| SPACE PICTURES (Art/Language)
Set out a variety of art materials and invite your children to create pictures of outer space. When they have finished, give each child a spaceship sticker to attach to his or her picture. Encourage the children to show and tell about their pictures with the group.
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STAR GAMES (Sizes/Colors/Numbers)
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Cut several different sizes of stars out of white or yellow posterboard. Let your children take turns arranging the stars from smallest to largest or from largest to smallest. |
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Cut stars out of red, yellow, and blue posterboard. Mix up the stars and place them in a box. Then have the children sort the stars by color into three piles. |
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Cut pairs of stars from white or yellow posterboard. On one star in each pair, write a numeral and on the other star, draw a corresponding number of dots. Mix up the stars and invite the children to find the match-ups.
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PLANET GAMES (Science/Numbers/Movement)
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Display pictures of the planets in their relationship to the sun. Name the nine planets and count them with your group. (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) |
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Hang a yellow paper sun from the ceiling. Make planets with balls of newspaper covered with aluminum foil. Hang the planets in their proper relationship to the sun. |
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Review the number nine by doing such things as these nine times: clapping, nodding, toe tapping, hopping, and drumming. |
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Choose one child to be the sun and stand in an open space. Then have other children pretend to be planets and walk around the sun in circles, or orbits, never bumping into one another. Continue as long as interest lasts. |
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ASTRONAUT FUN (Art/Dramatic Play/Movement)
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Display pictures of astronauts at work. Make an astronaut helmet for each child by cutting a hole in the side of a paper bag. Let the child decorate the bag as desired before putting it over his or her head and looking out through the hole. |
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Set out white overalls, long-sleeved white shirts, and white shoes, socks, and gloves for your children to use as space suits. |
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Ask the “astronauts” to crouch down near the floor. Together, shout: “10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-BLAST OFF!” Then have them raise their arms over their heads and jump up as if heading off into the sky. |
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For a non-gravity space walk, play music and invite the children to “float” around the room, using slow arm and leg movements. |
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I LOVE TO RIDE IN MY SPACESHIP (Music)
Tune: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”
I love to ride in my spaceship.
I love to sail through the stars.
I love to see all the planets,
Like Jupiter, Venus, and Mars.
Sailing, Sailing,
I love to sail through the stars, stars, stars,
Seeing planets
Like Jupiter, Venus, and Mars.
Liz Ryerson
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Additional Space Songs - can be found at the Music Station
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SPACE SNACKS (Food Preparation)
Make space sugar cookies using a star cookie cutter, a crescent moon cookie cutter, and several sizes of round cookie cutters (for planets). Invite your children to decorate the cookies with frosting and sprinkles.
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