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Preschool Spring Activity Theme

Springtime Song
Preschool children learn about the spring season as they sing this sensory song from Nicole H.

  Springtime Song
 (Tune: Did you ever see a Lassie?)
 My eyes can see it springtime, it's springtime, its springtime.
 My eyes can see it springtime, the grass is so green!
 The green grass, the flowers, the sunshine and showers.
 My eyes can see it's springtime, and I am so glad.

 My ears can hear its springtime, its spring time, its springtime.
 My ears can hears its springtime, the birds sweetly sing.
 The birds sing, the lambs bleat the frogs croak, the bees buzz.
 My ears can hear it's springtime, and I am so glad!

 My body can feel its springtime, it's springtime, it's springtime.
 My body can feel it's springtime, the air is so warm.
 The warm air, the breezes, no frost and no freezes.
(Variation: The warm air, the breezes, the pollen, the sneezes)
  My body can feel it's springtime, and I am so glad

Bulletin Board: "Spring Has Sprung" Muffin Liner Scene
Melanie M. offers this week long lesson plan saying, "This is a good lesson for teaching colors and texture. Children can use a variety of materials including muffin liners to create a spring picture.  This is a simple, multi step craft that can be spread out over a week, if you want, or you can do the prep work yourself and have the children construct their pictures in one session."

Materials: Brightly colored muffin liners (a variety of sizes)
Popsicle sticks painted green
Leaves (can use real, silk or cut from anything)
Grass (I use the green shredded stuff that goes in Easter baskets, or you can use scraps of green tissue paper)
Finger Paint, blue, yellow, green
Circular object for the sun.

Description:
1.  Day 1:  I take my kids out for a walk in the springtime and we play games such as I Spy to take note of what we see outside.  On windy days, we notice the cloud patterns and on nice days, we notice the clear blue sky.  I also get them to use their 5 senses to describe what they notice outdoors.  This is a good way to introduce the craft.

2.  Day 2:  Indoors, I mix colors and show the children what new colors are 
created when you mix them together.  I eventually lead them to the color blue. 
On heavy paper, have children finger paint a clear blue sky or add drops of 
black to make a stormy blue-grey sky.  I also give them a variety of tools to 
textures their skies with.  On the bottom half of the paper, have the children 
finger paint a green bottom.  Let these dry.  As an added painting activity, 
give the children a number of popsicle sticks to paint green.  Let these dry for 
next day.

4.  Day 3:  Have the children take their green popsicle sticks and put a drop of 
glue on the top.  Take a large muffin liner, stretch it out a bit and affix it 
to the top of glue.  Put a small drop of glue in the middle of the large muffin 
liner.  Take a smaller muffin liner and affix it in the center of the large 
muffin liner.  You have just made a pretty flower.  Repeat the process.  Some of 
my kids make two flowers, others make up to ten.  It's up to them.  Let these 
flowers dry. 

Take your large sheet of paper and spread glue on the green section using your fingers or a paint brush.  Sprinkle your green grass basket filler over the glue.  Glue the backs of your popsicle flowers and affix them onto your grass.  Glue your leaves on.  Let your creations dry.

5.  Day 4:  By now your creations should be completely dry.  You may notice that some of your green basket filler is loose in some places.  You can glue these 
down and give extra glue in some places.  This is where the individuality of the 
creation comes through.  I set out gold glitter glue, circular objects such as 
jars, split oranges, pipe cleaner, paint and so on.  The kids can use them to make
sun, using any method they want.  Some of my children finger paint a partial sun 
(because it's cloudy outside and the sun doesn't come out on days like these). 
Let dry.

6.  Day 5:  Your creation should be completely dry now and ready to be displayed on your spring theme bulletin board.  These creations are so colorful and so 
beautiful when they are finished.  Parents also love them!

Comments: Depending on the age group, this activity can take a long time or can 
be done in two days.  I did this with preschoolers and they absolutely loved it! 
I think this activity would be ideal for any age group that is studying a spring 
theme.
 

Sensory Painting With A Scent
Kelly B. encourages children to incorporate their sense of smell in an activity often associated with touch. 

Materials: Paper (prefer stiff)
Several flavors of Kool-Aid
Paint brushes

Description: Mix each flavor in a separate container with about half a cup of 
 water. Allow the children to paint on the paper with the brushes after dipping them in the flavored water. The painting looks just like watercolor paints and it 
 smells so good. Actually the whole art area smells great! The children love 
 dipping their brushes in and smelling them before they paint, they try to guess 
 what flavor it is. They come up with some pretty interesting guesses. 

After the painting has dried the children can scratch their painting with their 
finger and smell the paint on their picture. Just like scratch and sniff stickers.

Comments: I found the children just loved this. They were so excited to be able 
to paint with a drink they often have. The colors are perfect for spring too 
because they are watercolor and appear pastel. It's also a really cheap activity 
because the drink mix is very inexpensive.
A Note of Caution: The diluted Kool-Aid stains clothing and countertops / tables. Gail was able to get it out of the tabletops, but not the clothing and strongly recommends that children wear smocks to protect their clothes.
 

Spring Bulletin Board
During this preschool activity by Diane S. teachers can encourage appropriate behavior, color recognition, name recognition, discussion on spring and how plants and trees begin to grow after the winter.

 Materials: Bulletin board, large piece of brown paper, assorted smaller colored 
 paper, scissors, leaf and flower patterns.

 Description: Teachers place on the bulletin board a large tree cut out of the brown paper, making sure you have a branch for each child in your class. Write the children's names on the branches. Trace the leaves and flower patterns onto construction paper, the older children can do this themselves. Next, ask the children to cut them out. With the leftover brown paper, make two barrels one for each side of the tree. Place the leaves and flowers in the barrels. 
The title I chose for my board is Our Class is Blooming!

During circle time talk about how the tree is bare and what happens to trees in the spring? Why does this happen? What can we do to our tree to make it look like it's spring? Ask the children about the branches? What is on them that  is not on the trees outside? Have them identify their names. Go over the colors 
of the flowers and leaves, are the leaves all one shade of green? Why not?
Can there be more than one shade of a color?

Next explain how the children can add leaves and flowers to the tree by doing their very best at school, following the rules, cleaning up centers, and doing their best on papers or crafts. At the end of each day have the children who have had a good day choose a leaf or flower to put on their branch. Encourage everyone to participate so that the class tree can become big and full by the end of the month.

Cooking: Ice Cream Sundaes
Young children create their own ice cream delights using fine motor control 
during this fun activity from Debbie M.

Materials: Ice cream, assorted ice cream toppings, assorted sprinkles,
cool whip, cherries, nuts, eatable bowls.

Description: We do this for our spring parties.  We allow the children to make 
their own ice cream sundaes and they have an absolute ball. They are able to add their own toppings as much or as little as they want. The only thing we as 
grown up do is to put the ice cream into the eatable bowls because the ice cream
is frozen and too hard for the children to scoop. Both the parents and the children enjoy this extremely well.
 

Photosynthesis
During this preschool curriculum activity by Virginia G. students learn about the four elements (soil, sun, water, seeds) necessary for plant growth.

Materials: Poster board, colored markers, empty seed packet, (pictures of the type of seeds you are planting are great for later recognition of the plant), styrofoam cups, potting soil, seeds, water, plastic wrap and a sunny window.

Description: Discuss the four elements needed to grow a plant. Soil, seeds, sun and water.  Enlist the students to help draw a sun in the upper corner of the poster board.  Make sure there are plenty of "rays' extending down the poster.
Draw in the soil (brown) on the bottom 1/5 of the poster. Starting on the left side, draw a black seed in the soil.  Draw more seeds every few inches, but including some (green) "growth" in each until you have drawn a sprout.
Extend a few of the yellow sun's rays all the way down from the sun to the sprout.
Add water drops (blue) and a sprinkling can just above the sprout. The class can color in the objects. Display the poster in a prominent place in the classroom.
Next, use the cups and soil to help students plant seeds in their own cup.  Add a few tablespoons of water, and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a sunny window for a few days (keep warm at night).  When the plants sprout, uncover.  Review the steps each day to remind students to water their plants.

Grass Heads
During this Spring curriculum activity by Jackie youngsters will have the opportunity to grow their own grass head and be responsible for watering it daily.

Materials: Old pair of nylon legs, grass seed, soil, small plastic containers (,jar or cleaned cat food tins), elastic bands, googlie eyes (the ones you sew on), pipe cleaners and a spray bottle.

 Description:
1.  Cut nylon at the knee 
2.  Scoop in 1 tbsp. grass seed
3.  Scoop in preferred amount of soil / compacted (size of  a softball).
     Work the soil down to foot of nylon into shape of a head.
4.  Tie the open end of the nylon tight (snip excess nylon and  leave about 3 inches dangling).
OPTIONAL:
5.  Have the children pinch the soil through the nylon to make it easy to tie an elastic around for ears and nose.
6.  Sew on googlie eyes.
7.  Make glasses out of pipe cleaners 
8.  Place grass head on top of small container (have excess 3 inch nylon dangling into the container 
9.  Pour in 1/2 inch of water in bottom of the container every couple of days.
10. Spray water gently over grass seeds on top 2 times each day.

WATCH THE GRASS GROW and watch the children enjoy creating there own hairdo's.

Lots more plant activities are in the Plant Activity Theme in the Rainbow Resource Room
 

Paper Plate Umbrellas
Combine movement with this easy hands on art and craft activity by Yvonne S.

Materials: Large paper plates, markers and crayons.

Description: Give each student a  paper plate with a small hole poked in the middle.  Let the youngsters decorate the backs of their plates with crayons or felt tip markers. When they have finished, have them stick their index fingers up through the holes in their plates to make the umbrellas.

Comments: My preschool class walks around in a circle saying this rhyme:

 It's raining, It's raining,
 Oh me, oh my!
 But our umbrellas will keep us dry!

Game: Caterpillars and Butterflies
Annette P. developed this game from a poem that she found on the Preschool Rainbow. Young children join a group, take turns and use gross motor skill as they run around a circle and find their place again. This is very challenging for the children in Annette's class.

Materials: A circular mat to sit round, a large model butterfly suitable for the children to hold.

Description: Sit together in a circle and recite and act out the poem Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar. At the end choose one person to get up and fly round the circle holding the butterfly model.

 Fuzzy wuzzy, creepy crawly 
 Caterpillar funny, 
 You will be a butterfly 
 When the days are sunny. 
 Winging, flinging, dancing, springing 
 Butterfly so yellow, 
 You were once a caterpillar, 
 Wiggly, wiggly fellow

 Little fuzzy caterpillar 
 In your warm cocoon 
 The cold winter's over and you'll be hatching soon. 
 Then you'll spread your wings 
 On a warm summer's day 
 And wave us all good bye 
 As you fly, fly away. 

Comments:  I teach children with severe learning difficulties, ASD's and PMLD's from 2 - 6 years.  The children I teach found this very challenging but particularly the children with challenging behavior were motivated by the fact they had to sit still to get the Butterfly. 
A theme about Butterflies is in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Kites!
Preschool and kindergarten children have the opportunity to develop pre-writing skills through tracing a diamond during this early childhood activity by Kim.  Patterning is reinforced using colored bow tie pasta to create the tail.

Materials: Diamond tracing pattern, crayons or markers, pencil, colored bow tie pasta, paper and glue.

Description: The children use a pencil to trace the diamond on paper.  Once they have traced their diamond they can color their kite any way they choose. Next, the children use the pasta to create a pattern on their kite tail.  The pasta is glued in place on the tail and the children draw on their paper.

Comments: The activity works very well with a mixed age group of children.

There's lots more Kite Making activities in the Windy & Rainy Weather Theme which is in the Rainbow Resource Room

  Bulletin Board Idea 
April Showers Bring May Flowers 

Ashlee offers this suggestion saying, "What I did was put every other letter green and blue.  Blue symbolizes the showers and green for the flowers.  Then to add detail, I cut out big rain drops to give to each child to personally decorate themselves.  If you can fit their names on the rain drops, it turns out awesome with some glitter.  Next have your class make some flowers for the rain to fall on.

More..
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