ohistory

MINI-HISTORY: Columbus Day (second Monday of each October)

From Stormie:
Thanks to Elly Lampner, Randolph, Massachusetts, I added a "Columbus Day" theme to my October pages because I love her lesson planning idea below as a preschooler mini-introduction to Christopher Columbus, a great explorer. In spite of the negativity surrounding the man himself, I feel that in a preschool setting, we can still focus on the holiday as a celebration of the "discovery of America," and children can learn about ships, voyages, and great explorers of long ago (mini-history).

^ From Elly Lampner, Randolph, Massachusetts:
"One of our teachers painted a beach mural that extends from the wall of one room into another. The children rotate through these rooms for various activities. I asked them where they thought boats went when they reached the end of the wall. Most of them said they would go on around to the next wall (smart kids ). I used an inflatable globe to tell them about a voyager named Christopher Columbus. I shared pictures of paintings of Columbus and his ships. Later I provided pictures of different ships for coloring (though usually we discourage ditto sheets). In advance, I outlined each ship picture with a square frame. This allowed me to extend the activity into having the children cut out their ships (along the square), thus tying in the shape of the month along with cutting practice (fine motor). I also provided crayons, markers, glue, and Styrofoam trays which extended the activity into allowing for the children's own creativity. (I showed the children blue plastic wrap for representing water if they wanted to use it in some way.) After sharing the portrait of Columbus the children began talking about his hat and how he must have been a pirate. This presented a great spontaneous teacher moment as we then discussed the fashion of that time. I explained how lots of people wore those hats, and that not all people who wear them are robbers or someone threatening (like Captain Hook). Then I remembered and shared with them that old song, 'My Hat, It Has Three Corners.' (They loved the way we progressively left out major words and substituted gestures.)"

^ From Stormie:
I thought everyone knew the words to the song Elly mentioned above, but based on my e-mail, that's not true, so here it is:

My Hat It Has Three Corners My hat it has three corners Three corners has my hat And had it not three corners It would not be my hat! While singing, tap your head when you say the word "hat," hold up three fingers on the word "three," and make a triangle with your fingers on the word "corners." Sing it a second time, leaving out the word "hat" but still making the gesture. Sing it a third time, leaving out "hat and three" but still making the gestures. Sing it a fourth time, leaving out "hat, three, and corners." Get the idea? It can get very tricky but 4 yr olds love it!

Variation/Extension to Elly's idea above: Give each child a three-cornered hat. Provide scissors and strips of paper for them to snip (which is the cutting skill for this month). They can glue their "snips" all over their hats.

Remember to define new words to the children (like "voyage" and "explorer")

Tell children the names of Columbus's three ships on his first voyage: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

Easel Painting: Provide several shades of blue and green paints at the easel and have children paint the ocean on which ships might sail. Once the paintings have dried, give children the option of taking them to the art center and collaging their own ships at sea onto their papers.

Art/Craft: Provide children with Styrofoam trays and paper sails to decorate. Afterwards, help them attach the sails to the ships using wooden shish-kabob sticks (with the sharp ends broken off). Later (or the next day during Free Choice Playtime), allow the children to take turns sailing their ships in water at the water table.

Go Shopping: Shop at a garage sale, flea market, thrift store, or dollar store for a big toy sailboat to put in your Blocks/Transportation Center. Or buy little sailboats for the water table.  Put them out only for this theme each year to make it extra special.  (These are examples of items you can buy for yourself rather than for the school where you work.)

Gross Motor Action Song: Sing "Sail, Sail, Sail Your Ship" (tune: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat").  While singing, pretend to hoist a real sail.

Creative Drama/Mini-Music Appreciation: How about pretending to hoist a sail to the sounds of classical music?   :-)

Creative Drama/Class Project: Have children paint and/or collage 3 appliance-sized boxes large enough for a couple children to sit in at a time. Pieces of white sheets could be painted and attached to the "boats" for sails.  A big blue sheet under the boats could serve as the ocean.  (You could save the boats and then put them out again during your "Transportation" unit.)
Alternative: Children bring shoeboxes from home to decorate. Have them name their ships.

Language: Create a Story: Have the children pretend to take a "voyage" on the sea and tell you the story.  You could begin it by saying something like, "Once upon a time, 15 explorers took a voyage on the sea.................." Have the children be "authors" by continuing the story and giving it a title. Print their exact words on paper. Read their story back to them later, pointing to the words.  Allow them to also be "illustrators" by drawing pictures to go along with the words.

Pre-Math Learning Center/Fine Motor: Sails: Line up 5-10 styrofoam trays (ships) on a table with a number card taped to the table under each ship. Also provide a container of pre-cut sails complete with toothpicks or dowels already in them. Children look at the number under the ships and then poke that many sails into them. (Instead of the trays, large thick chunks of styrofoam also work, or anything that can be poked with the sticks.)

Science: What a perfect theme for putting out the old familiar "sink and float" activity.

Snack Sails: Children lay a long celery or carrot stick on a paper plate and then give it a sail (cheese cut into triangles or rectangles). (They can simply place the cheese right next to the veggie stick rather than poking it in.)

^ From Lili, in Mexico City:
Snack: The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria:
In advance, have children create cardboard sails. You can make it a "following directions" activity by having them do something specific like color a cross design (+) as seen in early photos of the ships of Columbus. Help them poke a shish kabob stick through their sails (break off the pointy end). At snacktime, cut melons into eighths. Have the children (with very clean hands) poke their sails into their melon pieces to create one of the ships of Columbus.

Suggested Books:
Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus, by Peter Sis
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