Favorite Quotes

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."
— Emilie Buchwald

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
-- Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

Monday, March 15, 2010

Introduction to Spring (Early Childhood)

This theme would be great after a study of baby and mommy animals, or this theme could be done as a followup.
This would also be a great introduction to a study of eggs and egg laying animals. Other topics to go in more depth on may be flowers-Butterflies-ducks-etc.
Topics:
Bunnies, Flowers, Egg intro, butterflies, chicks, baskets, pastels, chocolate, dressing up, seeds, lambs, ducks
-Food center: Chocolate focus, dyeing eggs, bunny foods
-Art:Ukrainian Easter eggs, basket weaving, pastel supplies, art projects about the theme
-Easel: Pastels
-Water: watering cans, ducks
-Sand: easter grass and plastic eggs and chicks
-Sensory: seed planting, flowers
-Science: growing flowers, nests, seeds with magnifying glasses, caterpillar to butterfly, introduce the incubator-preview egg theme, spring weather games (sorting, rain gauge, windsock, flowers felt board, flower part stamps
-Literacy: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, flower games with letters, spring books, Mary had a little lamb, spring songs-fingerplays-rhymes, Peter Rabbit, Here comes Peter Cottontail, Five Little Ducks, ducks alphabet game, one duck stuck
-Dramatic Play: Hat store
-Blocks: bunny cages, egg mazes, building with baskets
-Parent Table: daffodil and Easter Lilly, decorate the sign in/out book
-Cubby Tags: bunnies, chicks, and decorated eggs
-Housekeeping:add spring touches such as flowers in vases, new windowscape, add eggs to the play food
-Music: egg shakers, spring CDs
Puppets: Rabbits and Chicks
Math:Stamp spring patterns, flowers counting box
Puzzles: Spring, Rabbits, Ducks, etc.
Montessori: Egg beaters, egg scale, baskets
Activity ideas:
Egg hunt, manners party in dressy clothes, field trip and guest speakers