Train Preschool Theme

Trains have been a steadfast theme in preschool settings for years. Even though, many young children today will not even set foot onto a real train, there is something that remains magical and endearing for them about them. So many theme and amusement parks have the miniature train rides, and young children can be found sitting there excitedly anticipating the train engine to start up. In addition, Thomas the Tank Engine has cemented the love for trains with many toddlers and preschool children. The following article provides various ideas to include into a train theme within a preschool or daycare curriculum.

Train Crafts for Preschoolers

The shape of a train transfers well to open ended craft projects,  as the engine and cars require simple shapes to make them: rectangles, circles, squares and triangles. The train can be formed with paper shapes and glue, but another suggestion is to use stamps or sponges:

1) Sponge/Stamp Painting: A demonstration would work best with this painting project to illustrate to the preschool children how the shapes will create a train. The spools make wonderful wheels for a train car.

Suggested Material Required:

•Rectangle shaped sponge

•Spools, or circle shaped stamps

•Liquid Paint

•Shallow containers, such as styrofoam trays from the grocery store

•Paper

From Learning and Teaching Preschoolers

2) Train Craft Using Boxes and/or Egg Cartons

Depending on the size of boxes, this craft idea can be an individual activity or a group activity. The boxes, such as shoe boxes, can be decorated with crayons, felt pens or paint. Other collage items can be made available for children to add detail, like paper squares, paper towel tubes, egg cartons, glitter and so forth. This open ended art project provides young children an opportunity to be imaginative and creative in their art process.

From Getting Messy with Ms. Jessi

3) Match Shapes

Create a template of an engine with places for paper shapes to be glued

Train Songs for Preschoolers

Down by the Station is a classic preschool song about trains. Another one which can be altered to a specific location or name is Engine Number Nine and is great to sing while leading a children train, marching around the room:

Engine Engine Number Nine

Engine engine number nine

Chugging down Chicago Line

If the train goes off the track

Do you want your money back?

Maybe yes, and maybe no

Choo, choo, choo choo

Train Felt Board Activity

See the trains chugging chugging down the track

Engine in the front, caboose in the back

All the colors streaming past

This train’s going very fast!

Snack Idea!

Online Workshops in Early Childhood Education 

10 Preschool Activities for Matching Easter Eggs

  

The Felt Board: Matching Design and Colors.

As Easter is around the corner, creating activities for young children whether for home or an early childhood setting does not have to be complicated. These matching felt eggs can be used on a flannel board or any piece of felt for children to enjoy. Matching allows young children to recognize colors and design. An option for this activity is to make different sizes and then provide opportunities for children to label or find the egg according to the request, for instance, "find me the biggest blue egg or find me the smallest green egg".

Matching sizes

Make Easter eggs, with felt or paper, of different sizes and then provide opportunities for children to match the sizes. In addition, the educator can help label by asking each child a question, such as  "find me the biggest blue egg or find me the smallest green egg".

Matching Plastic Easter Eggs: Color Recognition



From Make andTakes Blog



From Teach Preschool



 Developing Math Skills

                                

Letter Recognition

Matching Sounds

Matching Game



From Parents.com



        Thank you to all the amazing bloggers and pinners who provided ideas!

Online Workshops in Early Childhood Education

Ladybug Preschool Theme

Spring and summer are a great time to include a preschool lesson plan on bugs. A fun insect to focus on is the ladybug with its bright red back and black spots. Whether for a day or longer, children enjoy themes when the entire curriculum revolves around one topic. More importantly, this focused attention on one topic within each area of a preschool curriculum provides learning opportunities for every child. The following article provides some ideas for preschool activities to include into a ladybug theme for any early childhood setting.


Fun Facts about Ladybugs

Circle time is a perfect place to provide some simple facts about the preschool program's theme with or without a book. Sometimes a teacher may ask the children what they know about the theme and record their answers down. The early childhood provider can then fill in the information that may have not been mentioned. This process of group learning honours the children for their input, ideas and knowledge. Some fun ladybug facts to share with the children are:

• ladybugs are beetles
• ladybugs can also be orange and yellow and some have no spots
• there are many different species
• they live all around the world
• the spots fade as they get older
• ladybugs can lay up to 1000 eggs in a lifetime
• the hard cover protects the delicate wings
• the bright color of the ladybug warns birds to not eat them
• ladybugs are popular with gardeners for they eats aphids, pests in the garden.

Ladybug Preschool Craft Ideas


By clicking on each suggestion, you will directed to the blog for more information



From No Time for Flash Cards



From Projects for Preschoolers




Special Note:

The great thing about a ladybug theme for an arts and crafts project, is that the children can be left to create through their own process. With the colors red, and black and dots, all versions of ladybugs will be formed. I love this one I found online...



From Our Crafts N Things


Math Activity for a Ladybug Theme


From the Measured Mom



The following song can be sung with ladybug and numbers correlating to the amount of dots on the ladybug:


To the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?"

This ladybug has three black spots, three black spots, three black spots.

This ladybug has three black spots, what a lovely sight!

Sensory Table Activity

There are many ways to include ladybugs into a preschool curriculum. For instance, turn a sensory table into an area for plastic ladybugs to roam. The children will enjoy dramatically playing with the ladybugs while having a sensory experience. The table can be filled with sand, plastic leaves, real wood and sticks and small rocks. Then, plastic ladybugs can be placed inside this setting. If plastic ladybugs are difficult to find at local stores, try using permanent felt pens or paint and decorating small rocks as ladybugs.

Some Final Ideas for a Ladybug Theme

• Play pin the dots on the ladybug and other ladybug games
• Hunt for real ladybugs
• Face paint ladybugs onto cheeks
• Read the Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
• Decorate cookies with red icing and chocolate chips
• Felt Story: Five Little Ladybugs

Further Reading Suggestions:

Spring Felt Board Activities

Early Childhood Online Workshops