O is for . . .

. . . orange! We followed the same pattern as we did here to study the color orange. We mixed paint, food coloring, playdough and colored plastic. Then we used our orange paint to make some o paintings. 

 . . . olives! We used olives to make letter O paintings with orange paint. It was fun because we talked about olives before we painted with them and I let the kids try them. Of course, we put them on our fingers. I was surprised because some of the kids said they didn't like them and that is the first time I have ever met a kid who doesn't like olives. Last year we used Cheerios and I can't decide which I like better. The olives make bigger, better o's but they get squished easily.

 

. . .opposites! This year we played memory with the matches from the opposite folders from last year. After we played memory, I made the folders with my younger kids. I think it really helped them grasp the concept better.

. . . octopus! 

 

To make them, snap 2 linguine noodles in half. Slide the hotdog onto the four noodles so that it's half way on the noodles before the noodles are cooked. Cook the noodles while still on the hot dog. Add a face and enjoy! 

Oval Aliens

We made oval aliens this week. This activity really brought a smile to my face because I was able to just step back and let the kids create. The only instructions were that the body had to be an oval.

 

 

Here's What You Need: ( Really, you can let your imagination fly, this is just what we used.)

• sticky back foam paper
• construction paper
• pom poms
• googly eyes
• pipe cleaners
• liquig glue
• scissors

Here's What You Do: 

1. Kids cut out the oval from the foam paper and loosely stick it to the construction paper. 
2. Cut up the pipe cleaners for arms and legs. Slide them under the foam and press the down to adhere the sticky part.
3. Add embellishments with pom poms and googly eyes. 

The idea came from another great preschool teacher at http://www.brilliantbeginningspreschoolutah.com. 

Outer Space

We are studying outer space this month. Some of the great books we are reading dealing with this theme are:

On the Moon by Anna Milbourne

and What's Out There? by Lynn Wilson

Both of these books are great at explaining space and the planets in simple terms without sacrificing all of the great information that there is to learn about space. 

Outer Space was our focus for part of letter o week. We started by making made a KWL chart. 

A KWL chart has three sections. The first section is K for what we already know. The second section is W for what we want to know. You fill these two sections out before you start learning about your subject. The last section is L for what we have learned. You can fill this out at the end of your unit. For us, we are filling it out as we go.

Fall Trees

This activity somehow got missed when I was posting stuff last month. I thought I would throw it up here because it is a good fall activity even thought fall is mostly over. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?! This school year is just flying by. 

Anyway, this is a pretty simple activity. You trace the child's hand and arm on brown construction paper and cut it out to create the tree. Then add red, yellow, and orange tissue paper or construction paper squares for the leaves.

Jack-O-Lanterns

I saw this idea on http://www.dltk-kids.com/, but I wanted to re-post it because they are so adorable and I wanted to add a little more detail to the instructions. The first time we made them, they didn't quite go as planned. However, these pumpkins are really easy and fun to do.

Here's What You Need

• Clean, clear 2 liter soda bottle
• Orange paint
• Water
• Yellow felt or foam paper with a sticky back
• Green felt
• Yarn or twine

Here's What You Do:

1. Put a little bit of water (about a teaspoon - if you add too much, your paint won't stick to the sides) in the bottom of the soda bottle.
2. Pour some orange paint in. (About 1/4 of a cup)
3. Tighten the lid and shake it up. If the paint isn't covering the sides sufficiently, add more paint or more water.
4. Cut out jack-o-lantern faces and stick to the outside of the bottle.
5. Cut a circle of green felt with about a 5 inch diameter. 
6. Use the yarn to tie the felt around the top of the bottle.