* C
•Clouds.
We read the book "It looked like Spilt Milk".  We go outside and look at 
the
clouds, and use our imaginations to "see" things.  We do a science 
project
with steam to talk about how clouds are made.  Then for art, we do 
"butterfly
prints", but call them cloud prints.  We put a couple drops of white 
paint in
the center of blue paper, fold, and squeeze the paint around.  Then we 
open
them up and write on them what each child thinks they look like.  I am 
always
pleasantly suprised at how creative they are.  The first time I did it I
thought they would just parrot what the older kids said, but it has 
never
happened.

•Sort Bottle Caps or Milk Caps

•Crayon Melting
Cover old heating or warming try with aluminum foil and heat up. Let 
children
lay their papers on the tray and draw with crayons. The wax melts and 
soaks
into the paper. Let wax dry. These are fun to hang in windows for a 
stained
glass effect.

•Make, Decorate and Eat “C” Shaped Cookies

•Big C Shape
Cut out big C shapes from construction paper or posterboard and paste on
cereal.
Cut out big C shapes from construction paper or posterboard and make a
collage.


•Cactus
Read the One Hundred Year Old Cactus - show the children a cactus plant. 
  The
Christmas cactus is especially nice and blooms around December.  Help 
the
children compare the cactus with other plants.  Point out that since a 
cactus
needs less water than other plants, it canlive and grow in hot, dry 
areas.

•Calendar
Remind the children that calanders help us keep track of the days, 
weeks,
months of the year.  Make a calendar for each month.  Review the day of 
the
week and the date each day.  Practice saying the days of the week from 
memory.

•Candle
Provide art supplies for children to make pretend candles.  Use 
toilet-paper
tubes for the candle.  Help the children paint the tubes with tempra.  
Show
them how to stuff red, orange and yellow tissue paper in the top of the 
tubes
for the flame then glue a strip of construction paper around the base 
for the
candle holders.  Help them glue the tubes to small paper plates.

•Candy
Discuss why cake, candy, cupcakes and cookies should not be eaten often 
- help
them make a list of some foods that are heathier (carrots,cucumbers, 
etc)

•Candy Cane
Make a candy cane with pipe cleaners - use one white and one red - twist 
the
pipe cleaners to make a striped stem.  Bend them into a candy cane 
shape.

•Cards
*Sort a deck of playing cards - sort them according to suits - then 
sequence

*Play card games such as "war", "Uno", "Old Maid", "fish".  use the 
cards just
under 5 for the littler kids.

*Collect old Christmas cards - use them to make a Christmas Card 
alphabet
book.

•Carrot
Have several carrots on hand - clean and cook some of the carots - 
invite them
to taste raw and cooked carrots - ask how they are alike and different. 
  Take
a survey - graph the results.

Give each child a carrot - show them how to draw a simple carrot.  Help 
them
describe a real carrot using all of their senses.  Cut real carrots into 
2-3"
pieces - use them like a rubber stamp - dip in orange tempra - print to 
make a
letter C

Read the Carrot Seed - grow a carrot - choose a carrot that still has 
green
leaves and stems attached - cut the carrot 2" from the top - place in a
shallow bowl - place pebbles around the carrot then half fill with water 
- set
in a sunny window - new sprouts will appear in about a week.  Once the 
carrot
has sprouted - plant it in some soil and enjoy watching it grow.

•Cars
Invite the children to cut out pictures of cars from old magazines -make 
a
collage.

Discuss why we have cars - what other types of vehicles are there?

Have the kids bring toy cars from home to share.  Help them arrange the 
cars
in a letter C!  Read Cars by Anne Rockwell.

Kids love to make car noises. Let them following you along a imaginary 
road
and pretend to be cars.  Go fast and "zoom" go slowly, stop quickly and 
"eek"
as brakes work - go around lots of curves - putt-putt-putt with engine 
trouble
- etc...

•Cassette
Cut a large C and hang it over your cassette recorder - help them learn 
to use
it.

Tape the kids as a group or individually saying the ABC's counting and 
singing
songs.  Replay the tape - let them guess who is who

Have the children bring a cassette tape from home to share

•Cat
Draw a simple cat shape on a large piece of paper - (if the kids are old
enough have them draw it) have the children paint their cats Black and 
cut
them out when the paint is dry.  Have them add eyes and wiskers -

Read Cat in the Hat, Have You Seen My Cat?, Cats! Cats! Cats, Millions 
of
Cats, Calico Cat Looks at Colors.  Let them draw pictures of their 
favorite
story book cat

Make paper doll cats -

Play Copycat - stand in front of the group and demonstrate a movement 
such as
shaking your arm, making a funny face, standing on one foot, etc.  
Challenge
the children to copy you - after you have acted out 4-5 movements invite 
the
children to take turns being the leader.

Place carbon paper between two pieces of paper -staple them together - 
have
them draw C's and cats then pull apart the carbon paper to reveal the 
copy
underneath.

•Catalog
Have an assortment of catalogs available.  Let the children browse 
through and
cut out five favorite items - glue them on construction paper - C is for
Catalogs

•Clay
Encourage the children to play with clay - Make clay - let me know if 
you need
a recipe

Collect a variety of cookie cutters - use them as clay shapers - look 
for
large seasonal cutters and alphabet cutters too

•Clean
Emphasize putting toys away when finished playing - give out best 
cleaner
buttons to children who help

Set up a Cleaning Center - include a small broom, mop, dustpan, sponge, 
apron,
feather duster, vacuum, etc.... Demonstrate the proper use then 
encourage the
children to try

•Clock
make paper clocks on paper plates - Attach construction paper hands with
brads.  Identify the big hand and little hand -if the children are old 
enough
use the clocks to tell the time and hour

Discuss why we have clocks - Play Rock around the Clock - Wee Sings 
Round the

Clock soung (explains the function of a clock)

•Cloth
Explain that cotton grows on plants.  Cotton is made into thread, the 
thread
is woven into cloth and the cloth is sewn into clothing.  Read From 
Cotton to
Pants - Cut cotton cloth into strips.  Invite the children to fel the 
cloth
and decide whether warm or cold weather clothing shoud be made from 
cotton.

Use Cotton Balls to make a letter C

Read Corduroy books - let the children feel some cordury - discuss why 
the
bear might have been named Corduroy.

Discuss why we wear coats - cut pictures from magazines - - make a 
closet for
the coats by folding a piece of construction paper the long way - glue a 
small
construction paper circle on the closet for a doorknob and write "My 
Coat
Closet" glue the picures of the coats inside.

•Clouds
Read Hi Clouds - use tempra to make large gray or white clouds on blue 
paper -
to give the clouds texture glue cotton to some of them.

Fold a sheet of paper in half - drop a large dab of white tempra along 
the
inside fold - have the children refold the paper - and smooth it with 
their
hands.  Open the paper to reveal a cloud.

Read It Looked Like Spilt Milk - If possible, on a nice cloudy day take 
the
kids outside - and lie down on blankets and watch the clouds go by - 
discuss
the shapes.

•Clover
If Clover is in season have the children pick some - Cut a large Letter 
C -
glue the clovers on.

•Clown
Paint clown faces on all interested children.  Take pictures of your 
cute
clowns

make a clown face out of a paper plate, const paper, and an inflated 
balloon.
Have them color a clown face - then punch a small hole in the center of 
the
face - help the kids pull the knot of the balloon through the hole and 
tape
the know in the back.

Read the Clown-Arounds and C Is for Clown - have the children draw their
favorite clowns

•Coal
Make coal or charcoal crystals.  put coal or charcoal briquets in a tray 
- mix
together 2 TBS each - salt, water, bluing (avail in the laundry section 
) pour
over coal or charcoal.  Add drops of food coloring whever - coat each 
piece
with a few drops of ammonia - the next morning you should see crystals
beginning to form - if not repeat the process

Draw pictures with charcoal = spreat lots of newspapers

•Coconut
Demonstrate how to crack a coconut - cut the coconut into little chunks 
-
invite the children to sample the coconut and the coconut milk.

•Coins
Have an assortment of coins on hand - let the children help count the 
number
of coins - sort them into stacks - discuss how they are alike and 
different

Have the children place coins under typing paper - rub the side of a 
crayon
over the place where the coin is under the paper -

Give each child a penny, a nickel, a dime and a quarter - hold up one 
coin -
have the children hold up a matching coin

Put one coin inside a feely bag - invite the children to reach inside 
and see
if they can guess which coin it is.

•Cold
Glue pictures of hot and cold foods on index cards - help the children 
sort
the pictures into hot and cold categrories

•Colors
Read   Colors, Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue?.   Cut a large 
letter C
from const. paper - let the kids use water colors to paint the C 
different
colors.

Hold up objects and ask the children to name the color.

Play "I Spy"

Sort colored blocks, buttons, jar lids, etc... by color

Write color words on flash cards for older children - practice reading 
the
words aloud

Set up a Coloring Center - place crayons, coloring books, drawing paper,
tracing paper, markers, colored pencils, etc...

Make color caterpillars - give the children construction paper circles - 
one
for each of the eight basic colors - tape one circle to a classroom 
wall.  Add
eyes and antenna to make the caterpillars head.

•Comics
Have the children share their favorite comic strips.

Save the Sunday comics and daily comics - cut the comic strips into 
separate
frames, cut out a large construction paper C - glue comic frames on the 
letter
C - if they are old enough have them sequence them

•Computer
Teach them a computer game - Try Jump Start for Toddlers - or My Very 
First
Software - All of the Disney Animated Story Books are good - Magic 
School Bus
is good too!

•Cookies
Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with the kids - a triple C word

•Corn
Read Corn Is Maize:  The Gift of the Indians - make cornbread

Cut out 2 Letter C's - spread w/glue - sprinkle one with cornmean and 
the
other with popcorn kernels.

Make Corn on the Cob - have the children list other foods that are 
yellow

•Counting
Teach the kids a counting song - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, Ten Little 
Fingers,
5 Little Monkeys, etc.....

Read Anno's Counting Book - One, Two, Three - One Was Johnny: A Counting 
Book,
etc...  Have the children count anything you have on hand

•Crawl
Sponsor crawling relays.  Draw two large letter C's on the floor w/chalk 
or
tape - have the chlidren crawl along the C.

have the kids make C shapes with their bodies.

•Cream
Invite the children to fingerpaint with shaving cream - have them write 
some
Letter C's in the cream

•Cucumbers

•C is for cookie
Just this week we were singing C is for cookie and made up a bunch of 
verses c
is for cake, carrots, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, and as many things 
they
can think of. It is so easy to sing.
  C is for Cookie, thats good enough for me, C is for cookie, thats good 
enough
for me, C is for cookie, thats good enough for me. Cookie, Cookie, 
cookie.
Cookie starts with C!

•Cutting
Let the children practice free cutting - start with snipping -give them 
strips
of paper - (make sure the width is only about 2/3 the width of the 
scissor
blade) have the children snip - the strip - glue the pieces on a letter 
C to
make a masaic

Show the children how to cut fringe.

•Castles
Use PT and TP rolls to make a castle - cut slits in the tops to attach 
to
other rolls to make varying heights - use imagination!  Paint the tubes
goldish and use sponge squares in red paint to make it look like a stone
castle.

•Clown Bank
Tape a round piece of cardboard to each end of the PT tube.  Cut a slot 
for
the clowns mouth.  (make it big enough for coins to fit through).  Paint 
the
tube white.  Glue yarn hair and clown features cut from paper.

•Curly Caterpillars
Have the children glue colored paper strips (aprox 1 1/2 X 8 inch) into 
rings.
Glue six or seven rings together to form a long caterpillar. The 
children can
draw faces and use pipe cleaners as antennae.

•Calico Cats
Supply fabric or wallpaper scraps for cutting out the head and body of 
the
cat. Have the children add features with markers and/or crayons. Have 
each
child tell something about their Cat. Write out what the children say in 
their
own words, then have them find and circle the Cs in their recitations.

•Cave
Make a cave in one corner of the play area by draping sheets or blankets 
over
some tables. Let the children pretend to be caterpillars crawling in and 
out
of the cave. Ask them to make the hard sound of C as they crawl around.

•Catch It!
Cut off the tops of plastic milk jugs with handles to use as receptacles 
for
catching balls and beanbags that the children can "toss" to each other. 
Remind
the children to be cautious when doing this activity.


•Crazy Caterpillar Critters
Provide a variety of vegetables that begin with the letter C, such as 
celery,
carrots, cucumbers, cabbage and cauliflower. Cut these into small pieces 
and
rounds. Have them assemble a caterpillar in the shape of a C by sticking 
the
vegetables together with peanut butter or cream cheese. Give each child 
a
piece of cabbage to be the "grass" under the crazy critter.


•Cc Foods To Try
Cabbage, cake, cantaloupe, carrot juice, carrots, carrot salad, cashews,
casserole, catfish, catsup, cauliflower, clamato juice, clams, cobbler, 
cocoa,
coconut, cold cuts, cole slaw, collard greens, consomme', cookies, corn 
bread,
corned beef, corn dogs, corn muiffins, corn-on-the-cob, cottage cheese, 
crab,
crab apples, crackers, cranberries, cream, cream cheese, creamed corn, 
crepes,
cucumbers, cupcakes, curry, custard


•Chicken Pox Pancakes:
  Strawberries
  Pancake mix
  Bananas
  Powdered sugar
  
Chop the berries into small chunks, allowing one or two per pancake 
face.
Set aside.
  
Prepare the pancake mix according to package directions.  When the 
pancakes
are done, place each serving in a stack on a separate plate.
  
For every two stacks of pancakes, you need to peel one banana.  
Carefully
slice off the two ends and put one on top of each stack for a nose.  
Then
cut two thin slices from each end for eyes.  Then cut banana in half for 
a
long curved mouth.
  
Arrange the strawberry chunks chicken pox all around each face.  Drop a
pinch of powdered sugar on each pox for a tasty bit of puss.  Serves as 
many
little polka dotted people as your heart desires.

•Cookies
Make a cookie game. Cut out a round circle from brown const. paper. 
Using a
paper punch, make some darker "chocolate chips".  Things to do with 
this:
~Let them count out the chips and glue them on the "cookie".
~Arrange the "chips"(in shapes, as a face, by groups, etc.) before 
gluing on.
~Make larger "chips" and put numbers on them. Have them glue in order.
With the larger "chips", put the letters of their name, see if they can
arrange properly, then glue.

•The Biggest Cookie In The World (written by Linda Hayward, ill. by Joe
Ewers) is a simple Sesame Street book which kids love to "read" (they 
can
memorize it very quickly).
  
•.Chocolate Chip Cookies (written by Karen Wagner, ill. by Leah Palmer
Preiss) is simple instructions for making them.

•.If You Give A Mouse A Cookie (written by Laura Joffe Numeroff, ill. by
Felicia Bond) is a great book for sequencing activities; have the kids 
help
tell the story with small props to represent all the parts of the story
[Lakeshore also has a storytelling apron kit for this story, there is a
CD-ROM available, and an adorable cassette with activity songs].

•Alligator Cookies (James Young) is a rhyming book which can be read 
with
older (4 and 5) children; it includes a recipe for no-cook green 
cornflake and
peanut butter cookies.

•The Doorbell Rang (Pat Hutchins) is a wonderful math and sharing story;
Make reproductions of the people in the story which can be used on a
chalkboard [could also be  flannel/velcro] with magnetic cookies--the
children love retelling story and playing with the manipulatives.

•"Who Stole The Cookie?"-traditional game---if anyone needs the words, I
think I have them.
  
•"Cookies in the Bakery Shop"-one child is baker, others are either 
cookies
or customers; baker counts cookies and we say:  "[number] little cookies 
in
the bakery shop, All prettied up with sugar on top, Along came [child's 
name]
with a penny to spend, She [or he] bought a cookie and away they went"  
this
is repeated as each customer buys a cookie until there are none left and 
then
we pick a new baker (my students insist on doing this several times!)

• 8.class graph-"Which of these cookies do you like best?"  Have a few 
to
sample, trying to represent different cultures in my daycare.

•dramatic play and playdough-both house area and playdough table are
stocked with cookie sheets, rolling pins, etc.

•Also, for craft stuff, you could have the kids cut out a cookie shape 
and
  have different "ingredients" to glue on them-like, chocolate chips, 
nuts,
  pieces of hard candy, cheerios or fruit loops.

•"The Runaway Cookies" from Storytelling with the Flannel Board (Book1) 
.
Patterns for the flannel board include a cookie jar with a lid that 
comes
off, a gingerbread man, a rabbit, a duck, a teddy bear and a lamb.

The Runaway Cookies

The cookie jar people
Hopped out one night
When the cookie jar lid
Was not on tight.

The gingergread man
Opened raisin eyes
And looked about

In great surprise.

The frosted bunny
Twinkled his nose
And danced around
On his cookie toes.

The sugary duck
Began to quack
And shake the sugar
Off his back.

The cinnamon bear
Could only grunt
For he was too fat
To do a stunt.

The coconut lamb
Jumped up so high
That his little white tail
Flew toward the sky.

They were all so happy
To be at play
That they danced and danced
And danced away.

They danced away
So very far
That they never came back
To the cookie jar.

•Cc Books to Explore
Corn Is Maize - by Aliki
The Brave Cowboy - by Joan Anglund
Anno's Counting Book - by Mitsumasa Anno
C Is for Clown - by Stan and Janice Berenstain
One Two Three: An Animal Counting Book - by Marc Brown
Have You Seen My Cat?  By Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - by Eric Carle
Calico Cat Looks at Colors - Donald Charles
The Clown-Arounds - Joanna Cole
Ten Black Dots - Donald Crews
Clothes - Peter Curry
One, Two, Three - Peter Curry
New Clothes for Alex - Mary Dickinson
Corduroy - (many in the series) Don Freeman
Millons of Cats - Wanda Gag
The Candy Corn Contest - Patricia Giff
Hi, Clouds - Carol Greene
Is It Red, Is It Yellow, Is It Blue - Tana Hoban
The One-Hundred Year Old Cactus - Anita Holmes
The Carrot Seed - Ruth Kraus
>From Cotton to Pants - Ali MitgutschColors - by John Reiss
Cars - Anne Rockwell
One Was Johnny: A Counting Book - Maurice Sendak
Cat In the Hat - Dr. Seuss
It Looked Like Spilt Milk - Charles Shaw
Cats! Cats! Cats! - Bernard Wiseman