“I’m the Cat in the Hat, and we’re off to have fun. We’ll visit the planets, the stars, and the sun!” These are the captivating first words of the book There’s No Place Like Space!. Written by Tish Rabe and beautifully illustrated by Aristides Ruiz, this wonderful book takes children on an exciting ride through the solar system, and teaches important basic concepts about space.
After being introduced to this book, preschoolers will enjoy making their own “planets”. Have students place cut up or torn pieces of bleeding tissue paper onto white construction paper circles. Instruct them to wet the tissue with a water filled spray bottle (supervision is important here). Once the tissue is sufficiently wet, gently remove and allow the “planets” to dry.
This activity encourages creative expression. The children love to choose their colors, and always get excited when they see the beautiful and varied works of art they have created. In addition, using a spray bottle improves fine motor skills and helps to build strength in small hands and fingers. Finally, cutting skills can be practiced, by encouraging the children (who wish to do so) to cut out their own circles.
Note: This revised edition of the book includes a glossary of space terms and excludes mention of Pluto, which is no longer considered a planet.
Once or twice a year I like to have my students work together to create something together to display in the classroom. The children really enjoy expressing themselves. Rarely do I have anyone turn down the chance to participate. This time around, we went for an outer space collage.
This piece of art turned out to be a creative and fun experience for everyone. I provided a large, curved piece of Styrofoam that had been spray painted black and quickly sprinkled with a dusting of glitter. I also provided a tray full of sparkly decorative items. I found glitter foam at Walmart that made perfect stars and moons. Plain foil stars also work well. My students were drawn to the various materials, and loved choosing which ones they wanted to use.
This outer space collage turned out to be 3D, but you can use poster board or cardboard and a variety of collage materials of your choice. Some may choose all the materials you provide, while others will use very few.
This open-ended activity provides the children with an opportunity to use their imaginations, express their creativity, and practice decision making. Additionally, when working collaboratively to create a piece of art, the children develop social skills and learn to work interactively.
As a parent and a teacher, it’s always been fun and important for me to introduce ALL of my children to what I loved and adored, and learned from when I was young.
So every holiday season, I bring out the The Gingerbread Man. To me, this first edition Giant Golden Book was the most magical story ever. As a child I spent hours looking over the vibrant illustrations of Bill and Bonnie Rutherford, letting my imagination run away right along with that fearless, little yummy cookie.
This classic book is ideal for reading aloud and makes for an excellent literary-based art activity; gingerbread men and houses. Last year, we used our creations to decorate our classroom window.
The houses are made of basic shapes (squares, rectangles, and triangles) and can be cut out by you or by your children depending on their ability. This year, I will be offering even more materials such as stiff felt, fuzzy sticks, bows, etc., so maybe we’ll see some gingerbread girls!
MATERIALS USED:
– Construction paper
– Our gingerbread template
– Googly eyes
– Ricrac
– Acrylic craft jewels
– Stiff felt/fabric
– Sparkle/glitter pom poms
– Buttons
– Holiday scrapbook paper
– Sequins
– Mini bows
– White foam (roofs)
– Holiday fuzzy sticks
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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. To me, this first edition Giant Golden Book was the most magical story ever. As a child I spent hours looking over the vibrant illustrations of Bill and Bonnie Rutherford, letting my imagination run away right along with that fearless, little yummy cookie.
