Line Up By Colors with Floor Crayons

One of the things were we struggling with in our classroom was lining up and staying in our own personal space. We haven't exactly mastered the concept yet, but these crayons sure are helping. ;)

I admit I can't take credit for this idea. I saw these recently at a school where I was observing and really liked the idea.

Our crayons are made from bulletin board paper. First, my assistant used a die cut machine to cut out all of the letters. This was her guide for how long the crayons needed to be. Then she hand drew a pattern which she used for all of the crayons. She glued on the letters and added a black stripe to make them look like crayons. We taped the crayons to the floor with masking tape and then added large pieces of clear contact paper over the top of them for durability. This also enables the floor to be swept and mopped.

The floor crayons have many purposes:

• As already mentioned, the crayons help to provide some structure. It gives a defining place and tells the student that this is where we should be.
• Use the crayons as an every day way to teach the children their colors when lining up (Sarah, line up on red. Ben, line up on orange.)
• Use the crayons to provide spatial boundaries/personal space when lining up. (Stay on your color.)
• You could also use the crayons for a game. Our children enjoy jumping from color to color. You could use bean bags and play a toss game.

What ideas do you have for the floor crayons?

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Did You Ever See a Red Bird?

Color song

Did You Ever See a Red Bird?

Did you ever see a red bird, a red bird, a red bird?

Did you ever see a red bird, and hear it go "chirp"?

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.

Did you ever see a red bird, and hear it go "chirp"?

Continue with verses such as pink pig/oink, yellow duck/quack, brown cow/moo, gray cat/meow, green frog/ribbit, black dog/bark (or woof). Get the children involved by asking them for animals, colors, and sounds.

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Color Story

It seems the theme has been color lately. To continue the theme, here is a story for you to complete with your preschooler(s).

Colors

The world is full of colors.

The coldest color I can think of is _____________________.

The warmest color I can think of is _____________________.

The softest color I can think of is _____________________.

The scariest color I can think of is ____________________.

When I think of yellow, I think of ______________________.

When I think of red, I think of _________________________.

When I think of blue, I think of ________________________.

When I think of green, I think of _______________________.

My favorite color for a house is ________________________.

My favorite color for a flower is _______________________.

The funniest color I can think of is ____________________.

The color that makes me the happiest is _________________.


From 1-2-3 Rhymes by Jean Warren

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Playdough Recipe

If you've used homemade play dough before, then you probably like it better than the store bought kinds. I think that homemade play dough has a better texture and is softer, therefore easier for the kids to press and make things.

Here is a recipe for making your own play dough. When I was teaching the 2/3 year old class, we would multiply my recipe times 4 so that we had enough for at least 8 kids to play at one time. Also, each month we made a new batch of play dough to go along with our color of the month.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring of choice

Mix all the ingredients, adding the food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until play dough has a smooth consistency. Remove play dough from the pan and allow to cool for a few minutes (we always put ours on an empty desk in the room away from the children). Knead until smooth. After it has cooled, place it in a plastic bag or airtight container to keep it soft.

I have made this recipe for my kids at home. The neighbor's girl also liked it so I made her a batch for her birthday. It keeps well in a ziploc bag or airtight plastic container. I made our playdough at least six months and it is still soft. My kids like it because it is easier to use than the store bought kind and it lasts longer. There are many other playdough recipes to try.

Enjoy!

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The Preschool Express

My friend Karen sent me these pictures today of her daughter's train she made at preschool. This is a great activity to go along with colors and shapes. You can talk to your preschooler about the wheels of the train being made of circles and the train carts being made of rectanges. You can also discuss the colors of the train and the child gets to tell you their favorite color to complete the sentence. Of course, you should let your child assemble her train herself.

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Color of the Month

When I was teaching a 2/3 preschool class, we would have a color, shape, and scripture for each month. Each day during circle time we would go over these things, sing songs, do fingerplays, and read stories to go along with our weekly themes.

Here are some suggestions for color of the month:

September - blue

October - orange

November - brown

December - red

January - black or white

February - pink

March - green

April - yellow

May - purple

Update: The color mat has been removed from Pre-K pages.

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Crayola Facts

Since I just posted two color songs, I thought I'd give you some Crayola facts.

From its earliest beginnings, Crayola has been a color company. We came into
being when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over Edwin’s father’s
pigment business in 1885. More than 120 years later, color – along with
creativity, learning and most of all, fun – is the hallmark of our
company.
Crayola has called Easton, Pennsylvania its home since the early
1900s. Today, the company’s world headquarters and major manufacturing
facilities are located there. And downtown Easton is the home of The Crayola
FACTORY® , a one-of-a-kind celebration of creative fun for everyone!
In 1984, Crayola became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards and has since played the lead role in Hallmark’s personal development strategies.

source

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Color Hokey-Pokey

You put blue in, You take blue out,
You put blue in, and you shake it all about.
You do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about!

Repeat, naming a different color each time.

Try this: To make the song/game a little more interesting, find some objects with the colors you're singing about. Give one to each student and let them use the object when it's their turn. If you're at home with your child, then you can get them to help you find the object with the color and then sing about the color.

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Color Song

My daughter came home from preschool today with this song. I figured I'd better post it before I lose the paper.

Tune: I've Been Working on the Railroad

Red is the color for an apple to eat.
Red is the color for cherries, too.
Red is the color for strawberries,
I like red, don't you?

Blue is the color for the big blue sky.
Blue is the color for baby things, too.
Blue is the color of my sister's eyes,
I like blue, don't you?

Yellow is the color for the great big sun.
Yellow is the color for lemonade, too.
Yellow is the color of a baby chick,
I like yellow, don't you?

Green is the color for the leaves on the trees.
Green is the color for the green peas, too.
Green is the color of a watermelon,
I like green, don't you?

Orange is the color for oranges.
Orange is the color for carrots, too.
Orange is the color of a jack-o-lantern,
I like orange, don't you?

Purple is the color for a bunch of grapes.
Purple is the color for grape juice, too.
Purple is the color for a violet,
I like purple, don't you?

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