marplans1

LESSON PLAN ACTIVITY OPTIONS (MARCH)

All my webpages are continual works in progress, so there's much more coming! You are invited to share your own themes, activities, tips, opinions, children's comments, words of inspiration, or anything else related to these webpages by e-mailing me at stormie@preschoolbystormie.com and I'll post your words with mine, giving you total credit.

SHAPES: Diamond What Is An Octagon? Diamond

From Stormie:

Art Learning Center Activity: "Wind Painting":

To go along with our unit on wind/air, give the children large diamond-shaped paper kites. In the center of each, place two blobs of thinned tempera paint, in two different colors (let the children choose from red, blue, or yellow). Show them how to blow air through a straw to spread the paint on the paper. (In advance, punch holes in the tops of the straws to prevent children from sucking the paint into their mouths.) By using primary colors, when the paints are "blown" together, a secondary color is created. In this activity, and with our guidance, children can:

1. Learn to recognize colors and a new shape (diamond)

2. Learn about science experiments (mixing two colors to create a third one)

3. Begin to understand the concept of moving air/wind

4. Develop eye-hand coordination as they move the straw over the paints to blend them together

Variation Of the Above Activity:

On a very windy day, take the children with you to place a large sheet of thin cardboard in an appropriate outdoor spot that's away from everything and everybody, but preferably close to your classroom window. Anchor the edges of the cardboard to the ground with large rocks, pegs, etc. Together, choose two primary colors of paint to blob onto the cardboard. Go back indoors and let the wind do his thing. Later, go see the results. The children love this and what great sciencing as you discuss the answer to this question: "Can we see the wind?"

Donald or Donna Diamond: Give each child one large construction paper diamond. Also provide collage materials for creating facial features, arms, legs, hats, etc for a take-home "Donald or Donna Diamond."

Pre-Math: Shapes Skills Activity: Matching: Place various colors and/or sizes of circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, and diamonds in the Math Center for children to match. Vary the activity depending on where the children are developmentally. For example, to lessen the difficulty, don't use all the above shapes, or to focus on shape alone, use all one color.

Extension: Shape Identification: This is a great activity to do at various times throughout the rest of the school year once children have had some learning experiences with the basic shapes of "circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and diamond." In advance, draw each of the shapes on an index card -- per child. Keep the children's cards in the Math Center for use during Free Play. Create a set of the above mentioned shapes and laminate them for use over and over again. Periodically hide them throughout the classroom. Tell the children this is "Find My Shape" day. Each time someone finds a shape, they bring it to you, name it, then punch a hole in that same shape on their index card. Do this several times throughout the remainder of the year until each child has all the shapes punched on their cards. Instruct those who complete their cards first to help those who haven't ("If you see a shape, you can tell ____ where it is so they can bring it to me but don't tell them the name of the shape." You might want to reward the little helper with a sticker

). This activity provides small motor skill practice by punching the cards, and it teaches responsibility because the children need to check their own cards to see what shapes they still need to find. It's an activity you can do anytime and often, and you can vary it to better suit your situation.

My Kite Song (by Stormie Seevers)
(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Here is my kite, here is my kite
It's shaped like a diamond, it's shaped like a diamond
It's standing on one corner, it's standing on one corner
Wagging its tail, wagging its tail.
(Sing the song above while holding a kite with a tail and pointing out its corners and wagging its tail.)

Compare squares and diamonds during Group Time

Stormie's Games: By the way, I offer a game called "Crazy Shapes" in the "Teaching Aids" section of "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers."

PLEASE SHARE YOUR IDEAS TOO:

*From Elly Lampner:
Blowing Through Straws: Here's what I did to instruct and demonstrate blowing out, not sucking in with a straw for "blow/wind painting." I gave each child half of a straw and a cotton ball and demonstrated blowing through the straw to move the cotton ball across the table.... I reminded them to make gentle breezes, not tornadoes, and try to do it in 3 or 4 puffs. When they were all able to do that, I challenged them to try 5 or 6 puffs, then 7 or 8. This gave them a visual reminder to blow OUT and a way of judging how hard to puff. When they were all able to control the air flow, I gave them liquid water color paint in small paper medicine cups. I showed them how to use droppers to drop water on paper. I then asked them to compare the designs when they blew low and across the drop versus straight down. They had a blast, and the pictures were great!!!!!!!!!!!

*From Stacie D'Anna:
Blowing Bubbles: Related to blowing through a straw, if you pinch the top of the straw so it's flat and cut a tiny triangle shape from it, the result is a tiny diamond shape as you're cutting through both sides of the straw. Then, as an activity, provide children with small bowls (I like to use small individual sized applesauce cups -- recycling!). Fill them with clear dish soap or bubbles mixed with food coloring and set the bowls over pieces of paper. The kids then blow lots of bubbles until they overflow onto the papers. (I use this as an oral motor activity for kids who have weak mouthing skills.)

Octagon (maybe -- to go along with our number of the month):

*From Stormie:
-- I like doing this shape if the children are ready because it goes along with number 8.

-- I like doing this shape when I do the theme of "Transportation" because it's the shape of a stop sign.

*Shelli Smith from Riverton, Utah kicks off this section of my website with the following terrific activity:

Octagon/Hexagon Sort (for children who are developmentally ready): We learn about number 8 when we learn about octagons, and we review number 6 when learning about hexagons. Children sort octagons and hexagons, then glue the correct number of them (6 or 8) on one half of a sheet of paper (6 hexagons on one half and 8 octagons on the other). It helps to count the sides or corners (and mark each shape with a pencil so the child knows where to start and stop counting).

*From Glenda Thrower, teacher in Maryland: Sing this song while holding an octagon shape and moving your fingers around its edges forming an octagon shape.

Octagon Song
(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Here is an octagon, here is an octagon
How can you tell, how can you tell
It has 8 sides, it has 8 sides
That's how you can tell, that's how you can tell

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Reminder from Stormie: If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom ideas (each on a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you can do so by ordering my "Activity Cards." Click here to check them out.

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