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Preschool education

Ideas needed! Calling all CMs, TAs, Teachers, Nursery Assistants, Mums etc...

18 replies

Falconi · 24/04/2014 14:16

Hi.

I am volunteering on this playgroup and decided to have a arts and crafts session based on a book and obviously will read the book too!

I have one activity in mind that I did many many times (not based on a mainstream famous title book) but the subject is an amazing cake... problem is: whilst for the craft session, making an amazing, bright colourful cake is fun, the setting have just focused on healthy eating for the whole term before Easter...I wasn't working there yet but I feel that going now with an activity about cakes and fillings is not going to go down well...

So, what else can I do? I can think of many titles but what crafts activities can I do to match a book? The time frame is short, I will need to do it on one morning and be aware of the other routines too (snack/outside etc)..

Kids are mostly 3 year old but there are a few 2 year old there too.

TIA

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jasminemai · 24/04/2014 14:19

storypack always an interview winner. Easy to make, easy to do. Dont overcomplicate your activity as you dont know your audience. If you have a group with many with behavioural problems your just making it harder. Lots of ideas online if you google story pack/pebl pack

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Falconi · 24/04/2014 14:24

Hi,
Thanks for your idea
I googled story pack and didn't find much? Do you mean story sack?
They do a singing sack every day, I would rather not do the same..

Should I keep the cake idea..? Cake

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BackforGood · 24/04/2014 14:27

You could make cakes with playdough or paint them.
However, the EYFS does like you not to structure things too much, but to follow the child's lead.

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blueberryboybait · 24/04/2014 14:29

Do you have a local Scrapstore? Our has great things they helped us com up with some crafts based on books. We made cakes with foam shapes and paint/stickers.

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Falconi · 24/04/2014 14:57

Great idea about the foam shape cakes. Just not sure if I should do a cake theme...

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MollyBdenum · 24/04/2014 15:06

I would do something with sunflowers. There are quite a lot of sunflower books and they could make sunflowers with a textured centre and stick on petals and plant seeds in pots and watch them grow for the rest of the term.

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MerryMarigold · 24/04/2014 15:10

The Giant Jam Sandwich? They could all make a Jam Sandwich after! Not super healthy but not as bad as cake.

Or, Hungry Caterpillar. Butterfly crafts very easy and lots of room for kids' individuality to come out in decorating them.

Foam cakes would be fine. Or playdough ones. My dd loves making playdough cakes.

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blueberryboybait · 24/04/2014 15:36

What about something like Commotion in the Ocean - paper plate octopus, glittery fish, play dough/clay starfish etc.

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insancerre · 24/04/2014 17:08

the very hungry caterpillar
you can't get much healthier than that
you could make butterfly paintings
caterpillars from milk bottle tops
or make the various foods from play dough or salt dough and paint them
or do fruit printing
or make fruit kebabs
loads of things really

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Blondieminx · 24/04/2014 17:22

Hungry caterpillar is great - links to life cycle, maths, and concepts like measuring the size of the caterpillar (bigger/smaller), and symmetry for the butterfly wings.

You could also do butterfly wings with shape matching cards for pre-painted shapes on the wings?

We have www.nhmshop.co.uk/sensational-butterflies/natural-history-museum-live-butterfly-house/product.html this on the go ATM - it's fascinating! Smile

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jasminemai · 24/04/2014 17:30

yy sorry

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WhispersOfWickedness · 24/04/2014 17:36

Have a look on Pintrest, it will have tonnes of craft ideas relating to books Smile

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TiggyKBE · 25/04/2014 20:47

On a more general level, have a quick try at the activity yourself beforehand (On the day before the children start doing it), and be prepared to alter it a bit.

When you do the activity do it with one or two children first, then build the numbers if appropriate when you've got the hang of it. Starting off with too many children is horrible!

Don't be afraid to pause the activity halfway through the morning to wipe up or restock. or go have a wee

Remember it's the doing that counts, not gallery quality artworks.

Good luck and have fun!

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Falconi · 25/04/2014 22:00

I am going with the cake activity. Will do very simple.

Print a big picture of a big cake and make photocopies.
The children can stick shiny, patterned, colourful paper pieces, sequins, glitter etc, to make a colourful cake, hopefully with different distinguishable layers.

I will try and change the routine, see if I can read the book first, so they can have a better idea. I want to use maths concepts, I always do it when reading that book with young children, how many layers are put in the cake, and how the cake is divided / shared by everyone in the book afterwards.

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Tanith · 04/05/2014 10:20

If you want a further mathematical aspect, I have added candles to some of our cake crafts. We've made and decorated cupcakes, done cardboard cutout birthday cakes to decorate with sequins and stick on paper candles, and playdough cakes with cupcake cases and candles.

Nothing wrong with an occasional treat - you could always make it a banana or carrot cake if you're worried. My little lot love making banana cake :)

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anniebella · 04/05/2014 16:07

You could add some songs/poems too ..

The bakery shop song, or pattacake pattacake

Or the Earth goes round the Sun song, to shoq every time the Earth goes round the sun another yr hss psssed, so you add another candle to the birthday cake and youre another yr older etc

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BKay · 12/05/2014 15:56

I bought a Telltale Box off of eBay last week. It is FAB! I got Dear Zoo and my two boys love it. It is a copy of the book and the animals that go with it. You could do lots of language work and art and craft activities about all the different animals in the book. They seem to do other books too. Might be a worth a look! Good luck!

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Superfurryanimal77 · 13/07/2014 16:12

what about shark in the park followed by a colouring sheet activity or make a telescope or shark fin head band? worked for me :)

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