Three Little Pigs

 

• Read several different versions of The Three Little Pigs. At the end of the day read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

• Pig Houses
  1. Cut out 3 squares, 3 triangle roofs and 3 rectangle doors.
  2. Let the kids assemble and glue the blank houses onto a colored piece of paper.
  3. On the first, glue straw (hay, pine needles or even drinking straws cut in pieces) to cover the house.
  4. On the second, glue popsicle sticks or twigs broken into short pieces.
  5. On the third, glue red paper rectangles (bricks) to cover the house.
• Pig Dress Up
  1. Cut apart individual egg carton cups.
  2. Paint pink.
  3. Add two black nostrils to the front.
  4. Attach a length of elastic to your pig nose.
  5. Attach pink felt or paper ears to a headband.
  6. Act out the story!

• You can watch Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony: The Three Little Pigs on YouTube. Click here.

Snack Idea: Pigs in a Blanket

1. You will need refrigerated biscuit dough & hotdogs cut in half.
2. Put one hotdog in the middle of a biscuit.
3. Roll up so the hotdog is sticking out from the top and bottom.
4. Bake according to the can directions.

Pumpkins (also see Halloween)

• Handprint Pumpkins
  1. Make 2 green handprints using green tempera paint on green paper.
  2. When dry, cut out and glue to the top of an orange pumpkin cutout.
  3. Staple a green curling ribbon vine to the top.
  4. Have the kids write their names on their pumpkin.

    

• Pumpkin Seed Number Match
  1. Make 5 pumpkin cutouts from orange paper. You can use the pumpkins above, one of your own, or just cut out a round, orange circle and add a simple green stem on top.
  2. Label the left side with numbers 1-5.
  3. Have the kids help glue the corresponding number of pumpkin seeds to the right side of the pumpkin.
  4. Puzzle-cut each pumpkin down the middle.
  5. Mix up the pieces and let the kids count the seeds and match the pumpkins.

• Pumpkin Face Coloring Page
  1. Print the page above from Twisty Noodle. (I love Twisty Noodle pages because you can customize the text!)
  2. Trace the letters & color the picture.
  3. Use black paper to cut out shapes for eyes, a nose, a mouth. Let the kids cut them out – great practice!
  4. Glue the face onto your pumpkin!

• How a Pumpkin Grows Sequence Cards
  1. Click the link above for a great printable!
  2. Color the cards & cut them apart.
  3. Let the kids arrange them in order from seed to pumpkin to pumpkin pie!

snack idea: Pumpkin Pancakes

1. Use orange tinted pancake batter to make circle pancakes.
2. Put fruit cocktail in a bowl, let the kids make faces using the fruit.
3. Drizzle fruit-flavored syrup on top.
4. NOTE: The Mailbox, 2006-2007 Yearbook, Preschool, pg. 67 ... has cute picture recipe cards for the kids to "read" and follow the directions

Pie

• Read "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie" by Alison Jackson
• Before you read…
  1. Have the kids name foods they eat during Thanksgiving.
  2. Let them draw their favorite Thanksgiving food on a paper plate.
  3. Label the plate with the food's name.
  4. Arrange these on the table to resemble a feast.
  5. Tell the kids to see if the old lady in the book eats any of their foods.
• After you read…
  1. Decorate a small box to resemble the old lady (green hat, grey hair, big nose).
  2. Color & cut out clipart of the foods that she eats (see below).
     • NOTE: (The Mailbox, 2006-2007 Yearbook, Preschool, pg. 125 has great clipart ready to copy & color).
  3. Help the kids use the cards & illustrations from the book to retell the story in the right sequence.
  4. Ask the kids to "feed" your old lady the food cards as they are retold.
  5. End the story by holding the lady up in the air and parading around the room.

              

Pizza

   

• Great Pizza Books!
  1. My kids love Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelmen. It has a similar format to “This is the House that Jack Built” … I love the descriptive words they use.
  2. Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig. On a rainy day, Pete’s dad makes Pete into a pizza!

• Pizza Parlor Play
  1. Use foam craft paper to cut out pizza toppings (green peppers, black olives, red pepperoni, yellow shredded cheese, white mushrooms).
  2. Gather a pizza pan, plastic utensils, rolling pin, apron and plates.
  3. Make a simple menu by folding a piece of cardstock in half. Glue and label one of each of your foam pizza topping inside.
  4. Let the kids use a pad of paper and pencil to pretend taking orders from the menu, making, serving and eating the pizza!
  5. NOTE: for more fun, grab a couple of clean, empty pizza boxes (smaller sizes) from a local pizza parlor. Let the kids make their pizzas in the boxes, close them up and deliver to their customers!
• Work together to make a Pizza!
  1. Cut out a large round circle “pizza crust”
  2. Work together with your preschooler to build a yummy pizza.
  3. Paint it red for pizza sauce.
  4. Snip yellow or white yarn into pieces and add as cheese.
  5. Add ham (pink squares or triangles)
  6. Add pepperoni buttons.
  7. Add anything else you or your preschooler can come up with!
  8. Slice up at the end of the day and let everyone have a piece.
• Pizza Rhyme!
  1. Make a simple paper pizza (or use the one from above once it’s dry)
  2. Cut it into 6 pieces (or however many you like).
  3. Repeat the rhyme, removing one slice each time!

6 pieces of pizza tasty as can be,
(child's name) can eat a slice
and leave some for me.

5 pieces of pizza tasty as can be,
(child's name) can eat a slice
and leave some for me.

[continue counting down]

1 piece of pizza tasty as can be,
(child's name) can eat a slice
and leave none for me.

Yum, Yum, that was fun!
We love a pizza party!

• Pizza Parachute
  1. Use a parachute as a big pizza (or simply a brown sheet or blanket).
  2. Throw on meat balls (small balls), pepperoni (red paper plates) and cheese (white or yellow bean bags).
  3. Try to flip the pizza without throwing the toppings off!

snack idea: mini pizzas

1. Use small portions of pizza dough, English muffins or refrigerated biscuits for the crust.
2. Flatten lightly.
3. Add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings! Bake according to biscuit directions.

Patterns

• Make Pattern Strips … I saw these used in a kindergarten class when I was student teaching and I thought they were brilliant! Pattern strips can be used for so many things and the kids can visually see how a simple pattern alternates. I have several of these made in different colors.
  1. Cut 2 strips of white cardstock a little bigger than 2” by 10” (for the nice white border) and tape them together so they can still fold up (easier storage)
  2. Cut 10 squares 2” by 2” (5 of one color, 5 of another color)
  3. Glue the colored squares (alternating colors) on the white strips.
  4. Tape the two strips together and laminate!
• Make patterns with pretzels and peanut M&Ms for P week. You can use these any week (make patterns with buttons on B week, with shapes during S week)
• Help the kids repeat the pattern when they’ve finished … M&M, pretzel, M&M, pretzel.

Snack Idea: Pretzels and Peanut M&Ms!

Backyard Photo Scavenger Hunt

The boys were bored in the backyard, so I made a quick scavenger hunt list and handed my 6-year-old the camera. He and my 3-year-old took turns finding the things on the list and they ran around taking pictures. When they were done they showed me their pictures and we checked their list. They loved it and I love the pictures they took.

                                

You could do a photo scavenger hunt any time of the year. Inside the house on a cold, rainy day, outside at the park or on a walk!

Pillowcase (or Sewing)

I love doing preschool at home because we can do anything we want to. It’s not always sitting at the table with letters and numbers or papers and crayons. Making a pillowcase is S.I.M.P.L.E. and very forgiving of mistakes. Believe me, I don’t sew more than straight lines and these always turn out great

1. Go to the fabric store and let your preschooler pick out one yard of material. You’ll need matching thread if you don’t already have some. That’s it.
2. Wash & dry your fabric.
3. Lay the material out flat on the floor and use little scissors to cut all the scraggly threads off the edges.
4. With the right side down, fold the long edge down about one inch. I have one of those little slider sewing rulers, so I let my 3-year-old use that to measure as we pinned along the way.
5. Sew a straight stitch all along that long edge. Matt helped me push the pedal, raise and lower the foot, take out pins, and cut the threads when we were finished.
6. Lay the material flat on the floor, right side down, and fold the same long edge over another 3 or 4 inches. It’s really up to you. Use your ruler again and pin.
7. Sew a straight stitch along the long edge.
8. Now fold the pillowcase in half, right sides together and pin all the way around.
9. Sew a straight stitch all the way around, trim the threads and turn inside out. You have a nice new soft pillowcase!

PRESCHOOL TIPS:

• Go slow! Be patient. Yes, you could whip this out in 20 minutes, but let the kids help wherever they can. They love it.
• Pillowcases don’t have to be perfect. I love making these because they’re very forgiving and still look great.
• Careful with the pins. They do hurt little fingers