I just love these Five Green Frogs printables from picklebums!
I put together a small envelope for each child with the frogs inside.
As they removed their frogs from their envelopes, they counted out 5 craft sticks and placed them on the backs. They then secured each stick with some masking tape. This was such a great activity using 1:1 correspondence!
When the sticks were attached, they were put back into their envelopes until circle time.
All the frogs came out at circle time. While we sang the finger play, one frog went into each envelope until all of them were gone.
Those small muscles in the hands and fingers can be strengthened so many ways, outdoors as well! I love to have writing materials in our outdoor classroom:
sidewalk chalk
buckets of water
paint brushes of all sizes
paint rollers
painting easel
play dough table
hammers
tongs
spoons
The list goes on! So much of what you do indoors can be applied outdoors! And for some preschoolers, it's even more enjoyable outdoors, mixed with large motor play.
I'm not sure what it's been with rivers this week, but two children from two different classes that meet on different days decided to create rivers. A boy from our 3's class drew a river across the patio. "It's got wavy lines!" He then drew some fish for his river, and a smiling sun that was shining on the river.
Today, one of our 2's decided to make a river with water and a sponge. The large chunky sponge allowed her to work her entire hand as she pushed it against the pavement and squeezed the water.
A few others observed and decided to give it a try, too.
Some, with spoons, dripping water down the patio.
Tomorrow we may have a real "river" back there with the rain we are supposed to get!
Fine motor books and activities available from Amazon:
Our outdoor classroom takes a beating over the winter. When spring arrives, the toys are so dirty, the patio slimy from moss, and everything looks a bit dreary. So this year we decided to ask each child to bring his/her favorite plant. We also asked for donations of soil and pots. We had no idea the response we would get!
One of our parents arranged for a crew to come in and pressure-wash all the toys and the patio surface. They pulled open the drains and cleaned them out (no wonder they were clogged!). We got poles for our birdfeeder and a new hummingbird feeder and pinwheels to place in the flowers.
On Friday, some of the parents helped the preschoolers plant their flowers. We even had a couple of grandparents!
The preschoolers worked so hard digging in the soil, carefully planting their flowers.
It was so nice to walk out on our patio and see all these cheerful flowers! The preschoolers loved finding the flowers they planted, giving them some water.
I got this idea a few years back from a Reggio Emilia School. At the beginning of the year each child decorates a crown and I put them on the wall in birthday order. (September through August.)
When we celebrate a child's birthday, we remove the crown from the wall for him/her to wear. The crowns go home with the birthday children. This way we can see who has had a birthday and who is still waiting. (They love to figure out who's having the next birthday!)
I made this birthday chair when I first started teaching over 10 years ago. It only comes out on birthdays, only for the birthday child.
We have our felt cake. We sing Happy Birthday and the child blows out the "candles".
We celebrate summer birthdays in May. I make sure each child gets his very own day (I used to do them all on the same day.)
It's an option if the children want to bring a treat or not. And some donate a book to the class. I always make note inside the book who the book was from and the year.
Cassidy gave us this gift in honor of her birthday yesterday. We've been wanting it for over a year! It will be special to read next month.
