Garden Themed Activities For The Preschool Classroom
Posted: Friday, February 19, 2010
by Stephany Springer
Spring is right around the corner so now is the time to introduce the wonderful season to preschoolers.
This theme is exciting for young ones as they really get to dig in to the centers and experience the joy of getting messy. This is one of my favorite themes to do in the classroom.
Here are some activities for centers around your classroom.
Explore the book, The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt. this is most likely too long a book to read to preschoolers, but show them the paintings in the book. Then give the kids paintbrushes and watercolors to paint their own "garden." You will be amazed at what they come up with.
Cupcake flowers-We all have done this craft at some point in time. Use cupcake liners as the flower portion. Then you can use popsicle sticks or draw stems. This can be done on construction paper to make a complete spring scene.
Fingerprint fun-Allow the kids to dip their fingers in green paint to make caterpillars or black and/or yellow to make bees. Black worms are also fun.
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert is another book to explore during art time. Then give the kids various sizes of coffee filters, liquid watercolors and ear droppers. Children can cut our flower shapes from the filters. Using the ear droppers, the children will squeeze colors onto the filters. The children will be excited to see how the colors travel. While they are drying, have the children cut stems and leaves. They then glue these to the coffee filters.
Sensory
A fun activity in the sensory table is to buy earthworms from a local bait shop or sport store. Place them in dirt in the table. You will be surprised how excited they get playing with them and watching them wiggle.
Plant seeds. I use lima bean seeds because the plants tend to grow fast. I also have parents donate cardboard egg cartons and cut two per a child. I allow the kids to place miracle gro in the carton with seeds to take home.
Music
Planting Time (tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Dig, dig, dig the earth (pretend to dig)
Then you plant your seeds(pretend to drop seeds)
A gentle rain(flutter fingers down)
And Bright Sunshine(Circle arms above head)
Will help your flowers grow(Cross arms, raise one up like flower growing)
Wiggle Worm (Tune: Did you Ever See A Lassie)
Did you ever see a wiggle worm?
A wiggle worm, a wiggle worm?
Did you ever see a wiggle worm?
Move this way and that?
Move this way and that way,
Move this way and that way,
Did you ever see a wiggle worm?
Move this way and that?
Storytime
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
A Garden of Opposites by Nancy Davis
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
Wiggle and Waggle by Caroline Arnold
Ten Seeds by Ruth Brown
Messy Bessey's Garden by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack
Drama Center
Bring out some fake flowers and let kids pretend to plant. Be sure to have garden tools and aprons for the kids. Make sure you place butcher paper down to control the mess. You can also allow the kids to pretend to water the garden.
These are just a few suggestions. Enjoy the springtime with your class. Feel free to leave any other suggestions in the comment section below.
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