What if you found a sheet of paper and turned it into wonderful food and a whole table full of good things? This book will inspire children to get creative.

Materials

• Lots of paper in plenty of colors and textures.
• Placemat pattern

Vocabulary

• Creative (to think of something and then make it)

Before Reading the Story;

Hold up the cover of the book and read the title. Ask the children if they can guess what the story might be about. Ask them to name the shape. Can they tell if the shape has been cut by scissors or ripped? How can you tell? (The edges are not straight).

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to recognize, describe, compare, and name common shapes, their parts and attributes.

Reading the Story

Bring a cut red circle to the story and follow the author as she makes an apple with a bite. Point out all the shapes and ideas as the story progresses. When the book asks “What would you do with a piece of red paper”, let the children share their ideas.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to recognize, describe, compare, and name common shapes, their parts and attributes.  AND Creative Arts/Art; begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences.

After Reading the Story

Play Jumping Bean! Cut a manila file into 1 inch strips. At the bottom of each strip draw a shape. On some of the strips draw a little lima bean shaped man. (for 20 children I would make 15 shape strips and 5 jumping bean strips). Put all the strips into a cleaned out can. The children take turns picking a strip. If they get a shape they must name it. If they get a bean man they shout “Jumping Beans!” and everyone jumps up and down. Continue until everyone gets a turn or two.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to recognize, describe, compare, and name common shapes, their parts and attributes.  AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games or using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Discovery;

Go on a shape walk and look for shapes in the world. What shape do you see on the chain link fence? What shape do you see in the sidewalk, on the car, or near the door?

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.

Music and Movement

Play Musical Chairs. Make two sets of shapes in a variety of colors. (2 red circles, 2 blue circles, 2 red triangles, etc). Bring enough chairs to the area, as there are children who are playing the game. Tape one color shape set to the back of the chairs, one per chair. Give the children the matching color shapes, one per child. Turn on the music and the children walk around the chairs. When the music stops, everyone must find the chair that has the correct shape and color on it and sit down. Have the children name the colors and shapes as you go around collecting them. Mix them up and play again. Do not take any chairs or children away. The concept is to find the shape and color that match the one you are holding.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to be able to determine whether or not two shapes are the same size and shape.  

Blocks

Encourage the children to make shapes with the blocks.  How many blocks will it take to make a square?  Can you find blocks to make a triangle?  Can you find blocks to make a letter in your name?

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.

Art

Give the children lots of paper to cut and rip into a variety of shapes.  Challenge them to collage them together to make an art picture.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.  AND 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.

Library and Writing

Put out pieces of colored paper with the color written across it. (green paper with the word green written across it). Encourage the children to find the same color marker and practice writing the color name on their own piece of white paper.

Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, 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

Put small magnet shapes in the sand, if you do not have small shapes, cut them out of cardboard.  Add sand to cover the shapes and give the children tongs, pinchers, tweezers to pick up the shapes and drop into a basket as they name.

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.

Dramatic Play

Encourage the children to set the table putting the knives, spoons, and forks, in their proper places. Make placemats that the children can follow.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Make weaving looms from paper for the children to use. Cut out strips of 1 inch wide paper in a variety of colors. Show the children how to take the strips and go under over, then over under.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks and activities.  AND Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; builds an increasing understanding of directionality, order, and positions of objects, and words such as up, down, over, under, top, bottom, inside, outside, in front, and behind.

Outdoor Play

Encourage the children to use sticks to draw shapes in the dirt or dampened sand.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.  AND Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers.

Transitions

Hold up a piece of paper and ask the children to name the color name and if they can think of an object that is the color.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Dear Parent- today we talked about shapes.  Cut out a circle, a square, or a triangle from a  piece of paper.  Hand it to your child and encourage them to look about your home to find 3-5 items that have that shape as part of their structure.  Try playing this shape game using several shapes.

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