C is for Colors

There are so many fun COLOR books and activities. We did several books alternating with an activity. Do them all or pick and choose which ones work for you! We get most of our books from our local library.

• Read “Colors for Zena” by Monica Wellington … available here.
  1. A fun book about a girl named Zena. She goes for a walk to find all of the colors that seem to be missing.

• Do ‘C’ journal page … we used a fun multi-color pen from the dollar store to write our letters. 
  1. Write ‘Cc’ on the next blank page.
  2. Write ‘COLORS’. I write this for my 2-year-old. My 4-year-old copies the word from the front of our book!
  3. Practice writing big C’s and little c’s.
  4. Draw a simple rainbow on your journal page.
  5. Add colorful stickers to the rainbow. Available here .

• Read “Animal Colors” by Beth Fielding … available here. 
  1. A very bright and colorful book! There are lots of interesting pictures. We really enjoyed this one.

 

• Make paint chip colors book … I keep this little book in my purse and pull it out when my 2-year-old needs an easy activity while we’re out. He will pick a color and we’ll look for things that match that color.
  1. Collect several paint chips from a local hardware store.
  2. Print the color names on sticker labels.
     • TIP: You could also just write the color names on sticker labels with markers. If you have time, your preschooler could also help write the words!
  3. Hole punch each of the paint chips and clip together with a circle fastener.
  4. Have your preschooler choose a paint chip color and stick the matching color name to it.
  5. When you’re finished, “read” the book together!

• Read “The Rainbow Book” by Kate Ohrt … available here. 
  1. This is a fun, bright book. Each page has a cutout that overlaps the next page, making it very colorful and fun to read.

• Color Hunt … I have used these color circles since my 10-year-old was about two. The kids never get tired of this  
  1. Cut out circles in several different colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, black, brown, grey)
  2. Write (or print) the color name on each circle.
  3. Laminate. I use this laminator.
  4. Have your preschooler choose a circle.
  5. Hunt around the house for things that match their color!
  6. We also have these colored-letter clothespins that we matched to the colored circles. Not necessary, but it was fun (I found them at Michaels).
     • TIP: You could also simply write letters on clothespins with different colored markers.

• Read “A Color of His Own” by Leo Lionni … available here. 
  1. This is a classic story about a chameleon who is not very happy that he blends in with everything, until he meets someone just like him!
  2. Ask your preschooler to find the word “color”. Hint: it’s the word that starts with a ‘C’!
  3. What colors do they see on the front cover?

• Colorful Painter’s Tape Art
  1. PREP: Use painter’s tape (available at a hardware store) to make the first initial of your preschooler’s name on white cardstock.
  2. Pour a small blob of several colors of paint on a plate. We use Crayola washable paints.
  3. Let your preschooler use their hands to cover the entire paper with color!
  4. Let dry, then remove the painter’s tape!

• Read “Red, Stop! Green, Go!” by P. D. Eastman … available here.
  1. This is a simplified version of “Go, Dog, Go!”
  2. There are several interactive pages (wheels to turn, tabs to pull)
  3. I love the page that changes the yellow dog to a green dog when it dives into the blue water (transparent film). Pretty creative!

• Play “Extreme Red Light, Green Light” … I’m sure we’re not the only family that plays this traditional game a little differently
  1. Use the same color circles from the activities above.
  2. Have your preschoolers stand at one end of the room (or outside!)
  3. Stand at the opposite side of the room, holding the colored circles.
  4. When you hold up the GREEN circle, the kids walk toward you.
  5. When you hold up the RED circle, the kids stop!
  6. If they continue to move, you can send them back to the starting line again.
  7. EXTREME: Add a few more colors, one at a time Have the kids help decide what they should be:
     • ORANGE: crawl
     • YELLOW: slow-motion
     • BLUE: hop!
     • PURPLE: walk backwards
     • BLACK: giant jumps!

• Have a COLORFUL snack! … this was a fun and favorite lunch
  1. Make a snack together with all the colors in the rainbow.
  2. We used red pepperoni and strawberries, oranges, a banana, green kiwi and blueberries. Mmmm!

C is for Cookies

• Read “The Cow Loves Cookies” by Karma Wilson … available here. 
  1. This is one of our very favorite books. All of the animals on the farm like their traditional food, but not the cow. He and the farmer have a deal.
  2. Before reading, ask the kids what different animals on a farm eat. What does a cow eat? Ask them to look at the cover and decide what this cow might like to eat!

• Do ‘C’ journal page
  1. Write “Cc” on the next blank page.
  2. Write “COOKIES”. Show your preschooler the word “cookies” on the cover of the book and let them copy the letters.
  3. Practice writing big C’s and little c’s.
  4. Add cookie stickers to the page. I printed several cookie ingredients on sticker labels and used those for stickers.
  5. To Print:
     • Download the cookie sticker page here.
     • Load a sheet of label stickers (Avery #8163) into your printer.
     • Print and cut the labels apart between cookie images.

• Read “Mr. Cookie Baker” by Monica Wellington … available here.
  1. I love these stories by Monica Wellington. The text is simple. The illustrations are bright and fun. A great cookie book
  2. We noticed Mr. Cookie Baker’s hat and apron. We’ll be making those later!

 

• Cut and Paste “C is for Cookie” page … this is a simple and free page from 1+1+1=1. I love the cutting, pasting and beginning letter sound practice.
  1. Print “C is for Cookie” page here. Scroll down to the “Mr. Cookie Baker” unit and click on it to print.
  2. Look at the pictures together. Say the names.
  3. Cut on the dotted lines.
  4. Say the name of each picture together. Emphasize the beginning letter sound.
  5. Glue the /C/ sound pictures to the large letter C.

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Match Game … this was a lot of fun. Just a traditional matching game, but somehow much more fun when we’re matching cookies
  1. Print 2 copies of the matching game below (4 pages total) and cut out each circle.
  2. Print the cookie backs above (print 4 copies).
  3. Glue the circles to the back of each cookie. I held the cookie paper up to the light and eyeballed where to glue each circle.
  4. Laminate the four cookie pages.
  5. Cut out each cookie.
  6. To Play:
     • Shuffle the cookies.
     • Lay out face-down on the table.
     • Turn over two cookies, trying to find a match. If not a match, turn back over.
     • TIP: To play with younger children, turn over two cards and leave them face up. Take turns turning over two cards until a match is found.

• Read “Baker, Baker, Cookie Maker” by Linda Hayward … Available here.

  

• Dress up like a cookie baker! … dressing up makes everything more fun  
  1. Make an apron.
     • I purchased a blank child-sized apron from Michaels. About $5 before coupon. Several options available here.
     • Use fabric markers or sharpies to decorate the apron!
     • I wrote my preschooler’s name. She decorated it then added her own drawings. I love it!
  2. Make a chef hat.
     • I used this tutorial from Cara at The First Grade Parade. Scroll to the bottom of her post for great pictures.
     • Cut a piece of white cardstock in half, lengthwise. Tape together to make a long band (she uses a sentence strip).
     • Use one piece of white tissue paper. We didn’t have white, so pink tissue paper worked just as well
     • The tutorial is great, but in short, pinch and tape the bottom edge of the tissue paper to half the paper headband … kind of like gathering. Measure the headband around your head and tape. Finish pinching and taping the top edge of the tissue paper to the other half of the headband.
     • Poof the tissue paper and wear!

 

• Make Cookies! … now that we’re all fancied up with an apron and chef hat, we’re ready to bake some cookies.
  1. Take it slow. Make sure you have plenty of time to let your preschooler help scoop and measure and stir (and lick!)
  2. Let them help find the 1 cup and 1/2 cup. Let them try cracking the egg and measuring the vanilla. It will definitely make a bigger mess, but it makes great memories too
  3. This is our favorite cookie recipe:

 

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Counting … an easy game to play while you’re waiting for the cookies to bake.
  1. Cut out 10 circles from brown foam craft paper.
  2. On one side, use a sharpie to write “1 one” and “2 two” … etc, up to “10 ten”
  3. On the opposite side, draw the matching number of dots.
  4. Help your preschooler arrange the cookies from 1 to 10.
  5. Give her a bowl of chocolate chips.
  6. Let her put one chocolate chip on each dot.
  7. I asked my 4-year-old to point to the cookie that showed how old she was. Which cookie shows how old your brother is? Which cookie has 5 chocolate chips. Which one has 7? We did a lot of counting