O is for Outer Space

To be honest, I’m usually scrambling to get preschool ready in the morning. Our baby just turned 6-months-old and I’m just starting to feel like I’m getting life under control.  The main reason I started this blog was to have a place for me to keep my preschool plans and ideas just for times like this. I was able to put a few ideas together, grab a book from the bookshelf, scissors, gluesticks and we were ready to go. So, here is what we pulled off today …

• Astronaut Balloons … I gave these to the kids while I finished getting some things ready. Astronauts float in outer space, so we taped an astronaut clipart to a balloon so the kids could bop it and help him float around the house.
  1. Print your favorite astronaut clipart.
  2. Have your preschooler cut it out.
  3. Tape it (I used packing tape) to the balloon.
  4. Bop it!
• Sing a few songs … we have been starting off with a couple of fun songs. Today it was “The Wheels on the Bus”.

• Read “Me and My Place in Space ” by Joan Sweeney … Show the kids the cover of the book and ask them what they know about Outer Space.

• Outer Space Pictures… this was our big project for the day. They worked out really well.
  1. Name Rockets
     • Cut out squares in several colors. Ours were 2½” x 2½”
     • Cut out triangles for the wings and one for the nose of the rocket.
     • Have the kids count how many letters are in their name and pick out that many squares.
     • Write one letter of their name on each square. My 4-year-old wrote her own name. I wrote my 2-year-old’s name.
     • Glue the name squares vertically on a large piece of black paper (I taped 2 pieces of black cardstock together). Add the wings and the nose. Resist the urge to straighten everything for them
  2. Planets & Stars
     • Print all of the planet images from The Center for Science Education at UC Berkeley here.
     • Have the kids cut out each of the planets and glue them onto their space picture. My 4-year-old did the cutting all by herself, but got tired and left three planets off. Totally fine. I cut my 2-year-old’s planets out and she glued them on.
  3. Add STAR STICKERS! … Amazon has several kinds available here.
  4. Write with white crayon!
     • My kids are always amazed when the white crayons actually “work”
     • Give them a white crayon and let them see how it shows up so bright on the black paper. They can write their name or circle the stars (to practice writing Os!)

• Build Rockets!
  1. We got several sets of Magformers for Christmas. I can’t say enough good about them. My 2, 4, 6, and 9-year-old all LOVE them. My husband and I can play with them for hours. Even the baby loves to chew on them They have magnets inside the plastic that snap together easily. We’ve build some pretty neat creations.
  2. They are a little expensive, but since they’ve been pulled out every single day since Christmas, I can see them being a favorite for a long time.
  3. Duplo blocks or wooden blocks would also work to build rockets

• Outer Space Lunch … this idea is compliments of my 4-year-old. I was going to make PB&J. She decided we needed Outer Space Rocket lunches. Definitely more fun
1. Rocket Body = graham crackers with PB inside
2. Wings = cheese slices
3. Rocket Boosters & Nose = fruit leather
4. Windows = mini pepperonis
5. Meteorites = blueberries

O is for Ocean

Get ready, get set for a fun O is for Ocean Day. We did these activities while the baby was sleeping this morning (preschool is soooo much easier when I can use two hands) We usually start off on a blanket on the floor to sing songs, do our journal page and read a book!

• Ocean Song … sing a silly version of “Old McDonald Had a Farm”!

• Letter O Journal Page
  1. Write letter O and “Ocean” on your page
  2. Add ocean stickers! I used these stickers, but I would highly recommend getting them for much less at Michaels

• Read “The Abcs of Oceans” by Bobbie Kalman
  1. We really enjoyed this book. It is not a comprehensive book about the ocean, but it is informative and simple and colorful. The pictures are wonderful. It includes the basics you would hope you find to share with your preschooler … sharks, octopus, sea turtles, dophins. A great book.
  2. Talk about the pictures. What do the kids notice?
  3. We had fun matching the ocean animals in the book with the ocean stickers in our journal.

• Make an Ocean Aquarium … these turned out really cute.
  1. Cut the middle out of a paper plate (show the kids it makes an O!)
  2. Trace & cut out a blue circle the same size as the paper plate O.
  3. Ahead of time, I glued some plastic wrap inside the paper plate to make our “glass” aquarium. I used hot glue … quick & easy.
  4. Let the kids put ocean stickers all over their blue ocean water circle.
  5. They could add seaweed, bubbles, coral, etc with crayons.
  6. We also added small rocks (I put small dots of hot glue and they carefully, CAREFULLY put the rocks on.)
  7. Glue the paper plate “glass” aquarium top over their ocean!!
  8. We hung these on our back door and it was really cool to see the sunlight shining through. We had fun peeking inside trying to see all of the animals in their aquariums.

• Accordion Ocean book … a very cute and simple book from 1+1+1=1. Print it here (just scroll down!)
  1. I had the kids color these while I was helping the other one glue their aquarium. I love the repetition in this little book, so the kids can “read” it by themselves.
  2. Just print, cut apart, glue together, color & fold.

• Ocean Water Play
  1. I grabbed this TOOB of ocean animals at Micheals (with a 40% off coupon). You can also get them here.
  2. Fill a shallow tub with water. Add a drop of blue food coloring.
  3. Place the tub on a towels (cuts down on the water being splashed everywhere!)
  4. Add the animals and a few little scoops. We turned some little bowls upside-down for the sea-lions to sun themselves

• Ocean Treat … here is an awesome in-my-fridge photo of our dessert
  1. Make a package of Berry Blue Jell-O.
  2. Fill individual dessert cups. Let set.
  3. When you’re ready to serve, add a couple of Swedish fish and a dollop of whipped cream. Mmmm.
  4. TIP: the Swedish fish get a little slimy if they sit in the Jell-O too long. That’s why I suggest adding them when you’re ready to serve.

Nursery Rhyme ABCs

I absolutely LOVE this!

 

Education.com has free nursery rhyme worksheets to download. What I think it so great is that they have matched up a nursery rhyme with each letter of the alphabet. As you read through, you and your preschooler can identify the letter you’re working on. I love that the font is clear and simple, they show both the upper and lower-case letter examples on the page and they’re cute!

   

1. Click here to download and print each worksheet.
2. Slip each one into a clear plastic page protector (keep them altogether in a binder or 3-prong folder)
3. Use a dry erase marker to circle, underline or trace the letters.
4. Count the letters and write the number at the bottom.
5. Erase and repeat later.
6. Love it! Learning letters and nursery rhymes at the same time!

O (circle shapes)

• Painting O’s … my 3-year-old thought this was so cool!
  1. Need a blank paper and a shallow tray of paint (orange paint would work nicely for O week!)
  2. Dip the end of a toilet paper tube into the paint, then stamp O’s all over your paper.
  3. Try the end of a straw in another color of paint to make tiny circles.
  4. Try a clean, dry plastic bottle top (you know, the screw on kind from juice bottles or a gallon of milk) for medium circles.
  5. You could even use a cup turned upside-down dipped in paint.

 

• NAME-O!
  1. Write each of the kids' names on a strip of paper. To make the game a little more exciting write their full name.
  2. Give then a cup of O-shaped cereal.
  3. Place a set of letter cards in a bag.
  4. To play, remove a card and let the kids announce the letter.
  5. The kids see if they have that letter and, if so, cover it with a cheerio.
  6. When all their letters are covered, they can call out "Name-O!" Clear the cards & play again!
• Play with a Hoola Hoop or make a simple Ring Toss game.
• Circle Shape Hunt
  1. Go on a shape hunt around the house and find as many different circles shapes as you can (clock, plates, balls, doorknobs…)

Snack Idea: a bagel with your favorite spread and decorated with Cheerios

Orange

We always have fun doing Color Days. This week for O, have an ORANGE DAY!

• Wear orange clothes.
• Have orange juice and orange-tinted, O-shaped pancakes for breakfast!

• Read An Orange in January by Dianna Hutts Aston.
  1. (This is perfect because our O week falls right in January!)
  2. Let your preschooler feel an orange, roll an orange, smell an orange and help you peel an orange.
  3. TIP: I like the little clementine cuties because they are so sweet and so easy to peel!
• Orange Hunt
  1. Paint 2 toilet paper tubes with orange paint. Let dry.
  2. Tape the tubes together. Or have the kids write their name on an orange strip of paper and wrap that around the two tubes. Secure with tape.
  3. Punch a hole in each tube and attach a long orange piece of yarn to hang the orange binoculars around your neck.
  4. Go on an orange hunt around your house or outside or at the grocery store or anywhere!
• Mixing Orange Paint
  1. Put a small amount of red & yellow paint in a ziploc bag. Zip tightly!
  2. Let the kids rub, squeeze and mush the bag around until the colors mix to make orange paint!
• Musical Colors
  1. Put several orange and non-orange items in a bag.
  2. Give the kids an instrument (an O-shaped pot lid and a spoon, an O-shaped oatmeal container to use as a drum, or simply a toy xylophone)
  3. Pull an item out of the bag.
  4. If it is orange, PLAY YOUR INSTRUMENT!
  5. If it is not orange, be silent!
• Fingerpaint with butterscotch pudding. Or vanilla pudding tinted orange.

Snack Idea: Orange slices or orange-flavored jigglers Jello cut into circle shapes.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

I love Amy’s blog Super Healthy Kids. One of my favorite snack recipes from her is Peanut Butter Balls. My kids love helping make them and we really like eating them with a glass of milk. Plus, they’re super simple to make!

1 cup oats

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter

1 cup powdered milk

Mix. Roll into balls & refrigerate.

 

Pretty easy. A great snack for O (oatmeal) or P (peanut butter) week!

Outer Space

• Weightless Astronaut Balloon
  1. Print out a picture of an astronaut (or use one from above!)
  2. Glue or tape the astronaut to an inflated balloon.
  3. Bop the balloon to keep it and the astronaut up in the air.
  4. Talk about how astronauts are weightless in space because there is no gravity.
  5. Have the kids imagine what it would be like to be weightless!
• Glowing Stars
  1. Use a piece of stiff, black paper.
  2. Lay the paper on the carpet and give the kids a pushpin.
  3. Let them make as many holes (stars) as they would like to all over their paper.
  4. If your kids are older, have them try making a constellation.   
  5. Turn off the lights and hold their star paper in front of a bright light. The light will shine through the holes making a sheet full of beautiful, glowing stars!

• Read There’s No Place Like Space by Tish Rabe.

   

• Outer Space Banner
  1. Print out the colorful images of each planet above. Or a great coloring page of the planets here. Click the “planets” link under supplies.
  2. Talk about what shape the planets are. Name the colors of each planet. Which planet has rings?
  3. Get out the little scissors and practice cutting on the dotted lines!
  4. Write numbers 1-8 on each planet square
     1. Mercury
     2. Venus
     3. Earth
     4. Mars
     5. Jupiter
     6. Saturn
     7. Uranus
     8. Neptune
  5. On a long strip of paper (blue or black!), help the kids glue the planets in order 1-8, closest to the sun to furthest from the sun. My kids just wanted to glue theirs to a paper so that’s what we did!
  6. NOTE: You could also make this into a mobile by taping a string to the back of each planet and hanging them in order from a clothes hanger
•  Astronaut Finger Rhyme 

Four Little Astronauts
Four little astronauts winking at me,
(Hold up fingers as rhyme indicates.)
One blasts off, now there are three.
Three little astronauts with nothing to do,
One blasts off, now there are two.
Two little astronauts afraid of the Sun,
One blasts off, now there is one.
One little astronaut alone is no fun,
He blasts off, now there are none.

 

• Circle the Stars!
  1. Have the kids stick lots of star stickers all over a black piece of paper.
  2. Use a white crayon and have them circle each of the stars … they won’t even know they’re practicing the letter O!