1) Cornstarch Activity I mixed (for each child) 1/2 cup of cornstarch in a small bowl. (a small margaring tub workswell.) I gave them each a small container containing 1/4 cup of water. They mixed it in a teaspoon at a time noticing the changes each time. When it was all mixed in I played with it too. What a weird feeling. It was an amazing sensory experience. 2) Fishing with juice can lids I used a dowel (cut in half) and tied a piece of narrow fabric ribbon around one end and tied a magnet to the end of the ribbon to make a fishing pole. Then I took a bunch of the juice lids and colored fish, shaped, letters, numbers, and their names on them. * What they do is sit on the couch and fish into the carpet (water) and then identify the fish they caught (I caught an "L", or, I caught a red fish). They really have a blast. The dowels and the magnets I found at the hardware store, and the ribbon at a Walmart type store. Cheap new toy. (The best kind!) 3) Juice can lids/banks I cut the lid of a coffee can to make a bank. The juice can lids make such a great sound as they're being put in. The smaller size juice can lids work just as well. They are "dimes". 4) Juice can lids/matching game Copy paper with different things on them, glue them on the juice lids and have a matching game. The little kids think it is so neat how to remember where the other cow is or the cat. You can also use this as recognition to numbers and words and so on and on. 5) Juice can lids/mom's day idea Kids can decorate them for MOMS DAY put magnets on the back! Make a board game of matching pieces or matching "lid" game. 6) Juice can lids/play money I use the juice lids for play money. I'm the only one I know who has 2,3,4, etc amounts of money. The kids love it. And the babies chew on it and don't swallow it, like paper money. 7) Magic Mud We mix a couple of boxes in a larger tub rather than the margarine tub. I have even on occasion had them put their feet in it, washed first, of course, and they loved it. One teacher dyes it green for St. Patrick's Day. This can be kept for several days, just add a little water each day. Personally I would not keep it over a week. 8) Take home activity bag/bubble bag books: they are good for a variety of levels of readers/listeners. They are: Grandpa's Secret Solution by Holly Hartman with illustrations by Nina Ollikainen (a HOMEPLAY book, very simple and comes with a tape with a song), Bubble Trouble by Mary Packard with illustrations by Elena Kucharik (a Hello Reader book), and Tomie de Paola's Bubble Trouble (a little bit longer than the others). I include a few bubble recipes, a standard bubble wand, and Professor Bubbles' web site address for the few online families. 9) Cobbler, Mend My Shoes Sit the children in a circle.Select one child to sit in the center. This child gives a shoe to a child in the circle, and then closes his eyes. The children pass the shoe around the circle while chanting this rhyme. When the chant is finished the child holding the shoe puts it behind his back, the child in the middled trys to guess. Then they switch places. Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe. Have it done by half past two. Stitch it up and stich it down. Now see with whom the shoe is found. 10) DOGGY, DOGGGY, WHERES YOUR BONE Sit the children in a circle. Put a chair in the center of the circle. Place a block or a pretend bone under the chair. Select one child, the dog, to sit on the chair and close his eyes. Then point to another child. This child must try to get the dog bone without making a noise. After the child returns to his place all children put their hands behind their back. Then unisom the children chant ,Doggy, doggy, wheres your bone. Switch in a new child. 11) Flower Pots Use foam cups and let children draw pictures on them. Crayons or colored pencils work well for this. 12)Fingerplay-My Garden This is my garden, I'll rake it with care And then some flower seeds I'll plant there The sun will shine And the rain will fall And my garden will blossom and grow straight and tall 13) Poem-The Flower Here's a green leaf And here's a green leaf That you see makes two Here is a bud that makes a flower Watch it bloom for you 14) Poem-Rain On The Green Grass Rain on the green grass And rain on the tree And rain on the housetop But not upon me 15) Field Trip Visit a greenhouse or tour a nursery. 16) Sunflowers-Art Cut out a large yellow circle. Glue on large yellow petals. Attach a stem. 17) Poem-Dig A Little Hole Dig a little hole Plant a little seed Pour a little water And pull a little weed 18) Seed Collage Collect all types of seeds. Have children glue them onto construction paperto create a collage. 19) Bird Walk Take a walk and look for and listen to the birds. 20) Farm Theme Corn Cob Painting Dried corn cobs are good to use for painting pictures. Let children use them as brushes. Crop Collage Have children cut out pictures of vegetables and glue on construction paper. Cut these pictures from magazines. Use them to create a crop collage. Explain that most vegetables grow together in large rows. 21) Frogs Theme Lily Pads Give children a large piece of green construction paper. Let them cut out their own lily pads. Leap Frog Lay lily pads around the room. Children can leap from lily pad to lily pad. 22) Butterflies Theme Caterpillars Make them out of egg cartons. Caterpillar Wiggle Children can wiggle on the carpet like caterpillars. Cocoons Let children wrap cotton batting around a craft stick to simulate a cocoon.