Summer Help Please :)

[MsLaura529]

Ok, so I'm working on my summer curriculum planning (fun themes with some crafts and a lot of play).

I think I'm set on themes ... now I just need help with planning what crafts, songs, books, sensory bin ideas and games can go along with the themes. I know it's asking for a lot, but any help you can give me would be great! I'm hoping during nap time today I can get close to finishing them all up.

Also: I thought it would be helpful to note that I have my own kids (DD 4, and DS 2.5), a DCB here 2 days a week (2.5 yrs), and I'm starting a DCG here full-time (also 2.5 yrs). I'm hoping that I can get 1 or 2 more around the same age and it will be a very fun summer and following year!

Here are my themes:
Busy Bugs
Ocean Adventures (includes Pirates and a Beach Party)
All About America (obviously during 4th of July week)
Dinosaurs
Teddy Bears' Picnic
Into the Woods/Camping
Fun on the Farm

Again, any little helpful book, craft, song, sensory bin, or game for any of the weeks would be super helpful. I'm feeling burned out from perusing Pinterest so much lately

Thank you!

[melilley]

Ok, so I'm working on my summer curriculum planning (fun themes with some crafts and a lot of play).

I think I'm set on themes ... now I just need help with planning what crafts, songs, books, sensory bin ideas and games can go along with the themes. I know it's asking for a lot, but any help you can give me would be great! I'm hoping during nap time today I can get close to finishing them all up.

Also: I thought it would be helpful to note that I have my own kids (DD 4, and DS 2.5), a DCB here 2 days a week (2.5 yrs), and I'm starting a DCG here full-time (also 2.5 yrs). I'm hoping that I can get 1 or 2 more around the same age and it will be a very fun summer and following year!

Here are my themes:
Busy Bugs
Ocean Adventures (includes Pirates and a Beach Party)
All About America (obviously during 4th of July week)
Dinosaurs
Teddy Bears' Picnic
Into the Woods/Camping
Fun on the Farm

Again, any little helpful book, craft, song, sensory bin, or game for any of the weeks would be super helpful. I'm feeling burned out from perusing Pinterest so much lately

Thank you!

For Busy Bugs you could buy little plastic bugs and put them in the sensory table with or without dirt. . There are a ton of bug songs and books. For crafts, you could do hand butterflies, make lady bugs-I cut out the shape of the body and heads and the kids put the heads where they wanted to and then I used water paint and they placed their fingers in the paint and put the dots on the bodies, you could cut out the shape of a bee and let them put the head, legs and stripes on where ever they wanted to (I am a fan of process art, but I also believe that if you cut out the basic shape and let them put the other parts on that that counts...a lot of children are too young to do that part). Of course butterfly hands/feet/

Ocean Adventure-for sensory bins, you could put water in them and put fish, boats, etc...in the water or get some sand and hide beachy objects for art they could paint an underwater scene, make fish, paint octopi-you would have to cut out the shapes, get beach balls. I don't know of any songs. Also, limbo contest

All About America-for sensory bins, put red, white and blue objects in them or red, white (whipped cream) and blue Jell-o. For art, they could make fireworks on paper with glue and glitter.

For the camping one-One lady around here actually brought in real logs and made a "fire" in her living room. She also had sleeping bags out for them to play in. You could make S'mores in the microwave, have a picnic, let them play with flashlights, set up a little tent.

Bears-tea party, picnic, they could bring their own teddy bears one day, Going On a Bear Hunt for a song.

Just some ideas, sorry I would put more, but my son woke up and I have to feed him. Hope this helps a little! Good ideas by the way!

[jessrlee]

I'm doing a camping theme! We are..

http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/originals/12/d9/18/12d9180a7e9d3b98fae26cdafb41b5a2.jpg

I made this today and it looks amazing!! Total cost $5

http://www.pre-kpages.com/paper-bag-vest-and-binoculars/

http://anaturemom.com/2012/06/07/solar-oven-smores/

http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/2011/09/camping-preschool-unit-preschool-corner/

and friday we will have a pajama party and bring our sleeping bags

In the dramatic area I'm setting up a couple of tents, our camp fire, and making available pretend marshmallows on sticks (sticks and big cotton balls) I'm really looking forward to this theme!

[jessrlee]

http://www.pre-kpages.com/diy-lantern-for-dramatic-play-camping/

this is also super cool!

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Teddy bears picnic

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.443052052384553.94994.411142905575468&type=3

Some fish

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.435874506435641.93066.411142905575468&type=3

More fish, sensory pool

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.422361504453608.90729.411142905575468&type=3

Bugs

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.411162698906822.88909.411142905575468&type=3

Ok I have really been slacking lately. We got the twins and life got busy. We have been outside a lot too... Digging for those worms! I need to get back on posting pics!

Bugs, fly swatter painting

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.444980512191707.95519.411142905575468&type=3

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I know there are more Dino's on fb but I didn't search for them

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I know there are more Dino's on fb but I didn't search for them

If you can't see these they are in the arts and crafts group on the last page.

[sally]

You could make caterpillars out of egg cartons and add piper cleaner for antenna. Use one egg carton cup painted black for a spider and pipe cleaner legs or make paper plate spiders. Fold strips of construction paper in accordion style for the legs.

[MsLaura529]

Thank you guys for all the helpful ideas!! I can't wait to get this stuff started in a couple weeks (that's when my new little girl starts).

I'm stuck on circle time songs for a lot of them, but I'll do some researching...

[KDC]

Awesome ideas ladies... gonna have to steal a few of these

[MsLaura529]

Just in case anyone else is looking for similar ideas, I'll share what I've come up with so far for "Busy Bugs" weeks, and a little bit of the "Ocean Adventures" planning (oceans isn't as organized yet, as I'm still working on that)...

Busy Bugs

“The Grouchy Ladybug”
Counting Ladybug spots – felt board lady bugs and leaves
The color red (color hunt with fly swatters)
Ladybug Craft – Paper plate lady bug with thumb print spots

“Itsy, Bitsy Spider”
Fingerplay/Song
Paper Plate Spider
Marble Painting Web

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
Story-telling printables on popsicle sticks
Marshmallow caterpillars

Bumblebees
Play “Follow the Bee” (follow the leader to flowers/plants)
“5 Buzzy Bumblees” fingerplay
The color yellow (color hunt with fly swatters)

Sensory Bin – Dirt, gummy worms, plastic bugs


Ocean Adventure

“The Rainbow Fish”
Sharing craft
Fishing in the water table (plastic sheets, dowels, rope, magnet, paper clips)

Fish color sorting

Hermit Crab handprint, tissue paper decorated shell

Jellyfish in a water bottle

Crab walking/turtle crawling

Sensory Bin – sand, sea shells, water beads, sea creature, fish tank accessories

Five Little Fishes
(Fingerplay)


For the Teddy Bear's Picnic, we're going to do plastic spoon painting, we're going to do some stuff with Ants, and with different food groups. Then, on the last day, everyone can bring a teddy bear and we'll eat lunch on a picnic blanket outside. We'll also talk about patterns (like a checkered blanket as an example).

And I have a ton of ideas for "Fun on the Farm", I just don't have everything typed out yet, but we'll do Pudding painting on construction paper pigs, making butter, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Old MacDonald (either felt board or story puppets) ... that's just a little bit of it, and then it will tie into the beginning of the school year time when we would start back over on the ABC's, so it will go right into A (apple orchard).