3,6,11,34,37 Puddle Jumping! Spring Collage 3,12,22,26,34,37 2,13,14,22-24,31, 41,44,45 35,36 Umbrella Numbers File Folder Game 13,14,24-26,30 Spring Planting 2,7,13-15,20,27,28, 30,35,42 I'm A Little Flower Be a Cloud! 3,10,12,23 Pot 3,7,34,40,41,44,45 Find the Spring Colors 3,5,22,24,27,37 Mud Paint 1,13-15,18,21,31 Colored Rain Drops 13,14,20-26,27 Spring Has Sprung! Parts of a Plant Clean Puddles! 2,7,13-15,20,27,28,30, 3,7,34,40,41,44,45 3,10,12,23 35,42 Dinofours: Rain, Rain Go Away by Steve Metzger 1,6,38-40,44 5 Little Clouds 3,7,40,41,44,45 Sky Pictures 2,13,14,22-24,31, 35,36 Colored Stew 3,23,26,35 Bird Nest 3,6,8,11,13,23,24, 27,36,37,45 Rhythm Stick Flower Power 6,10-14,22,33,35, 37,44,45 Signs of Spring 3,10,12,23,24, 27,30 It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw 1,6,38-40,44 Transpir...what? 13,14,23,27,28, 42,43 "Wrappin' " to the Rain! 1,3,5,6,11,12,22, 26,34,35,37 Name That Cloud! Clifford's Spring Clean-Up by 3,5,22,24,27,37 Norman Bridwell 1,6,38-40,44 Budding Trees 2,13,14,22-24,31, 35,36 Spring Things Watercolor Clouds It's a Spring Thing! 6,13,15,29,30,36, 3,4,8,13,14,22,24, 2,13,14,22-24,31, 37,44,45 30,31,36,45 35,36 Hi, Clouds! by Carol Greene 1,6,38-40,44 SUGGESTED CHANGES TO INTEREST CENTERS FOR THE WEEK Block Center: Block Flowers. Place small colored blocks in your block area along with large wood unit blocks. You'll be surprised at the flowers and other spring shapes that can be made from these! 3,6,7,13,22,27,30,36 Dramatic Play: Housekeeping Bring spring fever or spring cleaning into your housekeeping area. Provide a small, shallow bin with soapy water to wash dishes and towels to dry them, a pretend vacuum cleaner, etc. 3,4,6,10,13-15,19,30,36 Easel: Q-Tip Painting Provide Q-Tips/cotton swabs instead of brushes! This helps develop fine motor skills and they'll make some great designs as well as great color mixes by using smaller amounts of paint! 13,14,27-30,36 Sand/Water Table: Clean Mud Help the children whittle/grate 1 ½ bars of Ivory soap into the table, add the water. then rip up, & add the toilet paper into the water! They will LOVE the fact that they are playing with toilet paper! Lots of giggles! 13,14,25,27,28,30 Writing Center: Bird in the Nest Provide paper, markers, twigs, glue for the children to create a nest with & draw the type of bird that they think would live in it. Write down any story they tell you about it to display with their picture ,30,36,37,42,43 Preschool Cubby 2

3 MONDAY Spring Theme You ll Need: Flannel raindrops; White construction paper, green and yellow tissue paper, crayons, glue; variety of dry beans, muffin tins; Cloud Dough recipe in this packet; It s Raining! poster in this pack; Spring by Richard Allington Circle 5 Little Raindrops Create flannel raindrops for this activity and let the children remove them as you read the fingerplay. Encourage the children to act out the parts as well: Five little raindrops were plopping on the floor. One plopped away, and then there were four. Four little raindrops were dripping on the trees. One dripped away, and then there were three. Three little raindrops were splashing on my shoe. One splashed away, and then there were two. Two little raindrops were starting to run. One ran off, and then there was one. One little raindrop was drying in the sun. It dried all up, and then there were none! 3,7,40,41,44,45 Art Budding Trees Needed: White construction paper, green and yellow tissue paper, crayons, glue The children draw a tree trunk...any shape is acceptable: tall, skinny, wide, etc. Show them how to crumple pieces of tissue paper into little balls for tree leaf buds. They dip their "buds" into glue and cover their trees! 2,13,14,22-24,31,35,36 Math/Manipulative Science Music & Movement Beans, Beans, Beans! Needed: variety of dry beans, muffin tins. Encourage the children to sort the beans into muffin tins by the different attributes they notice. Save these beans to use tomorrow for Spring Planting! 13,14,20-26,27 Cloud Dough Use the recipe in this packet! 3,23,26,35 It s Raining! Use the poster in this pack! 3,6,11,34,37 Gross Motor PUDDLES! I'm all for just going outside and jumping in puddles if the children all have boots with them or an extra pair of shoes! If you have no puddles, make some! Go for it! 3,10,12,23 Story Time Spring by Richard Allington 1,6,38-40,44 Preschool Cubby 3

4 TUESDAY Spring Theme Lunch bags, paper, glue; Umbrella Number Matching File folder game in this packet; beans from yesterday, grass seed, cups, soil, water bottle; white fabric, small blankets; You ll Need: Circle Art Math/Manipulative Science Puddle Jumping! sung to Have You Ever Seen a Lassie We are jumping in the puddles, the puddles the puddles. We are jumping in the puddles. One, two, three JUMP! Have the children jump when singing the numbers. Variation: Place some paper puddles on the floor. The children jump from one to another while singing. 3,12,22,26,34,3741,44,45 Spring Collage Needed: lunch bags, paper, glue Go for a walk and collect nature items (leaves, pine needles, etc.) in the bags and bring them inside to make a spring collage! 2,13,14,22-24,31,35,36 Umbrella Number Matching Needed: File folder game in this packet. The children match the handle to the umbrella with the corresponding number of sections! VARIATION: Program the umbrellas with letters either matching capital letters or matching the capital letter to the lower case letter. 13,14,24-26,30 Spring Planting Needed: beans from yesterday, grass seed, cups, soil, water bottle Let children plant beans and grass seed in different cups and water by spraying with water bottle. Have them observe all week for growth. Extension: Help each child make their own journal with construction paper (as the cover) and unlined paper in the middle for them to draw their predictions and observations in. 2,7,13-15,20,27,28,30,35,42 Music & Movement I m a Little Flower Pot I'm a little flower pot that you put out (squat down) If you take care of me, I will sprout. (stand up, hugging self). When you water me I will grow (wave hands in air, wiggling fingers like rain). Into a beautiful flower, don't you know! (Raise arms with hands open to be the petals) 3,7,34,40,41,44,45 Gross Motor Be a Cloud! Needed: white fabric, small blankets. Let the children use them as capes as they pretend to be clouds! You can do this inside or out! 3,10,12,23 Story Time Hi, Clouds! by Carol Greene 1,6,38-40,44 Preschool Cubby 4

5 WEDNESDAY Spring Theme You ll Need: Colored construction paper or colored plastic eggs; Finger-paint paper, red, green and yellow finger-paint, grass or grass seed (optional); milk, soda and juice caps, pompoms, tweezers, Colored Rain Drops and Colored Rain Drops activity mat from this packet; large sponges, bucket of water, grass seed; cut out some puddle shapes out of brown paper covered with either clear contact paper or wax paper; Dinofours: Rain, Rain Go Away by Steve Metzger Circle Find the Spring Colors Needed: colored construction paper or colored plastic eggs. Give one piece of paper or egg to each child. Have the child walk over to something in your classroom that matches the color and they yell "I found (blue)!" 3,5,22,24,27,37 Art Mud Paint Materials: Finger-paint paper, red, green and yellow finger-paint, grass or grass seed (optional). Let the kids explore the paint and make some mud with it! EXTENSION: Provide some grass from outside (or grass seed!) to mix in with their paint for a very cool texture and look! 1,13-15,18,21,31 Math/Manipulative Colored Rain Drops and Colored Rain Drops Activity Mat Needed: milk, soda and juice caps, pompoms, tweezers, activity mat from this packet. The children use their eye/hand coordination to place pom poms in the caps. Also provide at the table the activity mat from this packet with playdough and pom poms! 13,14,20-26,27 Science Spring Has Sprung! Needed: large sponges, bucket of water, grass seed. The children immerse a sponge into water and SQUEEEZZZEEE out the water. Sprinkle the sponge with grass seed and watch it grow over the next week or so! 2,7,13-15,20,27,28,30,35,42 sung to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants? Do you know the Music & Movement Parts of a Plant parts of plants, parts of plants? All kinds of plants that grow and grow and grow. Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants? The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place. The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place. The roots store food and water too. The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place. The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant. The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant. The stem brings water up to the leaves The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant. The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun. The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun. The sun helps the plant to grow and grow and grow. The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun. The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit. The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit. Inside the fruit are little, tiny seeds. The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit. 3,7,34,40,41,44,45 Gross Motor CLEAN Puddles?! If you're looking for a cleaner version of mud (hmmm, oxymoron?!!), cut out some puddle shapes out of brown paper and place them in a large area of your carpet covered with either clear contact paper or wax paper. Let the kids "skate" over them with their socks on or jump from puddle to puddle. Add in some math and counting by having them count as they jump on each puddle--some gross motor 1-1 correspondence for them! 3,10,12,23 Story Time Dinofours: Rain, Rain Go Away by Steve Metzger 1,6,38-40,44 Preschool Cubby 5

6 THURSDAY Spring Theme You ll Need: 5 flannel cloud shapes; white paper, white, blue, gray and yellow paint; Colored Stew Recipe in this pack, ziplock baggies; deserted bird s nests, magnifying glasses, twigs, dryer lint, fabric swatches; rhythm sticks or dowel posts; clipboards, paper, pencils; It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw Circle 5 Little Clouds Needed: 5 flannel cloud shapes. Use 5 cloud shapes on a flannel board OR 5 small cloud shapes taped to your fingertips! Five little clouds floating in the sky. One saw a bird and wanted to fly. Four little clouds floating in the sky. One saw a friend and went to say "Hi.". Three little clouds...one was sad and started to cry. Two little clouds...one saw the bright sun and say, "Oh My!" One Little cloud alone in the sky. Went to find the others and said, "Bye bye!". 3,7,40,41,44,45 Art Sky Picture Ideas Materials Needed: white paper, white, blue, gray and yellow paint. With spring comes rain and sometimes storms! While the children are painting, talk to them about weather in spring. Lightning, rain, clouds, sun, etc. 2,13,14,22-24,31,35,36 Math/Manipulative Colored Stew Needed: Colored Stew Recipe in this pack, ziplock baggies. A colleague of mine used to make this every year and the kids loved it! Make the stew and place some in several baggies. Let the children add the food coloring. Seal the bags and let the kids squish it to mix the color throughout! Ingredients and Items needed: Pour into separate Ziploc baggies. Add a few drops of food coloring. Seal bags and let the kids squish the bags of stew! 3,23,26,35 Science Bird Nest Needed: deserted bird s nests, magnifying glasses, twigs, dryer lint, fabric swatches Let children investigate a birds nest. If you don t have access to one, show pictures. Then provide the items (twigs, lint, fabric) for the children to explore and create bird nest! Place it all in a can or bowl and hang it outside. The birds will take the material to make a nest with! 3,6,8,11,13,23,24,27,36,37,45 Music & Movement Rhythm Stick Flower Power Needed: rhythm sticks or dowel posts. After reviewing how seeds grow, tap out with the actions with the sticks. The seeds are quietly in the ground. They are starting to grow. The rain is pouring! The sun is out, quietly! Now the seeds are growing and growing, etc. Add items as you see fit. Try counting flowers. "8 flowers grew!" Then they tap out by hitting the sticks together 8 times. 6,10-14,22,33,35,37,44,45 Gross Motor Signs of Spring Needed: clipboards, paper, pencils. Take a walk or check out your outside area for signs of spring: Do you hear birds? See buds on trees? Mud? Collect items that you can from outside and then place them in your Spring Science area for the children to check out during the week. Let children document on the clipboard what they cannot bring inside (sounds, etc.) 3,10,12,23,24,27,30 Story Time It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw 1,6,38-40,44 Preschool Cubby 6

7 FRIDAY Spring Theme You ll Need: Chart paper, marker, spring clothing; cotton batting, cotton balls, watercolor paints, brushes; magazines with spring pictures or spring stickers, green paper, blue paper, scissors, glue; celery stalks (with leaves) or carnations, vases, water, food coloring; bubble wrap, music; blankets, It Looked Like Spilt Milk Book by Charles Shaw; Clifford's Spring Clean-Up by Norman Bridwell Circle Spring Things Needed: chart paper, marker, spring clothing. Ask children how they need to dress now that there is Spring weather. List their answers. Take the items out of the box one at a tim (umbrella, raincoat, rain boots, hat, etc.) and discuss the items with the children. 6,13,15,29,30,36,37,44,45 Art Watercolor Clouds Needed: cotton batting, cotton balls, watercolor paints, brushes Let the children paint on the cotton with watercolor. The colors are great as the cotton absorbs the paint! EXTENSION: Glue the clouds to posterboard and hand on the ceiling! 3,4,8,13,14,22,24,30,31,36,45 Math/Manipulative It's A Spring Thing! Materials: magazines with spring pictures or spring stickers, green paper, blue paper, scissors, glue. While you're in a cutting mode, teach the children how to "fringe" cut. Provide them with a half sheet of green paper (cut lengthwise) to fringe. Just let them cut where they will. Also have some papers with predrawn, thick, black lines for those who have the scissor skill to cut on a line. They glue the fringed green paper onto the blue paper. They now have grass and sky. Encourage them to place their stickers or to cut spring pictures from the magazine and glue onto their paper. 2,13,14,22-24,31,35,36 Science Transpire what? Needed: celery stalks (with leaves) or carnations, vases, water, food coloring Discuss what plants need to live and ask how water gets from the ground through the plant. Write down their responses. Transpiration is the process of water moving through a plant and its evaporation from leaves, stems and flowers. This is a classic experiment to observe this process! Fill the vases with water. Add different colors of food coloring to each vase. Place one stalk of celery or a Carnation into each vase. Observe over the next week and discuss! 13,14,23,27,28,42,43 Music & Movement "Wrappin'" to the Rain! Needed: bubble wrap, music. Tape bubble wrap in a large space. Play fast and slow music, intermittently, to represent light rain and spring showers! Lots of wrappin' fun here! 1,3,5,6,11,12,22,26,34,35,37 Gross Motor Name That Cloud! Needed: blankets, It Looked Like Spilt Milk Book by Charles Shaw. Lay on the blankets outside and check out the clouds after reading It Looked Like Spilt Milk EXTENSION: Play music of different tempos (fast, slow, etc.) and they can move like clouds to that pace! 3,5,22,24,27,37 Story Time Clifford's Spring Clean-Up by Norman Bridwell 1,6,38-40,44 Preschool Cubby 7

8 Umbrella Number Matching Directions: Print, laminate and cut the umbrellas and umbrella handles from the following pages. The children match the handle to the umbrella with the corresponding number of sections! For example, this umbrella top has 4 colored sections. The child would match the handle with the number 4 under it. VARIATION: Program the umbrellas with letters and the handles with either matching capital letters or matching the capital letter to the lower case letter from the handles. There are also black line masters for you to color and/or program yourself! 8

9 Umbrella Number Matching 9

10 Umbrella Number Matching 10

11 Umbrella Number Matching

12 Umbrella Number Matching

13 Umbrella Number Matching 13

14 Umbrella Number Matching 14

15 Umbrella Number Matching 15

16 Cloud Dough Mix 8 parts flour with 1 part baby oil (vegetable oil works as well). This stuff is amazing! 16

17 Colored Stew 1 c (250 mg) corn starch 1/3 c (45 g) sugar 4 c (1000 ml) water Food coloring Mix the cornstarch and water together. Add the sugar. Cook on low heat until thickened. Place some of the mixture in different ziplock baggies. Let children add food coloring. Seal bags and have children squish to mix the color throughout. 17

18 Colored Rain Drops Activity Mat Directions: Print and laminate the raindrop pages that follow. Provide playdough or mini pom poms. The children flip over a numbered cards and then place the appropriate number of pom poms or pieces of playdough inside the large raindrop. 18

19 Colored Rain Drops Activity Mat 19

20 Colored Rain Drops Activity Mat

21 Colored Rain Drops Activity Mat

22 Song Card & Song Poster How to use: Print and laminate the song card below (it is 5 X 3 ). Place in a can or box with other cards of songs your children love! In transitional times (waiting to go outside or wash hands, etc.), pull out your song box or song can (I use a decorated coffee can!). Shuffle the cards in your hands saying Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle and your children yell STOP! When they yell stop, whichever card is on top is the one you sing! The kids LOVE this! Each month you ll receive one of these cards that correspond with the song poster for the month to add to your Song Card Collection! On the next page, you ll find the Song Poster! Print and laminate for use over the years! 22 Preschool Plan It

23 It s Raining! It s Pouring! It s raining! It s pouring! The old man is snoring! He bumped his head When he went to bed And he didn t get up until the morning! It s raining! It s pouring! The old woman is snoring! She bumped her head When she went to bed And she didn t get up until the morning! It s raining! It s pouring! The children are snoring! They bumped their heads When they went to bed And didn t get up until the morning! 23

24 Spring Calendar Pieces ABC Pattern

25 Spring Calendar Pieces ABC Pattern

26 Spring Calendar Pieces ABC Pattern

27 Spring Calendar Pieces ABC Pattern

28 Spring Calendar Pieces ABC Pattern

29 Spring Calendar Pieces ABC Pattern The blank card below is to add the month you would like! Simply cut out, laminate and print the month s name with a dry erase marker so that you can erase and use whenever you like throughout the year.

30 Patterns for Games and Activities The following images are from the calendar pieces. You can use these in several ways: Print and laminate several pages for the children to use to create patterns. Either you begin a pattern using 4-5 of these cards and encourage the children to continue the same pattern. Or, have the children create their own patterns using the cards. Print and laminate several pages for the children to use as a matching/memory game. 30

31 Spring Pattern Cards for Games and Activities 31