SPRING Blowing In The Wind I have a simple spring idea for outdoor reading & activity last spring. When the dandilions are at their fuzzy stage we read the book by Eric Carl, The Tiny Seed . Then we blew the dandilions and watched them fly; also used bubble to represent seeds too. This is more fun on a windy day . RAINBOWS (my favorites) red circle 9 " orange circle 8" yellow circle 7" green circle 6" blue circle 5" purple circle 4" Glue the orange onto the red. The yellow onto the orange. the green onto yellow, etc. Let dry, cut in half, glue back to back and hang. It is great because the children do not glue them directly in the center, so every rainbow has it's own personality. Clouds Cut two cloud shapes out of white fingerpaint paper. Glue around edges except for a small opening. Children stuff with toilet paper. Dry and hang. Puffy white clouds. A Branch of Spring The first spring-like day, collect broken branches with buds on them and put them in a vase of water. What better way to bring a little springtime into your house (and maybe trigger a spring cleaning)? Bird watch. Make bird house or bird feeders ______________________________________ Use the opportunity to explain how different animals weather the winter; some hibernate, others store up food and poke their heads out for occasional adventures, and still others head for the warm country. Talk about how they weather the winter compared to spring. ______________________________________ Beans are fun to grow, not only because they generally do well, but because they require a climbing structure. This activity describes how to make a Beanstalk House. First, make a teepee-like frame out of six to eight 5-foot-long bamboo or wood stakes. Draw a circle about four feet in diameter in the dirt. Evenly space the stakes around the circle and push the bottoms into the ground. Then tie the stakes together at the top. Lash seven 2- to 3-foot cross-stakes to the stakes near the ground, leaving a door. Tie three to four strings between each of the stakes from the top to each of the cross-stakes. Next purchase pole bean seeds, such as "Kentucky Wonder," and plant three seeds below each string and stake. As the seedlings grow, gently help them get over to the nearest string. Eventually, the beans will "learn" to grow on the strings by themselves. In about a month (depending on the seed variety and your growing season), the entire bean house will be covered with green stems, flowers, and eventually . . . beans. By the way, the reason you left one side open is to allow the children the pleasure of enjoying sitting their very own bean house. _______________________________________ Look around. You'll probably find many plants that grow and change as the seasons and years pass. Rather than passively observing this phenomenon, encourage the children to note characteristics of particular plants relative to the time of year. __________________________________________ Would the children like to make "living" alphabet letters? If so, this activity will fit the bill. You'll need a small patch of garden or flower bed space. Or, some aluminum pie pans will do--just punch holes in the bottom for drainage, then fill them with potting soil. Have the children write something or draw pictures using a twig, popsicle stick, or utensil (a finger works well, too). Prereaders might want to write individual letters or draw shapes. Older kids might want to write their names or draw simple scenes. Your child should make indentations about half an inch deep. When the words or pictures are complete, give your child grass seed and demonstrate how to place the seeds an eighth of an inch or so apart. Fill up all the indentations, cover with a fine layer of top soil, water, and in ten days the children should begin to see grass words and pictures. Try this one: "Please Keep off the Grass." Hand Flowers 1. Trace outlines of the child's hand on paper (probably painted by said child). 2. Cut out hand shapes 3. using a pencil roll the fingers up so that they curl up. 4.Curl the handshape vertically into a sort of trumpet/lily shaped cylinder with the finger curls curling outwards. 5. Staple the flower onto a drinking straw, along with cutout leaves. Four or five of these make a nice bouquet. _____________________________________ Spring Inside Planting: Cut off some carrot tops and put each one in a dish with some pebbles. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the carrot. Hide the dishes in a place where there is not too much sun. In just a few days, the carrot tops will begin sprouting and turn into plants. Puzzle Trees Found a great easy activity for spring, you know those puzzles that seem to always have missing peices (like the 63 peice one that only has 40 peices left LOL) Cut out the trunk of a tree with limbs glue this or even staple it to another peice of paper (yellow makes a great back ground color) and glue the puzzle peices to the branches of the tree. This could also be used during the fall. Tulip Cups: Have child make a tulip or make for them (from construction paper). Glue the cut-out of tulip on the top of a tongue depressor. Cut a lit in the bottom of a strofoam cup. Slit should be large enough for the tongue depressor to slide through. Pull the tongue depressor down far enough so you cannot see the flower in the "pot". Talk about how the flowers need sun and water to grow. As you talk about things that plants need, slowly push the tongue depressor up and the tulip will be "growing". Spring Won't Spring! Sing to tune of "This is the Song That Never Ends" (Shari Lewis & Lambchop) This winter doesn't want to end, It just goes on and on my friend. Some people started thinking that it would be over soon, But every day it snows some more and now it's almost June! (repeat over and over again!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flowers have long signified the new life of spring. Make some bright colored flowers from paper to celebrate. Materials: * crepe paper in many colors * green and brown construction paper * florist's wire * paper towels * scissors, tape, non-toxic glue Directions: 1. Twist the paper towel into a ball. Tape this to one end of a strip of wire. 2. Cut out 2 1/2" petals from crepe paper. 3. Stick a small piece of tape near the bottom of the petal. 4. Tape the petal on the wire, below the ball of paper towel. 5. Place several petals on the wire until the flower is a big as you want it. 6. Cut a long strip of green crepe paper. Wrap this strip around the wire from top to bottom. Cover the wire with the paper. Tape it so it cannot unravel. 7. Cut leaves from the construction paper. Dab glue on leaves. Attach to the stem of the flower. 8. Make sever different flowers. Use many colors. 9. Make a bouquet. Place flowers in a vase. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yogurt Popsicles 1 carton vanilla yogurt 1 can (6 ounce) concentrated fruit juice, (unsweetened (orange works well) dash of vanilla and/or honey (*do not use honey if giving to children under 1 year) Mix well and freeze in molds (3oz paper cups can be used). For handles, insert wooden sticks of spoons when mixture is partially frozen. For single servings mix some plain yogurt with pureed canned or ripe fruit, or a spoonful of jam or jelly, in a small paper cup. Growing flowers materials: styrofoam cups popsicle sticks (painted green) flowers made from construction paper stick popsicle stick through bottom of styrofoam cup. Glue flower to stick. stick can be raised through the cup as if the flower is growing. Umbrella - Group Art Project You will need: 1 piece of const. paper for each child in the class glue or glu sticks assorted colors of tissue paper tape First I had 16 children in the class. I made an umbrella handle and put it on the bulletin board. I told the children that we needed to make the rest of the umbrella. I had previously put the 16 pieces of const. paper on the floor and cut the paper so that all 16 pieces together had looked like an umbrella. Some pieces of construction paper had rounded edges, while the other sheets were still the full 9 x 12 shape. Next, I labled the childrens names on the back and then we got to work. Each child received a piece of const. paper and a glue stick. They were asked to tear the tissue paper into small pieces and glue onto the constr. paper. When they were done, we let them dry and that afternoon when I called their name they were able to come to the bulletin board and tape their piece of the umbrella on. They were very happy to show their parents that they had made an umbrella together. Puddles - I made pretend puddles using cardboard and aluminum foil ( to use in the block area and at various parts of the room). Just take small or large, depending on where you will use them, pieces of cardboard and then cover them up with aluminum foil. This is great to use in the block area. Or if you do make a big one use it for music and movement time. Have the children jump over the puddle, walk around the puddle, etc.. Do you see a sign of Spring? (tune of "If I were a lassiie") Oh, do you see a sign of Spring a sign of Spring, a sign of Spring? Oh, do you see a sign of spring? Please, tell us what you see! Daffodils Supplies: *Yellow Crepe Paper *Yellow Cupcake Paper *Green Pipe Cleaners Roll up a little ball on one end of the pipe cleaner so that when you stick it through the flower it won't just fall out. First cut the shape of the "back" of the daffodil...or approximately anyway. Put a small hole in the center for the pipe cleaner. Cut the cupcake paper in half. Roll it till you can glue the pleated edges together, making the part of the flower that sticks out in front (we called it the "trumpet"). Make a hole (or sort of open the one that's there) and put the pipe cleaner through both parts of the flower; glue the "trumpet" onto the back of the flower. We also added a little edge of orange with markers to make them look like the variations of daffodils. Bird's Nest Supplies: *Construction Paper *Glue *Cardboard *Yarn *Markers Use scissors to cut the shapes of birds eggs from construction paper. Glue the eggs onto cardboard. Glue short strands of yarn under the eggs for a nest allow them to dry completely. Use markers to draw tree branches around the nest and speckles on the eggs. Draw leaves or use real ones, or felt (whatever) to make leaves on the branches. Variations: Wash and dry pieces or real eggshells. Glue them on top of the yard nests.Talk about the kinds of birds that live in your area. Compare their sizes, shapes, and colors. Take a walk and look for nests in trees. Talk about the materials that birds use to build nests and how high or low the nests are in the trees. Popcorn Flowers Supplies: *Popped Popcorn *Powder Tempera Paint *Green Construction Paper *Glue *Tagboard or Cardboard Pop popcorn. Put handfuls of popcorn in plastic baggies and add powdered tempura paint to each one. Shake well to distribute paint all over the popcorn Cut stems and leaves out of green construcion paper and glue them to tagboard. Glue on the colored popcorn to make spring flowers. Spring Butterflies Supplies: *Food Coloring *Coffee Filters *Eye Dropper or Straws *Wooden Clothes Pin *Pipe Cleaner Color small bowls of water with food coloring Using an eye dropper or a straw, scatter drops of colored water onto round coffee filters and watch the colors bleed and blend. While the filters dry draw eyes and body details on wooden clothes pins. Gather each coffee filter up in the center and clip with the clothes pin. Make antennea for each butterfly by inserting a pipe cleaner into the end of the clothes pin and twisting it secure. Bend the ends of the pipe cleaner to make it look realistic.You can use tissue paper instead of coffee filters for a multi-layered effect. Decorate with sequins and buttons. Make caterpillars from green pom-poms glued to a large paper leaf (with a bite taken out of it) for a before and after exhibit. Spring Flowers Supplies: *Construction Paper *Scissors *Glue Trace around 1 hand on yellow paper, and trace around 1 hand on red paper. Cut them out; these will be the flowers. Cut out a long & short stem out of green paper. Cut out four leaves out of green paper. Glue the cut out hands on the stems on brown paper, add leaves. Wind Socks Supplies: *Paper Lunch Bag *Construction Paper *Crepe Paper *Scissors *Glue *Misc. Craft Supplies To make a wind sock, cut off the bottom of a paper lunch bag. Decorate the bag with glitter paint, neon construction paper, stickers, etc. Then attach crepe paper streamers to one end of the bag. Attach a construction paper handle to the opposite end of the bag. Fringed Flowers Supplies: *Construction Paper *Straws *Scissors *Glue *Stpler or Tape Cut out 3 paper circles (same or different colours). Child cuts a 'fringe' around each circle. Put circles together, largest on bottom, smallest on top. Add a yellow smaller unfringed circle or yellow dot sticker to the middle. Staple all together onto adrinking straw as stem. We used to let the children make as many of these as they wanted over a week. We'd also have them decorate a 'vase' made out of a whole and a half paper plate stapled together around the edge. At the end of the week they could put their flowers in the vase (a bit of playdough in the bottom of the vase made them stay there) and take the vase of flowers home to mommy. Rain Sticks Supplies: *Cardboard Rolls - Wrapping Paper Rolls work best *1 1/2 inch nails *Dried Peas *Masking Tape *Stuff for Decorating Cover the end of the cardboard roll with masking tape and then poke in one and half inch nails randomly all over the tube so that they go all the way into the tube but not out the other side. You'll need to use quite a few to get a good sound effect. Then you put about a half a cup of dried peas in the tube (you really need to experiment with the number of nail and amount of peas to see what produces a good sound) and tape up the other end. Then you let the children decorate the outside of the tube however they like. You can use paper, fabric, leaves, acorns, bark, etc. Some children like to use Indian designs, but others just do their own thing. Bug Fingers Supplies: *Old Gloves *Pipe Cleaners *Scissors *Hot Glue or Tacky Glue *Misc. Craft Supplies Cut the fingers off the gloves, they will be the bugs' body. Glue on pipe cleaners for legs, wiggly eyes, pompoms for noses, and feathers on back.(Or decorate as desired). Makes cute finger puppets. FLOWER SHAPES: Use colored construction paper to make different styles of flowers from shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Glue each flower to an index card or piece of tagboard. Cut out identical set of the shapes that were used to make each flower. Place the second set of shapes in a resealable storage bag and staple one side the bag to the back of the matching flower card. Give each child a flower set and explain that they are to make the flower shown on the card from the loose pieces in the bag. When each child is finished have them exchange with another child. (laminate for further usage) FABRIC FLOWER MATCH: Gather several types of fabric scraps in different patterens. Make pairs of flowers by cutting each piece of fabric into two flowers. Glue each piece of fabric to tagboard. The flowers do not need to be the same shape. Show the flowers to the children and let them find matches. Place the flowers in a basket so they may try it during free play. SPRING CLEANING: Every year I let my children have buckets of water, squirt bottles, rags,feather dusters, dusting ragsetc. I allow them to scrub down chairs and tables, dust, squirt the windows and wipe them down. The children love to do this ! We have given a bath to each toy and baby in the center, we got a little wet but that is half the fun. SEED SQUIGGLES: Gather several types of seeds, wax paper, sring, and glue in squeezable bottles. have the children squeeze glue onto the wax paper to make a design approximatly 4" to 5" long. Have them spinkle the seeds onto the glue. Let them dry, shake off any extra seeds into a bowl. Have the children gently peel their seed picture from the wax paper. Tie a string to each and hand from the ceiling. SENSORY TABLE: Place several types of seeds, leaves and buds in the sensory table along with magnifying glasses. Allow the children to observe the small details of seeds, leaves and buds. Later in the day I ask them to decribe details they seen. *Umbrella pictures Supplies: Paper Baking Cups Scissors Glue Crayons or Paint Pipe Cleaners Cut several baking cups in half, these will be the umbrellas. Glue them on a sheet of paper. For the handles, use pipe cleaners or you can draw them. Draw or paint rain drops. *Spring Song Put up your umbrella When the rain comes down. Wear a happy smile And wipe away a frown. Splash in all the puddles And do a little dance. Rain is just the thing we need For new spring plants. *A display Lg sheets of white paper (for background) have children splatter paint (shake the paintbrush over the paper) with light blue paint to make raindrops. (This is the backdrop) Cut paper plates in half with a scalloped edge, let children decorate any way you want, I used "Do-A-Dot" markers, add a "J" handle. Cut yellow paper in duck shapes and have children glue on yellow feathers and a wiggle eye. You can also add rubber boots! The ducks can be displayed "holding" the umbrellas. Have children step in brown paint with bare feet to make Muddy Foot Prints on green paper. (This goes on the bottom of the display) At the top I made a sun that was half covered by a cloud, and a rainbow out of crepe paper streamers! *We made some really neat rain pictures yesterday. We started out with white construction paper and water-based markers. The kids colored some really beautiful creations. When they were finished, we placed the papers out in the rain for 1-2 minutes (you could also spritz with a water sprayer if the rain won't cooperate). We brought the papers in and blotted them dry with a paper towel, then left them to dry thoroughly. The effect was beautiful. Would make great wrapping paper, etc. For umbrellas, cut a small paper plate in half using a large zig-zagged line. Decorate with paint, markers, stickers, etc. Cut hook shaped handles out of construction paper and paste onto plate. Makes neat decorations. We have used one open umbrella and placed it on the floor. During circle time all the children would close their eyes and one child would hide behind the umbrella. Then the others would try to guess who was hiding. Song: Fun in the Rain ( Tune: Deck the Halls) Do you hear the pitter patter? Hear the little raindrops falling down. Can you see the splashing water? All the little raindrops on the ground. Time to get our big umbrellas We don't want to get our hair all wet. If you wear your boots and raincoat, We will go outside and splash a bit! from Sing a Song All Year Long by Connie Walters and Diane Totten T.S. Denison & Co. Rain How about some water play. I filled the buckets from our sand and rice table with water. Add some plastic boats and cups, put smocks on the kids and let them have fun! They loved it. Just remember to lay down a plastic sheet under the kids feet (I used an old shower curtain we had at the school). Clouds with Raindrops Children glue a umbrella cutout onto a large sheet of paper. Next, let them glue raindrops onto the paper underneath the umbrella. The kids can then paint the raindrops with glue using a paint brush. Sprinkle with glitter so it looks like the raindrops are shiny. How about Playing with Clouds Give each child a large sheet of paper. Put some shaving cream in the middle of the paper. Tell them to imagine that it is a cloud. How does it feel? What color is it? Let them have fun playing with it. It also makes the room smell great! *Paint with Clouds Give each child a large piece of blue paper. Set out some white paint. Give each child a cotton ball. Let them dip it into the white paint, then press onto the blue paper. The will be painting with clouds! *A longer and really fun version of the rain poem: Rain on the doghouse Rain on the dog Rain on the duckpond Rain on the log Rain on the grass and Rain on the tree Rain on my umbrella but not on me! We sing it with a tune like this: C C D E C Rain on the dog house (for dog house, with hands make peaked roof in front of chest D D E F Rain on the dog (for dog put "paws" curled hands in front of chest) *B *B C D *B Rain on the duck pond (for duck pond make waves with hands) C C D E Rain on the log (for log put to fist together side by side) C C D E C Rain on the grass and (for grass, wiggle fingers with palms facing self) D D E F Rain on the tree (make a tree branches with arms above head) G G G G G G F E D C Rain on my umbrella but not on me! (umbrella with arms encircled over head, not on me point to chest with thumb three times) I have a felt board for this song. Here's how it's made: On black rectangular pieces of felt for each line, I glued a felt doghouse on one, dog on another, etc. Then I painted on the details with the slick paint you squeeze from a bottle. I made raindrops all around on every one with silver glitter paint. It was very quick and easy to make details with slick paint and quite visually appealing. Here are some other ways to do the song: In "The Joy of Signing" you can look up the signs do the song in sign. Leave out all other motions and hop or do another specific motion everytime you sing the word "rain." Play instruments on the word rain. Split up the class and play one kind of instrument on the word rain and a different one on the other words: doghouse, dog, grass, etc. Leave out the word rain altogether and be silent there, or leave out the last thing in every line and do the sign or motion there. Stand up on the word "rain" and do it loudly sit down and do the rest of each line "softly." Split the class into loud half and soft half and repeat the activity.... Because I model all these different creative ways to "play" with a song, the children come up with ideas of their own quite regularly. One was, "Snow"on the doghouse, snow on the dog, etc. "Sun" on the doghouse, etc. One child said "dog." I said, "what do you mean?" He said, "you know" "Dog on the doghouse, dog on the dog, dog on the duckpond, etc. *Sorry, for the song, "Rain on the Doghouse" I forgot got to mention that *B = the B next to and below middle C. *I cut a paper plate in half and then cut out its center to make it shaped like a rainbow. The children glue yarn(they cut and measure) on the plate in the pattern of a rainbow's colors. We hang them up by string. It's fun!!!! SOUND GARDEN The world of sounds is fascinating to toddlers.At a time when they are rapidly developing language skills,they are imitating all different sounds they hear in their environment.Enrich your environment with things that make interesting sounds. Collect things that make interesting sounds to place in your playground. You could place these on a chain link fence. Attach to any fence. wind chimes metal pipes>different lengths>suspend old hub caps>dangle license plates " pie tins/cookie sheets galvanized tub>hit with a wooden spoon Bumblebee Song I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY BUMBLE BEE WON'T MY MOMMY BE SO PROUD OF ME I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY BUMBLE BEE OUCH! HE STUNG ME. I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY DINOSOAR WON'T MY MOMMY HIDE BEHIDE THE DOOR I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY DINOSOAR TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY GRIZZLEY BEAR WON'T MY MOMMY PULL OUT ALL HER HAIR I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY GRIZZLEY BEAR GROWL! GROWL! GROWL! GROWL! I'M BRINGING HOME A BABY ALLIGATOR WON'T MY MOMMY HIDE BEHIND THE REFRIGERATOR I'M BRING HOME A BABY ALLIGATOR CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! >> * Spring Craft Ideas Bird Feeders Give each child 1/2 a bagel. Let the child spread peanut butter on the bagel. Dip bagel into bird seed, hang with a piece of yarn. Can then be hung outside on tree branches or on a fence for the birds. Sailboats Give each child a piece of celery. Child spreads peanut butter on celery. Give child a small triangle cut from a piece of construction paper. Child tapes triangle onto a toothpick, child then sticks toothpick into celery to look like a sail. Or, use an apple wedge as the boat and a triangle of cheese as the sail. Stick together with a toothpick. That way (almost) the whole sailboat is edible. Blossom Tree Cut out a tree trunk and branches from construction paper. Child glues them onto paper. Place popcorn in a bowl and add dry pink tempra paint. Child glues onto tree branches to look like blossoms. Spring Colored Name Take a marker and print the childs name. Take glue and go over the name. Child then takes spring colored tissue paper and crumbles it up. Child puts tissue paper in the glue. Now the child has their name in beautiful colors and can look at it as a of how their name it spelt. Spring Painting Give child several spring cookie cutters (flowers, the sun, animals, etc.). Let the child dip the cookie cutter into the paint. The child then presses the cookie cutter onto a large sheet of paper. This makes nice prints. Be sure to use spring colored paint. Dot Butterfly Give child a large white butterfly cutout. Child glues on a black strip in the center of the butterfly. Give each child a Q-tip. Child dips the end of the Q-tip into paint, then dots the butterfly wings. Make a picnic duplicate picnic basket patterns on white construction paper. Have the children decorate, paint, or color the baskets as they choose. After the children have cut the baskets out, staple around the outer edge so the basket is sealed closed. Then give the children several magazines with a lot of food item pictures to choose from. The children may then choose the food they would like to take with them on a picnic. After cutting or tearing out the pictures and placing them in the basket, have a pretend picnic inside. Of course this can become as elaborate as the caregiver and children wish. We have had at our picnics ants (rainsons) and wooly worms on sprigs of greeenery etc. Spring Ideas Have everyone bring an extra set of "icky clothes" and go play in the rain. I know, extrememly messy, but the kids will have a blast while using several senses. Smelling the fresh spring rain, seeing how the water runs down the spout, hearing the birds come out after the rain, look for the rainbow. Make some SERIOUS mudpies. and most important...JUMP IN A PUDDLE. For a cleaner version, stay inside and learn the itsy bitsy spider. Make umbrellas by just cutting a semicircle, make a handle and let the kids decorate with raindrops. Talk about how you need rain to make flowers grow, and then make some paper flowers. Many version...handprint cutouts for petals, finger paint flowers, collage flowers, etc. Flowers Make big flowers out of construction paper. Take pictures of the kids. Cut out the center of the paper flower and insert the child's photo. Use these to make a bulletin board or to hang from the ceiling. Use the wording "Spring is Bustin out all over" as a header on a bulletin board. * Eggshell Glitter Dye clean egg shells with foodcoloring and vinegar. Soak eggshell in dye DRY Crush apply like glitter. * Sunflower Have children cut out several yellow petals and paste on small paper plate previously painted yellow. Fill center with sunflower seeds. Cereal Flowers Paste colorful cereals on paper plates in the shape of flowers. Add pipe cleaner stem and leaves.