BEANBAG ACTIVITIES!

COLOR TOSS: Toss a beanbag into a box with a colored circle on the front.

MATH TOSS: Paint and number shapes on a large foam board. In each shape, cut a hole big enough for a small beanbag to fit through easily. Being sure not to cover the holes, glue or staple the board to a large cardboard box. Your child tosses a beanbag into two of the holes and either adds, subtracts or multiplies the numbers together. Younger children can just identify the numbers or shapes. They can toss a beanbag into the even or odd numbers only.

COMPLIMENT GAME

1. Ask children to sit or stand in one large circle
2. Start by throwing the beanbag to one child. At the same time give that child a compliment about something they have done well. It may be related to their behaviour or work.
3. The receiver then has to do the same. Everyone should have a turn. Variations: a boy must throw to a girl or a child with light-coloured hair must throw to a dark-haired person, or the beanbag must be thrown to someone who hasn't had a turn. The activity continues until everybody has had a turn or a time limit has been reached.

SHAPE TOSS

If playing on a hard floor or paved surface, make different shapes in a straight line on the floor using strips of masking tape (square, triangle, rectangle). If playing on carpet, cut the shapes out of construction paper and line them up on the floor. Have the child toss the BLUE beanbag into the TRIANGLE. Or have him toss the RED beanbag into the SQUARE. These games will help make associations between different colors and shapes.

BODY PARTS

Use the beanbags to help the child identify different body parts by asking your child to put the red beanbag on his or her head. Have him find various body parts and balance the beanbag on them (elbow, hand, and so on).

BEANBAG BALANCE GAME

1. With the beanbag on your head walk around the room. (walk on tip toes)
2. With the beanbag on your foot, lift your leg up and down.
3. With the beanbag on your nose turn all the way around.
4. With the beanbag on your shoulder lift your leg up behind you.
5. In a crab position place the beanbag on your tummy and walk around the room.
6. With the beanbag on your back walk on your hands and feet.

BOWLING WITH BEANBAGS

1. Put the numbers one through five on five empty bottles.
2. Set them up in a V formation.
3. Throw the beanbag to see which bottles you can knock over.
4. Younger kids can namethe numbers as they pick them up.
5. Older kids can add the numbers together.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU GAME

1. Place four hoops about five feet apart from each other.
2. When the student attempts to throw the beanbag in the first hoop have them share one thing they like about themselves.
3. In the next hoop, something they like about their partner behind them.
4. In the third hoop, something they like about their school.
5. In the fourth hoop something they like in their world.



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Have Fun with Puppets!

Use your puppet station to teach reading, creative writing, math, geography, art, science and even proper behavior and social skills. Incorporate great books and creative activities to keep learning fun!

1.Little Red Hen

a. BEHAVIOR- Share stories about helping others- what are situations where you could help someone-how does it make you feel?

b. SCIENCE- (Book Idea- “Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat” by George Levenson) What do you need to grow wheat- how does it turn into bread? Grind up some wheat into flour. Draw a chart of the sequence from the planting of the seed to the baking of the bread. Make bread.

2. Baby Hippo

a. GEOGRAPHY/SCIENCE-Where is Africa- what kind of habitat does a hippo live in? How long do they live? What do hippos eat? (Book Idea- “One Hippo Hops” by Jane Yolen and “Fun with African Stencils” by Sue Brooks)

b. ART- Make a class book of African animals with stencils.

c. CREATIVE WRITNG/STORYTELLING- The baby hippo is coming to your house for the weekend. What will you do with her/him- what games will you teach her -what will you feed her- how does she make you laugh?

3. Pizza Pie

a. SCIENCE- You open up a pizzeria for a specific animal, keeping in mind, their behavior and habitats. Draw the pizzeria and the menu. What would an emperor penguin want on its pizza and what would the restaurant be made of? (Book Idea-“Tacky the Penguin” by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger) Use this read along book with its CD at your listening center before you have puppet time.

b. MATH-With a large poster board circle (the pizza) cut it in half - 2 semicircles, cut those in half 9great introduction to fractions)

4. Aquarium

a. Science -Fish- How do they breath? Why are they covered with scales? (Book Idea- “What is it Like to be a Fish?” By Wendy Pfeffer and “My Visit to the Aquarium” by Aliki)

b. creative writing/drawing- if you were a fish what part of the ocean would you swim in- would there be a shipwreck- would you have a hide-away in seaweed or a coral reef- what other sea creatures would you see- starfish -jellyfish- what would you dream of at night? (illustrate)

5. Norman

a. CREATIVE WRITING/DRAWING- Norman is expanding his mind, learning new things, and working on his circus act. Do you have a pet that you can imagine having a different life? Perhaps a cat, which could purr so beautifully she becomes an opera singer. Invent an animal if you don't have one, like a dog that loves to cook or a fish that does ballet. How about an iguana that stars in a SCI-Fi movie? Describe this creature’s daily activity from dawn to dusk.

b. MATH shapes can be found all over the circus. (Book Idea-“Circus Shapes” by Stuart Murphy and Edward Miller)

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