Literacy Center: Color Words

(From The Mailbox)

To prepare, obtain a large cardboard circle and a clean pizza box. Decide how many colors you’d like to include; then use a marker to divide the cardboard circle into that many sections. For each slice in your pizza, cut out one colored construction paper pizza slice and one white one. Cut off a crust shape from each colored slice, and then glue each crust to a white pizza slice. Program each white slice with the color of the crust. Then glue these slices to the cardboard circle. Next, program each (crustless) colored slice with the corresponding color word. Place the pizza and the pieces in the box and store it in your center. To use this center, a child matches each colored slice of pizza to the crust and the color word.

 

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Mystery Alphabet

(From The Mailbox)

Secretly place in a paper lunch bag several small, like items whose names begin with a chosen letter. Draw the letter block-style very lightly on a sheet of tagboard.

To begin, hold the tagboard so the letter will be facing students when it is cut out, but avoid letting them see the drawing. Cut out the letter, pausing periodically for students to guess what it is. After it is cut out, tell students that the bag holds items whose names begin with the letter. Shake the bag to give them a clue. Once students correctly guess what is in the bag, have them glue the contents to the letter. Then post the letter on the wall. Repeat the activity over a few weeks to create a unique display from A to Z!

 

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Science Center: Turkey Eggs

(From The Mailbox)

To have youngsters make their own wild turkey nests, place at a center white egg cutouts, brown leaf cutouts, glue, and a class supply of 9″ x 12″ construction paper sheets. Also provide access to brown watercolor paints and a toothbrush. A youngster visits the center and glues several leaves to a sheet of paper so they resemble a nest. He glues eggs to the nest. Then he taps a paint-covered toothbrush over the eggs to give them their distinctive brown speckles.

 

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Fine-Motor Skills: Harvest Time

(From The Mailbox)

Cut (or die-cut) simple fall fruit and vegetable shapes from laminated construction paper or craft foam. Cut a hole through the center of each shape. Tape the ends of a length of green ribbon to make them stiff for lacing. Then encourage a child to “harvest” the shapes and to put them on the ribbon.

 

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D is for Decorative Door Display!

(From The Mailbox)

Post a large letter cutout on the classroom side of your door. Explain to students that they will help you decorate the door with objects and pictures whose names begin with the letter you have chosen for them to study. Send a note home to parents asking them to help their children collect appropriate items.

To showcase students’ finds, have each child, in turn, show the class what he brought. After he names the item, post the item (or a student illustration of it) on the door. If desired, also post the name of the item and encourage students to use the label as a spelling reference. When students line up, they are sure to enjoy studying the display. And when the door is open, the display will let passersby know what your students are learning!

 

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Autumn Actions

Here’s a great kinesthetic and literacy exercise that you can do with your students, courtesy of The Mailbox!

To prepare, post a large tree cutout in your group area. Then make a class supply of leaf cutouts and label each one with a different movement command, such as “Jump three times” or “Hop on one foot.” Attach the leaves to the tree, making sure they’re within student reach (you can use velcro stickers, paper clips, binder clips, or clothespins for this). Invite a child to remove a leaf from the tree; then read the command aloud (with your help, of course) and ask all the youngsters to perform the action. After attaching the leaf to the bottom of the tree, play another round of this fun fall game.  This can be done during circle time or when you need to get the ants out of your students’ pants!

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