Can you guess Cat’s favorite color?  This is a nice book to help children review different basic colors.

Materials

•                  White coffee filters or white absorbent paper towels
•                  Eye droppers
•                  Food coloring.
•                  M&M’s-optional

Vocabulary

•                   Swoop (to make a sweeping descent)

Before Reading the Story;

 Make a simple bar graph and add colors to the bottom.  Ask the children to name which is their favorite color.  Count out the names above each color and write the amount on top.  Can the children see which color had the most votes?  Can they name the number that is written above the names?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Reading the Story

                  As you read the story, ask the children if they can think of something else that is the color mentioned. (And green is like my shirt!)

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to oneor two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

After Reading the Story

Play Hiding Cat.  Cut out 4-7 squares of different colored paper, big enough to cover the cat.  One child hides their eyes and another puts the cat under a colored square.  The child who had their eyes hidden then tries to guess what color the cat is under.  Give the children 3 tries to guess and then let someone else hide their eyes and try.  Play until everyone has a turn.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others  and begins to accept the consequences of their actions.  AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in  games or using materials; and t interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Discovery

Add food coloring to water in ice cube trays. Show the children how to suction up the water with an eye dropper or small syringe.  The children can then drop the water onto a white coffee filter and watch as the colors mix together.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.  AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Music and Movement

Sing The Rainbow Songhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRTdq0VsLGQ

Red and yellow and pink and green,

Purple and orange and blue.

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too.

Creative Arts/ Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Blocks

  Add colored blocks to the center today.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Art

In the illustrations the artist used finger painting.  Put out finger paint today.  Encourage the children to practice writing their name in finger paint and making shapes.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.  AND Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbling, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.

 Sand and Water

 Add food coloring to the water today to change the color.  Give the children a choice of equipment to use in the table today.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept;  develops growing capacity for independence in a range of activities, routines, and tasks.

Library and Writing

 Ask the child to name their favorite color and tell you why.  Write their response and ask them to illustrate.  Name a color and encourage the children to think of objects that are not present in the classroom but more in tune to the book. Write down their responses, these could be turned into a class book.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.  AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Math and Manipulatives

Any classroom objects that you have that the children can use to sort by color.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching , sorting, putting in series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, and size.

Bring in M&M’s, jelly beans, or other food item that comes in a variety of colors.  These can be used to sort and add & subtract with. (Sort your candies by color, which has the most?  Eat all the blue ones, how many are left?  Take 2 and add 3 more, how many?  Now eat one, how many?)

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increased abilities to combine, separate, and name “how many” concrete objects,

Outdoor Play

Have the children help you do a color search. They can look around the playground for items that are yellow (a shovel, a dandelion, Kerry’s shoes, the hula hoop.  Then look for green items, red, blue etc.)p

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching , sorting, putting in series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, and size. 

Transitions

Dismiss the children by colors to go to the next activity.  (If you are wearing red, you may go line up).

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.