“QUICK STARTS” FOR GRAY
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Paint gray clouds on blue paper. |
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Look for gray animals in animal books. |
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Sing about the “Old Gray Mare” |
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Look for pictures of gray Battleships. |
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GRAY ELEPHANTS (2)
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Cut out elephant shapes from white sturdy paper. |
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Give your child a small brush and some gray paint. |
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Encourage children to paint their elephant shape gray. |
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PUSSYWILLOW PICTURES
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Set out some light blue construction paper. |
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Using a black marking pen, draw pussywillow stems on each child’s paper. |
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Then set out pads of gray paint (small plate with paper towel folded on top and small amount of paint poured onto the towel) |
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Show children how to press their finger into the paint and then make an impression of their finger tip coming out from the stem. |
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Have children make four or five impressions (pussywillows) along each side of each stem.
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GRAY MICE
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Cut out small 2” gray ovals. |
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Set out some background paper, some glue and the gray ovals. |
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Have children choose 2-4 gray oval to glue onto a piece of paper. |
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Next, set out some small sections of gray yarn. |
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Have children glue a small gray tale on one end of each oval, (to make mice). |
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Let children finish off their mice by adding eyes to their mice. |
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MONEY RUBBINGS
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Many coins are gray in color. |
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Glue some quarters, nickels and dimes to a heavy piece of cardboard. |
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Give your children some paper and a gray crayon with the paper removed.Give your children some paper and a gray crayon with the paper removed. |
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Have children take turns, placing their papers over the cardboard and laying their crayons sideways, making rubbings of the coins.
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GRAY ANIMALS GAME
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Prepare your children for this game by reviewing animals that are gray. |
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Teach your children the following rhyme.
“I know an animal that is colored gray.
It moves around like this, all day!” |
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Let your children take turns reciting the poem and moving like a gray animal. |
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Other children try to guess what animal they are supposed to be. |
| Examples: Hopping bunnies; scurrying mice; elephants stomping around or horses galloping. |
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NICKELS AND DIMES
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Set out some nickels and dimes. |
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Have your children notice their color. |
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Then have your children count how many there are of each.
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SILVERWARE SORT
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Set out some stainless silverware, knives, spoons and forks. |
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Let your children take turns sorting the silverware into three piles of like pieces. |
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SPOON SIZE SORT
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Set out a number of silver spoons of varying sizes. |
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Let your children take turns placing the spoons in order of smallest to largest.
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GRAY ANIMAL STORIES
Read your children childhood favorites featuring gray animals.
Little Red Riding Hood – the gray fox and grandma’s hair.
Three Blind Mice – the mice
Too much Noise – the mice and the elephant |
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GRAY YARN LETTERS
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Write large letters on paper. |
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Let children choose a letter. |
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First have them cover the letter shape with glue. |
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Then have them cover the shape with gray yarn pieces. |
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FINGERPAINTING LETTERS
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Let children finger paint with gray paint. |
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Encourage them to finger paint letters in their paint.
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GRAY SCULPTURES
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Let children finger paint with gray paint. |
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Encourage them to finger paint letters in their paint. |
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GRAY SCIENCE IDEAS
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Study gray rain clouds. |
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Make gray paint. |
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Identify gray days when the sky is filled with gray clouds. |
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Go on a gray hunt, searching for gray items in the environment. |
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Study gray animals.
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GRAY SNACK IDEA
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Bake oval cookies for your children to decorate with gray frosting. Set out black licorice for whiskers and tails. |
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TWO LITTLE PAINT CANS
Two little paint cans, sitting on the floor.
They knocked over, when I opened the door.
As the paint mixed, I had a big surprise.
The paint turned to gray, right before my eyes!
Jean Warren
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WHEN I WANT TO MAKE GRAY PAINT
Tune: “Yankee Doodle”
When I want to make gray paint.
I take a paper cup.
Then I add some black and white paint
And stir the paint up.
Gray is now the paint I see,
In my little cup.
I think that I will paint today,
A lot of gray stuff!
Jean Warren
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THREE GRAY MICE
Tune: “Three Blind Mice”
Three gray mice,
Three gray mice,
Oh, how nice,
Oh, how nice.
They ran around the house at night.
They found the cheese and had a bite.
The farmer’s wife turned on the light.
As three gray mice
Ran out of sight!
Jean Warren
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