Sun S'mores

Prepare ingredients for s'mores: break graham crackers in half to make squares, break chocolate bars into sections, provide small marshmallows. Give each child a 1 foot section of foil. Then tell them these directions as they build their s'mores:

Step 1: place one graham square in the middle of your foil
Step 2: put two chocolate sections on top of the graham
Step 3: put four marshmallows on top of the chocolate
Step 4: place one graham square on top of the marshmallows
Step 5: fold the foil over the s'more and wrap it up
(you may have to help them with this to make sure it gets wrapped securely)

NOW! Place the s'mores on a tray in a sunny place until the afternoon. When you bring them in for snack they should be warm and gooey. YUM!

Assess

answers questions

follows oral directions

Shadow Writing

Use an overhead projector or bright light to project shapes onto a wall. Place white paper behind the shadow. Children can take turns tracing around the shadow onto the paper. While they are waiting for another turn they can decorate the shapes they have traced. Staple the pages together into a "Shape Book" for them to take home.

Assess

draw, trace or copy shapes and forms

Rocket Ship

Each small group will work on a part of the rocket ship. Provide a large box if possible so that the children will get to get in the box when it is done. Or use a small box to make a rocket ship for the stuffed animals or dolls to use. Assign a job for each "crew" to do. The first crew could decide on colors and paint the box. The second crew could work on the control panel. The third crew could make a seat. The third crew could make a helmet and jet pack (cut the top off a milk jug for the helmet and use plastic 2 liter soda bottles for the air tanks). This activity could be worked on over the course of a whole week if need be. Be sure to get plenty of input from each of the crews before beginning the task and provide as many materials as possible for them to choose from.

Assess

works and plays well with others

responds to suggestions

Bird Feed

There are many ways for the children to make bird feeders. Have several options available along with a good supply of birdseed. Talk about the best places to hang them so that the children can see them and the birds can get to them without creating a mess on the play areas. Talk about how important it is to remember to put out new feed from time to time to keep the birds fed. Here are some ideas for bird feeders:

*spread peanut butter on a pine cone and roll it in birdseed; hang with a piece of yarn from a tree branch (be sure you don't have a child with nut allergies in your class)
*save orange rinds by cutting the orange in half and scooping out the insides; punch four holes around the edge and hang with yarn so that the rind forms a bowl. Fill the bowl with seed and hang in a tree
*string cheerios onto a piece of yarn and tie into a tree *cut the bottom off a pint or quart size milk carton and punch holes in all four sides; hang with yarn and fill them with seed; you can add a perch by pushing a craft stick through the box so that it sticks out both sides

Assess

recognize feelings of others

recognize what another may need or want

Nest Building

Give each child a lunch sack with their name on the bottom. Go outside as a large group and give them about 5 minutes to pick up anything they think a bird might use for a nest - sticks, grass, yarn, trash, flowers, leaves, etc. Then work with the children in smaller groups. Empty the contents of each sack onto a paper plate. Roll the tops of their sacks down so that you have a thick edge close to the bottom of the sack. Encourage the children to create a nest by gluing what they collected onto the rolled edge and bottom of the sack. While they are building their nests encourage a discussion about how birds build their nests without glue! Extend this activity by providing clay in the art center that the children can use to make eggs. These can be hardened in the oven on a low setting or left in the sun to dry. When the eggs are dry they can be painted and placed in the nests.

Assess

trusts adults

shows persistence
tries new things

Personal Planet

Cut different sized circles out of poster board or construction paper. Provide a variety of art materials for the children to use to make a planet. While they are working on their planets talk about some things they want their planets to have and what materials they will need to create them. When they are finished ask them to name their planets.

Assess

creates original work

Binoculars

Provide one paper towel tube for each child. Children must use scissors to cut their tube into two pieces. They then line up the tubes side by side and staple them together. Next they use a hole punch to make holes in the sides to tie a piece of yarn for hanging their binoculars around their neck. Demonstrate for the children how to use each tool. Talk about the dangers and supervise the activity at all times. To cut the tube in half children must pinch the tube flat before cutting with a sharp pair of children's scissors. To staple the two tubes together they have to line them up and put the stapler down into the tubes so that the top is in one and the bottom of the stapler is in the other. Then they have to press the whole thing down on the table to get the staple to go into both tubes. The hole punch tool may be the hardest for most children. You may have to help them squeeze it. Children can either pass the yarn through each hole and tape it to the inside or tie the string to make it stay on. While this is a complicated activity and a little challenging, the children rise to the challenge and feel very proud of their finished binoculars. Be sure to plan some time outdoors later in the day so they can try them out!

Assess

demonstrates safe behavior

Space Walk

Trace children's bodies onto large butcher paper. Talk them through putting on space clothes by pointing out parts of the body to protect. (What would you wear to protect your head?, etc.) These look great hanging in a long hallway!

Assess

participate in movement activities and games
know body parts

Feather Quills

Provide stiff feathers for quills and thinned tempera paint for the ink. Children dip the quills into the paint and write or draw on paper.

Assess

holds writing tools correctly
manipulates objects

Sky Collage

Provide magazines and scissors. Children cut out pictures of things found in the sky and glue them onto a poster.

Assess

cuts with scissors

Stringing Up

Tie a shoestring from a stable place such as a cabinet handle or doorknob. Provide a bucket of large beads. Children take turns stringing beads up the shoestring. Encourage them to work together to keep the beads on the string as each person takes a turn. (This is also a good demonstration of negotiation and cooperation skills)

Assess

strings beads

Moon Phase Circle Match

[1]Cut a large circle from poster board. [2]Cut a small circle from the center of the circle so that a 2-4 inch ring remains. Cut the ring into 8 identical arcs. Draw moon phases onto the pieces so that when you put the arcs back together correctly they show the moon phases around the circle. SEE DIRECTION SHEET.

Assess

sequences pictures

Day Follows Night Follows Day

Cutout suns from yellow paper and moons from white or blue paper. Begin a pattern by gluing suns and moons to a long piece of paper (like cash register tape). Have the children continue the pattern by adding the correct piece one at a time. For younger children use a simple pattern such as 'sun, moon, sun, moon.." Older children could do more difficult patterns such as 'sun, sun, moon, sun, sun, moon..."

Assess

sees patterns in nature

copies and extends patterns

What the Wind Blew

Set up an electric table fan. Provide a collection of objects for the kids to place in front of the fan to see which the fan will blow. You can graph the objects into two piles. Talk about the concept of heavy and light. Older children can search the room for objects to try on their own. Have them make predictions before they experiment. You could also set the fan up in a safe, monitored location for children to experiment with on their own as they find new things to try.

Assess

sort by attributes

use a graph

Creating a Rainbow

Create a Light Discovery Box. In a plastic shoe box include any items children can use to explore properties of light such as a small flashlight, prisms, color paddles, mirror, tissue paper and heavier weight paper to compare how light goes through these, sealed tube of water, etc. Allow children time to talk about and explore the objects and how they interact with each other. If they do not discover it on their own, encourage them to shine the light onto the prism or through the water to see how light is broken into colors. After the small group experience you can place the light box in your science center for further exploration. Be ready to add items to the box as children discover new experiences with light!

Assess

uses senses to observe

explores cause and effect