Art is always a hit with my kids, but especially 3D collages. They seem to inspire a higher level of creativity, allowing the children to build on, up, and around. In addition, 3D collages look amazing when displayed on bulletin boards, and they help to meet the art materials requirement on the Environmental Childhood Environmental Scale Revised (ECERS-R).
I was ready to present another type of this art form, and Zoey was ready for something Easter. We were deep in the aisles of Hobby Lobby when Zoey spied these little guys.
Chicks, eggs, and buttons..oh, my! That’s all it took – we knew we had to have our students make 3D Easter collages. To introduce this activity, we will be reading There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick!
Not only is graphing with jellybeans a yummy way to spend some time, it’s also educational; there are so many learning concepts packed into this small activity. Obviously, the main is graphing. But graphing is just the umbrella that covers several mighty and oh-so important math principles. In this particular instance, the children must rely on their color knowlegde to sort and classify the jellybeans. After placing the candy on their graphs, they will use their counting skills (one-to-one correspondence) to count and match the number of beans, in a row, to its corresponding number below.
Hello, number recognition!
Graphing also incorporates the concept of more/less/same. Ask your students questions like, “Do you have more red jellybeans or more purple jellybeans – or are they the same?” Children often struggle with the definition of the word ‘less’, so it’s best to emphasize that, “Less means not as many.”
Just a note to add: Many of my fellow teachers ask me about my policy with eating the candy. My own rule is that after the activity is completed, the child may choose ONE special jellybean to enjoy. The rest are bagged up and labeled (by my assistant) and placed in the parent box to take home.
Colored shaving cream is inexpensive, and can be used in a variety of ways. It also provides a nice change from using traditional paint.
It can be easily made by adding a few drops of washable water color to shaving cream. Stir slowly until blended.
MATERIALS USED:
– Shaving cream
– Washable water colors
– Containers in desired size
– Paper plates
– Paint brushes
– Cotton balls
– Glue
A couple of weeks ago, my class used it to paint rainbows on paper plates. We added a couple of pieces of cotton to simulate clouds, and the children had beautiful rainbows to take home. This was such a big hit.
We're Gigi and Zoey. We teach a two-year program (preschool and pre-k), and we're passionate about Early Childhood Education and the philosophy that children learn through play. Our goal is to prepare children for kindergarten while making learning fun.
We hope that our resources inspire you, and that you will share them with your little ones.
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