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Preschool Activity Theme For Summer

Bulletin Board: "Summer Garden"
Preschool teachers help young children create this summer bulletin board by
Diane B.

 Materials: Mural paper
 Paint
 Colorful Construction Paper
 Pom Poms
 Coffee Filters
 Clothes Pins
 Pipe Cleaners
 A snap shot of each child's face (if possible).

Description: Hang mural paper along the wall. Paint grass and flower stems and, with a marker, draw a few ants, worms, and snakes.  Cut out a flower shape (about the size of a coffee cup saucer) and let the children decorate it however they wish.  Next, cut out a small picture of each child and place their face in the center of the flower and attach it to the wall on the flower stems.

Now, the children take markers and decorate coffee filters.  Teachers lightly spray the the filters to make a tie dye effect. Pinch the filters in the center and slide into a clothes pin. Slip a piece of pipe cleaner for the antennae.

On green paper cut out leaf shapes (long and oval), draw the veins with a black marker and then ask the children to glue a line of colorful pom poms on them to represent a caterpillar. Now you have a caterpillar on a leaf! 

Cut out circles from black and red paper (about 3" in diameter) and cut the red circles in half to make lady bugs. Use a large black circle on the bottom, glue 2 red half circles on that (on each side for wings) and a small black circle (1" diameter) for the head.

Finally, ask children to dip their fingers into black paint and make dots!!  Take all of these things and attach them to your garden.  It's beautiful!  I did this project with my 18-27 month olds and got so-o-o- many compliments on how nice it looked!

Comments: This is a wonderful way to brighten up your class room! You can make 
it in the Spring or Summer and leave it up for quite a long time!
Note: There's lots of activities about ladybugs, worms and pom pom insects in the Creepy Crawler Theme located in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Summer Transition Song
This early childhood song by Merrie L. can be used during transition times to point out children's summer clothing.

  Summer Clothing
 (Sing to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell")

 Oh, if you are wearing shorts,
 If you are wearing shorts,
 You may walk out the door,
 If you are wearing shorts.

Note; You can find more transition rhymes in the Nursery Rhyme Collection
and there is an entire Transition Theme in the Rainbow Resource Room.
 

Literacy: What I Like About Summer
During circle time Jasse encourages preschool children to make choices and observe their own words being written.

Materials: Large sheet of paper, marker or pen. 

Description: During circle time ask each child, "What do you like about summer". The teacher writes down their ideas on the large sheet of paper. Once all the children have had a chance to share, the class turns their ideas into a song.

Just sing, "What I like about Summer is...."  Keep singing the sentence for all the children's ideas.  This song can be used for all of the seasons or other ideas.
What I like about Spring, Winter etc. 

Literacy: A Summer Scrapbook
Promote language skills as preschool children express their ideas and communicate
feelings during the creation of this early childhood scrapbook by Julie M.

 Materials: Scrapbook, children's own contributions of drawings, paintings and 
 verses, scissors, glue, and felt tipped pens.

 Description: Talk about summer flowers with the children. Encourage them to 
 contribute to the conversation by describing colors, smells and so on that they 
 associate with summer.  Show them the scrapbook and explain that they are each going to add something which reminds them of summer, such as a drawing,
a pressed flower or something they remember. 

Ask each child to contribute their idea or piece of work, sticking it into the scrapbook themselves if they want to. Provide plenty of support for younger children, offering suggestions or scribing for them. Give each child a label and ask them to think of a few words to describe their entry and write the words
on the label (if they can).

Ask the children to draw small pictures to stick on to the front of the 
scrapbook.  Then write a title Our Summer Scrapbook. The book should be available for the children to look at, read and share.

A Summer Fingerplay
 Prepare for your Summer picnic with this fingerplay from Dalia.

 Materials: Plates, napkins etc.

 These are my sun glasses. 
 (circle eyes with fingers) 
 This is my great sun hat. 
 (Hands over head)
 This is the way I fold my hands 
 (Fold hands) 
 And rest them, just like that. 
 (Place hands into lap) 

 Pack the paper plates and napkins. 
 (Pretend to pack) 
 Don't forget the food and drink: 
 (Shake head no) 
 Hot dogs, potato salad, cake, and lemonade pink.
 It's fun to go on a picnic. 
 I simply cannot wait 
 To eat and play, have fun all day, 

 The sun makes the outside a warm place to play
 (arms above head in circle)
 It makes the flowers grow each day
 (holding up hands wiggling fingers)
 The sun hides its face during the night
 (cover face with hands)
 But during the daytime it shines - oh so bright
 (arms above head in circle)

Early in the morning the sun wakes up
It shines up high - we have fun
The sun shines bright all the day
Then at night it goes away.

Materials: Large paper, yellow, white and orange paint.  Painting items such as; brushes,  swabs, feathers, fingers, etc.

Description: Talk about how summer means many hot days and that the sun provides them.  Ask what color the sun is and let children choose the colors they would like to use to make their sunny pictures.

Comments: They love mixing colors with the different items and their fingers!
 

Summer Quiet Place
Barbara provides a place for children to go to be alone or to read a book.

Materials: A small plastic pool, scissors, blue tissue paper, one or two small 
blow up rings used in swimming pools and a few good books.

Description: Put a small plastic swimming pool in a corner of the room.
Add several sheets of blue tissue paper and scissors. The children will love 
taking turns cutting the paper in small pieces. This will be your water. Add a 
couple of small swimming rings that you have filled with air. Add a child or two 
and a few books. No problem at clean up time. They love picking up the "spilled 
water".

Comments: This is a good quiet center when talking about water, swimming, oceans and lakes.

For picture book suggestions, take a look at  Preschool Books Listed by Theme.
 

Calamine Lotion Song
Preschoolers have fun with language as they sing this song by Ann P. Improvise a tune and use a bottle of calamine lotion and a water spray bottle as props.

 Calamine Lotion
 Calamine, Calamine, Calamine Lotion
 (Children repeat)
 Oh no no not the lotion
 (children repeat)
 Itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy on my little backy, backy
 (children repeat)
 Get the buggy, buggy spray before they get me anyway
 (children repeat)
 PSHHHHH, PSHHHHHH 
(Use the spray bottle and pretend to spray)

Cool Cooking Idea: Ice Cream Sandwiches
Kids can make this treat themselves during this easy early childhood activity by Stephanie. 

Materials: Graham crackers any flavor (we like Chocolate), ice cream (any flavor) and plastic wrap.

Description: Let the ice cream get to a soft stage then take the graham crackers and spread one half with about ½ cup ice cream. Put another graham cracker on top and wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze for about 3 hours. These great summer theme treats are good for up to about 3 weeks! 

There are many more cool cooking ideas throughout the 2 pages of the
Summer Activity Theme & an entire Food and Nutrition Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Materials for each puppet:
1.  Two 9 inch paper plates
2.  Orange, yellow, and white construction paper
3.  Cardboard paper towel tube
4.  Yellow paint
5.  Yellow yarn
6.  Rubber band (red if possible)
7.  Aluminum foil
8.  Glue, scissors, pencil, newspaper to work on
9.  Two paper brad fasteners

Description:
1.   Trace children's hand on the colored paper. You will need to cut out five        yellow hand shapes and six orange hand shapes.

2.   Children paint the bottom of one paper plate yellow.

3.   Children cover the bottom of the second plate with glue. They arrange the hand shapes around the edge of the gluey plate for the rays of the sun. Teach 
patterning, by showing them how to glue first an orange hand, then a yellow, then an orange, etc. ending with an orange hand, and leaving a 2 inch opening between them where no hand "ray" sticks out. You can draw a line for them to see where to place the first hand and where to stop with the last hand.

4.  The children put the top of the painted plate over the gluey plate so that you have a yellow sun with rays all around it. The opening will be the bottom.

5.  To make the mouth, push the two paper brad fasteners into the sun above the 
opening and about 3 inches apart. Hook an end of the rubber band over each 
fastener. Open the fasteners on the back of the sun to secure them. Children 
will need help or the teacher can do this part.

6. Cut two eyes from the white paper. Children use a black marker or crayon to 
 draw a pupil on each eye. Children glue the eyes to the face of the sun.

7.  Children cover the tube with aluminum foil. Fold the extra foil down into the 
two ends of the tube. Cut a 2 inch slit on each side of the opening at one end of the tube. Help the children slide the bottom edge of the sun into the slit.

8. Tie one end of a 24 in. length of yellow yarn to the bottom of the rubber band mouth so that it hangs out. To make the sun puppet look like it is talking, just pull on the end of the yarn.
WHAT DOES YOUR SUN WANT TO SAY?

Comments: The children loved their sun puppets! They loved the painting and hand prints, and especially making their puppet's mouth move and "talk".
 

  Sunshine Art Project
Michelle E. shares this project saying, "This activity helps the children understand the concept of patterning while still allowing each finished product to look individual or different."

Materials: Paper Plate middles cut out, several shades of orange and yellow tissue paper, small triangles cut out from orange and yellow construction paper,
glue and paint brushes.

Description: Give each child a paper plate middle. Have the children "paint" the circle with glue and then decorate with the tissue paper.  Allow the circles to dry while explaining patterning. After the circles have dried encourage the children to make patterns with the colored triangles by gluing them around the outside of the circle. Easier patterns for the younger children (ABAB pattern) and harder patterns for the older children (AABB pattern, ABBA pattern, etc.).

Comments: I added these suns to my classroom door at "graduation" and combined them with mini graduation caps made with the children's names on them and the heading Our Futures Are Bright.

There's lots of Graduation Ideas in the Rainbow Resource Room.
 

Happy Campers Matching Game
Judy G. shares this game saying, "The objective of the activity plan is to influence preschoolers development through the use of non-competitive games."

Materials: Using pre-printed matching cards or designing your own with clip art  found in books or the internet, create a matching game where the children, as a  group, must match a picture of an animal with it's track.  I created 20 cards  using clip art and printed them on card stock. 

 Description: For preschool children, non-competitive games are great! 
 Begin the game by talking about what kinds of animals you may see on a camping 
 trip.  Talk about the animals and encourage the children.  As they mention an 
 animal, be ready to show them the picture of it.  Hold the picture of the track 
 for the children to see.  If you are working with a young group, you may want to give clues like "It hops and has a fluffy tail".  Encourage them to work as a 
 group so that the game is non-competitive.

Comments: The children that play this game with me just love it.  They wanted 
to play over and over again.
An entire Camping Activities Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Or you can click on for more activities.