Wednesday, November 26, 2014

A Preschool Thanksgiving Lesson: The Mayflower

A preschool Thanksgiving art lesson on the Mayflower. The boat is drawn using water soluble oil pastels which can be spread using a paint brush dipped in water. This is a great lesson to correspond with the holiday and teaching about lines and shapes. Be sure to talk about the different shapes that can be used to create parts of the picture.

Materials:

- water soluble oil pastels
- white paper
- paint brush
- water

Preparation:

Print out a picture of the Mayflower to use it to discuss the Pilgrims journey.  Ask your child what shapes they notice in the boat.

Our YouTube Video Demonstrating the Lesson:







Thursday, November 20, 2014

A Wetu: A Preschool Thanksgiving Lesson

A wetu is a Wampanoag temporary house built of red cedar sticks and grass.  The Wampanoag tribe shared in the first Thanksgiving feast with the Pilgrims.  This is a drawing lesson that uses lines and shapes to create a simple holiday picture.  

Materials:

- Crayola drawing chalk or chalk pastels
- Blending stump or q-tips

The following is our YouTube video demonstrating the process:




Sunday, November 2, 2014

Jack O'Lantern Play Dough Mat

How to make a play dough mat from construction paper to encourage working on shapes. Play dough is a great fine motor activity and you can make play dough mats for any theme or holiday. Write or type prompts to direct specific skills you want to build on. These can also be made using clip art and a word document.  I get my assistants to make our play dough mats at school using construction paper since it is less time consuming and readily available.

Materials:
-scissors
-glue
-construction paper
-card stock
-laminator and laminating sheets

Preparation:
Come up with an idea for your play dough mat.  It is best to mount the pictures on card stock especially if you work with young kids to make it more durable.  Laminating is a must as well!

Our YouTube Tutorial and Example: