Spring and Easter - Day 3

Bunnies - I love bunnies! They're soft and furry, and cute and cuddly. They make me think of Easter picnics and chocolate.

BRING YOUR FAVORITE STUFFED BUNNY TO SCHOOL TODAY!

Self Selected Activities (AM 9:00-9:45..PM 12:30-1:15)

*Cut and Color Table: COTTON TAILS - The children will be able to make cotton tails to wear around the class today (or the week - whatever they decide.) There will be small, round circles cut from white poster board. The teacher can show themhow to use their fingers to spread cotton balls out until they are soft and fluffy. They can glue them onto their circle. The teacher will help them attach their tales with a safety pin, now they can be cute bunnies!

*Messy Table: CLEAN MUD - We'll combine 2 rolls of toilet paper (torn into pieces); 1 1/2 bars of ivory soap, shaved; and 2 quarts or warm water. After the kids have helped get all the ingredients ready, we'll knead it by hand until soft and gooey. We'll add more water if necessary. This is fun to squish and smoosh and play - but it's clean instead of dirty!

*Creative Art Table: BUNNY EARS - We'll have 2 bunny eats for each child cugt from poster board. One headband for each child, sponges, paster color paint and pastel colored cotton balls. The children can use the sponges to cover the ears with color then spread colorful cotton out and glue it to the inside of the bunny ears (or where they want it to end up). This will be fun to add along with their bunny tails!

*Dramatic Play: BUNNY HOLES - The dramatic play area will be set up like a big giant bunny hole. When I was a little girl, I would pretend I was a bunny and make my bunny holes out of a rolled up blankets shaped into a circle....I would add pillows, blankets and books, and don't forget carrots! With the cute little bunnies hopping around all day, we can't leave out a place for them to live!! Snack (small groups come at different times to eat during Self-Selected Activities. Unless we are making our snack, then we will eat it during large group.)

*Snack: BUNNY HOPPERS - These bunny hoppers will jump right down the rabbit hole - your kids' mouths. But don't tell them what that crunchy nutritious ingredient is......CARROTS!! These yummy cookies we'll make during large group!! Take a look at how to make these yummy bunny treats on our recipe page!! Large Group (AM 9:50-10:15...PM 1:20-1:45)

* Large Group: We will start large group by singing songs from the song can, bringing all the students together and settling down. We'll make our snack "Bunny Hoppers", and we'll eat them while Miss Chelsea reads the book "The Golden Egg". We'll learn the Finger-play "This Little Bunny"....Take a look at the song page to learn this fun adaptation of This Little Piggy. We'll learn our letter Ss through songs, sign language, repetition, and writing it with guidance from Miss Chelsea. *Transition: THE BUNNY HOP - The teacher will put on some hoppy music and teach the children the bunny hop. We can also try different ways of hopping - high, low, fast, slow, round and round, wacky and weird, gracefully, etc. Outside Play (AM 10:15-10:25...PM 1:45-1:55) Small Group (AM 10:30-11:00...PM 2:00-2:30)

* Small Group: Read a book about Easter as we predict, listen and relax. Miss Chelsea will then tell the flannel board story of pastels - "Four Naughty Eggs". This story is a fun way to introduce the children to color tinting. A tint of a color is created when the color is mixed with white. The effect is usually a pastel. If we get done with this story, we will practice our bunny hops again and try a game of "Bunny Hop" - played like leap frog!!

Four Naughty Eggs

Props: Eight felt eggs in the following colors: red - pink - blue - pastel blue - green - pastel green - yellow - pastel yellow * one large, mama egg in rainbow colors * one empty, half gallon, ice cream container (vanilla) * four empty, pint sized, ice cream containers (cherry, lemon, lime, blueberry)

Put the mama egg and the four, bright, colored eggs on the flannel board adn tell the following story.

Mama egg told her four little babies, "I am going to the store to buy ice cream. I will buy cherry ice cream for my little Red; lemon ice cream for my little Yellow; lime ice cream for my little Green; and blueberry ice cream for my little Blue. Do not go into the freezer while I am gone." And Mama rolled off to the store.

Little Red was playing cards and began to get a little bit hungry. He remembered what his Mama had said but his tummy was beginning to rumble. Little Red went into the freezer and took one big bite of vanilla ice cream. (Dip the red egg in the large, ice cream carton and then cover the red egg with pastel pink and bring him out of the carton). When little Red saw what he had done, he quickly hid behind the couch.

Little Yellow was playing with her doll babies and began to get hungry. She too remembered what her mother had said, but her tummy was beginning to rumble. She went into the freezer and took one big bite of vanilla ice cream. (Put the yellow egg into the ice cream carton and cover the yellow egg with pastel yellow and bring it out of the carton). When little Yellow saw what she had done, she hid behind the couch with her brother.

**Repeat the same pattern with blue and green eggs**

Mama Egg came home from the store with four pints of yummy ice cream. One was blueberry, one was lemon, one was lime and the last one was cherry. (Hold the cartons up one by one as you say the flavors.)

Mama yelled, "Children! Where are you?" But the children did not come. Mama looked and looked for her babies but she could not find them. So she removed the lids from the four cartons of ice cream. First she removed the lid from the cherry ice cream. Then, she removed the lid from the lemon ice cream. Next, she removed the lid from the blueberry ice cream. And finally, Mama removed the lid from the lime ice cream. (Remove the lids as you name the flavors). One by one, the babies smelled the cool, creamy ice cream and came out from behind the couch.

Mama was very disappointed. "You have been in the freezer and now look at you naughty little eggs! Your bright, vibrant colors are gone," she said.

One by one, she gave the babies a bite of their own ice creams. She gave red a bit of cherry. (Remove the pink egg to turn him red again). She gave Yellow a bit of lemon. (Remove the pastel yellow egg). She gave Blue a bit of blueberry. (Remove the pastel blue egg.) And she gave Green a bite of lime. (Remove the pastel green egg.) Then Mama put her four naughty babies to bed without any supper.