Stephanie Roselli - Another Encyclopedia of Theme Activities for Young Children: Over 300 Favorite Activities Created by Teachers

Contents Copyright 2012 Gryphon House Published by Gryphon House, Inc. PO Box 10, Lewisville, NC 27023 800.638.0928; 877.638.7576 (fax) Visit us on the web at www.gryphonhouse.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or technical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Every effort has been made to locate copyright and permission information.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Another encyclopedia of theme activities for young children / edited by Kathy Charner, Stephanie Roselli, and Brittany Roberts. pages cm ISBN 978-0-87659-394-3 1. Early childhood education--Activity programs. 2. Creative activities and seat work. I.

Charner, Kathy, editor. II. Roselli, Stephanie, editor. III. Roberts, Brittany, editor. LB1139.35.A37A55 2012 372.21--dc23 2012017531 Bulk Purchase Gryphon House books are available for special premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising use.

Special editions or book excerpts also can be created to specifications. For details, contact the director of marketing at Gryphon House. Disclaimer Gryphon House, Inc., cannot be held responsible for damage, mishap, or injury incurred during the use of or because of activities in this book. Appropriate and reasonable caution and adult supervision of children involved in activities, and corresponding to the age and capability of each child involved, is recommended at all times. Do not leave children unattended at any time. Observe safety and caution at all times.

Introduction Another Encyclopedia of Theme Activities is a book written by teachers for teachers, just for you! Incorporate these easy-to-use activities into your curriculum, use the activities to support teachable moments or the emerging interests of the children in your class, or integrate the activities into your daily, weekly, or monthly plans. You also can use the activities in Another Encyclopedia of Theme Activities to meet the developmental needs of the children in your class. If, for example, a few children need to develop their counting skills, you can select activities that address these skills, or if you need to scaffold the fine motor skills of one or more children, you can select activities to address that need. The activities in this book have been organized by age within each theme to make it easy to incorporate into daily classroom activities. Many activities can be done in large group, small group, or center settings and can be repeated to reinforce the development of a skill. Some activities, once introduced, can also be repeated independently by the children, while other activities can be used as transitions.

Each activity provides the following:

• Learning objectives
• Key vocabulary that supports childrens language learning
• Childrens books that support the activity
• Materials needed to complete the activity
• Any preparations that need to be completed by the teacher prior to the activity
• Simple, easy-to-follow directions
• Assessment questions to ensure that children acquired the skills supporting the objectives of the activity

Some of the activities also include teacher-to-teacher tips with practical information from someone who has already done the activity with children, or fingerplays, songs, and poems that support the activity. Whether you are using this book to support your classroom curriculum, to focus on a specific topic, or to address the emerging interests of the children in your class, Another Encyclopedia of Theme Activities provides fun, educational activities for any early childhood classroom. All About Me
Fun with Feet Learning Objectives Children will:

1. Learn that feet are an important part of the body.
2. Learn that their feet can do many good things.

Vocabulary feet jump tiptoe toes walk Childrens Books Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh My Feet by Aliki One Foot, Two Feet by Peter Maloney and Felicia Zekauskas
Materials 2 colorful toe socks stuffed with tissue paper pictures cut from magazines of people using their feet in different ways (walking, jogging, biking, and so on) string or colored masking tape tape Preparation

• Place a piece of string or colored tape along the floor that leads to a variety of places in the classroom.
• Display pictures of people using their feet on the floor along the path.

What to Do

1. Invite the children to talk about how our feet help us. Share these comments with the children during their discussion: Our feet help us to walk, run, balance, jump, ride a bike, climb, tiptoe, and so on.
2. As you talk about the different ways that children use their feet, allow the children to practice those movements with you on the carpet.
3. After your discussion, invite the children to stand and follow you as you visit different places in the classroom, walking along the string or piece of tape affixed to the floor.
4. Suggest that the children play a game of Follow the Leader along the string behind you
   as you tiptoe, jog, balance, march, leap, and move around the room.

Assessment

1. Can the child name at least two ways to use his feet?
2. Can each child tiptoe, jog, hop, jump, balance, march, leap, and so on?

Mary Murray, Mazomanie, WI Can You Tie Your Shoes? Learning Objectives Children will:

1. Learn how to tie their shoes.
2. Develop math and oral language skills.

Vocabulary shoelaces shoes tie Childrens Books Dominic Ties His Shoes by Etta Sare Red Lace, Yellow Lace by Mike Casey and Judith Herbst
Materials card stock chart paper picture of a child tying his shoes (use a search engine to find a picture on the Internet) pictures of the children in the class or name cards pocket chart (optional) tape What to Do

1. On chart paper, write, Can you tie your own shoes? and make two columns (yes and no).
2. Show the children a picture of someone tying a pair of shoes, and model how to tie shoes for children. Let the children talk about who ties their shoes for them.
3. Ask the children to tape or place their picture or name card in the correct column or color in a spot on the chart/graph. Count the number in each group.

Assessment

1. Does the child want to learn to tie her own shoes?
2. Can the child count and compare the number in each column on the graph?
3. Can the child tie his own shoes?

Jackie Wright, Enid, OK Have You Ever Had an X-ray? Learning Objectives Children will:

1. Learn about their bodies.
2. Develop math and oral language skills.
   
3. Vocabulary

accident bones cast crutches doctor left inside nurse operation right X-ray Childrens Books Jessicas X-Ray by Pat Zonta The Skeleton Inside You by Philip Balestrino Materials card stock or index cards chart paper or magnetic board picture or name cards sample or picture of an X-ray tape or magnet