October 2nd, 2010 admin

Enjoy this simple preschool lesson plan that teaches young children about shapes. The activities below will introduce children to circles through an art activity, preschool picture books, a song about circles, and shape walk, and a circle sorting activity. This lesson plan works well in conjunction with adaycare center unit theme about shapes or math and manipulation.

Circle Art Activity
Circle Crayon Rubbings
Materials: Card stock or sand paper, scissors, cardboard, glue, light colored thin paper, and peeled crayons in various colors.
Instructions: Pre-cut circle shapes in various sizes from card stock or coarse sandpaper. Glue the circles onto a piece of cardboard. Place a piece of light paper over the circles on the cardboard. Encourage children to turn the crayon sideways and rub the crayons over the circle shapes to produce colorful designs.

Circle Math and Manipulation
Circle Sorting
Cut triangles, rectangles, and circles out of poster board in various colors. Provide two containers and encourage children to sort the shapes into two categories, one for circles and one for shapes that are not circles.

Shape Recognition
Shape Walk

Take children around the neighborhood, park or playground.  Have them point out circles as you walk.

Circle Preschool Music and Movement
Teach the children the song “It’s a Circle”*:

See the sun up in the sky,
Well, it’s a circle.
See a hula hoop roll by,
Well, it’s a circle.
See the sun up in the sky,
See a hula hoop roll by,
Round as a fresh baked apple pie
And it’s a circle.
See a wheel on a roller skate,
Well, it’s a circle.
See a cookie on a plate,
Now that’s a circle.
See a wheel on a roller skate,
See this cookie on a plate,
Boy, this cookie sure is great
And it’s a circle!
See that great big manhole cover
Lying on the ground.
It’s not a square or a triangle,
It’s big and flat and round-
And it’s a circle.

*Taken from Stepbystepcc.com

Circle Cooking Activity
Have a party or picnic with foods that are shaped like a circle. Some food choices include: Circle shaped cereal, sliced bananas, sandwiches cut into circle shapes, mini pizzas, sliced carrots, meatballs, grapes, scoops of ice cream, round crackers, etc.

Preschool Books about the Circles
Here are some great books about circles to share with children:
It’s Circle Time! Shapes (Rookie Preschool)by Emily Bolam[Children’s Press, 2009]
Circles (A+ Books: Shapes) by Sarah L. Schuette and  Elena Bodrova[Capstone Press, 2002]
Circles (Heinemann Read and Learn) by Diyan Leake [Albert Whitman & Co, 1993]
Circles (Bookworms – the Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau[Benchmark Books, 2006]
Circles (Shapes Around Me) by Anita Loughrey [QED Publishing, 2010]

September 5th, 2010 admin

This preschool lesson plan provides crafts, preschool songs, games and other activities for a theme on reptiles.

A preschool lesson plan on reptiles is a fun theme that has lots of choices for program planning. It can be incorporated into a pet theme, or be extended with a dinosaur theme.

Fun Fact about Reptiles

Introduce the reptile theme at circle time. Collect some pictures of reptiles to show the children as well as providing these facts:

Crafts for a Reptile Preschool Lesson Plan

A snake craft: This craft is two steps if paint is being used. The following material is required:

• paperplate
• brown paint, or brown felts
• scissors
• hole puncher
• string
• googly eyes
• black felt pen

Each child will paint or color his paper plate brown. If the paint is being used, then the plate has to dry before the next steps occur. If needed, the teacher can draw a spiral figure onto the plate for a visual cue. The plate will be cut in a spiral figure from outer to the middle, leaving a space for the head. The children can finish off their snake mobile with eyes and a smile and then string will be attached to the top.

Lizard Craft: Cut out a lizard shape from thick white or light brown paper, and provide children with brown and green tissue squares to clue onto the lizard to create the scales. This craft can also occur with the children tearing brown and green construction paper which is good for fine motor skill development

Preschool Songs for a Reptile Preschool Lesson Plan

The following song can be sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Reptiles they have many scales

Some reptiles have long long tails.

They lay eggs and like the sun.

Some have legs, and some have none.

Reptiles they have many scales

Some reptiles have long, long tails.

Some other well known songs that can be included in a reptile preschool lesson plan are “Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree” and “I Had a Little Turtle”.

Preschool Activities for a Reptile ThemeThe following list suggests that other activities that can be included into a reptile preschool lesson plan:

1. Try playing the game, Duck, Duck, Goose but change the words to Snake, Snake, Lizard
2. Fill the sensory table with sand, wood and plastic snakes, lizards and turtles
3. Plan a Turtle Theme Day
4. Visit a pet store or invite any families that have reptiles as pets into the classroom for a visit

Reptiles is a topic that is very popular with many four year olds, particularly boys, so planning a preschool lesson plan around this theme will definitely be enjoyed in a preschool setting.