Grow, Grow, Grow

Activity Stations

Note:  These are merely guidelines for the activity stations.  Make sure conversation with children is natural when you talk about the things suggested above.  If children want to do something different to the suggested ideas given, go with the flow.  Allow them to experiment and play.

These two activities are to be on alternate days during the week. 

Sandbox

• Small garden tools
• Small watering can(s)
• Leaves
• Pumpkin seeds
• Small branches
• Plastic flowers

Allow children to dig, plant and water the garden.  Talk with them about how plants start as seeds and grow into plants that give us flowers, fruit and vegetables.  Let them know that God is the one who makes the seeds to grow into special things for us.

Play Dough

• Play dough
• Rolling pins
• Ginger bread men/lady cutters
• Other cutting shapes
• Pipe cleaners

Suggested Activities

1.      Make different play dough people and put in order from smallest to biggest.  Add features to the play dough people.  Tell the children that God made them and they are special to Him.

2.      Make different bugs, butterflies, worms, snails using play dough and pipe cleaners.  Remind children that God made each of these garden creatures.

3.      Cut out flowers and make a play dough ‘garden’.

4.      Make balls, snakes etc. of different sizes and compare. 

Measuring Station

Equipment

• Building blocks
• Toys
• Tape measures
• Digital Scales

Suggested Activities

Focus on one of the following during the mornings activities.

1.      Build a tower with the blocks.  See how high it can be made.  Measure with the tape measure (if possible!).

2.      Make a ‘train’ with the blocks and measure how long it is.

3.      Place the wooden blocks gradually on the scales and watch the numbers change.

4.      Measure and/or weigh different toys and compare.

5.      Measure and weigh each child.  This will need to be done on a daily basis so that by the end of the week each child has been measured.  Record the measurements on page 7 of the activity book.

Dress-up Station

Equipment

• Digital Camera
• Costumes –
  • Frog Hat - we used this idea from Making Friends
  • Bee and Ladybug - from MSSS Crafts
  • Butterfly - use costume wings (fairy wings make great butterfly wings too!)

Activities

1.      Allow each child to dress in costume of choice and pretend to be the animal. 

2.      Help them make the noises, fly, hop, buzz etc. 

3.      Play hide and seek in the garden with them – come looking for them.

4.      Take a photo of child in costume of choice for page 8 of the activity book.  It is important that this happens for each child.