Cloud Preschool Lesson Plan

Clouds are in our skies throughout the seasons and in different geographical locations. These puffy visions in the sky contain ever changing looks and their connections to weather make them a fun learning choice for a preschool lesson plan. Clouds can be discussed in a preschool curriculum for a long stretch of time or be apart of other themes such as weather and seasons. The following article suggests some cloud facts, songs, crafts, and preschool book suggestions for a cloud theme.

Introduce a Cloud Theme at Circle Time

To begin a theme about clouds; introduce the topic at circle time. You could ask preschool children some fun questions like:


•"Do you think we could walk on clouds?"
•"How do you think they get there?"
•"Are there different kinds of clouds?"
•"What colors have you seen when looking at clouds?"

The answers that come out of the children will be entertaining and knowledgeable. The answers can be the starting point for the learning process and will work well for a cloud display in the classroom for all to view. The following blogger shows how her class turned the entire room into a cloud display:

From Our Kindergarten Journey Blog

Cloud Facts for Children


•Clouds are made of many tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.
•There are three different kinds of clouds (the names are tricky, but pictures of the different clouds would help show the children): Stratus, Cirrus and Cumulus.
•Clouds bring us shade and help protect the earth from getting cold.
•Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun.
•They move with the wind




Story for a Cloud Preschool Theme
   
 Little Cloud by Eric Carle, which also lends itself very well to a felt story.

                                


Cloud Preschool Crafts

1) Decorating Cloud Shape

One idea is to cut out basic shapes of clouds, and allow the children to glue cotton balls onto the cloud. Illustrate to the children how to pull the cotton ball apart to make different textures. These clouds can then be glued onto blue construction paper. This art project can be expanded by having items on the ground, such as trees and houses and the sun in the sky. Or, you could find a question to ask the children about clouds and write the children's answers onto their cloud picture such as, "I think clouds feel like....?"

                                             I think clouds feel like....

2) Children Creating Their Own Cloud

Another idea is to allow children to create their own cloud shapes. This activity works very well with older preschool children who have mastered their fine motor skills with scissors and drawing. Before the craft activity, the children could go outside to look at how clouds in the sky can look like different things with a little imagination. Ask the children, "what do the clouds look like?" Then the children can draw onto a white paper what they saw. Finally, they can cut out their shapes and glue onto paper.

3) Painting with Black and White

Another craft idea for a cloud preschool lesson plan is to make rainy clouds. The children can paint grey clouds and then use their fingerprints for rain, or fingerpaint creations can be cut into clouds.

From teachpreschool.Org

4. Cloud Mobiles

Using old CDs, children can decorate their shape to create a cloud mobile

From crafts.preschoolrock.com

Preschool Song/Poem about Clouds



This simple poem about clouds can be used with felts or foam shapes of clouds or turned into a song with a simple melody:


I am a cloud in the sky,
Floating past you, way up high.
I am a cloud, in the sky
Watch me change before your eyes.


This following song is to the tune of London Bridge and lyrics can be replaced very easily with this tune:


Clouds are drifting in the sky, in the sky, in the sky
Clouds are drifting in the sky, oh how quickly.
Clouds are turning orange and pink, orange and pink, orange and pink
Clouds are turning orange and pink, what a sunset!
Clouds are low down in the sky, in the sky, in the sky
Cloud are low down in the sky, we have some fog.
Clouds are turning dark and grey, dark and grey, dark and grey
Clouds are turning dark and grey, here comes a storm.



Further Reading Suggestions

Rain Felt Board Ideas

Online Early Childhood Workshops with Circle of Ideas 

Cars Preschool Theme

  

With the popularity of Disney's Cars the Movie and Lightening McQueen, cars is a good theme for a preschool curriculum. The topic can be included within a transportation preschool lesson plan or as part of a safety unit. The following article provides ideas for car crafts, songs and activities appropriate for any early childhood environment.

  

Car Preschool Crafts

There are many crafts that can follow a car theme. The following suggestions are appropriate for toddlers as well.


1.Car Painting: allow young children to paint with cars by placing some spoonfuls of tempera paint onto large pieces of paper and provide small cars and trucks to drive. It is a good idea to choose cars or trucks that have treads on the wheel for they will make more visible tire tracks. Alternatively, the cars can be sitting in a tray of paint.


2.License Plate Rubbings: find old license plates for cars. Each child can create a crayon rubbing of the plate by placing a tracing paper over top and then using the side edge of crayons to create the image.


3.Collective Mural: on a bulletin board, the preschool teacher will place a large picture of a road. The children can cut out car pictures from magazines and then paste them onto the road to help make a classroom mural. This class project also works well for a transportation theme.


4.Shapes: provide children with different shapes, such as rectangles, squares, circles and small triangles and allow them to create cars out of the shapes. This art activity works well with a class demonstration and visual cue for the children to follow.



Car Preschool Songs


Overall, transportation songs can be included into a car preschool lesson plan. The following song is more specific to a car theme.


Twinkle twinkle little star
My daddy drives a motor car
Push a button, and pull the choke
Off he goes with a puff of smoke
Twinkle twinkle little star
My daddy drives a motor car.



Another important lesson to include into a car theme for a preschool class is to discuss safety, and the lights which are used to direct traffic. This following song will correlate well with a game of Go, Go, Stop.


To the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" –

Twinkle, twinkle traffic light
On the corner shining bright
Red means stop, and green means go
Yellow means go very slow
Twinkle twinkle traffic light
On the corner shining bright



Children Activities for a Car Theme


                    

Car Matching: this matching game can be made out of felt material for the flannel board or other material. The matching activity promotes color recognition. On a flannel board, the teacher will place different color garages. Alternatively, the garages could hold numbers or shapes. Each child in the circle will be provided a matching car with the same color and/or design. The children will be asked to bring their car to the board to place their felt piece into the appropriate garage.


Cars on Trays: instead of cars in the sandbox, which is thoroughly enjoyed by young children, try placing cornmeal on a tray with a few cars. This activity can be a singular station in the classroom.

Spelling Car: on clean juice lids, stick letters on one side and then turn upside down onto a table. For this activity, a child will use a magnet wand to lift the lids to try and make the word car. The process helps with letter skills.


Threading a Car: provide children with a car shape made out of a thick piece of paper with holes punched out around the edge of the shape. The shape will hold a string with a knot at the end through one hole, to allow a child to thread the string through the other holes. This activity is wonderful for fine motor development in young children.

Online Early Childhood Workshops with Circle of Ideas