BUSES

BIG-BUS RIDERS
Draw a large bus shape with blank squares for windows on a piece of butcher paper. Let your children paint the bus any way they wish, and then cut out the shape. On squares of paper that are the same size as the bus windows, have the children draw self portraits. Attach the portraits to the bus so that they appear to be looking out of the widows. Then display the finished bus on a wall or a bulletin board.
 

WHEELS ON THE BUS On a piece of construction paper for each of your children, draw a simple picture of a bus without any wheels. Invite the children to press the ends of thread spools onto black ink pads or paint pads and stamp them on their bus pictures to make wheel prints. When the paint has dried, let them add other details with crayons or markers, if they wish.

 
LEARNING BUS
Create a bus by lining up chairs. Make seat markers and matching tickets out of paper, using one of the ideas below. Attach the seat markers to the backs of the chairs and give the tickets to your children. Let them find their places on the bus by matching their tickets to the seat markers.

	Color Bus: Cut seat markers out of different colors of paper and tickets out of matching colors.
	Number Bus: Label the seat markers with different numerals and the tickets with matching numerals or sets of dots.
	Shape Bus: Draw different geometric shapes on the seat markers and matching shapes on the tickets.

  

BUS ROUTES Make three "bus routes" by attaching pieces of red, yellow, and blue tape to the floor. Select three toy buses. Mark one with red tape, one with yellow tape, and one with blue tape. Then invite your children to drive the buses along their matching colored routes.

BUS RIDES Ask your children to tell about bus rides they have taken. Talk about different kinds of buses: city buses, school buses, long-distance buses, and so on. Form a bus with lined-up chairs. Let the children take turns being the driver while the others act as passengers. Encourage them to tell what they see as they "ride" through town. Take your children on a real bus ride.

DOWN AT THE BUS STOP Tune: "Down at the Station" Down at the bus stop Early in the morning, See the little children Lined up in a row. See the yellow school bus Pick up all the children. Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, Off they go! Liz Ryerson

WE'RE RIDING ON THE BUS Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It" Oh, we're riding on the bus, on the bus. Oh, we're riding on the bus, on the bus. Oh, we're riding on the bus, Come and ride along with us. Oh, we're riding on the bus, on the bus. Elizabeth Scofield Repeat, each time substituting a word such as "singing" or "clapping" for "riding."

BUS PLACE MATS For each of your children, make a rubber-stamp print of a bus on a piece of construction paper. Invite the children to draw pictures on their papers incorporating the bus print. If you wish, cover the papers with clear Contact paper. Then let the children use their pictures for snacktime place mats.