Spring

Crafts

*Egg Carton Tulips - Cut an egg carton cup into 3 tulip shape petals. Paint. When dry, poke a hole in the center of the cup and add a pipecleaner, twist to hold the petals. Add construcion paper leaves if you wish.

*Vases - cut squares of tissue paper. Modge podge (watered down white glue) onto a large baby food jar (or similiar container) Let dry and then fill with flowers you create.

*Coffee Filter Flowers - use eye droppers and food colouring to dye the filter, let dry, attach to a pipecleaner stem and add a leaf cut from construction paper.

*Flower Garden - cut stems from green construction paper and glue onto another piece of paper. Add paper muffin cups for the flower part by gluing to the top of the stem.

*Sunflowers - cut petal shapes from yellow construction paper. Glue onto a small paper plate. Add a black circle to the center, glue on real sunflower seeds if you wish. When dry, glue on a stem to the back and add leaves.

*Trees - glue pink popcorn and bits of crepe paper buds to a tree shape.

*Umbrellas - cut an umbrella shape out of construction paper and let the children decorate it.

*Mr. Potato Head - cut the top off of a potato and scoop out half of the potato. Glue the potato to a 1/2 toilet paper roll so it will stand. Fill the potato with soil leaving space to add grass seeds and top with a bit of soil. Decorate a face on the front of the potato by glueing googly eyes, pompom nose, wool mouth, or cut the features from construction paper. Place in a sunny spot, water every day and wait for the"hair" to grow.

*Rock Garden Sign - Cut a sign shape from wood and paint with acrylic paint. You can also paint the sign right on a large rock. (see Outdoor Play)

Science

*Plant Seeds

*Experiment with Shadows - at different times of the day, match shadows to their owner.

*Make rain using a kettle and a mirror. Hold the mirror on a slant above where the kettle is. The children will see the mirror fog up and will see the water vapour in the air as the kettle boils. Condensation will start to appear on the mirror and then it will rain. This is a great experiment to use when explaining the Water Cycle.

*Set up a Worm Home - fill a 2 litre pop bottle with dirt from your garden and worms will already be in the dirt. If there are no worms in the dirt, you will have to add them. Cover with black construction paper for a few days to allow worms to build their tunnels. Remove the paper and observe what has occured. You can add items you would put in the composter to feed the worms.

*How Do Plants Drink? - cut a large celery stick in 1/2 lengthwise 3/4 way up from the bottom. Do not remove the leaves. Place each side of the stalk in a cup of water coloured with food colouring - use 2 different colours. As the plant drinks, the stalk and leaves will change colour. You can also do this activity with white carnations only don't split the stem.

*Plant Needs - take 5 identical plants. Place one under a box, one in the sunshine. Give one water and another none. Provide one with water and sunshine. Observe and discuss what is happening to the plants daily.

Block Area

*Add bugs and insects to the block area.

Dramatic Play

*Set up a flower shop or garden center.

Circle Time

*Spring is Just Around the Corner, Winter's Gone

*I'm a Little Frog

*The Air is Warm

*Raindrops are Falling, Falling down to the Ground

*I Hear Thunder

*April Trickery

*If All the Raindrops were Lemon Drops and Gum Drops

Stories:

*The Very Hungry Caterpillar

*Franklin and the Thunderstorm

*Hoppity's First Thunderstorm

Games:

*Loud as Thunder Musical Game - use instruments to make sounds as loud as thunder (we used metal spoons and metal bowls and competed with a thunderstorm... needless to say, we WON! This is a great way to make a thunderstorm fun especially if you have someone in the group who is afraid :-)

*Puddle Jumping - place several carpet squares (or felt cut into a puddle shape) around the room. Have the children jump into and over the 'puddles'.

Water & Sand Play

*Use dry lentils instead of sand or water.
*Add gardening tools such as rakes, hoes, etc to the sand table.

Outdoor Play

*Enjoy a Spring walk and identify all the signs of Spring.

*Go puddle jumping outdoors on a rainy day.

*Set up a rock garden - collect rocks of various sizes section a part of the garden or an area in the yard for your child's rock garden. Arrange the rocks (they can be painted beforehand with a waterproof paint if desired) and then take a trip to the plant store. Discuss the various types of plants, needs for each (ie. sunlight, moisture) and choose the ones that will best fit the chosen area. A personalized sign can be made from a piece of wood, a large rock, or birch bark (note: never remove bark from a tree - you can ususally find large pieces on the ground if you look around!) (Thank-you Alan and Meghan for this activity... Meghan's garden is growing beautifully!)

*Shadow Tag - person who is "it" has to jump on another person's shadow to tag them.

Field Trips / Special Days

*visit a garden center.

*Go to a flower shop.

Songs

Spring is just Around the Corner

(sung to: She'll be Coming 'Round the Mtn.)

Spring is just around the corner winter's gone(x2)
Spring is just around the corner(x2)
Spring is just around the corner, Winters gone. - Hooray!

It will bring us buzzing bees when it comes - buzz, buzz(x2)
It will bring us buzzing bees(x2)
It will bring us buzzing bees when it comes. - buzz, buzz/Hooray!(etc.)

It will bring us nice fresh flowers when it comes - sniff, sniff(etc.)

It will bring us thunder & lightening when it comes - clap, clap (etc.)

It will bring us nice warm sunshine when it comes - ahhhh, ahhh (etc.)

Oh Rainbow

(sung to: Oh, Christmas Tree)

Oh rainbow, oh rainbow
How lovely are your colours
Oh, rainbow, oh rainbow
How lovely are your colours.
Purple, red and orange too,
Yellow, green, and blue so true.
Oh rainbow, oh rainbow
How lovely are your colours.

April Trickery

(poem)

The big round sun in an April sky
Winked at a cloud that was passing by
The gray cloud laughed as it scattered rain
Then out came the big round sun again

A Little Frog

I'm a little frog, just a pollywog
I live in the brook underneath the bog
And because its Spring, Spring, Spring, Spring
I'm so happy that I want to sing, sing, sing.

I Hear Thunder

(sung to: Frere Jacques)

I hear thunder, I hear thunder
Hark don't you, hark don't you
Pitter patter raindrops, pitter patter raindrops
I'm wet through, so are you!

Robin in the Rain

Robin in the rain, such a saucy fellow
Robin in the rain, mind your socks of yellow
Running in the garden on your nimble feet
Digging for your dinner with your long strong beak.
Robin in the rain, you don't mind the weather
Showers always make you gay
Bet the worms are wishing you had stayed at home
Robin on a rainy day - Don't get your feet wet.
Robin on a rainy day!

Printouts

Related Sites

Visit my Bugs and Insects page for more ideas.

Blue Bear - On-line Story

Idea Box - Seasonal Activities

Perpetual Preschool

Daycare - Circle, Craft and Activity Ideas

KinderGARDEN

Activity Cupboard - Crafts

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