Special Days
Beach Day
Poem
Perfect For A Picnic
By Kimberly M. Hutmacher
A baby blue sky
A bright golden sun
The perfect blanket
For afternoon fun!
Print the poem "Perfect For A Picnic" by Kimberly M. Hutmacher. After reading the poem have the children complete the illustration for the poem.
Click here for a printer friendly version of the poem "Perfect For A Picnic."
Art
Beach Balls
Need: circle from construction paper, tissue paper, markers, crayons
Cut a circle shape from construction paper. Decorate the beach ball shape with tissue paper, scrap art materials... When finished hang in the room as a decoration.
Jar Sand Painting
Need: small plastic jars, sand or salt, powdered tempera paint, plastic spoons,
popsicle sticks
Color the sand or salt by place it in a cup with powdered tempera paint added. Glitter can be added to the colored sand to make it sparkly.
Children can spoon the colored salt or sand into their plastic jar. Have children use sticks to push the sand against the sides of the jar to create designs. Cap tightly. Can tie yarn around the outside edge of the lid or glue feathers on the lid top.
Color
Learning Areas
Dramatic Play Area
Create a beach area. Set up lawn chairs, beach towels, sunglasses, radio etc. Add the sand table. Include in the sand table: buckets and shovels.
Fish Mural
Lay out a large sheet of blue paper. Have children draw or paint fish on it. Tape on the paper some of the ocean crafts the children made.
Snack
Beach in a Bag Snack
Provide each child with a ziploc baggie. Set out bowls & spoons on a table with the following items in them: Dry Chow Mein noodles (seaweed), Pretzel sticks(driftwood), Goldfish Crackers(fish), Granola-(sand), Cheerios(life preservers), Dried Apricots(beach towels), Raisins(beach pebbles). Let the children create their own "Beach In A Bag Snack" by adding spoonful of each food item to their baggie. Serve with water.
Goldfish crackers and lemonade.
Bears at the Beach
Use blue jello, vanilla pudding, gummi bears, and a paper umbrella to create a fun snack.
Bubble Day
Blowing Bubbles
Mix together 1/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent, 1/2 cup water, a few drops of food coloring and 1 teaspoon sugar. Pour into a shallow container and use with bubble blowers.
Let the bubble solution age for a few days to make bubble blowing easier.
Bubble Prints
Need: food coloring, white paper, liquid dish washing detergent, straws, tubs (app. 1 tub for every 3 children).
Place water in a tub(about 1/4 full. Add liquid dish soap. Have children take a straw and blow into the water to make bubbles. When the bubbles have formed add drops of food coloring to the top of the bubbles. Take a piece of white paper and lay on top of the bubbles to pop the
Watch and do not let the paper get in the water. Makes colorful bubble prints.
Snack
Bubbly Punch
In a large pitcher mix together one 12-ounce can unsweetened frozen apple juice concentrate, 2 cans (24 ounces) cold water and one 32-ounce bottle club soda. Stir well and pour into plastic glasses. Makes 17 small servings.
Books
Whose Hat Is This?
by Sharon Katz Cooper
This Is Not My Hat
by Jon Klassen
Ice Cream Day
Ice Cream in a Bag
Need: 2 zip lock bags for every child - 1 pt size and 1 gal. size
Mixture for ice cream:
These ingredients go into the 1 pt size zip lock bag.
1/2 c. milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Fill 1 gal. size zip lock bag with ice (1/2 full) and rock salt ( or table salt). Put the 1 pt size bag into the gal size bag. Be sure the bags are sealed!! Then shake the bags for approximately 5 minutes (this is great exercise for the kiddos--it will wear them out!)
When finished with the shaking, the mixture will be somewhat hard (if the shaking was completed). Take the pt size bag out of gal size bag, wipe the bag off, grab a spoon and eat out of the bag! It was worth the shaking!!
Can add sprinkles or chocolate syrup!
