Perfect for Spring: Make a Pinwheel!

What you need:

• 5 inch square of construction paper
• Pushpin
• 12-18 inch stick or dowel, about 1/2-inch thick
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Crayons

What to do:

1. Decorate the square however you want using crayons.
2. Using a ruler (or other straight-edge), draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner, diagonally across the middle.
3. Repeat for the other corner.
4. Using the scissors, cut along all four lines up to within 1/2 inch of the center, where the lines cross.
5. Lift each corner in turn towards the center, being careful not to crease the paper, and push the pushpin through the ends of all corners into the center.
6. Carefully push the end of the pushpin into the side of one end of the dowel to make a handle.
7. You can run around outside to make the pinwheel spin, or you can stick the end of the dowel in the ground and watch the wind catch it.

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Literacy: Here is the Nest

Celebrate spring with this fun action song. (If you’re having trouble viewing the entire song, click here.)

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Literacy Game: Rhyming

“Quacking” up is half the fun when little ones help a hungry duckling get to its food! To make a game board, program a sheet of blue poster board as shown. Gather a small group of students around the game board. Place a small rubber duck or duck cutout in the upper left-hand corner. To play, say several pairs of words. When the words in a pair rhyme, the students quack like ducks and then a volunteer moves the duck to the next marked space on the board. When the words do not rhyme, the students remain silent and the duck is not moved. The game is over when the duck reaches the plants, where it can fill its tummy. What a lucky ducky!

 

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Math Idea: Patterning

Preschoolers pretend to be turtles during this claw-tapping, beak-snapping activity! Explain that a turtle uses its feet and claws to help it walk and its beaklike mouth to help it eat. Have children follow along as you begin an AABB pattern by slapping your thighs (tap, tap) and clapping your hands (snap, snap). If desired, use accompanying verbal descriptions to go with the movements, such as “Tap, tap!” and “Snap, snap!” Repeat the activity with patterns that relate to other pond critters.

 

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Math Idea: Comparing Lengths

Preparation: Cut both long and short lengths of brown yarn (I have some you can have!) to make a class supply of worms plus two extras. Label a length of brown bulletin board paper as shown. Then glue a corresponding piece of yarn below each label.

Seat youngsters in a circle around the prepared paper (garden). Then give each of two children a worm. Direct the two students to wiggle their worms to the garden while you lead the rest of the group in singing the song shown. At the end of the song, encourage the two children to compare the lengths of their worms to the lengths of the short and long worms already in the garden. Then have each youngster place his worm on the appropriate side of the garden. Continue in this manner with different students until all the worms have wiggled their way into the garden!

(sung to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)

Wiggly, wiggly, wiggly worms.
Wiggly worms, wiggly worms.
Wiggly, wiggly, wiggly worms.
The garden’s where they’ll go.

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Rain Craft

Tippita, tappita…Is that rain outside? No, it’s this clever rain stick! To make one, cut from tagboard two circles sized to fit over the ends of a paper towel tube. Tape one circle to one end of the tube. Then decorate the tube with crayons, markers, stickers, or paint pens. Roll or crumple a large piece of aluminum foil; then twist it into a spiral shape and fit it inside the tube. (Be sure to use enough foil to reach both ends of the tube.) Pour in about a quarter cup of small dried beans, lentils, or rice. Then tape the second tagboard circle to the open end of the tube. Flip the stick from end to end to hear the sound of falling rain!

 

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Math Activity: Number Recognition!

Preparation: Attach a sheet of brown construction paper to a cookie sheet so it resembles a garden. Add details as desired. Cut out ten craft foam seeds and attach a piece of a self-adhesive magnet strip to the back of each one. Gather a set of number cards that show the numerals 1 to 10 and place them in a bag.

Display the garden in your circle-time area. Invite a youngster to choose a number card from the bag. Encourage students to identify the number. Then invite a child to place the corresponding number of seeds in the garden. After youngsters count the seeds to confirm that the number is correct, remove the seeds. Then repeat the process with a new number card.

 

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Fun in the Mud!

Squirt brown liquid paint into several different sizes of sealable plastic bags. Seal the bags; then secure the seals with clear packing tape. Invite youngsters to use their fingers to create designs, shapes, or letters in the mud.

As another mud alternative, provide youngsters with this mushy mud dough for molding, mashing, and making mud pies. To make the mud dough, mix together 1/2 cup of cold water, one tablespoon of cooking oil, and two tablespoons of brown, washable liquid paint. Stir in 1/2 cup of salt; then add one tablespoon of cornstarch. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups of flour until the dough is soft and smooth. Store the dough in a container; then place it in a center along with plastic spatulas, plastic knives, and different sizes of aluminum tins. (If the dough gets sticky, add flour.) More mud, anyone?

 

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Cloudy Craft

Every cloud has a silver lining when you use this idea!

Materials for one cloud:

• 9″ x 12″ white paper
• 9″ x 12″ piece of aluminum foil
• glitter
• thread
• scissors
• container of thinned white glue
• paintbrush
• glue
• hole puncher

Setup:

Glue the white paper and the aluminum foil together. Let the glue dry.

Steps:

1. Cut a cloud shape from the prepared paper.
2. Brush thinned glue over the white side of the cloud and sprinkle it with glitter. Set it aside to dry.
3. Shake off the excess glitter. (Punch a hole in the top of the cloud and tie a length of thread through the hole.)

 

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April is National Mathematics Education Month!

In honor of National Mathematics Education Month, check out The Mailbox Blog’s ideas on using math manipulatives in your classroom.

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