Fish-Themed Activities For Children

It's summer and many families spend these days fishing, boating, at the beach and maybe visiting an aquarium. Here are ways to help children develop knowledge about the creatures that live under the sea.

Fish Stories

Cut out fish shapes from construction paper. From old magazines, cut out interesting pictures and glue these onto the fish. Place all fish into a box. Invite the children to pick a "fish" from the box. Look at the picture and try to incorporate it into a fish story they make up. This is a fun game for a group of children or with the family.

Pick Up Fish (A fine motor game)

Remember the game of pick-up-sticks? Here is a fish version. You will need two containers, one empty and the other filled with fish shaped crackers. Invite the children to use tweezers to move the crackers from one container to the other.

Fish Dramatic Play

Have the children pretend to be fish swimming in the water. Ask, "What type of fish do you want to be?" Tell them to lie on their stomach with their arms close to their side. Now, have them wiggle their body and try to move. Ask, "How would you rest when you are tired? How would you eat? Where would you hide if there were danger?" Have the children describe what they imagine in their underwater world. Act out the following verse.

There is so much activity beneath the sea.

The crab crawls, the eel wiggles,

The octopus swims, the jellyfish jiggles.

Dramatize the creature you want to be!

Fish Net Mobile

Save one of those net bags that oranges or potatoes are sold in. Hang this in a favorite spot. Invite the children to make colorful paper fish cut from construction paper and decorated with art materials. Punch a hole at the top of each fish. Attach the fish to the net with hooks made by opening paper clips.

Going Fishing (Snack)

Give each child two paper cups. One with fish shaped crackers and the other with peanut butter. Give the children a carrot stick and tell them to dip the end of the veggie stick (fishing pole) into the peanut butter and then go fishing into the crackers. The peanut butter makes the crackers stick to the carrot stick. Kids love to see how many fish they can catch!

Children love fish themes and you can enhance these ideas with books, songs and even movies like the movie Finding Dory. There is a mysterious and beautiful world down under the sea, so as you are having fun with fish activities, children are learning through play.

Photo courtesy of Flickr  

Dear Readers,

After a crazy year of moving to a new city and getting settled in a new home, I'm back on Creative Preschool Time and geared to bring you oodles of information for your early childhood experience with your children.

From new products, to lesson plans, to crafts and so much more. Please check out my site in the next few days and visit often.

See you on the web!

Tania

How to Make Homemade Musical Instruments

Children enjoy making musical instruments from collecting the materials to performing in a homemade band. Go 'green' with recycled materials for your projects.

The homemade instruments below fall into the category of idiophones and with a few recycled materials, children can make creative rhythm instruments to experiment with sounds and contribute to a classroom rhythm band. The best part of these homemade instruments is that when playtime is over or the child tires of the project, most materials can go back into the recycle bin for a greener Earth.

 

Coconut Clappers

Those who live in the tropics can pick up a coconut, if not this fruit can be found in markets.

·      An adult needs to cut the coconut in half, drain the milk and take out the meat.

·      Help the children sand the outside of the coconut shell until all surfaces becomes somewhat smooth.

·      Children can paint the coconut shell with poster paint and decorate the outside as they wish.

To play this primal instrument, children need to hold a half in each hand. Tap the cut edges together to create unique, hollow-wood sounds. Challenge the kids to guess which animal makes a sound like a coconut clapper. The correct answer is horse and have the children use these clappers to make sounds like a horse is walking and a faster pace like galloping.

Bongos

Simple bongo drums can be made from empty gallon or half-gallon plastic containers, such as bleach containers.

·      To prepare the containers, cut the tops off and make sure both bottles have been cut to the same size.

·      Tape the cut edges with a heavy duct or vinyl tape to protect the fingers.

·      Have an adult staple two containers together side by side for each child.

·      The kids can decorate the plastic bongos with adhesive stickers and/or permanent colored markers.

To play these drums, turn the containers upside down and children can tap the bottoms with their hands. To be authentic, sit on the floor and place the bongos between the knees.

And more ideas to come...

The ideas above have come from "Shake, Tap and Play a Merry Tune" by Tania K. Cowling (available on Amazon.com and from the author on http://www.taniacowling.com)

Visit often to see more crafts and theme ideas. Why not subscribe to this blog and receive emails when a new post is published?

See you next week,

Tania

It's a New Year in the Preschool Department

I've started (or actually gone back to) a site where I have developed two channels for preschool educators, parents, homeschooling parents and caregivers. Suite101.com has allowed me to create two preschool channels -- one for everyday themes and activities and the other for holiday projects.

I'm hoping you will find some time to visit these channels, as well as others you may find interesting. You will see articles from me and other educators on these links. Take a peek! I hope you will find interesting activities to share with your children and students.

Preschool Education: Tips, Tools and Resources

Holiday Projects for Preschoolers

If you're looking for crafts, songs, educational activities and more - you have come to the right place!

Until next time,
Tania

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com

Thanksgiving Theme Unit for Daycare & Preschool

During the month of November families in the US celebrate the joys of Thanksgiving. Take this Thanksgiving theme across the curriculum to commemorate this holiday.

To coincide with this holiday, focus on curriculum activities that relate to the famous book, Over the River and Through the Wood by Lydia Maria Child [North-South Books, 1998], and the traditional song of the same name.

I'm Thankful Bulletin Board

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks. In the past, Pilgrims and Native Americans worked together to host the first Thanksgiving. Today, this holiday is celebrated with family, relatives and friends. At circle time, discuss "Things I'm Thankful For." Together, look through magazines and cut pictures of these items. Have the children bring in pictures of their family, including grandparents. Create a cooperative bulletin board or poster.

In the Pumpkin Patch

The Thanksgiving season is a good time to do pumpkin activities. A pumpkin pie, flavorful with spices, is traditional in most American homes. Take a pumpkin and cut off the top. Invite the children to look at the pumpkin talking about its color and shape. Look inside at the strings and seeds. Ask," Does the outside and inside look the same? How does it smell?"

An adult can cut pieces of pumpkin into shapes. The children can take a paintbrush and paint a thin layer of tempera on the shape. Press this down onto paper to make a print. Printing is a fascinating activity for children because they love to keep repeating this process. Clean and roast the pumpkin seeds. Place a few into cups for the children. They can count the seeds and then eat them as a nutritious snack.

Another sensory activity is to paint pumpkin pies. Cut paper into circle shapes and paint them orange. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle an assortment of spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice or ground cloves on the pie. Smell the aroma!

Off to the Grandparent's House

Glue five Popsicle (craft) sticks down on construction paper in the shape of a house. Fill in the details, like windows, doors, chimney, and such with crayons, markers or glued-on fabric.

Continue reading...

This article first appeared on Suite101.com by Tania K. Cowling