Arts and Crafts for Pet Week
A PreK Pet Theme has so many possibilities when it comes to arts and crafts. Our main two projects are mostly process art projects that we complete on a familiar pet shape.
For cats, we dip yarn in paint and drag the yarn around the paper. I choose paint the colors that are most often found in cats for this project. Some students are intent upon covering the entire cat. They end up using the clothes pin to help them get rid of the white paper. We add eyes after it dries. Some years I have the students add a nose and mouth with a black sharpie, but my students really enjoyed the black paint this year so I did not feel that it would show up well.
The cat template is an applique pattern found here. Other supplies used can be found locally, or through these Amazon affiliate links.
Another process art project involves a rainbow of paint colors with chunks of celery to use to get the paint on the paper. For this project I show the students how to press down and lift up to get the shape on the fish. Otherwise most students will scrub the paper with the celery. If that is where the student is developmentally, then I usually just let them continue.
The fish template I used can be found here.
PreK Pet Theme Math
I have noticed that my students do not all know how many fingers they are holding up or how to hold up the amount of fingers I ask them to hold up during circle time. This count and clip activity will help them to practice counting items and fingers. It is one of three sets of Pet Themed Count and Clip cards in my Pet Bundle. I also used the roll and graph activity in my math center this week.
Letter P Stamping
When introducing my letter stamp box I usually put out an activity that only requires one letter so that students can be successful fairly quickly. Our letter focus this week was letter P. I show students how to sing the alphabet song and point to the letters to find letter P if they cannot see it. It will take a few more times practicing using the alphabet stamps for most of the students to figure out how to use the alphabet song to help them find the letters they need for stamping activities. I try to be deliberate about sharing how to do this with them.
The letter stamping page is found in my Alphabet Bundle.
PreK Pet Theme Measurement Center
Since my students this year love anything related to building, I knew this measurement center would be a hit. Students use the cubes to measure the pet and count how many cubes they used. We did not use the recording page this year, but will use that later in the year when we do similar activities. I allow students to free play with the blocks as long as they measure and count at least one pet each time they come to the center.
Question of the Day
So far this year my students are not just answering the question of the day with whatever their friend said. At some point they will reach that point or have the idea that they want their answer to be the winning one. All of my questions are found in my Question of the Day Bundle.
Easel Ideas for PreK Pet Theme
This week’s easel activities are magnets and sticky pattern blocks. My students enjoyed the sticky pattern blocks the week before so I put out new pattern block pictures that went with our pet theme this week. The magnets are sorting pictures that can be organized by type or size. I cannot find this set on my computer or in my pinterest. If you recognize it, please let me know so I can give credit.
Sensory Bin Idea for Creation Lesson
Our Bible lesson for the week is Creation, so the sensory bin has items to remind the students of each day of Creation. We add two days worth of Creation ideas each day of the first three days of the week. For day one, there are black and white beans. For day two, blue streamers, cotton balls, and blue glittery mesh. I add green hills and plants for day three and stars for day four. Day five adds fish and birds and day six adds animals and people.
Pets in the Block Area
The block area added my pet tube for students to create pet homes.
More PreK Pet Theme Ideas and Printables
For more Pet ideas as well as a lesson plan for this theme, please see last year’s pet theme post.
If you are doing distance learning, I also have Pet Themed Boom Cards.
For more freebies, please see my Freebies for PreK Teachers page.
