Up!

I’m taking advantage of our U is for Up day to also learn about Opposites!

Up, Down ... Slow, Fast ... Stop, Go.

• Read “Great Day for Up” by Dr. Seuss
  1. Make an “UP” finder … make a loop at the end of a pipe cleaner. Twist to secure the loop, then wrap the extra pipe cleaner around a pencil. Now you have an “UP” finder
  2. As you read the book, let your preschooler spy all of the “UP” words and loop them with the “UP” finder.

• Glue your U page
  1. Cut out several small arrows.
  2. Draw a large letter U on your paper.
  3. Starting at the bottom, glue all of your arrows pointing UP!

• Read “Kipper's Book of Opposites” by Mick Inkpen … we have this little board book and the kids just love it. Clean, simple pictures showing opposites. Any little opposites book will do.
• Simon Says Opposites Game … play a little game of Simon Says to reinforce opposites.
  1. You are Simon. You say “Simon Says …. sit down.” and the kids sit down. Then say “Simon Says … stand up.” They stand up.
  2. Continue using fun opposite activities:
     • close your eyes … open your eyes
     • run fast … run slow
     • make a happy face … make a sad face
     • go to sleep … wake up
     • do a big, huge jump … do a teeny-tiny jump

 

• Opposite Cards Race Game
  1. Use a set of opposite cards:
     • I have seen them in Target’s dollar spot and the dollar store.
     • These cute opposite cards from Mudpuppy (above) are available from Amazon here.
     • Print this great set of opposite cards from Kidz Club. You can print them in color or black & white and let the kids color them! Looks like you can glue them together to make a little opposite book, but just leave them separate for this game.
  2. Review the opposite cards so the kids can recognize the matches. You definitely don’t need to use them all.
  3. Place one half of the opposite cards at one end of the room and the other half at the other side of the room. (So big, up, and cold are at one end … small, down and hot are at the other.)
  4. To play: let the kids choose one card, run to the other end and find the opposite to match, then run back and show everybody!
  5. Give a high five to the next player and they choose a card and run.

Under

• Preschool Down Under … okay, not the Australia down under…
  1. Spread out a blanket under the kitchen table and have preschool down under the table today!

• Read “Up Above and Down Below” by Sue Redding … what fun illustrations! You can see what it going on up above as well as underneath!
• Dig for the letter U
  1. Use a large plastic tub or sand table.
  2. Cut out a large letter U.
  3. Laminate and attach the letter "U" cutout to the bottom of a large container or sand table (or attach it with contact paper).
  4. Fill the container with sand, rice or shaving cream.
  5. Let the kids use their hands to dig for the letter and uncover it.

• Over & Under Obstacle Course
  1. Use yarn to create an obstacle course in your hallway.
  2. Tie the yarn to anything you can or use pushpins.
  3. See if you can make it through the obstacle course without touching the yarn by going UNDER and over!
• Play a game of hide & seek
  1. We used Easter eggs, but you could use anything you want to (cars, blocks, toys).
  2. Hide them UNDER things. We hid them under pillows, under chairs, under shoes. The kids loved doing it over and over again.
• Snack Time … eat your snack UNDER the table today!

Rainy Day Umbrella

• Read “One Rainy Day” by M. Christina Butler … Little Hedgehog is very excited to hear rain outside. He can finally use his shiny new umbrella. But soon the rain shower turns into a storm and Little Hedgehog’s rainy day turns into a great big adventure!
• Umbrella Song … a fun song to get the wiggles out. Sung to the tune of Looby Loo. Click here for music.

We put our umbrellas up. (Circle arms overhead.) We close our umbrellas down. (Lower arms to sides.) We give our umbrellas a shake, shake, shake, (Shake your body.) And turn them all around. (Twirl around.)

 

• Paint an Umbrella … I’ve been wanting to try this painting technique. I think a rainy day umbrella would be perfect!
  1. Print the umbrella picture above from Twisty Noodle.
  2. Let them draw a few rain drops on the page.
  3. Pour condensed milk into sections of an ice cube tray.
  4. Drop several drops of food coloring in each section & mix!
  5. Use a paintbrush to paint your umbrella different colors.
  6. Dries shiny and smooth like a wet umbrella!

     UPDATE: So we gave this a good try My kids LOVED painting with the sweetened condensed milk. It was messy. We started with Q-tips, but paintbrushes worked better. Don’t know if I’d do it again, but it was great to try one time! After drying 24 hours, it was shiny, but it was still sticky. Makes a mess, but cleans up easily. FYI.

• Umbrella Walk
  1. Dress up in your rain boots and rain coat.
  2. Grab your umbrella and go for a walk … even if it’s not raining

• U is for Umbrella tracing page … a perfect tracing page from First School.

• Snack Idea … Add a couple of these umbrella picks to your snack plate! I also just saw these at Dollar Tree.

• Treat Idea … how cute are these umbrella cookies from Family Fun. Made from sugar cookies and bendy straws!

Upside-Down

• Upside-Down around the House
  1. To start Upside-Down Day, I like to turn pictures and other things around the house upside-down. The kids love it when they spy something mixed-up and upside-down.
  2. Turn favorite teddy bears or dolls upside-down in their normal spot.
  3. Turn cups and plates upside-down on the lunch table.
  4. Turn a clock  or calendar upside-down for the day

• Read “Inside, Outside, Upside Down” by Stan & Jan Berenstain

• Play Inside, Outside and … Upside Down? in a Box!
  1. Use a large box.
  2. Fold the top and bottom flaps inside making a sturdy tunnel.
  3. Play inside the box, outside the box and … upside-down is up to you!

   

• Sing “If You Change To Meet a Frown”
  1. Cut out 2 yellow circles.
  2. Have the kids draw the letter U on one circle.
  3. Draw an upside-down U on the other.
  4. Add two dots for eyes on each circle (making one smiley face and one frowny face.)
  5. Sandwich a craft stick between the two faces and glue together.
  6. Use your smiley/frowny face puppet to sing the song! Click here for words and music!

 

• Upside-Down Cups
  1. Draw a large U on a plastic cup.
  2. Add 2 eyes above and 2 eyes below.
  3. Show the kids how one way it is a smiley face. When they turn it upside-down it is a frowny face.
  4. Ask them several questions and let them decide which face to use:
     • Do you like the color green?
     • Do you like bananas?
     • How do you feel when you read a story?
     • Your sister shares her toy with you. How does that make you feel?
     • How do you feel when you fall and bump your knee.
  5. Let your preschooler come up with some ideas!

  

• Strawberry Upside-Down Cake … what a fun cake to make from AllRecipes. When it’s finished baking, turn it upside-down onto a serving plate and add a little whipped cream! We made this and it is delicious and smells soooo good.

  Strawberry Upside-Down Cake

  2 cups crushed fresh strawberries 1 (6oz) package strawberry jello 3 cups mini marshmallows 1 (18oz) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared as directed on package 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Spread crushed strawberries on the bottom of a baking pan. 3. Evenly sprinkle strawberries with dry strawberry jello. 4. Top with mini marshmallows. 5. Prepare cake mix as directed on package and pour on top of the marshmallows. 6. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. 7. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen sides and turn cake out onto a serving tray. 8. Top with whipped cream.

United States of America

• Pledge of Allegiance … Start off your U is for USA day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance!
  1. Put your right hand over your heart.
  2. Look at an American flag.
  3. Recite the Pledge of Allegiance, found here.

• Make a personalized picture-filled map … put up a map of the US somewhere in your house and make it come to life! This one from National Geographic is nice because it’s already laminated.
  1. Keep the information simple, but introduce the country that we live in called “The United States of America”
  2. Point out the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
  3. Point out Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
  4. Find the state you live in.
  5. Personalize your map with pictures! Print out small pictures and stick them to the map (with sticky tack) in the right location. Some picture ideas you could use:
     1. your family or home attached over your city
     2. grandma & grandpa’s house over their city
     3. relatives and friends who live in other cities or states
     4. a small picture of Mickey Mouse for Disneyland if you’ve visited there (or want to!)
     5. Mt. Rushmore, the Washington Monument or other memorable family vacation spots
     6. a picture of Punxatawney Phil over PA
     7. your college logo over the city where you attended college
     8. places you hope to visit
     9. a tent over your favorite camping spot
     10. if you’re LDS like I am, a picture of the temple you were married in, church history sites or Temple Square.
     11. …the list goes on and on. Make your US map personal for your kids!

• USA Postcard Swap … My kids and I are lucky to be apart of a USA postcard swap this spring. It has been so much fun receiving postcards from each state in the US. We’ve been receiving them almost daily lately. We read the back, look at the pictures on the front and then find the state on our big USA map and pin it up.
  1. You can do something similar! Ask friends and family living in different states to send you a postcard. Or if you (or they) visit another state, send yourself a postcard!
  2. As you start collecting postcards, sort them alphabetically, punch 2 holes in the side and use clasping rings to make a “United States of America” book.
  3. I would love to organize a USA postcard swap, but I think I’m going to hold off until next year. Maybe in January, so that we can start receiving postcards when U week rolls around. Keep it in mind and we’ll do it!

      

• Kids USA Atlas … My kids love browsing through these looking at the pictures and maps.

• USA Dot-to-Dot Page … from Making Learning Fun here.

• United States License Plates Matching Game … so this game from The Dating Divas is intended to use on a road trip. You mark off any license plates you see. My 7-year-old would love this. My 4-year-old probably wouldn’t love it as much.
  1. Instead, print off two copies.
  2. Cut one copy apart.
  3. Play a matching or Bingo game. Draw one license plate card, name the state and mark off the match!

• USA Symbols Book … a very simplified coloring book of the symbols of America from ABCTeach. A much more detailed coloring book can be found here.
  1. Click the link above to print.
  2. Cut apart each page.
  3. Stack and staple.

 

• Statue of Liberty Crown … make your own with paper plates! Fun idea from Kathy Ross.