Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter Learning Unit - Week 3!



Easter Learning Unit - Week 3!
Learning Activities
Easter Egg Match
Beginning Sounds, matching
I created a document with the letters V, H, F, R, Q, N and L with pictures of a violin, house, fan, robot, basketball, queen, nail and lion. I cut them into oval - egg shapes and cut them in half.  Addie chose a letter and matched it with the object that had the same beginning sound!
Gluing the egg matches to the paper!
Easter Egg Match - Rhyming Words
Rhyming, matching
I did the same thing as above only this time I focused on rhyming.  Addie had to rhyme and match house/mouse, bee/key, nail/pail and pan/fan.
Gluing a rhyming pair to the paper

Easter Egg Dice Game!
Math, counting, one-to-one correspondence, writing numbers

Addie and I played this Easter Egg game together.  We took turns rolling a die and writing the dots on each half of the egg.  Then Addie added/counted the dots and wrote the sum for each Egg! 
Here is the link to this document from The Happy Teacher - I modified the activity for Addie. 
 
Easter Crafts
Cone Easter Bunny!
*Using a pink birthday hat is recommended!*
Glue googly eyes, pom-pom nose, teeth and ears to the hat.
Draw a mouth
 
Hand print Easter Lilies
Trace hand onto white card stock
Cut yellow pipe cleaners into 4 or 5 inch pieces and bend at the top
Stick 2 pipe cleaners into the end of a green straw and secure with clear tape.
Wrap the hand print around the end of the straw and secure with tape
Cut a leaf out of green construction paper and punch a hole in the middle
Slide the leaf up the straw and secure with tape below the leaf. 
 (You can do 1 or 2 leaves for each flower)

Glitter Styrofoam Eggs
Push a dowel, into the bottom of the egg so you can hold the egg while painting and covering with glitter.
Paint a Styrofoam egg with white glue - I used craft glue
Cover the egg with glitter -shaking off any excess - let dry
Fill in the hole left by the dowel - with glue and glitter.
Spray the egg with hairspray - let dry

Envelope Easter Bunny

Cut ears from white paper and the inside of the ears with pink construction paper
Cut strips from black paper for the whiskers
Assemble the ears and glue to the top of the envelope - the front side.
Seal the envelope and glue a pink pom-pom for a nose
Glue on the whiskers
Draw eyes and a mouth




Sunday, March 24, 2013

Easter Learning Unit - Week 2

Easter Learning Unit - Week 2
 
Learning Activities
 
Easter Countdown
Counting, number recognition

Addie was driving me crazy asking me multiple times a day how many more days until Easter.  I decided to make a Easter Countdown for her.  I traced bunnies on pieces of construction paper.  Next, I counted how many days there was until Easter and wrote them on the bunnies - ending with 1.  Next, I traced more bunnies onto white card stock and cut them out.  Addie and I decorated each bunny.  She glues a bunny on the chart each day.  She then tells me how many days are left!  It has been great for learning her teen numbers!!
Counting and Number Egg Match
Number recognition, counting,
I wrote the number 1-12 on plastic Easter eggs.  I drew dots from 1-12 of the bottom halves of the plastic Easter eggs.  I made sure the two halves colors didn't match.  I spread the halves on the floor and Addie matched the number with the corresponding dots!
Addie counting the dots and matching the egg!
 
Upper and Lowercase Broken Easter Egg Match
Letter recognition, writing upper and lowercase letters
I cut 26 Easter eggs out of construction paper.  I "broke" the eggs in half by cutting each one with a  jagged line.  Addie wrote the letters A-Z in uppercase letters on the top half of the eggs and again in lowercase letters on the bottom half of the eggs.  Next, I mixed the letter A-O up and placed the letter eggs on the table.  Addie found the letter pairs and "fixed" the broken eggs by gluing each pair back together in ABC order.  She finished A-O in one sitting.  She will do P-Z tomorrow!
 
                                 Gluing a pair together             Tracking the egg order by saying her ABC's
Gluing another egg pair together
 
Easter Egg Scissors Practice
Cutting with scissors

I drew a large Easter egg onto white paper.  I drew a jagged line in the middle.  Addie cut the egg out first and then "broke" the egg by cutting on the jagged line.

Easter Crafts
Paper Cup Easter Chicks
Glue googly eyes onto a yellow, paper cup
Cut a beak from orange craft foam and glue it onto the cup
Glue white or yellow feathers onto the back, inside of the cup
Cut orange pipe cleaners into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch pieces.  You will need 4 pipe cleaner pieces for each chick.  Twist one piece around another pipe cleaner and bend and shape to make each foot.  Glue into place on the bottom of the cup
 
Paper Plate Chick
 
Glue googly eyes onto a yellow paper plate.
Cut an orange triangle out of construction paper for the beak. 
Glue feathers to the back sides of the plate.
Cut 2 legs from orange construction paper and fold the legs accordion style.
Cut feet from orange construction paper and glue to the bottom of the legs.
Glue the legs to back bottom of the plate 
 

Easter Bunny Windsock
Cut a sheet of white card stock in half. ( I used standard letter paper size)
Cut 2 ears from white paper
Cut the inside of the ears from pink paper and glue to the white ears.
Cut chenille stems into 4" pieces - you will need 4 pieces.
Cut pink strips of paper - or use pink streamers
Before stapling or taping the cylinder together, glue the ears and streamers to the backside of the white paper. 
 Roll white card stock into a cylinder and staple or tape together.
Glue pink button on for the nose.
Glue on the chenille stems for the whiskers. 
Draw eyes and mouth.
Glue pink pom pom on the backside for the tail. 
Attach ribbon or string for hanging.
 
Handprint Easter Chick
 
 Paint child's hand yellow and press onto white paper.
When dry, draw eyes, beak and feet. 





 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Easter Learning Unit - Week 1

Easter Learning Unit - Week 1
 
 Easter Crafts
 
Cardboard Tube Easter Bunnies
Paint a cardboard tube pink - let dry
Cut ears from white card stock, and the inner part of the ears from pink construction paper
Fold the ears at the bottom and glue the ears to the top of the cardboard tube
Glue on googly eyes, cotton ball nose, 4 black pipe cleaners and 2 front teeth (cut from craft foam)


Footprint Easter Bunnies
Paint feet white and press onto pink construction paper - let dry
Cut around the feet in ear shapes
Cut out a circle shape for the head
Press thumb into ink pad and press onto the head for the bunny's nose
Draw on eyes, mouth and whiskers

 
Hand Print Easter Chicks

Cut an oval shape out of yellow construction paper.
Cut out feet and beak from orange construction paper. 
Trace hands on yellow construction paper and cut out.
Glue hands to the oval body of the chick.
Glue on feet, beak and googly eyes.
Glue a feather on each wing for a finishing touch!
 
 
Hand Print Easter Bunny
Paint palm and 4 fingers white - do not paint the thumb.
Press the hand onto colored paper and let dry.
Once dry, paint pointer finger pink and press onto the middle of the ears.
Use the tip of the pointer finger to make the pink nose.
Glue on googly eyes and draw whiskers and mouth with a black marker.
 
Is It An Egg?  Or Is It a Bunny? 
Cut 2 identical oval shapes out of printed paper and white paper.  Cut the printed oval in half to make the ears for the bunny.  Draw a face on the white oval.  Use brad fasteners to attach the ears to the top of the white oval.
Tana and Addie with their eggs/bunnies
 
Easter Learning Activities
 
Egg Name Writing
Letters, name writing, color recognition, gluing and counting

I cut out enough paper "Easter Eggs" from different colored construction paper for each child's name.  I decorated each egg leaving a space in the middle for letter writing.  Each child wrote their name - assigning each letter to a different egg.  Next, they glued the eggs, in order, onto a half sheet of construction paper.  For additional practice and review Tana and Chase identified the color of each egg in their name and counted the eggs and the chick stickers around their eggs. 
 
Egg Shape Match 
Math - Shape identification
Matching and color identification
** I did a similar activity with Addie.  We focused on number recognition and one-to-one correspondence in counting.  I will post Addie's Egg Number Match next week.**
First, I separated each egg.  Next, I drew a  shape onto the top half of one egg.  Then, the matching shape onto the bottom half of another egg.  I made sure to not match my eggs by color, since I wanted to focus on shape identification and matching as the primary learning activity.  I continued this with all of my eggs.  I did circle, square, rectangle, triangle, star and heart - since this a new activity for my 2 year old children.

Tana matching her eggs
For the activity, I separated all of the matching eggs and spread the halves out on the floor in front of each child.  Then they worked on matching the correct shapes on the eggs together, while identifying the shapes.  Once all of the eggs were back together, we reviewed our colors by looking at each egg!


Easter Egg and Bunny Color Match
Color identification
Chase and his matching project
I cut out bunnies and colored their tummies, ears and paws matching colors.  Next, I cut out paper Easter eggs to match the bunnies.  I drew 3 lines on a piece of construction paper.  Then, I had the 2 year old children match the bunnies and eggs by gluing the bunnies on the piece of construction paper. 
Tana matching her purple bunny and purple Easter egg
 
Easter Bunny Upper and Lowercase Letter Match
Letter identification
This activity is similar to the one above, but I am focusing on letter identification with Addie.  I only cut out Easter Bunnies for her activity.  I wrote matching upper and lowercase letters on her bunnies.  She had to match the letters and glue each letter on the construction paper.
 
Broken Egg Shape Matching
Shape identification and matching
The color orange and purple
**Next week I will post a Broken Egg Letter Match activity. **
I cut out 5 egg shapes from purple and orange construction paper.  I then "cracked" each egg by cutting the eggs in half.  Next, I drew matching shapes on the top and bottom half of each egg.  Then I placed the "broken" eggs in front of Tana.  She sorted through the eggs, matching the shapes one at a time.  Each time she fixed a "broken" egg, she glued the egg halves onto a piece of construction paper.  I made sure she identified each shape.  We also reviewed the colors purple and orange!!!
Tana fixing the "broken" eggs







 
 


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Dr. Seuss!!


One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Addie and Tana with their FISH!

Trace hand onto yellow, red, green and blue construction paper.
Cut out the hand prints.
Glue Yellow "fish" to the top of the paper.
Then green "fish" with the red "fish" overlapping the green "fish"
The blue "fish" will be at the bottom.
Write One Fish on the top , Two fish next to the green fish, Red fish next to the red fish and blue fish next to the blue fish. 
Draw eyes, mouth and gills on each fish. 
Draw bubbles with white chalk next to each fish!
Thing 1 and Thing 2
Addie and Connor did this project since I didn't watch any other children today - due to the nasty stomach flu.  It was really easy - except that I forgot to only paint 4 of the fingers red.  Oh well!
Here is the link to this adorable, cute, wonderful Thing 1 and Thing 2 project!
Addie's Thing 1

Connor's Thing 2

Friday, March 1, 2013

Farm Learning Unit!

On the Farm Learning Unit!!
 
Paper Plate Cow!

Cut a circle out of pink paper.  Draw on nostrils and a mouth.  Cut out horns and ears and glue them to the plate.  Draw eyes and black spots. 
Reading Extension:  We read - Moo Moo, Brown Cow  by Jakki Wood

Paper Plate Rooster!

Trace hand on red craft foam and cut it out.  Glue the hand to the top of the plate.  Cut 2 oval eyes from black craft foam, a beak from yellow craft foam and a  "gobbler" (that is what I call them!!)  out of red craft foam.  Glue all of the pieces to the Paper Plate. 
Reading Extension:  We read - Who Says Moo? by Harriet Ziefert

Pigs in the Mud!
 
I drew a pig template onto pink construction paper and cut it out.  We glued on a pink button nose, a twisted pink pipe cleaner and drew on two black eyes.  The 3 younger ones glued their pig onto a piece of "mud" (brown construction paper that I had cut into a "mud" shape)
Addie glued her pig to the "mud" too.  We added a lined piece of writing paper so she could write about her pig. 
 Addie's Pig!
Reading Extension:  We read  Hungry Pig by Russell Julian
 
Oatmeal Canister Barn!
We covered an oatmeal canister with red construction paper.  You could paint the canister too.  Addie used white paint to make a door and window.  We made a cone shape for the top and attached it with tape. 
Reading Extension:  We read - Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Farm Animal Number Writing
Math - number writing, number order
 
I printed a cow, pig and sheep from my computer and Addie wrote her numbers 1-12 onto each farm animal.  I cut the animals out and Addie glued the animals in number order onto the strip of paper. 

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Draw or glue a red barn onto a brown lunch bag - I only had 2 greeting card bags and I was out of red construction paper!!  Cut out a white rectangle for the barn door and two, white squares for the window.  Use black marker to draw the details for the door and windows.  On separate pieces of card stock attach farm animal pictures and write the sounds  they make.  Place the cards in the "barn" bag.  Sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"  Choose a farm animal out of the bag for each verse!