CIRCUSCIRCUSFrom Stormie:
HAVE A CLOWN DAY:
*Simple
Clown Hats: Children decorate pieces of construction paper with collage materials.
Once dry, help them to form the decorated sheet of paper into a cone shaped hat.
Scotch tape the overlapped edges of the cone together and help the children staple
an elastic strap to it so it can be worn.
*Clown
Faces: Place small round paper plates, crayons, markers, and collage materials
on the creative art table for children to create clown faces (happy, sad, etc)
on the plates. Provide various sizes of paper shapes (circles, triangles,
etc) for eyes, noses, hats, and so on. If doing this indoors, you might
want to hang clown pictures on the walls of the art area.
*Using
face paints, decorate children's faces into the clown expression of their choice.
*Using
tape, attach large red pom-poms to the children's noses for clowns.
*Play
"Pin the Nose on the Clown."
*Balloons:
Provide construction paper for children to cut out their own balloon shapes
and glue them on paper. They can then dip string or yarn pieces (that have
been cut in advance) into glue and lay them directly underneath their balloons
to dry.
*Flannelboard
Pieces: You can create your own clown and balloon shapes very easily from
construction paper by simply cutting out basic shapes (squares, triangles, circles,
ovals, etc), add felt to the back--instant flannelboard pieces. You can
then: 1. Make
up clown stories involving sad and happy clowns (circles with frowns and smiles
drawn on them).
2.
Allow children to sort various sizes of balloon shapes (ovals and circles).
3. Allow children
to create clown heads/faces from a variety of pre-cut, felt-backed shapes.
4. During group
time, play a "colors, shapes, or positions" game, or combine the three: "Alice,
place a red balloon "above" a green one." "Joey, place a blue clown hat "under"
a round yellow balloon." And so on.
*Snacks:
1. My Own Clown:
In picnic-cardboard dishes, for each child, place a round scoop of ice cream (flavor
chosen by the child). Provide the children with goodies for creating a face
on their clowns (chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch candy chips, raisins,
mini marshmallows, cherries, banana rounds, nuts -- if
no allergies, etc. Coconut can be used
for hair. Give each child a sugar-cone for a hat. You may want to
ask the children to "make a decision" about what they're going to use for their
clown faces before giving them the ice cream. Talk about why (ice cream
melts). Also, you may want to even throw in a little science by creating
a face in advance and let the children watch what happens as the ice cream melts.
2. Fine Motor Fun Clowns:
Have children make cookies using large clown cookie cutters. Once the cookies
are cool, they can squeeze frosting from tubes to decorate them (provide several
colors of frosting).
*Invite
a clown to school/camp.
Provide Disney "Dumbo" books for children to enjoy.
Circus
Art: In advance, provide red and white paints at the easel. Direct children's
attention to the red and white stripes of the circus and then challenge them by
asking them if they can make red and white stripes at the easel. (The challenge
is alternating the stripes.) (Provide them with colors of paper to paint
on -- except red or white, of course.)
Variation:
Provide small sheets of paper for the painting -- say 1/2 piece of an 8 1/2 x
11 yellow sheet of construction paper. When the paintings are dry, fold
them into a circular shape forming the tent or "Big Top." (As you will see,
you will need to do some trimming to make the bottom of the tent level.)
The children can then cut a vertical slit from the bottom and fold it back creating
a door leading to the inside.
Make popcorn or eat fresh peanuts.
Move Like the Animals: While playing slow music, ask the children which circus animals would move slowly then have them imitate that movement (elephants). Likewise, which animals would move very quickly? Play fast music as children move like prancing horses, for example.
Peanut Hunt: Hide peanuts on the playground and have children lumber around like elephants hunting for them.
Pretend Cotton Candy: Have children
pull large white cotton balls or cotton snow apart then place it into a bag that
has dry pink (or other color) tempera in it. Close the bag and have the
child shake it to color the cotton. They then glue the cotton onto cardboard
paper towel tubes. Yes, the dry tempera is messy, but art projects usually
are messy. As an alternative, you might find a good price on colored cotton
balls at a thrift store.
If you
do use the dry tempera, I suggest you package the "cotton candy" in a bag before
sending home.
Animal Train:
Allow children to create their own circus animal from collage materials then
have them glue them in a row on a long sheet of butcher paper, as if all the animals
were walking behind one another.
Variation:
Rather than just "any" animal, you could let the children decide on one animal
(elephant, horse) then allow each child to create his/her own version of that
animal.
Animal Cages: Provide shoeboxes
(cages), magazine animal pictures to glue inside the boxes, and strips of construction
paper to glue across the shoebox opening for bars. (Turn this into a
two day project by allowing children to paint the boxes on day one.)
Extension: Make a circus train by attaching all
the boxes together.
Hold A Pretend Circus:
Do this just with the children alone, or you can make a kind of "program"
out of it and invite parents. Children can practice their roles, and depending
on how elaborate you want to get, parents may wish to provide simple costumes
and props for their children. I personally prefer (and was taught) to keep
it simple, rather than putting young children through rehearsed programs, but
I know opinions on this vary. I have worked with both schools of thought.
Here are a few notes on how we did our "Circus":
*Set
up a real tent (canopy).
*Serve
peanuts or popcorn
*Toss
fresh peanut shells all over the floor for drama
*Have
children decorate flag-shaped banners and balloons for hanging in random locations.
*Children
can pretend to be animals and or circus performers:
1.
Tigers can jump through hoops (in advance, children can glue various sized pieces
of crepe paper squares to the rim of a hoola hoop).
2.
Strong Men can lift barbells (cut barbell shapes from thick styrofoam then paint
them or use cardboard tubes).
3.
Horses can gallop around in a circle.
4.
Tightrope Walkers: Children can walk across a balance beam carrying an umbrella
above their heads. They can walk forward, backwards, sideways, etc.
5. Lions: One child
can be the "tamer" and others can be the lions. The tamer can direct the
lions to do various things like sit on a stool, etc.
6.
Elephants: A group of "child" elephants can lumber to the center of the ring on
all fours and do things like hold up one foot, etc.
7.
Dancing Bears: A group of "child" bears can "dance" around in the center of the
ring.
8.
Child "clowns" (in make-up) can act silly as they run through the audience or
ride around on tricycles with crepe paper streamers attached to the handlebars.
9. One child, who
is very verbal and not shy, could be the Ringmaster (with your assistance).
Very simple costumes: All the children can decorate
headbands in advance using sequins, stars, and glitter.
Action Song:
Gross Motor:
1.
Create a large clown face on the side of a large cardboard box. Cut out
the eyes and mouth forming large holes. Children then try to toss beanbags
through the holes.
2.
Toss beanbags through various sizes of hoops.
3. Have children
decide how to move their own bodies through hula hoops.
From
Nicole Mercer, The Kenworthy School, Maitland, Florida:
Circus Snack/Pre-Math
Activity: (Be sure children wash their hands before
they begin.) Set three bowls out on a table, one with peanuts, one
with animal crackers, and one with banana chips. Give each child a Ziploc
bag with his/her name on it. Have them count out 10 of each item (more or
less, depending on their age and stage of development) to put in their bags. Seal
the bags and shake for a yummy circus snack! Enjoy!
Favorite
Books:
*From Stormie: Clifford at the
Circus, by Norman Bridwell: Everyone's favorite
dog, Clifford, finds trouble when he joins the circus.
*From
Nicole Mercer: If I Ran the Circus, by Dr. Suess
*From
Patricia: Anna in a Circus Adventure, by Patricia
Padron (Max Stasuyk, Illustrator)
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