Over the years, I have seen many families face the dilemma of what to do for child care when their child, who has been going to the same daycare center for 4 years, will be going to elementary school.  If the center your child attends has a school-age after school program with transportation provided, it may be an easy decision but, if not, you will need to start your search for the perfect program for your child.

 

Start your search by asking neighbors, friends and family about which after school programs they are using and which programs they recommend. If you are new to the area, call your child’s school and they will have a list of centers where their students go. It could be local In-Home centers, Daycare centers, a local church, or they may even host a program directly in the school. Some counties have child care locator services. With your list compiled, all you need to do is find the right program.

 

Fortunately for you, competition in the after school market over the past few years has been a catalyst for all programs to step up their game. Programs that were once just a “Stay & Play” have had to change their ways to remain competitive. While recreation should be a component of the program, it shouldn’t necessarily be all that the children do. Family schedules are hectic, so one component to look for is homework time. With sports, boy/girl scouts, and various clubs, families have limited time together. If homework is completed in the after school program, it allows for more family time. Another component is curriculum. What curriculum do they use? Is it age-appropriate? Is it aligned with what they will be doing in the regular school day? How is it balanced with other activities? If it is a program that is housed away from the school campus, ask how the children are transported. Do the buses pick-up and drop off? Does the facility provide transportation via a van or bus? Do you even want your child being transported? Do your homework and visit each center so you can get a feel for the program. Make sure each program is clean and welcoming. How do the teachers speak to the children? What do they do on a typical day (schedule)? How long do activities last? How are different ages grouped? Do they have a current license? What kind of teacher turn-over do they have? Do they offer snacks? There are enough questions to make your head spin. How will you remember all of them? In order to simplify this process, you will need to tackle it the same way you would go about eating your average four-ton elephant, piece-by-piece. This elephant-sized task must be broken up into pieces in order for successful completion.

 

1. Write down all available options (In-home, daycare center, program at school, etc.
2. Write down a list of interview questions to include topics such as: health, safety and emergencies, daily schedule, hours of operation, availability, cost, learning opportunities, homework time, and teacher to student ratios… and ask for references! This step can be done over the phone or if you have time schedule a time to see the program (remember a picture is worth a thousand words!). It wouldn’t hurt to bring your child along.
3. Check those references. Not only can you get additional information from another parent’s perspective, you can also get to know the other parents at the center.
4. Ask your child for their input. After all, it is your child that will have to be there every day.

Remember that after all of your research, above everything else, you need to make sure your child is happy. But beware what you wish for. In a recent survey I administered to our families, I found one parent’s response that warmed my heart and made me laugh at the same time…

“My son is in 1st grade, and he cries and yells if I pick him up too early. He gets his homework done (most of the time) and he loves the art and free play-time. I wish it wasn't as much fun. Maybe I could get him home earlier :)”

 

 

Contributed by John Putnam, Director of Logistics, AlphaBEST Education, Inc.

 

AlphaBEST Education, Inc. designs and operates academically focused extended day programs that offer opportunities for elementary school students to learn, develop, explore, and have fun beyond the normal school day in a safe, educational environment.  Our safe, caring, child-centered programs meet the needs of families and schools. Our academically enriched extended day programs are interactive and engaging for children to promote life long learning. AlphaBEST's team of trusted educational professionals values their role in creating a well balanced atmosphere for children to build pathways to success.  To learn more visit http://www.alphabest.org.

 

Preschool programs across the country are becoming more and more diverse.  Teachers want to support the home languages of the children in their classrooms while giving their English-speaking children the benefits of learning new languages. There are some surprisingly easy first steps that any teacher can take to help all of her children learn the languages of their friends and neighbors. Let’s get started! 

GREETINGS: Talk to each family to find out exactly what language the child speaks at home so you can plan for their first day of school.  Ask parents or volunteers to teach you how to use the greetings that are meaningful to the children in your program.  Learn how to pronounce each child’s name – it is important to their self esteem. Everyone in your program should know how to greet each other in the different languages to create an environment that welcomes diversity. 

 

SURVIVAL WORDS:  Think of about twenty words that will help any child feel more comfortable on his or her first day.  Words to try: yes, no, bathroom, eat, drink, stop, come, hurt, help, clean up, good job and ‘mommy will be here soon’.  Send the list home with the parents – even include a small voice recorder.  Ask them to write or record the correct pronunciation.  It’s important for the teacher to establish basic communication with each new child.  It is even better if all of the children can learn a few words to help their new friends.  And, these words are much more useful than learning the days of the week or counting to ten!  Make new words easier to learn by adding them to a song or chant.

 

FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY:  Once you get started, you will find that all children are interested in learning the languages of their friends – but it takes practice.  As you are adding to everyone’s vocabulary, try to include words they will actually use several times a day in play, during regular class activities, at mealtimes, greetings or goodbyes. What words do children need to know – or WANT to know – so they can play and learn together?  If they love the block area – introduce words like help, build, up, down, tall, short, long, and “watch out!”.  If you serve family style meals, think about practicing terms like hot, cold, good, not good, cup, plate, fork, spoon, napkin, more, please, no, thank you, and all finished.  Focus on words you and the children will use every day.  Post pronunciation cue cards or labels to help the staff remember the useful new words.  Use some of the great photo resources available in the Kaplan catalog to illustrate and facilitate communication among all languages.  Real photographs and authentic props help children learn by building on prior knowledge.

 

DIVERSITY COMMITTEE:  Get parents and community members involved.  A diversity committee is a great way to invite parents of different backgrounds to work together for your program.  They can find resources and materials in different languages.  They can also review translated materials to make sure they are correct, and right for the audience. Ask them to share their culture in the classroom with songs, poems, stories, recipes and games they remember from their childhood. These collaborative activities will help immigrant parents practice their English while English-speaking parents can learn the languages their children are learning. Everybody wins! 

 

Karen Nemeth is the author of Many Languages, One Classroom: Teaching Dual and English Language Learners (Gryphon House, 2009) She earned her BA in Psychology from William Paterson University and her M.Ed. in Learning, Cognition and Development from Rutgers University. She has been a teacher and a teacher educator for more than 25 years, and has presented at national, state, and local conferences on topics related to first and second language development. She is on the executive board of NJ Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/NJ Bilingual Educators and is co-coordinator of the Early Childhood Special Interest Group. Currently, she teaches at William Paterson University and consults with programs throughout the country. For more information about young English language learners, visit her website at http://www.languagecastle.com.

 

A few nights ago, I attended a concert at a local high school. The choir sang and the symphonic orchestra and band played wonderful music. As I watched the teenagers perform so beautifully, I became teary-eyed. Seeing children – no matter what age- involved in music brings me great joy.    

 

Music experiences are especially important for young children because they affect every area of development. Dr. Howard Gardner cites music as the first of the seven multiple intelligences to surface. [Gardner, H. (1985). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences] According to Gardner, musical-rhythmic learners are sensitive to nonverbal sounds and are very much aware of tone, pitch and timbre. Using rhythm, chanting, and songs with children can increase their attention and interest while motivating them to learn.

 

Why should a child learn music?  Simply ask a reading teacher who needs children to understand sequencing or a science teacher who is teaching about sound.  Or ask a math teacher who understands musical time signatures or a dance instructor who needs students to hear the beat!

Music can be used to teach math, language and listening skills.  It can help children understand science.  It develops coordination and helps children develop enhanced cognitive skills in a fun and pleasurable way.  A major form of communication, music is calming and helps us express our thoughts and emotions. Music also teaches spatial reasoning skills, which is particularly significant because spatial reasoning skills are part of the abstract reasoning skills that the brain uses to perform common, everyday activities, such as walking, and complex functions such as solving problems in mathematics and engineering.

 

Using the song, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” as an example, let’s explore how music can stimulate many areas of a young child’s development. When children sing this song, they employ cognitive development (to identify body parts), gross motor skills (to perform required actions with the body parts), and emotional development (to express happiness).  Recent brain research tells us that early experiences affect the development of the brain. This early “wiring” shapes the way a child thinks, learns, and behaves for the rest of his life.  Singing the song increases listening skills because the child is copying what you are singing. She is matching the tones of the melody. She is learning loud and soft, fast and slow, up and down. Auditory discrimination is totally enhanced.  The song develops vocabulary, differentiates between letter sounds (phonemes) and can include rhyming and sequencing which are all important pre-reading skills. Singing the same song over and over again increases attention span, concentration, and memory.  The actions in the song develop coordination and rhythmic beat.

 

Universally, children universally love music.  Language, cultural and developmental barriers come tumbling down when children listen to sounds, sing songs, discover rhythms and patterns in nature, make instruments, and listen to music.  Music is non-judgmental.  There is no right or wrong. It is joyful for everyone!

 

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg, who has an M.S. in child development.  An early childhood advocate and popular keynote speaker, Jackie received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Emporia State University, recognizing her current achievements as well as her long and prolific career. Jackie founded and directed the Jewish Community Center School of Music in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked for Channel 41 television, planning the music and performing her original music for "41 Treehouse Lane," a children's program.  She wrote and produced a television show for Time Warner called "Just Kids," which addressed children's needs and interests. Jackie has worked as a consultant with the Discovery Channel, setting up their music streaming website. She has given workshops, keynote addresses, seminars, and family concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, and in Singapore. Jackie has served as an adjunct instructor at both Emporia State University and the University of Missouri at Kansas City and lectures at Johnson County Community College. Jackie is the owner of Miss Jackie Music Company.

Books by Jackie Silberg: Games to Play with Babies , Games to Play with Toddlers, Games to Play with Two Year Olds, Revised, Reading Games for Young Children, Brain Games for Babies, Brain Games for Toddlers & Twos 

 

The results of the Head Start Impact Study show conclusively that Head Start works. The study repeats what the Head Start community across the nation clearly understands and that is that Head Start children show definitive gains in important cognitive abilities and meaningful social skills during their tenure in Head Start.

The study repeats past observations and research. What the study makes clear is that however ready a child might be for learning and advancement as they leave Head Start and enter public school, the cognitive gains so evident in Head Start are less evident two years later.

Head Start feeds its children into some very good public schools in the nation and absolutely into every single of the worst functioning schools in the nation. The results shared in the Impact Study clearly indicate that the gains a child makes in Head Start – all of which are clearly documented in this research – are not sustained over a span of two or more years in the public school environment. What is clear from this study is the need for deepened partnerships between Head Start and public schools on behalf of the most-needy young children in our country.

Among the many contributions to the success of Head Start, is the skill of Head Start staff in working with families in poverty and their young children. This specialized skill must be carried into ongoing partnerships with the schools to help them sustain the gains children make in Head Start, and clearly these skills with families in poverty are necessary in all public schools serving low income families, if school reform is to succeed.

Head Start succeeds because of a number of unique approaches. The program has a strong commitment to working closely with parents as their child’s first teacher, and the Head Start emphasis on health, mental health and nutrition combine to support learning and a strong foundation of social-emotional stability in at-risk children. It is critical that these factors be carried forward into early elementary school experiences.

 

Head Start works, the Impact Study confirms that fact. We must now focus on working with public schools to ensure that the gains made in Head Start will be sustained through the early years in elementary school.

Post contributed by Barbara Haxton, Executive Director of The Ohio Head Start Association, Inc. (OHSAI).

With over 600 activities,

The GIANT Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities is the result of a nationwide search for the most unique, fun, developmentally appropriate, and educational experiences for children. The activities included were selected as the best-of-the-best, and are organized by month for easy use by teachers. Teachers will love the creative ideas that span the traditional areas of the curriculum such as science, math, art, and music and movement, as well as the additional experiences including field trips, cooking, and holidays. Each activity includes instructions and a list of materials, plus possibilities for extending the activity further into the curriculum. Many also include lists of related children's books to further both literacy and imaginative play.

 

Cherries On The Tree

 

Materials

• Pastel construction paper
• 1” x 4” pieces of brown construction paper
• 5” circles of green construction paper
• Glue stick
• Plastic lid or small piece of aluminum foil
• Red fingerpaint or poster paint

 

What To Do

George Washington’s birthday is February 22^nd. President’s Day is February 15^th.

1. Discuss the story of young George Washington chopping down his father’s cherry tree.
2. Give each child a 1” x 4” rectangle of brown paper and a sheet of pastel construction paper.
3. Demonstrate how to hold both papers in a vertical position and glue the brown rectangle to the bottom half of the pastel paper.
4. Give each child a green paper circle. Show them how to glue the green circle to the top of the brown rectangle, forming the shape of a tree.
5. Put a small amount of red fingerpaint into a plastic lid or small piece of aluminum foil.
6. Encourage the children to dip their fingers into the red paint and make thumbprint “cherries” on their trees.

 

More To Do

Social Development:  Draw a large tree on tagboard and let the children add thumbprint cherries. Have each cherry symbolize an act of kindness by that child.

 

Related Poem

I’ll pick some cherries from the tree, (pretend to pick cherries)

Five for you and five for me. (show five fingers on each hand)

We’ll eat and eat—(pretend to eat)

5—4—3—2—1 (count down with fingers)

Until the cherries are all gone! (show empty hands and look surprised)

 

Christina R. Chilcote, New Freedom, PA

 

Related Products

Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert

George Washington by Andrew Santella

George Washington and the General’s Dog by Frank Murphy

George Washington Soldier, Hero, President by Justine Korman Fontes and Ron Fontes

George Washington Father of a Nation by Joe Loesch

Cherries and Cherry Pits by Vera B. Williams

Under the Cherry Blossom Tree by Allen Say

With over 600 activities, The GIANT Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities is the result of a nationwide search for the most unique, fun, developmentally appropriate, and educational experiences for children. The activities included were selected as the best-of-the-best, and are organized by month for easy use by teachers. Teachers will love the creative ideas that span the traditional areas of the curriculum such as science, math, art, and music and movement, as well as the additional experiences including field trips, cooking, and holidays. Each activity includes instructions and a list of materials, plus possibilities for extending the activity further into the curriculum. Many also include lists of related children's books to further both literacy and imaginative play.

 

Dragon's Tail

 

Materials                   None

 

What To Do

Play this game for Chinese New Year. Explain the role dragons play in Chinese festivals. The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice and ends 15 days later on the full moon. It can start any time between January 21^st and February 19^th, depending on the lunar calendar.

 

1. Form children into groups of 7 to 10, putting similar size children together so that smaller children are not overwhelmed by bigger children in the group. This is not a team game, so even one group of a few children is enough to play.
2. Have the groups stand in a line, holding firmly onto the waist of the child in front of them.
3. Tell the children that each of their lines is a “dragon.” The person at the beginning of each line is the dragon’s head, the middle ones are the body, and the end ones are the tail. If available, let the dragon heads wear dragon masks.
4. Explain that the object of the game is for each dragon’s “head” to chase its own “tail” and try to catch it. The job of the body and tail is to protect themselves from the dragon’s head, while staying joined together.
5. On a given signal (clap or whistle), the dragon heads start to chase their tails. The children must try and keep out of the head’s way—the more children there are in the dragon, the harder it is.
6. If the body of the dragon becomes disconnected (if one or more children let go of the person ahead of them), those children or anyone else who notices must shout, “Dragon, stop!” and the dragon’s head must freeze until the whole body is connected to him again. Then the dragon’s body or tail can shout “Dragon, go!” and the chasing may begin again.
7. If the tail is caught, then the last child in the line becomes the head.
8. Play until everyone in each dragon has had a turn being the dragon’s head.

 

More To Do

 

Music and Movement: As the children play the game, play undulating music and point out how the dragon’s body moves and flows. Use different numbers of children to make the dragon and ask whether a small or large number looks better.

 

Anne Adeney, Plymouth, United Kingdom

Related Products

 

The Knight and the Dragon by Tomi DePaola

Day of the Dragon King by Mary Pope Osborne

The Last Dragon

The Seven Chinese Sisters

In The Snow

Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

Chinese Happy Jacket

Multi-Ethnic Ceremonial Costume – Asian Boy

Multi-Ethnic Ceremonial Costume – Asian Girl

Octopus or Dragon Bean Bag Toss

Learning about shapes is fun with

Learn Every Day About Shapes! Contributed by teachers, these activities are organized by curriculum area and offer fresh ideas that provide hours of engaging activities. Teachers will find everything they need to teach children ages 3 to 6 all about shapes. All the activities in the Learn Every Day Series were created by teachers.  Each activity features learning objectives, related vocabulary, related children’s books, list of materials needed, directions for preparations, instructions, and an assessment component. 

Take a sneak peak at two activities from Learn Every Day About Shapes:  

One-Shape Pictures

Learning Objectives

The children will:

 

1. Put ideas they have into practice.
2. Understand and follow directions and answer questions.

Materials

• Lots of construction paper in different colors
• Scissors (adult only)
• White paper
• Glue sticks

Vocabulary

Circle                          heptagon                    pentagon                    spiral

Create                        imagination                rectangle                    square           

Gallery                        octagon                      semi-circle                 triangle

 

What To Do

1. Engage the children in a discussion to decide on the single shape they will use in this art project. Use a basic shape like a triangle, square, rectangle, or circle.
2. Cut several shapes in different sizes from a variety of paper.
3. Encourage the children to think of creative ways they can make pictures using colorful shapes. For example, if the children are using circles, they could put them together to make a colorful flower garden, a snowman family, and so on. Also, consider doing “modern” shape art: experiment with putting several different-sized shapes next to each other or on top of each other.
4. Have “gallery time,” and give each child a chance to talk about his artwork.

Assessment

To assess the children’s learning, consider the following:

• Include shape artwork in portfolio documentation. Include the children’s input (for example, record what the children say about their artwork at gallery time).
• Ask the children questions about shapes at the beginning and again the end of the activity. Use visual clues if necessary (for example, if children are having trouble identifying a rectangle, say, “A rectangle looks like a door”).

Children’s Books

Shape Capers by Cathryn Falwell

The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds

When a Line Bends…A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene

 

Freya Zellerhoff, Towson, MD

 

 

Symmetrical Shapes

 

Learning Objectives

The children will:

1. Learn to identify a square, rectangle, triangle, circle, and oval.
2. Learn about symmetry.

Materials

• Scissors (adult only)
• Construction paper
• Red, yellow, and blue paint
• Brushes
• Newspapers

Vocabulary

Shape names                        symmetry

 

Preparation

• Cut construction paper into various 9” x 12” shapes.
• Set out newspaper over the area where the children will be working.

What To Do

1. Engage the children in a discussion about symmetry. Show the children how to fold a paper circle in half, and how it remains symmetrical. Then fold a triangle in half in a way that is asymmetrical.
2. Give the children paper shapes to fold in half, and then reopen and lay flat.
3. Provide paint and brushes. Invite the children to put dabs of paint on one side of the folds on their papers. Remind the children not to brush the paint around, but merely to dab them.
4. After they have put a few dabs of different colors of paint on their papers, direct the children to refold the paper, pressing hard several times on the paper. Help the children carefully reopen the paper so they can see the symmetrical dabs of paint on both sides of the paper.

Teacher-To-Teacher Tip

Consider taking the children on a walk through the school or the neighborhood to look for examples of symmetrical objects. Take notes or photographs of the symmetrical objects for the children to discuss later in the classroom.

 

Assessment

To assess the children’s learning, consider the following:

• Does the child understand symmetry and asymmetry when you show him the difference with paper shapes?
• Can the child fold, paint, and press the paper to create symmetrical images?

Children’s Books

All Shapes and Sizes by John J. Reiss

Circles, Triangles, and Squares by Tana Hoban

Color Dance by Ann Jonas

Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue? by Tana Hoban

The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola

 

Susan Oldham Hill, Lakeland, FL

 

Classroom-tested and teacher-approved, the activities in Learn Every Day About Numbers are designed to help children ages 3 to 6 build a foundation for future math learning. This book offers 100 easy ways for teachers to make learning about numbers fun.   All the activities in the Learn Every Day Series were created by teachers.  Each activity features learning objectives, related vocabulary, related children’s books, list of materials needed, directions for preparations, instructions, and an assessment component. 

 

Take a sneak peak at two activities from Learn Every Day About Numbers:

 

Corduroy’s Pocket

 

Learning Objectives

The children will:

1. Learn to recognize numbers.
2. Learn to count actions to match a number

 

Materials

• Corduroy’s Pocket by Don Freeman
• Number cards for 1-5
• Tagboard
• Glue
• Markers
• Piece of corduroy fabric

 

Vocabulary

corduroy                     number names                      pocket

 

Preparation

• Make number cards from 4” x 6” tagboard. Write the number 1-5.
• Make a tagboard pocket at least 6” x 8”. Glue three edges together and write “Corduroy’s Pocket” on the front. Slip the number cards inside.

 

What To Do

1. Read Corduroy’s Pocket  by Don Freeman to the children several times. Put a copy in the book are for the children to read independently.
2. Show the pocket to the children. Invite a child to come and draw a number card out of “Corduroy’s pocket.” Ask the child to name the number on the card.
3. Ask all the children to clap that number of times.
4. Vary the actions with slapping their knees, snapping their fingers, patting their shoes, and so on.
5. When the children are ready, use cards from 1-10.

 

Assessment

To assess the children’s learning, consider the following:

• Show the children the set of number cards individually. Can the children name the cards when they are in random order?
• Can the children choose a card, name the number, and clap the correct number of times?

 

Children’s Books

            Corduroy by Don Freeman

            My Little Counting Book by Roger Priddy

            A Pocket for Corduroy  by Don Freeman

 

 

Susan Oldham Hill, Lakeland, FL

 

The Numeral Song

 

Learning Objectives

The children will:

1. Learn how to form numerals.
2. Develop number recognition.

 

Materials

• Recording of “The Numeral Song” from Sing to Learn with Dr. Jean
• Tape or CD player
• Oak tag
• Copy paper
• Marker or computer

 

Vocabulary

number names, to 10                        numeral

 

Preparation

• Make a book with the lyrics from Dr. Jean’s “The Numeral Song.”
• Write the numbers, one on each page, with arrows to illustrate the correct formation of each number from 1-10

What To Do

1. Play a recording of “The Numeral Song.”
2. Hold the book up so that all the children can see the number.
3. Demonstrate how to make the number by tracing the number on the page.
4. Encourage the children to draw the figures in the air with large strokes to help them practice writing numbers and remember the correct formation as you sing the song together.

 

Teacher-To-Teacher Tip

If “The Numeral Song” is not available, the Internet has several sites with rhymes to help the children write their numbers.

Assessment

To assess the children’s learning, consider the following:

• Can children correctly form numbers?
• Can children write numbers 1-10?

 

Children’s Books

Count and See by Tana Hoban

Fish E: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert

           Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

 

Songs

            “Ten in the Bed”

            “This Old Man”

 

Jackie Wright, Enid, OK

 

 

Learning about colors has never been so much fun!  Teachers from around the globe contributed their favorite classroom activities to create this book for teachers to use every day!  With 100 activities for children ages 3 to 6, Learn Every Day About Colors helps children recognize and appreciate the colorful world around them.  All the activities in the Learn Every Day Series were created by teachers.  Each activity features learning objectives, related vocabulary, related children’s books, list of materials needed, directions for preparations, instructions, and an assessment component.  Take a sneak peak at two activities from Learn Every Day About Colors!

 

My Favorite Color Collage

Learning Objectives

1.      Create a collage using shades and tints of a single color of their choosing.

2.      Utilize small motor skills to glue materials on the collage.

3.      Recognize and classify colors.

 

Materials

• Paper in various colors
• Magazine clippings
• Glue sticks
• Pompoms in various colors
• Collage materials

Vocabulary

collage                        favorite                       shade                         tint                   darker                         lighter

 

Preparation

Arrange materials on a table for the children to choose from.

 

What To Do

1. Ask the children what their favorite color is.
2. Show the children the materials and tell them they can make a collage using their favorite color.
3. Explain to the children that they can choose only once color to use in their collage, but they can use darker and lighter shades of that color. Talk about different shades and tints of colors.
4. While they are working, ask the children questions about their collages.
5. Have the children help clean up and wash their hands (if necessary).

 

Teacher-To-Teacher Tip

Ask the children guided questions as they work to help them extend their learning and to check their understanding: “Tell me about your collage.” “Why is ____ your favorite color?” “Other than on your collage, where are places you see your favorite color?”

 

Assessment

To assess the children’s learning, consider the following:

• Are the children able to select and use materials that are in various shades and tints of their favorite color?
• Are the children displaying an age-appropriate level of small motor function while working with materials?

 

 Angela Rathbun, Centennial, CO

 

Rain Painting

            Learning Objectives

            The children will:

1.      Identify colors when they are mixed in different ways.

2.      Imagine what might happen to paint when rain or water hits it.

3.      Learn to create a hypothesis on what will happen to the paint colors.

4.      Accept that what one predicts is not what always happens.

 

Materials

·        Painting paper

·        Electrical or strong tape

·        Paint

·        Paintbrushes

·        Writing paper and pencils

·        Rain or watering can and water

 

Vocabulary

 combination                   mix                 predict                 soak               hypothesis/hypotheses               moisten                  prism

 

Preparation

Put out paper with paint and brushes.

 

What To Do

1. Try this activity on a rainy day. If it is not a rainy day, substitute a watering can filled with water.
2. Each child will paint a picture using any colors he chooses.
3. Before putting the children’s paintings outside in the rain, ask each child to dictate to your or write down what he thinks will happened to the colors on his painting. Will the children be happy with the outcome? What colors will mix well and what colors will not?
4. Using strong electrical or duct tape, tape the paintings on the pavement outside and see what happens to them when the rain (or water from the watering can) hits them. Were their hypotheses correct?

Assessment

To assess the children’s learning, consider the following:

·        After reading each child’s hypothesis on what he thinks will happen when his painting gets wet, ask the children questions about what they think will happen to their paintings and why. Listen to the children talk to each other about their paintings.

·        Are the children able to identify the colors?

 Annette Rivlin-Gutman, Seattle, WA