On the summer I buy each child a spiral notebook for journal
time. We usually do journals right after lunch as a quiet
activity. They scatter to their own private spot in the
house. I let them be creative; pile pillows in a closet,
make a fort under a table, whatever they want for their
private space. Some just like to draw a picture, but I
encourage all of them to write *something* everyday so they
can all practice their writing skills. For the younger ones,
to get them started I will write on our white board
whatever we did that morning i.e. I will write the date and
'Today we played mini golf' Then at the end of the summer we
have a record of what they did/felt over the summer (I also
make extra copies of photos they can put in their
journals.
Choose a letter of the alphabet...and show it off!! Draw a
fancy design using the letter.....Promote the letter.....Tell
what is great about it....Have a beauty contest and enter
your letter against other letters.
It's fun to make name bracelets out of alphabet egg noodles.
Spell out your name with some uncooked noodles. Then cut out
a small narrow strip of thin cardboard, just big enough to
fit your name on. Paste the letters of your name on this
strip. When the paste is dry, paint the whole bracelt with
poster paint. Carefully poke a hole at each end of the
bracelet and pas a small string through both ends. Just slip
the name bracelet on your wrist and tie the two ends
together. You can make name bracelets for your friends too.
Materials: Sandpaper of different textures cut into
different letters, shallow containers, water.
Preparations: Cut sandpaper into desired sizes and pour
water into containers. Have the children dip coloured chalk
into water and then draw designs on the sandpaper. Encourage
them to use several different colours.
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.
Prepare pretzel dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water 1 envelope of yeast
4 cups flour 1 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients
Give each of the children enough dough to shape into the
first letter of their name.
Brush dough letters with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse
salt.
Bake at 425 degrees for twelve minutes.
Here's a game that will make you and your friends use your
noodles. The rules are simple. Each player is given a big
handful of uncooked alphabet noodles. The idea is to spell
out as many names of animals as possible in a five-minute
time limit. All kinds of animals count-birds, bees,
elepahnts, etc. The winner is the one who spells the most
names of different animals by the end of the time period.
When you've gotten really good, try it with more noodels and
a longer time limit. You might even try different
categories: towns, rivers, automobiles. etc. Use your
noodles.
Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant -
No, no! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone -
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I've got it right.)
Howe'er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee -
(I fear I'd better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)
Contributed by Jean Roberts
Five little speckled frogs,
Sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs.
Yum, Yum.
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four more speckled frogs. Glub, glub!
Five....Four....Three....Two.....One
Squat on the floor like frogs. One by one take it in turns
to be the frog that jumps into the pool. Teddy bears and
other toys make great frogs if there isn't enough children.
Prepare a large wall chart divided into three sections. In
one section, have a picture of a meadow (or flat, grassy
area), in the second section, have a picture of a tree, and
in the third section, have a picture of water.
Distribute pictures of animals to children and let them tell
where the animal usually lives.
Examples: cows, sheep, goats
birds, squirrels
fish, crabs, lobsters
Earth's prized humpback whales you should value
Their clicks, songs and squeals, all would wow you
When they vocalize,
You think not of their size,
But what on earth are they trying to tell you?
This little boy is going to bed.
Down on the pillow he lays his head.
He wraps himself in the covers tight,
And sleeps with his teddy bear all through the night.
*The Lizard*
The lizard is a timid thing
That cannot dance or fly or sing;
He hunts for bugs beneath the floor
And longs to be a dinosaur.
-------
*The Gnat*
Gnats are gnumerous
But small.
We hardly gnotice them
At all.
I clean the cage, replenish seeds,
Change the water, watch her needs,
In fact, obey the slightest tweet
From one imperious parakeet!
On the branch outside, the wild birds away,
And sing to me the live long day;
That proverb's fine, but by sonme quirk,
The bird in the hand's a lot of work!
Jimmy Sparrow, as I pass,
Goes a-hopping on the grass,
Just as though he had some things
Up inside like little springs.
So he doesn't walk at all,
Just goes bouncing like a ball.
Hippity-hop he goes, then stops.
Hippity-hop,
Hop-hop,
hop, hop!
Peter Pigeon, while he walks,
Talks his little cooing talks,
Pumping with his head as though
That's what makes his two feet go.
Round the fountain, round and round
Just as though he had been wound,
Pumpity-pump, and then a jump.
Pumpity-pump,
Pump-pump,
Pump, pump!
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of brown
sugar. Boil and stir for one minute. Add a 3 oz. can of
chow mein noodles. Put the mixture in 12 paper baking cups
in a muffin tin. Use your thumb to press noodles into the
nest while still warm. DO NOT BAKE. Give children jelly
bean eggs to put in their nests.
Birds fly high and bees fly low,
Caterpillars crawl and river flow,
Cats meow and cows go 'moo'.
Puppies bark and babies 'coo'.
So many things to see and hear,
I use my eyes and I use my ears.
Ingred. 2 cups biscuit baking mix, 1/2 cup cold water, 2 T
marg., 2 T sesame seeds, 2 T sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 425F Form a soft dough with baking mix and
water. Roll out dough to 3/4 inch thick and cut it into
shapes with cookie cutters. Using a straw punch a hole in
the top of each cookie. Melt the margarine and brush over
dough. Sprinkle the seeds and nuts onto the dough and press
it in firmly with a fork.
Bake for 15-20 min., until light brown. When cool, thread
brightly coloured ribbon through the hole and hang in a tree.
- Birds live everywhere- city, country, meadow, mountain,
marsh, forest, plain, desert, and seashore.
- All birds lay eggs from which their young hatch.
- All birds have feathers.
- Birds differ in size, shape, color, weight, berak or bill,
feet, kinds of nests and eggs, communication, flight patterns
and diet.
Book for concepts: What is a Bird? by Ron Hirschi
About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill
Five feathered birds sitting on the door;
One flew away and then there were four.
Four feathered birds singing in the tree,
One flew away and then there were three.
Three feathered birds looking at you,
One flew away and then there were two.
Two feathered birds sitting in the sun,
One flew away and then there was one.
One feathered bird looking like a hero,
He flew away and now there are zero!
One little bird with feathers of blue;
Flew beside the green one and then there were two.
Two little birds singing in the tree;
The red bird came to join them and then there were three.
Three little birds, wishing there were more;
Along came the purple bird and then there were four.
Four little birds, happy to be alive;
Found a little yellow one, and then there were five.
Five little birds as happy as can be.
Singing beautiful songs - just for you and me!
I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop.
I told the little bird to stop, stop, stop.
I went to the window to say 'How do you do?'
He wagged his little tail and far away he flew!
Mr. Turkey's tail is big and wide.
(Spread fingers)
He sings when he walks.
(Swing hands)
His neck is long,
(Stretch neck)
His chin is red,
(Stroke chin)
He gobbles when he talks.
(Open and close hands - make gobbling sounds)
Two little owls (show 2 fingers)
Looking at you (make 2 circles and put to eyes; then point to
children)
One named 'Who' (put right hand on right shoulder)
One named 'Boo' (put left hand on left shoulder)
Fly away 'Who' (fly right hand behind back)
Fly away 'Boo' (fly left hand behind back)
Come back 'Who' (fly right hand back to shoulder)
Come back 'BOO!' (Say loudly)
Spread wax paper on the table.
Place a thin layer of smooth peanut butter on the wax
paper.
Children roll a pine cone in the peanut butter and then in
bird seed.
Attach a string to the pine cone and hang in a tree.
Materials: Large shredded wheat biscuits, glue or maybe
marshmallow glue and candy eggs
Activity: For each child crumble one large shredded wheat
biscuit into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup white glue or melted
marshmallow. Help the child pile the mixture on top of a
plastic lid. Let child shape into a nest and add the eggs.
Materials: large paper plates, stapler, children scissors,
black buttons(optional), glue, black markers or black
crayons, 3 small triangles
What to do: Fold and staple the paper plate and cut along
dotted lines being careful not to cut through the back of the
plate. Unfold the wings.
Have the children cut finges on wings, head and tail. The
children may use a black crayon or marker to make the eyes or
use the two black buttons. The children may glue on two
yellow triangles for ears and one for the beak.
The owls can be mounted on a large tongue depressors to make
owl puppets.
There's a wide eyed owl
(thumbs and forefingers around eyes)
With a pointed nose, (forefinger makes a v at end of
nose)
Two pointed ears, forefingers extended up from head)
and claws for toes, fingers and arms bent in front of
chest)
When he sits up in the tree,(point to tree)
and he looks at you, (point at a child in the group)
he flaps his wings,(fold arms into arm pits and flap)
And he says 'Whoo Whoo.'
Way up in the sky,
The little birds fly,
While down in the nest,
The little birds rest,
With a wink to the left,
And a wink to the right,
The sweet little birds sleep all through the night.....
The bright sun comes up,
The dew falls away,
Good morning, Good morning,
The little birds say.
Colourful scarves or crepe paper streamers can be used to
float behind children as wings.
Attach elastic bands to the corners of scarves, or tie the
scarves to the children's wris, or just le them hold onto
them as they swoop, skim, dart, and dive. Play music of
different speeds and rhythms to stimulate their creativity.
While singing to the melody of 'Did You Ever See a Lassie,'
children take turns leading the group in moving like animals:
'Did you ever see a rabbit, a rabbit, a rabbit? Did you ever
see a rabbit go hopping like this?'
Continue with bear-walking; snake-slithering;
kangaroo-hopping; bird-flying; bug-crawling, etc.
- Dinosaurs are very big,.....but most are very dumb. - The
Tyrannosaurous was a mean ol' thing..Cause he ate all the
others. - The Stegosaurous was all bumpy....And he had two
brains. - The Brachiosaurous lived in water... Because he
only ate plants. - The Trachodon had 2000 teeth...So he was
called rough-toothed. - The Ankylosaurous's back was
curved..That's how he got his name. - The Brontosaurous was
very big...And lived with Fred Flintstone. - Now you know
about dinosaurs,...So I think that I am through.
This big dinosaur only ate plants, so serve up some vegetable
soup with a new name. If you are feeling like cooking with
the children you can make up a batch of home made vegetable
soup.
Have the children draw dinosaurs in a new an exciting way!
Each child draws a line or two on a sheet of paper and then
moves to the next persons paper and adds to that page to
create a unique dinosaur!
Have the children hunt for dinosaur bones. You can use dog
bones (remind the children these are not to be eaten),
popsicle sticks, or any other item you designate as a
dinosaur bone. You can play this in any season. Out in the
snow, in the sand box, in the garden and even in the house.
Use pipe cleaners or wire coat hangers to make dinosaur size
bubble blowing wands. The kids will have a ball blowing huge
bubbles from these special wands!
Cut out dinosaur shapes form cardboard and have the children
glue cereal on to add texture. When the glue has dried the
children may paint their dinosaurs.
2/3 cup margarine... 1 2/3 cups of all purpose flour...
1/3 cup sugar... 1/2 tsp. vanilla
In a large bowl beat the margarine with an electric beater
until creamy. Add about half the flour, sugar and vanilla.
Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, then beat in
remaining ingredients. Divide the dough into four parts and
add food coloring (green, yellow, brown and blue).
Give each child a piece of tin foil and let them design their
very own dinosaur cookie. Place tin foil on to cookie sheet
(make sure each cookie is 1/2 in. thick and 2 in. apart) bake
at 300 for 20-25 minutes or until dough set.
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, how many do you see?
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, count them with me.
One in the grass, (thumb)
One near the tree, (index)
One at the river, (middle)
And that makes three!
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, how many do you see?.....etc
Three at the river, (three fingers up)
One swims away, (index down)
Two dinosaurs (two fingers up)
Can stay and play.
Dinosaurs are monsters of the past. The word dinosaur means
'terrible lizard'. There were many types of dinosaurs,
below are some of the most recognizable.
Triceratops (TRI SER A TOPS)
Triceratops looked sort of like a tank. It had a big body
and a giant head. On it's head were two long horns. Its
nose looked like a parrots beak. On the nose was a short
horn. Triceratops had a strong ruffle around its neck. Only
one dinosaur could beat a triceratops in a fight. That
dinosaur was Tyrannosaurus rex.
Pterodactyl - It had very large wings that helped it fly
throught the air. It swooped down out of the sky like a kite
diving to the ground.
Brontosaurus (BRON TUH SORE US)
Was a giant dinosaur. It's name means 'thunder lizard'.
That's because it probably shook the ground when it walked.
It weighed more than ten elephants. Brontosaurs ate
plants.
Tyrannosaurus rex (TIE RAN UH SORE US REKS)
This dinosaur had very sharp teeth. It ate other dinosaurs.
Rex had strong back legs and a strong tail. It had tiny
arms. Rex was a scary dinosaur.
Stegosaurus (STEG O SORE US)
Stegosaurus was a very big dinosaur. It had sharp plates on
its back. It also had very sharp spikes on its tail. They
kept the Stegosaurs safe from meat eating dinosaurs.
Tell your children that you are going to be talking and
learning about dinosaurs. Ask them what they know about
dinosaurs and make a list on a large sheet of paper. Do the
same on the last day, you will be surprised at how much they
have learned.
Have the children draw a dinosaur, keep them and do the same
on the last day of the unit. See how much their drawings
have changed.
Listen to 'Let's Sing About Dinosaurs' Wee Sing Dinosaur
Tape.
Read a story!
Take the children outside and have them run like dinosaurs.
Plain hard cooked eggs become colourful dinosaur eggs.
You will need a hard-cooked egg for each child. Gently tap
the hard cooked egg all over, until the shell is cracked.
In a small bowl mix together a package of unsweetened
Kool-Aid with water, omit the sugar. Add the cracked eggs to
the coloured water.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator,
leave the eggs in the bowl overnight. Remove eggs from bowl
and peel shells off eggs. Your dinosaur eggs are ready to
eat.
Children glued cut outs of dinosaurs (from construction
paper) on to a file folder. The children also drew whatever
they wanted on the folder.
Matching cut-out of what they glued were given to them so
that they could do a matching activity with these
folders.
Dinosaurs walked liked this (walk slowly, heavy movement)
And like that.
They're terribly big and terribly fat!
They have no fingers, but mighty big toes (point to toes)
And goodness gracious, how they grow!
Five big dinosaurs, five and no more (five fingers up)
One chased a butterfly, and then there were four. (thumb)
Four big dinosaurs, eating on a tree;
One went for a swim and then there were three. (index d.)
Three big dinosaurs, didn't know what to do.
One went fishing and then there were two.
Two big dinosaurs can still have fun,
But one went for dinner and that left one.
One big dinosaur watched the setting sun.
He closed his sleepy eyes, and then there were none!
Give each child a chocolate chip cookie. The children are
then asked to hunt for fossils (chocolate chips). Once the
children have discovered all of their fossils have them count
them and then for the best part EAT THEM!
Older than books, than scrolls,
Older than the first tales told,
Or the first words spoken are stories in the forest that
turned to stone in ice walls that trapped the mammoth in the
long bones of dinosaurs - the fossils stories that begin
..........Once upon a time.
Three baby dinosaurs were playing by a tree,
When they heard a voice say, 'You can't catch me!'
The first baby dinosaur looked behind a rock,
But all she could see was a big blue sock.
The second baby dinosaur looked between some weeds,
But all he could find were some blue and red beads.
The third bay dinosaur looked up in a tree and yelled,
'I can see you, can you see me?'
All of a sudden the tree began to shake,
And out of the tree fell their good friend Jake!
Dinosaur, Dinosaur,
Where can you be?
Hiding behind me (hands behind back)
Where you cannot see.
Now you see one. (bring out one hand)
It's waiting for you.
Here comes another, (bring out other hand)
And now you see two!
You will need a large sheet of brown kraft paper and lots of
paper towel and toilet paper rolls. Lay the kraft paper on
the floor and talk about a dinosaur that you would like to
make. Once this has been decided, place the paper rolls on
th paper to make a dinosaur skeleton, once you are happy with
the shapoe glue the paper rolls in place. This is sure to be
a HUGE hit with the children.
Give each child a sheet of construction paper and some
macaroni. Let them create their own dinosaur by gluing the
macaroni onto the construction paper.
Each child will need four paper plates for this activity.
Fold the paper plates in half. Have the children add their
own designs to the plates. Lay three of the paper plates
side by side lengthwise, overlapping about one inch. Make
sure the folded edge make a straight line. Stable the paper
plates together where they overlap.
To make head piece, slide the last plate over one of the end
plates, the hat now looks like a large number seven. Stable
securely in place. With adult help punch a hole in each side
of the head piece plate and thread yarn through. Tie the
yarn under the chin to keep the hat on your head. Now you
are ready to have a Dinosaur Party! Do the dinosaur walk and
just have FUN!
Ten huge dinosaurs were standing in a line.
One tripped on a cobblestone and then there were.....
Nine huge dinosaurs were trying hard to skate.
One cracked right through the ice, and then there were...
Eight huge dinosaurs were counting past eleven.
One counted up too far, and then there were.......
Seven huge dinosaurs learned some magic tricks.
One did a disappearing act, and then there were....
Six huge dinosaurs were learning how to drive.
One forgot to put in the gas, and so then there were....
Five huge dinosaurs joined the drum corps.
One forgot the drumsticks, and then there were......
Four huge dinosaurs were wading in the sea.
One waded out to far and then there were....
Three huge dinosaurs looked for Mr. Soo.
One gave up the search, and then there were....
Two huge dinosaurs went to the Amazon.
One sailed in up to his head, and then there were...
One huge dinosaur knew his friends had gone.
He found a big museum, and then there was....
Brontosaurus, Stegasaurus, Tyrannosaurus, too,
Three great dinosaurs with nothing to do.
But three great dinosaurs went for a drink,
But before they got back they'd become extinct!
Play a fun little game with your children called true or
false. Make a statement about dinosaurs and have the
children say whether the statement is true or false.
Some dinosaurs ate plants. (true)
Dinosaurs drove cars. (false)
Some dinosaurs could fly. (true)
Dinosaurs lived in houses. (false)
Continue with more questions....
Give each child a piece of wax paper and playdough about the
size of an orange. Have each child make about three to six
dinosaur teeth, the thicker the tooth the less chance of
breakage. With a pencil the children can poke a hole in the
top of each tooth. Place the completed teeth on a cookie
sheet and bake at 300F for 40 minutes. When cool, have the
children string them onto a piece of yarn (tooth, knot,
tooth..) Make sure the necklace can slip over the child's
head and knot the ends together.
BAKERS PLAYDOUGH....2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water
Knead until smooth. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap
until needed.
Take an empty glass spice jar. Use playdough to surround the
jar into a mountain looking structure. Put a drop of food
coloring we used green into the spice jar about a tablespoon
of baking soda and add vinigar to it to make an erupting
volcano.
Contributed by (lilian@zianet.com)
Another provider does this activity but adds a squirt of
dishwashing liquid.
Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
One for your sweater, and one for your rug...
One for your blanket that keeps you warm and snug.
Cluck Cluck red hen have you any eggs?
Yes sir, yes sir, as many as your legs.
One for your breakfast, and one for your lunch. '
Come back tomorrow I'll have another bunch.
Complements of Raffi
Contributed by Trish MI (Luv3kids@aol.com)
Moo moo brown cow have you milk for me
Yes sir, yes sir, tasty as can be.
Churn it into butter or make it into cheese.
Freeze it into ice cream or drink it if you please.
Buzz Buzz busy bee is your honey sweet.
Yes sir, yes sir, sweet enough to eat
Honey on your muffin and honey on your cake.
Honey by the spoonful as much as I can make.
Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool.
Yes sir yes sir three bags full. Complements of Raffi
Contributed by Trish MI (Luv3kids@aol.com)
Materials: A egg shell with the insides blown out then
washed and dried or a plastic egg shell, two yellow cotton
balls, black eyes either made from black paper dots or small
bought googley eyes, orange paper beek.
Have the children glue the two balls (representing the chicks
body and head) into the egg shell.
Now the child glues the eyes and beek and top of the shell
onto the baby chicks head.
For an open-ended language experience, read the story below
out loud and let one child fill in all the blanks or let the
children take turns filling in the blanks. Accept all
answers as correct even the silly ones, to foster children's
problem-solving skills, creativity and positive
self-esteem.
One day I went to visit a farm. There were animals
everywhere
The biggest animal I saw was a...
The oldest animal I saw was a ...
The youngest animal I saw was a ...
The noisiest animals were the...The softest animals were
the.
The friendliest animal was the.... I went for a ride on a
...
If I could choose one of the animals to take home,
I would choose the....
The cow in barn goes moo, moo, moo,
Moo, moo, moo. Moo, moo, moo,
repeat
All around the farm.
The pig in the pen goes oink, oink, oink,...........
The hens in the coop go cluck..........
The lambs on the hill go baa,........
The ducks on the pond go quack......
Today we fingerpainted with blue paint then cut ducks out
and folded the bottom of the paper and stuck the ducks in the
blue paint.
Yellow Ducks - Blue Pond!!
I had a little rooster by the old barn gate
And that little rooster was my playmate
And that little rooster went cock-a-doodle-do
Dee-doodley-doodley-doodley-do
*Jonathan*
Jonathan Gee
Went out with his cow;
He climbed up a tree
And sat on a bough.
He sat on a bough
And it broke in half,
And Jon's old cow
Did nothing but laugh.
Author???
Contributed by Jean Roberts
I think mice
Are rather nice.
Their tails are long, Their faces small,
They haven't any, Chins at all.
Their ears are pink, Their teeth are white,
They run about, The house at night.
They nibble things, They shouldn't touch
And no one seems, To like them much.
But *I* think mice
Are nice.
Muddy pigs= I ran off copies of a pig on to large pink
construction paper,(15+10?) and I or the kids (if they
could), cut them out. I give each kid a small cup of shaving
cream, added a few drops of brown paint and they mixed it up.
Then painted their pink pig with 'mud'.
Woolly lambs= Cut 6 inches ovals out of poster board for
body, then a 2 inches for head. Kids glue head on to body.
Next, kids glue cotton balls on to the lamb. Glue gooly eyes
on and put clothes pins on for legs. They should
be able to stand up.
You can't make a fast snail, but you can make a snail fast!
Fold a piece of construction paper in half. Nopw place a
cellophane tape dispenser on one side of the paper. With the
top of the dispenser slightly above the fold, trace around
the shape. Draw a small head (circle). Now draw a snail
like spiral within the shape. To finish it, all you have to
do is keep the paper folded and cut out both sides of the
snail at the same time. Be sure not to cut along the fold at
the top. Draw the head and spiral design on the other side
and your snail will be finished. It will stand up.
Five little parakeets Four little parakeets
Peeking in the door. Perched in a tree
One bumped his beek One lost his balance
then there were four. When he winked at me.
Three little parakeets Two little parakeets
Paddling a canoe Ate a sugar bun
One went fishing One got a tummy ache
Then there were two Then there was one
One little parakeet Come here, little
parakeet
Crying, boo hoo.. Until you're older
I'm all alone, what shall I do You can sit upon my shoulder
Title: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window page 1
(Chorus)
How much is that doggie in the window, (Bark Bark)
The one with the waggely
How much is that doggie in the window, (Bark Bark)
I do hope that doggie's for sale.
I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he has a dog he won't be lonesome
And the doggie will have a good home.
Title: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window page 2
I read in the papers there are robbers
With flashlights that shine in the dark
My love needs a doggie to protect him
And scare them away with one bark.
(Chorus)
I don't want a bunny or a kitty,
I don't want a parrot that talks,
I don't want a bowl of little fishies;
He can't take a goldfish for walks.
I have a dog and his name is Rags.
He eats so much that his tummy sags.
His ears flip-flop,
And his tail wig-wags,
And when he walks he goes zig-zag.
He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag. (three times)
I love Rags and he loves me.
(hands at eather side of head for flip-flop, hips wiggle for
wig-wag, arms cross for zig-zag)
My dog Rags he loves to play.
He rolls around in the mud all day.
I whistle but he won't obey.
He always runs the other way.
Start by holding up all 5 fingers - at each line take on
away. On the last line have the final finger run through a
hole made by the other hand.
This kitty said, 'I smell a mouse'
This kitty said, 'Let's hunt through the house'
This kitty said, 'Let's go creepy creep'
This kitty said, 'Is the mouse asleep?'
This kitty said, 'Meow, meow, I saw him go through
this hole just now'
Make some bird tracks and some cat tracks out of black
construction paper.
Tape the footprints on the floor with bird prints (about
three pairs) going vertically and cat prints going
horizontally so that the two sets of prints meet at a right
angle and then only the cat prints continue. Ask the
children what happened.
Children will guess many things, for example, the bird flew
away, the cat ate the bird, the bird jumped on the cat's
back, etc. Ask the children if there is any way they can
know for sure what happened. Talk about clues.
Materials: Paper plates, Crayons, string for hanging
Procedure: Have the children use crayons to colour designs
on both sides of their paper plates. Then cut each plate
around and around in a spiral so that when you are finished,
it resembles a snake. Draw an eye on one end. Then hang the
finished products. If your children are older, they may be
able to cut the paper plates themselves.
I have been doing the jungle theme and I made a fun circle
time project I thought that I would share. Take a twin size
fitted sheet. Fold in half right sides together with the
elastic parts on the top and bottom. Sew bottom and side to
form a tube. Turn inside out and sew a long red felt tongue
on one side and put eyes on the other. (a strofoam ball cut
in half and glued with large googly eyes on top.) Now you
have a big snake with a large mouth.
Have a kid step inside and say the following poem. Gradually
pull up the sheet as you say it.
I'm being swallowed by a big big snake, a big big snake.
I'm being swallowed by a big big snake, a big big snake.
Won't you help me Please!
Oh no, Oh no he swallowed my toe.
Oh me, Oh me he swallowed my knee.
Oh fiddle, Oh fiddle he swallowed my middle
Oh heck, Oh heck he swallowed my neck.
Oh dear, Oh dear he swallowed my ear.
Oh my, Oh my he swallowed my eye.
Oh see, Oh see, he swallowed all of me.
SLUP!!!! PLOP!!
She sailed away on a bright and sunny day,
On the back of a crocodile,
You see said she he's as tame as he can be,
I'll ride him down the nile,
The croc winked his eye as she waved a fond goodbye
Wearing a happy grin.
At the end of the ride,
The lady was inside,
And the smile was on the crocodile.
There was a little turtle: he lived in a box
He swam in a puddle and climbed on the rocks
He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped a flea
He snapped at a minnow and
He snapped at me
He caught the mosquito, he caught the flea
He caught the minnow
But he can't catch me!
Terrific song or poem to use with a turtle puppet.
You can't make a turtle come out,
You can't make a turtle come out,
You can call him,
Or coax him,
Or shake him
Or shout!
But you can't make a turtle come out, come out,
You can't make a turtle come out.
If he wants to stay in his shell,
If he wants to stay in his shell,
You can knock on the door,
but you can't ring the bell,
And you can't make a turtle come out, come out.
You can't make a turtle come out.
Be kind to your four-footed friends,
Be kind to your four-footed friends,
A poke makes a turtle retreat at both ends.
And you can't make a turtle come out, come out,
You can't make a turtle come out.
Continue
So you'll have to patiently wait,
So you'll have to patiently wait,
And when he gets ready, he'll open the gate,
But you can't make a turtle come out, come out,
You can't make a turtle come out.
And when you forget that he's there,
And when you forget that he's there,
He'll be walking around with he head in the air,
But you can't make a turtle come out, come out,
You can't make a turtle come out.
Materials: Animal Crackers, Stiff paper or cardboard,
glue
Glue animals onto paper.
Expansion: For a unit on zoo animals have the children glue
animals onto a meat tray and wrap rope around tray when
finished for the bars.
Or
Teach a one to one corrispondence by having the children glue
the crackers onto a paper that has square boxes previously
drawn on it. One cracker in one box.
Set up an obsticle course, make binoculars from toilet paper
rolls and hang up laminated pictures of wild/zoo animals
around the course. Now go on a safari.
A large cardboard box, construction paper, felt-tip marker,
scissors, tape, craft knife, peanuts
Draw an elephant face on construction paper, cut it out and
tape it on the side of the cardboard box. (Or draw a face
directly on the side of the box.) Use a craft knife to cut
out a hole for the elephant's mouth.
Give the children several peanuts each and let them take
turns trying to feed the elephant. Have them line up a few
feet away from the box and toss the peanuts into the
elephant's mouth. At the end of the game, add more peanuts
to the box. Then let each child reach into the box and grab
a handful of peanuts. Allow the children to keep and eat all
the peanuts they can hold.
One elephant went out to play,
Upon a spider's web one day.
He had such enourmous fun,
He sent for another elephant to come.
Two......Three......Four
One child is the first elephant and walks in circles or on a
line made by masking tape. At the end of the first verse
that elephant chooses another. Etc. Etc.
One, one. The zoo is lots of fun! (Hold up hands with
fingers extended; bend down one finger as you say each
line)
Two, two. See a kangaroo
Three, three. See a chimpanzee
Four, four. Hear the lions roar.
Five, five. Watch the seals dive.
Six, six. There's a monkey doing tricks.
Seven, seven. Elephants eleven.
Eight, eight. A tiger and his mate.
Nine, nine. Penquins in a line.
Ten, ten. I want to come again.
I stuck my head in a little skunk's hole
And the little skunk said, 'Well, bless my soul?'
'Take it out. Take it out. Take it out. Remove it!'
I didn't take it out and the little skunk said,
'If you don't take it out, you'll wish you had....
Take it out, take it out!'
Pshshshshshshshshshshs!........P-U!
I removed it!
Materials: Orange paper in the shape of a giraffe, black
paint, small sponges or cotton balls, clothes pegs, styrofoam
meat tray
Use the clothes pegs as handles and attach a cotton ball or
sponge to the end. Put the paint on a styrofoam meat tray
and using the cotton ball/sponge to dip into paint and dab
spots onto the giraffe.
*The Elephant*
I'm an elephant, as you can see.
I'm big, as big, as big as can be.
My tail is short, my trunk is long.
My feet are big and my back is strong.
- Lois B. McCue
*The Elephant*
The elephant came with his trunk one day
The animals said, 'Unpack and stay.'
The elephant laughed and then he said
'I can't, my trunk is part of my head.'
This is the way the elepant goes. (Clasp hands together,
extend arms, and move them back and forth)
With curly trunk instead of a nose.
The buffalo, all shaggy and fat,
Has two sharp horns in place of a hat.
The hippo with his mouth so wide.Lets you see what is
inside.
(Hands together and open and close them to simulate mouth
movement)
The wiggly snake upon the ground.
Crawls along without a sound. (Weave hands back and
forth)
But monkey see and monkey do,
Is the funniest animal in the zoo. (Make funny faces.)
Play charades with the children. Have each child take a turn
acting out an animal from the zoo. The rest of the group
will try to guess which animal he is pretending to be.
Make a fun animal face with fruit for a wonderful treat.
Give each child: 1/2 canned pear,
2 raisins for eyes,
1/2 cherry for nose,
black licorice for the whiskers,
1/2 canned peach cut in half for ears.
Make a mouse.
Cut out shadow pictures. Number each piece, to indicate the
sequence of use in the story. Glue a piece of sandpaper on
the back of each drawing so it will stick to flannel. (Teach
first/last, middle/top.bottom)
Will you look and see, Whose shadow this could be?
(Put up animal shadow one at a time & remove after
guess.
OR
Elephant, elephant, what will you do? Someone is standing in
front of you. (Repeat each animal)
Lion, Lion, what will you do? (finish with lion)
No one is standing in front of you.
I'll lead the parade, that's what I'll do.
The big gray elephant slowly walks.
She doesn't make a sound.
She swings her trunk from left to right
When she puts her feet on the ground.
Swing, swing, left and right,
She doesn't make a sound.
Have the children think of animals that belong to the
following.
Animals with whiskers.
Animals that are larger than you.
Animals that live on land.
Animals that are smaller than you.
Animals covered with fur.
Animals with a tail, and those without.
Animals that fly.
Animals with a horn.
Animals covered with horns.
Animals that you can hold in your hand.
Animals that live in water.
Collect a set of ten plastic strawberry containers and place
a numeral from one to ten on the bottom of each. These will
serve as zoo cages when turned upside down. Ask the children
to place the appropriate number of plastic animals beneath
the cages.
Count one, 1.
Come and have some fun!
Count two, 1,2.
Let's run to the zoo.
Count three, 1,2,3.
A monkey's in the tree.
Count four, 1,2,3,4.
Hear the animals roar.
Count five, 1,2,3,4,5.
Watch the porpoise dive.
Count six, 1,2,3,4,5,6.
An ape is doing tricks.
Count seven,1,2,3,4,5,6,7. The giraffe is high as heaven.
One little elephant was playing in the sun.
(Child walks around ring)
He thought that playing was such a lot of fun,
He called another elephant and asked him to come.
(A second child joins the first)
Two little elephants were playing in the sun.
They thought that playing was such a lot of fun,
They called another elephant and asked her to come.
(A third child joins in.)
Three elephants were playing in the sun.
Thjey thought that playing was such a lot of fun,
They called another elephant and asked him to come.
(A fourth appears.)
A whooping crane came walking
(keeps legs straight and walk tall)
He wanted to have fun.
But he was very lonesome,
For he was only one.
The whooping crane kept walking,
Till he came to the zoo.
And there he met a camel (Hunch over back and walk)
And he, of course, made two.
The camel and the whooping crane,
They stood beneath a tree.
A huge baboon then came along,
And he, of course, made three.
They talked about the friendly zoo.
They heard an awful roar.
A lion with a yellow mane
Came by and there were four.
A great big lumbering animal
Was the next one to arrive.
She said, 'I am an elephant,'
(lean over and swing arms for trunk)
And she, of course, made five.
Next was a monkey-doodle
All full of funny tricks. (Jump up and down)
He said to them, 'Why, howdy-do', (Tip imaginary hat)
And he, of course, made six.
And then there came the tall giraffe,
Her neck stretched up to heaven.
She bowed and smiled at everyone,
So she, of course, made seven.
A polar bear came lumbering by. (Walk awkwardly)
She said, 'I'm very late.
If I can stay and play with you,
Of course, we will be eight.'
A great huge hippopotamus
(Arms curled at sides of simulated bulk)
Thought it was time to dine.
He stayed and ate a bale of hay,
And he, of course, made nine.
And he, of course, made nine.
A moose with antlers on his head
(Spread fingers on each side of head)
Was kept inside a pen,
But he got loose, the daring moose,
And he, of course, made ten.
The animals all danced around
(Ten children march around room)
They played some zoo games, too.
They were so happy they were friends,
And had their own fine zoo.
Daddy's takin' us to the zoo tomorrow
Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow
Daddy's takin' us to the zoo tomorrow
We can stay all day.
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
How about you, you, you,
You can come too, too, too,
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.
If you should meet a Crocodile
Don't take a stick and poke him;
Ignore the welcome in his smile,
Be careful not to stroke him.
For as he sleeps upon the Nile,
He thinner gets and thinner;
And whenever you meet a Crocodile
He's ready for his dinner.
Take the children on an imaginary safari, complete with
jungle sound effects and all kinds of jungle dangers. Seat
the children on the floor and make appropriate gestures and
noises as the story progresses.
We're going on a Lion Safari. Let's not forget our
binoculars (hands cupped and held to eyes), cameras, and
backpacks! I'm not afraid. Are you? (Noooo!) Bye, Mom!
(Start walking by slapping hands alternately on lap.) Whew,
it's hot (wipe forehead). What's that? A swamp? Tall, tall
grass. Can't go under it, can't go over it...we'll have to
go through it. Swish, swish, swish. Hey, a tree. Let's
climb it. Hang onto the branch and look through you
binoculars. Look up, look down, ......
look all around. See any lions? (Make jungle noises.)
Okay, climb back down - whee! Let's run. Hurry. Uh oh, a
fallen tree. We can't go over it. We can't go around it.
We'll have to go under it! (Get down close to the floor.)
Oh, I made it. Did you?
Who's ready for lunch? Let's have a look in our packs. I've
got a peanut butter sandwich. And an orange! What do you
have? Yum, yum. I'm thirsty. I see a river. (Walk over.)
Scoop up a drink. Aah, cold water. Ouch, mosquitoes! (Slap
cheeks.) Hey. we've got to get across the river. Can't go
under it, can't go over it. We'll have to swim across it.
(Kick, stroke, kick, stroke) Shake off. Let's go. Yuck,
it's muddy here.
Schluck, schluck, schluck. Quicksand? Throw me a rope.
(Pull hard!) Oh, saved! We've got to climb a tree and take
another look. Look up, down, and all around. See a lion?
No? Ssssh, uh oh, what's that? A snake! Jump down. Whew!
Look ahead....a mountain. Can't go over it, can't go under
it. We'll have to go around it. Let's run. Whew, I'm tired
(heavy sigh). Look ahead. (Whisper.) I think I hear
something. Ssssh. Yikes! A lion! Take a picture. Click.
Uh oh, run! Here he comes! (Go all the way back through
every hazard of the trip.) Are you exhausted? Did you
almost get caught? Did anyone lose their binoculars or
camera? Let's go home and tell Mom. I wasn't afraid! Were
you???
A rhinoceros, rhinoceros.
Sometimes he makes a dreadful fuss.
He has a big horn on his nose.
He snorts and rumbles as he goes.
He's very long and very wide.
He has a very wrinkled hide.
He has big hoofs on his four feet.
We feed him grass and hay to eat.
A rhinoceros, a rhinoceros
Is surely not a pet for us.
Using small zoo animals (goodie bag stuffers) and berry
baskets have the children sort the animals.
Possible classifications could be:
- animals with no legs, two legs, four legs
- animals that have feathers, fur, scales
- animals that live in a pond, forest, jungle, desert
- animals that eat meat, leaves
With a neck so long,
To hear his song,
You'll have to stay,
Around all day.
He begins his tune,
Just before noon.
And it comes out right,
About midnight!
One big rhinoceros
Yawns politely with no fuss.
Y-awn! Y-awn!
Two gray elephants
Do a very dainty dance.
Brrr-ump! Brrr-ump!
Three little tiger cats
Are waiting for friendly pats. Pat, pat, pat!
Four little crocodiles-
We like their wide and happy smiles.
Aaaa-p! Aaaa-p!
Five lively kangaroos
Are breaking in a pair of shoes. Thump, thump, thump!
He never makes a sound
To tell when he's around;
Can't sing when he feels sunny
Or laugh when something's funny;
Although he may not mind
Being the silent kind,
I wish that a giraffe
Could laugh.
I love the zoo.
There are so many animals to see.
The silliest animal is the _______.
The tallest animal is the _________.
The smallest animal is the _________.
The most friendly animal is the ________.
The fattest animal is the _____.
The noisiest animal is the ________.
The cleanest animal is the _______.
The prettiest animal is the _______.
My favorite animal is the _______________
If we had room, I would like to keep a _______in my yard.
Walk, walk, softly - slow -
This is the way that tigers go.
Walk, walk, get out of the way!
Tigers are coming to school today.
Creep, creep, - softly - slow -
This is the way that tigers go.
Creep, creep, come and play.
Tigers are here at school today.
Where in the world would you be if....
penguins slid by.....
a parrot chattered in the trees....
a polar bear slept on ice......
a python slithered up a tree....
a kangaroo jumped over your head.....
Have you ever seen the ______, the _______, the ________?
Have you ever seen the _______, That lives in the zoo?
Have the children take turns naming zoo animals for everybody
to sing about. Or let each child sing a verse by herself,
naming whatever animal she wishes.
