With summer time approaching, nothing is more fun than a unit on Water. Toddlers and preschoolers love to learn, play and interact with water. It is a great unit that can be used in every center in the classroom.
Art
Art is probably the easiest center to bring water into the classroom. You can keep it simple by letting the kids create their own creations with watercolors. You can teach them what happens to water when it is frozen by letting the kids paint with popsicles. To make the colors stand out more add powdered kool-aid to the paper before they create with the popsicle. The kids love this activity because they can sneak licks and bites of their art tool. Another variation is to put powder kool-aid on paper and let the kids spray it with water from a bottle, squirt gun on condiment bottle.
You can also learn about the ocean and sea by creating ocean bottles or an underwater sea scene. Ocean bottles can be created by using water, a quarter teaspoon of oil and placing confetti or fish inside the bottle. Kids can also decorate the outside with foam stickers of sea creatures. The underwater sea scene can be done by taking a paper plate and allowing kids to glue or stick creatures on the plate. Then wrap the plate in blue cellophane.
Sensory Table
The sensory table is every preschooler and toddlers delight. Adding water makes it a highlight of every kid's day. Here are a few suggestions to make water fun in the sensory table. Build an underwater world. Tape some legos to the bottom of the table and fill with water. Then place the bucket of legos beside the table. Other easy water ideas is to place boats in the water, scoops, ducks, fish, etc.
Snack Time
Snack is so much fun anyway for kids, but why not make it really come to live. Buy blue jello cups (I cheat and by the premade in the store) and fruitsnacks in the shapes of fish. They have some Neemo Name brand fruit snacks that are fun. Place one or two fish in the jello cup. It looks like they are swimming in the water. Another fun drink idea is to get blue kool-aid as well. Also, watermelon is a fun summer snack. If the weather is nice, go outside and have a picnic. Bring some pails of water and paintbrushes. Allow the kids to "paint" the wall with the water. It will turn it darker and the kids will love the activity. You can also bring sidewalk chalk and allow the kids to dip it in water and write. It makes the chalk brighter.
Block Center
Make a pond out of blocks and blue butcher paper. Allow the kids to fish using dalrods and magnets. Place die cut fish with magnets on them in the pond. You can also do a unit on keeping the ponds clean by placing trash in the pond and allowing the kids to clean out the pond.
Homeliving
Washing babies will be a delight to those with siblings and the others as well. Get two small tubs and fill with water. Allow the kids to dip the babies and use a washcloth to clean them. Be sure and have dry towels as well to allow them to dry the babies and dress them back up. You can also teach them to sort laundry or clothes into darks and whites. It is a good sorting skill that they will love pretending to be mommies and daddies while doing.
Music Time
There are some classic songs that have to do with water. Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Itsy Bitsy Spider both mention water in some capacity. Another cute finger play I picked up years ago is as follows. Five little fishes (hold up five fingers) swimming in the sea (one hand to be fish swimming side to side) teasing Mr. shark (hands by head, thumbs in ears, wiggle back and forth) "can't catch me" (shake index finger) along came Mr. shark (two hands together prayer style swimming back and forth) quiet as can be, (hold index finger to lips) snap, snap, snap (clap hands together like a shark's mouth now there's four little fishes swimming in the sea (hold up four fingers) count down one fish at a time and then at the end of one little fishie swimming in the sea, instead of no more fishes you sing... "now Mr. shark said I'm full" (rubbing tummy)
Reading Center
Bring in a little wading pool and allow kids to sit in the pool and read. Some great books include any of the Rainbow Fish Series, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss. Your librarian can help you with some more. There are a ton with today's popular characters going swimming or investigating oceans and ponds.
As always, feel free to leave other ideas in the comment section. Enjoy this unit with your children and try to stay dry. You might want to bring extra clothes that week or finish the week off with a water day activities outside complete with waterguns, balloons, sprinklers and slip and slides.
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