Toddler Activities 8 (Ireland)

March 4th, 2010 by Dionna | 1 Comment
Posted in Carnival and Special Series, Children, Eclectic Learning, Learning Activity Series, Preschoolers, Toddlers

There are a few reasons I am excited to talk about Ireland with Kieran this week. First, St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17, so we’ll be ready to celebrate. Second, we have Irish in our blood, mainly through my dad’s family. Finally, we are planning on a trip to Ireland this summer!

Monday

Morning
*Take a walk outside and talk about all the green things we can see. Bring a few green things back home to examine more closely.

Afternoon
Pretend play
*Pack a Suitcase: Announce you are going on a trip to Ireland. Get a suitcase and have your toddler help you pack. Ask your toddler to bring you certain things: “bring me the yellow ball please”; “can you bring me something soft?”; etc. If your toddler is hesitant, get a puppet out and have the puppet do the asking. The silliness will likely entice your toddler to play. (Idea found in the book Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos.)

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Tuesday

Morning
Fun with numbers
*Shamrock lineup: draw and cut out several shamrocks in various sizes. Encourage your child to line them up from smallest to largest, largest to smallest, etc.

Afternoon
Language/pre-reading
*Color Matching: I will draw a rainbow on paper (with a pot of gold at the end!) and cut out construction paper to match. I will have Kieran match the construction paper to the colors on the paper. We can glue them on after he is done with the matching game.

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Wednesday

Morning
*Make Irish brown bread

Afternoon
Exploring our World
*We will look at a map of Ireland and look up pictures of Ireland online. We will talk about simple facts: Ireland is an island; many farmers used to grow potatoes; many farmers now have flocks of sheep, the wool is used for clothing. I will also try to tell him a simple version of the story about St. Patrick (if anyone has a good children’s version of the story, please let me know!).

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Thursday

Morning
Science Adventures
*Celery Magic: Help your child stir some food coloring into a glass of water. Slice a piece of celery across the bottom, and allow your child time to examine the stalk. Let the celery stand in the tinted water for about one hour. The celery stalk will change color as the water travels upward. Take the celery out of the water, slice it, and examine the stalk again. Try the same experiment with a carrot or a white carnation. (Idea found in the book The Sourcebook: Activities for Infants and Young Children.)

Afternoon
Library

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Friday

Morning

*Slowly and Quickly Chant: Singing familiar songs and doing actions slowly and quickly helps toddlers gain an understanding of tempo in music. Sing familiar songs or nursery rhymes at a very slow tempo; normal; fast.

 Say the following movement chant and do the actions as the words indicate. Emphasize the words slowly and quickly.

Clap, clap, clap your hands, slowly just like this.
Clap, clap, clap your hands, quickly just like this.

Additional verses:
Roll, roll, roll your hands….
Stamp, stamp, stamp your feet…
Rub your hands…
Pound your hands….
Nod your head…
Blink your eyes….
Shake your hands…
Wiggle your body…
Shrug your shoulders…

(Idea from the book The Complete Planning Guide for a Toddler Curriculum.)

Afternoon
Messy Play
*We will make a mural using potato stamps.

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

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