Tail feather turkeys

Fun activity..good for number sense and fine motor!

Grocery store/dramatic play

Checkout/cashier

Grocery store/writing

Creating price tags, signs and shopping lists!

Science center

Students sort play food and labels into food groups.

Grocery store centers

Mini rubber Vegetable manipulative..
-numeral recognition
-patterning
-sorting
-one to one correspondence
-vocabulary
-fine motor strength
-counting

Nutrition/Grocery Store Theme

Our next unit is on Nutrition. I am very excited about the activities I  have planned.

Art:

• We will be painting with recyled grocery store items such as the bottoms of cans, plastic bottles and boxes. 
• We will also be trying fruits and vegetable printing.
• Grocery store ad collage
• Creating art with recycled grocery store items
• Painting with crumpled up grocery bags (plastic or paper)
• Drawing, painting and sculpting our favorite foods

Writing:

• Making signs for grocery store items
• Creating our own environmental print
• Creating shopping lists
• Creating price labels and tags for grocery store items
• Salt writing ( trays filled with salt)
• Creating letters with homemade dough
• Using water droppers and ice cube trays
• Tweezers and small plastic food items(or pom poms)into egg cartons
• Using scented markers to create pictures
• Making names with colored rice and glue
• Lacing carboard  recycled food items( cereal box cover)
• Sorting, matching, creating words with  letters from cut out grocery store store adds
• Sorting, matching, creating words  letters from alphabet cereal
• Create a Book of foods we like to eat.

Math:

• Sorting, matching, counting food plastic manipulatives
• matching envirnometal print
• grocery store path game
• Coupon matching
• Fill up your grocery bag game (using spinners/dice, paper grocery bags, plastic or real groceries)
• Environmental print bingo
• sort foods by size, shape and color
• seriate foods
• make patterns with fruit loop cereal and pipe cleaners
• estimate how many grocery items fit into a bag

Science:

• Classifying foods into food groups
• Sort foods by size, shape and color
• Weigh different foods
• Sink and float different food items
• Dissolve various food solvents (flour,cornstarch,salt,sugar)
• Sort foods into groups of healthy and not health foods
• Grow carrots and potatoes

Dramatic Play/Social Studies:

• Transform dramatic play area into grocery store
• Add empty grocery store items
• Have shopping lists for students to fill out
• Signs for children to match grocery store items
• Add Grocery Carts and Baskets
• Add Grocery store aprons and name tags
• Add student created money
• Add Student created signs
• Create map of grocery store
• Walk to neighborhood store and buy a snack

Songs:
LET'S GO TO THE GROCERY STORE Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Let’s go to the grocery store,
Grocery store, grocery store.
Let’s go to the grocery store
To get some food to eat.
We’ll buy bread and eggs and milk,
Eggs and milk, eggs and milk.
We’ll buy bread and eggs and milk
And ice cream for a treat

Heather McPhail

Repeat the song, letting your children name other foods to buy at the grocery store.

What Will You Buy?

(tune: Farmer in the Dell)

Submitted by Freta

What will you buy? What will you buy?
What will you buy At the grocery store?
Jars and Cans. Jars and Cans.
Jars and Cans at the Grocery Store.
Apples and bananas. Apples and bananas.
Apples and bananas At the grocery store.
Meat and Veggies. Meat and Veggies.
Meat and Veggies at the grocery store.

Idea: Make up your own verses

Shopping Song

Submitted by Charlene

A shopping we will go, a shopping we will go.
We will buy some vegetables, a shopping we will go.
A shopping we will go, a shopping we will go,
We will buy some cinnamon buns, a shopping we will go.
A shopping we will go, a shopping we will go.
We will buy some wonderful snacks, a shopping we will go.
Read Alouds:

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/grocery/books.php
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/health/books.php
The Hungry Caterpillar
Shopping with Daddy
Gregory the Terrible eater
Lunch
Growing fruits and vegatables
The Market

LINKS:
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/theme_station05/nov05_grocery.shtml
http://www.beansproutspreschool.com/2010/10/preschool-grocery-store-theme.html
http://pinterest.com/collinsclan08/preschool-nutritionhttp://www.homeschoolshare.com/grocery_store_lapbook.php-grocery-store/
http://www.kidsparkz.com/supermarket.html
http://thoughtfulspotdaycare.blogspot.com/2012/01/grocery-store-dramatic-play.html
http://pinterest.com/suehills/dramatic-play/

Wind ideas

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/theme-station12/wind-march.shtml


Sent from my iPhone

Hurricane

I am thinking of focusing my lessons next week based around the hurricane ! There are some exciting science activities we can do to learn more about wind! Writing stories based on our experiences with the storm..what if stories...
We could read the three little pigs! Take what we learned about wind to building strong block structures!
I love teachable moments! This is going to be fun! :)

Mimio or Smart board

A few websites that I found that I love...you can use them on your computer or on your Mimio or Smart boards.
ABC/Phonics
http://havefunteaching.com/videos/alphabet-videos/
http://www.gamequarium.org/cgi-bin/search/linfo.cgi?id=3496
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/play.htm?f
http://www.tvokids.com/games/alphabetgoop
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/fun/games/abc/default.asp
http://ziggityzoom.com/games/letter-blaster
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/ngames/alphabet/AE.htm
Read alouds
http://www.storylineonline.net/

http://kids.aol.com/KOL/1/KOLJrStories

http://www.speakaboos.com/

http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/

http://www.mightybook.com/MightyBook_free/Free_Stories_and_Songs.html
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/other.asp

Magic Draws

Here are the labels I  made for my "Magic Draws"! Let me know if you tried them and what strategies helped your students stay focused and successful!

Word wall

Dollar Tree store has theses vocabulary cards with pictures! :) Awesome find!

Library Center

Many teachers believe that the library center is the one of the most important centers in a good preschool classroom. Creating a print-rich preschool classroom is essential to building early literacy skills and outlining the importance of reading and writing. The library center should contain a reflection of the lesson plan theme and curriculum goals you have chosen. Previously read books, children magazines, big books, and character favorites, such as, “Dora” should also be included.

Comfortable seating is a must for your preschool library center. It is important to create a cozy place to curl up include beanbags, large pillows, and even child-sized armchairs or toddler bed! Be sure to place the library center in the quietest corner of your classroom. Ideally, the reading corner would be placed away from noisy areas such as the sensory table or block corner.

Friendship Survey

This is a survey that I have children use independently or you can  model surveying/asking questions in a small group.

Getting to know you games!

Cross the Road: Gather your students in a line on one side of the rug. Explain to the children that you will be asking them a question if it is a "Yes" they drive across the "road" if it is a "No" they stay parked in their cars right where they are. For example; "Do you have a brother?" It is also helpful to have pictures that coincide with the question, for visual learners and second language learners. You can use substitue "road" for anything ( river, draw bridge, ocean, galaxy).

Stand Up and Sit Down Game:  Place chairs in rows on the rug. Explain to the children that you will be asking them a question if it is a "Yes" they Stand Up , if it is a "No" they stay in their seats right where they are. For example; "Do you have a brother?" It is also helpful to have pictures that coincide with the question, for visual learners and second language learners. Before each question have all students sit back down.

Back to School

The first week of school is focused on getting the students acquainted with their new school and classroom. I put out a few materials at each lab and spend this time observing my students and trying to really get to know them. We sing songs, play cooperative learning games and explore and answer any questions the children might have about their school. The first weeks of school  are crutuial for children to feel safe and also as valued memeber of their new classroom and school.