I AM THE BEST
At
the young age of six or seven,there are the late bloomers who are resourseful
and talented ,but not confidnt enough.The following idea is for them,
Get each child to draw and colour something.If you want to you can even divide
them into groups.After all have finished,take 2 or three drawings and mismatch
them to get a complete picture.Get them to comment on the picture.Then remove
a vital part of the picture {as far as possible the quitest child's drawing}and
explain to them how the picture won't be complete even if one of their drawings
are missing.Reassure every little one that he or she is vital. This makes a tremendous
difference to the sober and quiet ones.
I
AM SPECIAL
Submitted by Renee
I am special
look and see
look and see
someone special and its me
and its you.
BODY PARTS TIME FILLER
Submitted by Janiece
As a time-filler between activities, I ask the kids to put their
fingers on their knees, hands on their heads, then get progressively
difficult. For example, I might have them put their nose on
their toes. This is a good way to introduce new parts (put
your wrist on your shin, etc.) The kids can also take
turns coming up with new ideas.
SPECIAL ME
Submitted by Sarah
The author of this poem is unknown, but I would like to share it.
"Special Me"
Special Me
Special Me.
How I wonder.
What I will be.
In this big world, I can be.
Anything, I want to be.
WATCH CAREFULLY
Have a child come to the front of the circle. Have him/her stand still.
Then whisper a body part to him/her. All of the children should watch
carefully. S/he briefly moves that part and then stands quietly again.
The children
call out which body part s/he moved.
HANDY BOOK
On a piece of folded construction paper trace a child's hand. Cut out
the hand, leaving the fold uncut. You end up with a hand-shaped booklet
that will open up. Place small amounts of paint in shallow containers.
Let the children
decorate their hand books by doting their thumb or fingers with paint making
thumb prints or finger prints.
Print each child's name on the outside of the book.
FINGERPRINTS
Submitted by Tanya
We make fingerprints and look at them through a magnifying glass.
Here is the best way to do fingerprints so that you can really
see the differences: take a pencil and cover a piece of paper with a heavy
layer of graphite, then rub your finger across it several times, then take
a piece of clear tape and lift the print from your finger onto the tape.
Place the tape on another piece of paper and the print is very clear - much
better I've found than using stamp pads. With older
kids you can even classify them.
ME SUITCASE
Submitted by Tanya
Each child was assigned a special day to talk about themselves. The
day before their special day, the child decorated a grocery bag which
became their "Me Suitcase." We put their names on it with a
special note for the parents to let their child fill it with things
that are special to them.
The next day we gave the child a special time of day to take the things out
of the suitcase and talk about them. Things sent in were family pictures,
a favorite toy, vacation pictures, souvenirs they collected, a favorite article
of clothing, etc. The children couldn't wait for their day to share their
suitcase. We said this poem for each child on their day:
Everyone is special.
Someone special who
Walks and talks in ways
That only he/she can do!
We know someone special.
Someone we like, too.
Here is someone we call (name)
We like you 'cause you're you!
A HANDY MOBILE
In just a jiffy you can make a handy mobile. Trace around your hand,
on four pieces of construction paper of
different colours. Cut out four hand shapes. Tape a hand shape to each end
of two straws. Tie a string to the
middle of each straw and connect the straws. Tie another string to the middle
of the top straw and hang your mobile where it can move around freely.
EYE COLOR
I make a graph that has 4 columns with the words Blue, Green, Brown
and Purple at the bottom and title it EYE COLORS.
I then have each child come up and look in a mirror to see what eye
color they have. I use stickers with their names on them and let them
place the sticker in the correct column. We then add up the columns
to see which one has the most and the least. Using a color like
red as a choice allows me to promote the concept of zero, though sometimes
I have a child who is sure their eyes are purple.
This is great for promoting self awareness and an awareness of the
similarities and differences in others. My Children love it. Even
works well with the little ones 2-3's
SONGS
Submitted by Krista
Sung to: "B-I-N-G-O"
My arms have parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
And this is how I move them!
My legs have parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Knee, ankle, heel and foot
Knee, ankle, heel and foot
Knee, ankle, heel and foot
And this is how I move them!
My trunk has parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Neck, back, waist and hips
Neck, back, waist and hips
Neck, back, waist and hips
And this is how I move them!
I'm made of parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand..
Knee, ankle, heel and foot.
Neck, back, waist and hips
And this is how I move them!
All By Myself
Sung to: "Three Blind Mice"
All by myself
All by myself
See what I can do
See what I can do
I can brush my teeth and my hair so neat
I can put my socks and shoes on my feet.
I can get my napkin and snack to eat.
All by myself
All by myself
All by myself
All by myself
See what I can do
See what I can do
I can clean up my toys. I can ride my bike
I can kick a ball and match pictures alike
I can read a book and sing songs that I like
All by myself
All by myself
ALL ABOUT ME
Submitted by Marilyn
During my home visits to my three's class, I have collected their
baby pictures, recent pictures, family pictures, a drawing, and magazine
pictures of their favorite foods. I compile this into one class
flap book that is used at circle to get acquainted and to take attendance. It
works very well for shy children to talk about their page or to comfort
a sad child by seeing his "page" in our special book. I continue
with the theme of All about Me, by bringing in a bathroom scale with
bricks, feathers, towels, blocks, etc. We weigh all the items,
then we weigh each child. We compare the weight and decide
that sometimes they are heavier than some of the objects, and sometimes
they are not. Instant Math! I also measure each child
with different colors of yarn. We then put the yarn on a big
chart with each child's name and weight and the children can compare
the differences among themselves. We also do body outlines
on brown wrap paper and the children decorate them with marker, crayons
and glue and paper scraps and buttons. We hang them in our
hallway. I made up a flannel board to go with this theme: You
need:
2 flesh tone circles of felt (one for a boy/girl)
hair (for boy/girl)
3 sets of different eye color
lips, noses and ears
"Here is my face so nice and round (place face on board)
I have two eyes in blue, green or brown (have children select eye color)
I have two ears, and a nose on my face,
And a sweet little mouth so I can taste"
I then pass around small, hand-held mirrors for the children to look
at themselves. They then describe what they see about themselves
from the mirror images. We compare different color eyes, hair,
skin tone, etc.
I also play this game with them: They LOVE guessing the answers from
the clues.
I'm thinking of something that sounds like band....
you use soap and water to wash your ____(hands)
I'm thinking of something that sounds like pear,
You brush it and comb it, it is your ___(hair)
I'm thinking of something that sounds like rose,
you use a tissue to blow your __(nose)
I'm thinking of something that sounds like meat,
I put this part of my body into my shoes it is my ___(feet)
I'm thinking of something that sounds like tree,
I'm putting my hands upon my ____(knee)
I'm thinking of something that sounds like farm,
I put up my hand by raising my ______(arm)
I also cut out pictures from magazines of children. I back them on cardboard
and use clear contact to protect them. Then I cut them into pieces to
make puzzles. I leave these out and the children enjoy working on them.
I AM SOMEONE SPECIAL
Submitted by Celia
Along with the Somebody Special theme, we also make a big poster
and label it "Thumbody Special" and each child puts his thumb
on a stamp pad or in a little paint and puts his or her thumbprint
on the poster.I discuss the fact that no two
thumbprints are exactly the same and no two children are exactly the same.
It's also a good way to begin talking about likenesses and differences.I will
call two children to stand next to me and ask how they are alike, how are they
different. At first there is silence but after I give a few examples,
they get the idea.
ALL ABOUT ME
Submitted by Gerri
I would like to share some of the things I have been doing with my
kindergartners for our "All About Me" unit which includes the human
body:
We made several "living graphs" such as: measuring the circumference
(yes, I introduced that word to them) of their heads I gave each student
a long piece of string in which they wrapped around their heads. They then
placed their finger where the string met and I helped them cut the
remainder of the string off. I set up a graph on the board-vertically
was inches, horizontally the children's initials. I called each
student up individually and asked them how many inches they thought
their head was around. I got answers from 2 inches to 50 inches. I
then taped their string on the "graph." I also did this with
their heights. It gave us an opportunity to compare and contrast
the similarities and differences visually. They really enjoyed
these activities. Next week we are going to measure our feet
using a cut out of a foot that is 12 inches long. This too will
make a nice "living graph." I also took large pieces of white
butcher paper and had my students lie down while a partner traced
their body. The next day they added their features, such as their
eyes, ears, nose, mouth,etc. The following day we took our "bodies" outside
to paint on their "clothing." The final part of the project we
cut out the bodies. (We needed to do "surgery" on some of the bodies,
some of the children accidentally cut off limbs!) Over all it
turned out terrific. I hung a heavy piece of yarn across the
ceiling in which I clothes pinned the bodies on to. This was
a big hit with the parents at our open house--they got to see their
children just "hanging out."
Title: I AM SPECIAL
Submitted by Betty
Hi Gerri - we also trace our bodies but try this extension:
Paint the front of t-shirts with the childrens' hand prints and the
backs with their footprints ( we use our school colors so they can
wear them on spirit day!). Then with a permanent marker or
fabric pen on the front write..." I am special..." or if Christian
School "God made me special..." around one of the hands. And
on the back , write "...all the way down to my feet!" - follow
the down side of one of the feet. I like it when
the words flow in a curvy line instead of a straight line...be creative. THEN
the biggest hit is when we put all the shirts on the bodies and sit
them in the chairs for Open House! It is an absolutely precious
sight!
Title: "A Very Special Person"
Submitted by Margaret
Materials needed:Small facial mirror, Box, large enough to hold the
mirror, Paper plate, one per child, Crayons or markers, Yarns of
various colors, cut in pieces, Popsicle sticks, one per child, Buttons,
two per child, and Glue
What to do:
1. Place the mirror inside the box and replace the cover.
2. Tell the children that there is a very special person hiding in
the box. Pass the box around circle to each child.
3. Instruct the children not to look in the box. They may shake it gently and
listen to it but the may not open it.
4. As you are passing the box around the circle encourage thinking by asking
questions like: "Who do you think is a special person? Could that person really
fit in this box? When you shake the box do you hear the sound of a person?
What sound do you hear?"
5. After each child has held the box, pass it around again. This time tell
them they may peek in the box but may not tell who they see.
6. Give each child a paper plate to decorate. Using yarn for
hair,buttons for eyes and crayons or markers have the children "make" the special
person they saw. Glue a popsicle stick at the bottom.
7. Write each child's name on the back. For those who use High Scope in their
classrooms at recall have the children bring their decorated face, hold it
in front of their own face and reveal who the special person was that they
saw.
This is alot of fun, in my classroom even the mom's who were there and teacher's
made a mask. We are All Very Special!!
Submitted by Joyce
I have used my big 96 font in D'Nealian manuscript with lines and have
printed out all their first names. They will be used for graphing
choices we "vote" on. (ex. favorite color, color of eyes, favorite
ice cream flavor, etc.) I ran 2 copies of each name so that
I can cut them apart to put together as a puzzle. These go
in the small snack baggies. Their names will be the first words
we read this year and we're going to look for long and short names,
tall and short names, names with loops, dots, etc. It's always
fun and makes the children feel special. It's very helpful
for those who were taught to write in all capital letters too.We're
also doing a booklet about families, pets, siblings, etc. I
put this in their portfolios and do a more sophisticated one later
in the year. They can't believe how much better their work
is in the latter part of the year. It's a real ego boost!
Title:Self Awareness/ Similarities and Differences
Submitted by Regina
Art
Materials: paper doll cutout, multicultural crayons, various
collage materials such as yarn, buttons, paper scraps, etc...
Procedure: For this activity I first read We Are The Same We
Are Different and discuss this with them. Then each child gets a doll
cutout to color, decorate, etc... to look like themselves. A mirror is
close at hand for anyone to use to see eye color, hair color, etc... They
pick the crayon color that matches their own skin tone the closest to color
the face, arms, legs. Each doll is labeled with the child's name across
the belly when done and placed around a picture of the world I have colored
in with the dolls holding hands. I use this as a bulletin board. Headings
can vary as well as time of year it is done. I have sometimes waited
until February to do this with a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr.
Title:All About Me Self Portrait
Submitted by Tammy
The first full week of school, I teach a theme on "all about me". One
of the activities I have the children do is a self portrait. I
use the large, white construction paper and have the children draw
a large picture of themselves on it. I then use the flesh tone
paints we have and mix them to match each of the children's skin
tones. No two are exactly alike. This is good to use
to show the similarities and differences in each of us. I then
have a variety of shades of yarn to match hair color. The children
pick out the color that best suits them. When they are finished,
the children have an adorable, true to life portrait of themselves. They
also come away with an awareness of how no one is exactly white,
black, red, or yellow--we are all different shades in between.
Submitted by Joyce
I have used my big 96 font in D'Nealian manuscript with lines and have
printed out all their first names. They will be used for graphing
choices we "vote" on. (ex. favorite color, color of eyes, favorite
ice cream flavor, etc.) I ran 2 copies of each name so that
I can cut them apart to put together as a puzzle. These go
in the small snack baggies. Their names will be the first words
we read this year and we're going to look for long and short names,
tall and short names, names with loops, dots, etc. It's always
fun and makes the children feel special. It's very helpful
for those who were taught to write in all capital letters too.We're
also doing a booklet about families, pets, siblings, etc. I
put this in their portfolios and do a more sophisticated one later
in the year. They can't believe how much better their work
is in the latter part of the year. It's a real ego boost!
Title:Self Awareness/ Similarities and Differences
Submitted by Regina
Art
Materials: paper doll cutout, multicultural crayons, various
collage materials such as yarn, buttons, paper scraps, etc...
Procedure: For this activity I first read We Are The Same We
Are Different and discuss this with them. Then each child gets a doll
cutout to color, decorate, etc... to look like themself. A mirror is
close at hand for anyone to use to see eye color, hair color, etc... They
pick the crayon color that matches their own skin tone the closest to color
the face, arms, legs. Each doll is labeled with the child's name across
the belly when done and placed around a picture of the world I have colored
in with the dolls holding hands. I use this as a bulletin board. Headings
can vary as well as time of year it is done. I have sometimes waited
until February to do this with a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr.
Title:All About Me Self Portrait
Submitted by Tammy
The first full week of school, I teach a theme on "all about me". One
of the activities I have the children do is a self portrait. I
use the large, white construction paper and have the children draw
a large picture of themselves on it. I then use the fleshtone
paints we have and mix them to match each of the children's skin
tones. No two are exactly alike. This is good to use
to show the similarities and differences in each of us. I then
have a variety of shades of yarn to match hair color. The children
pick out the color that best suits them. When they are finished,
the children have an adorable, true to life portrait of themself. They
also come away with an awareness of how no one is exactly white,
black, red, or yellow--we are all different shades in between.
Title: Portfolio
Submitted by Regina
I also use portfolio's in my PreK class to show progress and growth
over the year. What I do is take a picture of each child at
the beginning and end of the year as well as include pictures of
each child doing various classroom activities as well as on field
trips. At the beginning, middle, and end of the year (
date everything) I have the children write their name, age,
and draw a picture of themself. I then measure and record their
height. Other papers done throughout the year include drawing
their family, friends, what they want to be, and telling what their
favorites are: color, food, snack, game, tv show, movie, sport,
toy,etc... It's great to see how much progress they make throughout
the year this was as it may go by unnoticed as we see them everyday. The
parents love it too!
Title: Smile-O-Gram (thanks to Bob Lento who
presented one year at a conference I attended).
Submitted by Diane
The certificates are made on the computer with smiley face clip art. Mine
says: Hooray for ___________. You're the star of the day! What
a great job you did in ___________________ today.
I give these out to individual children for any special thing they may
do during the day. i.e. good listener, being a good friend,
sharing with someone, helping someone zipper their coat and so forth.
Essentially, it is an on-the-spot award. It works wonders!! The
kids work really hard to get one. I just make sure that eventually
everyone gets one for something. They are all so proud of themselves!!
Title: I LIKE KIDS!!
Submitted by MJEFFE
Reading/Poetry
Materials: Chart Paper and Marker
Write this poem on chart paper and let kids make paper dolls of themselves
using wiggly eyes,etc. I cut the dolls from multicultural construction
paper and let them choose the skin color they like best.
I like kids.
I like them lots.
I like them cold.
I like them hots.
I like them quiet.
I like them noisy.
I like them girlsy.
I like them boysy!
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