Preschool It’s Picniceh.etiwanda.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_222420... · Preschool You are granted a single-user license that entitles you to use or duplicate this content within

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Preschool

You are granted a single-user license that entitles you to use or duplicate this content within your classroom or home only. Materials have been selected and assembled in easy-to-use packets from previously published books and magazines from The Mailbox. No part may be reproduced, transmitted, or shared by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher. The Education Center retains full intellectual property rights on all its products; these rights extend to digital content.

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It’sPicnic

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Picnic Day

Circle Time Fill a paper bag with picnic and non-picnic-related items. Ask a child to take an item from the bag and have students identify it. Ask, “Would we need a [item] for a picnic?” If the answer is yes, the child puts the item in a picnic basket. If it’s no, she sets it aside.

Display several picnic foods. Review the items with students and then cover them with a small blanket. Chant, “Picnic time is yum, yum, yum! A food is missing. Do you know which one?” Then whisk an item away, concealed by the blanket, and have children tell what food is missing.

Picnic Day

Center Time Play Dough: Set out play dough, a picnic basket or cooler, a rolling pin, waxed paper, and food-shaped cookie cutters. A child makes pretend picnic food and then wraps each item in waxed paper and packs it in the basket.

Writing: To a table, tape a length of bulletin board paper with a lightly penciled watermelon and vines. Youngsters use green crayons or markers to trace the vines. Then they glue green tissue paper to the watermelon.

Dramatic Play: Provide a blanket, disposable plates, plastic cutlery, dolls, a basket stocked with play food, and picnic-related

storybooks. For added fun, provide plastic ants!



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Songs and More Picnic Time

Have students name a picnic food. Then lead them in singing the song, inserting the name of the food. Repeat the song with other picnic foods.

(sung to the tune of the chorus of “Jingle Bells”)

Picnic time, picnic time,Picnic time today—A basket full of [picnic food],And we are on our way! Yeah!

Storytime The Most Perfect Spot

by Diane Goode

We’re Going on a Picnic! by Pat Hutchins

Art Invite each child to stuff a paper lunch bag with newspaper. Help her twist the opening and secure it closed. Have her paint the bag with light and dark green paint so it resembles a watermelon; then attach a paper leaf to the twisted opening (vine).

Perfect Picnic Take your picnic basket Pretend to carry a basket.And find a grassy spot. Point at the ground.Spread a cozy blanket; Pretend to spread a blanket;Then see what you’ve got. Pretend to look in the basket.Get yourself a cold drink— Pretend to sip a drink.A sandwich to unwrap. Pretend to unwrap a sandwich.Eat your picnic lunch; Pretend to eat.Then take a little nap! Pretend to take a nap.

Snacktime Have little ones sit on a picnic blanket. Then read aloud a picnic-related storybook while youngsters enjoy a cookie treat!

For each child, cut slits in a sheet of white paper. Have her weave red strips through the slits to make a picnic tablecloth. After taping the strips in place, have her draw (or stamp) ants on the tablecloth.

Transition To dismiss youngsters from circle time, have them pretend to be hungry little ants crawling toward a yummy picnic!

When it’s time to line up, announce popular picnic foods, like pickles, watermelon, potato salad, fried chicken, and chips. When a child hears his favorite food, he gets in line. If any students remain seated, have them tell their favorite picnic food.

Movement Have youngsters stand in two equal lines behind a start line. Place a small watermelon on the ground in front of each team. On your signal, the first player on each team rolls the watermelon to a designated spot and back. Play continues until each child has a turn.

Potato salad!

Stand a distance from the group. Direct students to move toward you using movements like baby steps, giant steps, tiptoeing, and sidestepping. Then call out, “Ants in your pants!” signaling youngsters to stop and wiggle like they have ants in their pants! Repeat until children reach you.



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Picnic Parade!

Note to the teacher: Give each child a copy of this page. Have her make fingerprint ants along the trail. If desired, invite her to use a black marker to draw legs on each ant.



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Note to the teacher: After your Picnic Day celebration, send a copy of this note home with each child.

Dear Family, Today was Picnic Day, and we celebrated all things picnic-style! We sang songs, played picnic-related games, had a picnic-style snack, and more. To extend today’s fun, invite your youngster to join you for a picnic-style dinner or snack!

All the best!

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Dear Family, Today was Picnic Day, and we celebrated all things picnic-style! We sang songs, played picnic-related games, had a picnic-style snack, and more. To extend today’s fun, invite your youngster to join you for a picnic-style dinner or snack!

All the best!

_____________________________



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PicnicsPicnics

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Going on a Picnic Find out what your little ones think is tasty picnic fare when you teach them this tune! Name a child in the first line of the song; then ask that child to name a picnic food at the end of the verse. Enlist students’ help to sing the second verse, inserting the child’s name and chosen food.

(sung to the tune of “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”)

When [Amy] went on a picnic,When [Amy] went on a picnic,When [Amy] went on a picnic,This is what [she] ate. (Child names food.)

[Amy] ate [fried chicken],[Amy] ate [fried chicken],[Amy] ate [fried chicken],For her picnic lunch!

Math Matching numbers and sets

LanguageDevelopmentParticipate in song

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Picnic Match Bring the picnic to your math center with this self-checking activity! Color and cut apart a construction paper copy of the cards on pages 10 and 11. Cut the number section from the food section. Store them in a picnic basket. When a child visits this center, he matches each number to the appropriate food card. Challenge older preschoolers to place the matched cards in sequence from 1 to 8.



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Reasoning skills

What’s in the Basket? To prepare for this whole-group game, place several picnic items in a covered basket. You may wish to include a paper plate, a plastic spoon, a napkin, and play foods from your housekeeping center, such as watermelon, sandwiches, and chicken legs. Show youngsters the basket and encourage them to listen as you give clues to help them guess the items inside. For example, you could describe the watermelon with statements such as “It’s green and red. It’s sweet. It’s a fruit. It has lots of small black seeds. It’s juicy.” When a student guesses the item, remove it from the basket with great fanfare. Continue in this manner until the basket is empty.

• • • • • • • • • • • • Approaches to Learning

Dramatic playCreativeArts

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Sun-Off Sunscreen

A Tasty Picnic! Preschoolers practice picnicking at this fun center! In advance, stock a center with a picnic basket or small cooler; a blanket; play foods; plastic plates and utensils; a thermos or clean, empty drink containers; toy sunglasses;

and clean, empty bottles of sunscreen. Invite students in this center to work together to

pack a picnic lunch. After a quick hike around the classroom, encourage them to

return to the picnic site and then unpack and enjoy a pretend picnic with a few

stuffed animal pals.

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Literacy • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Letter knowledge

Creative ArtsUsing art media

Pass the Plate, Please! Feast on letter recognition during this whole-group game. Gather a class supply of paper plates; then program half of the plates with uppercase letters and the remaining half with the matching lowercase letters. Seat students in a circle and give each child a plate. Play some lively music and ask youngsters to pass their plates around the circle. After a short time, pause the music and call out a letter. Encourage the two students holding those plates to stand and identify their letters. Challenge older preschoolers to tell if their letters are uppercase or lowercase. Then resume the music to continue the activity.

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Personalized Picnic Tote These adorable totes are just right for little hands and little snacks! For each child, personalize a brown paper lunch bag. Open the bag and fold the top over about an inch. Then fold the top twice more to make a sturdy rim. Invite each child to decorate his prepared bag with picnic stickers and stamps, crayons, and markers as desired. Staple a construction paper handle in place.



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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Best Picnic Ever

Find out your youngsters’ picnic preferences with this group writing activity. Use the questions below to help youngsters plan the best imaginary picnic ever. Encourage volunteers to dictate as you write about the picnic on a sheet of chart paper. Enlist student help to read the completed story together. Then tape it to a length of bulletin board paper and invite each child to take a turn illustrating the story.

When would we go on our picnic?Who would plan it?What food would we take?Where would we go for our picnic?How would we get there?

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •Make choices

Literacy Writing

Approaches to Learning

We will go on the best picnic ever on Friday. Jamal’s dad will plan it, and Remayja will help. We will take fried chicken, sandwiches, potato salad, watermelon, and brownies. We will also take a huge cooler of pink lemonade to drink. We will walk to the park for our picnic and eat beside the big rocket ship slide. After we eat we will play on the playground. It won’t be too hot. We might walk to see the dinosaurs at the park.

Picnic Potluck This simple activity results in a perfect preschool picnic! Fill each of four serving bowls with a different snack food, such as dry cereal pieces or crackers. Arrange the bowls and a half-cup measuring cup within easy student reach. Have each child, in turn, choose a snack food and place a scoop of it in a zippered plastic bag. If desired, have the child explain his choice. Then spread a blanket outdoors and invite your youngsters to sit and enjoy their picnic snacks.



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Food and Number CardsUse with “Picnic Match” on page 6.

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JUICE

JUICE

JUICE

JUICE

JUICE

JUICE

JUICE

Food and Number CardsUse with “Picnic Match” on page 6.

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Preschool It’s Picniceh.etiwanda.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_222420... · Preschool You are granted a single-user license that entitles you to use or duplicate this content within