Resources for our 3-Year-Old Students
Little Bunny Activities and Resources:
We love Eric Carle books because we are drawn in by the bold, bright colors and the child-like drawings. There is a pattern to the books that children can follow. There are also life lessons to be learned, as Eric Carle relates to what happens in nature.
Fun Fact: Bill Martin, Jr. wrote and Eric Carle illustrated the following books:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Books
|
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
|
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Grouchy Ladybug
|
Math
There are many opportunities for counting.
How many different animals did the Chameleon wish he could be?
How many days did the Hungry Caterpillar eat before he built his cocoon?
How many insects and animals did the Grouchy Ladybug try to fight?
How many animals did Brown Bear see
How many different animals did the Chameleon wish he could be?
How many days did the Hungry Caterpillar eat before he built his cocoon?
How many insects and animals did the Grouchy Ladybug try to fight?
How many animals did Brown Bear see
Science
Make a butterfly life cycle
Here are some suggestions: -Use a paper plate. Use four pipe cleaners leaving them separated. The spaces are for the eggs (cotton balls, beads), the caterpillar (pipe cleaner strung with beads), the cocoon (brown string), and the butterfly (tissue paper and pipe cleaner). Or use things you find in nature to make the life cycle; leaves, rocks, grass. |
Nature Walk Collection
Go on a nature walk and collect different things in a bag. Glue them on paper to make a mixed-up collage. Can you hide a chameleon in there as a chameleon can change his color to match his surroundings (camouflage)? Nature Walk Counting
On a nature walk, (maybe take a clipboard with paper) how many animals do you see? How many different types of birds? Do you see ladybugs? What other insects do you see? Color a list. |
Crafts
|
Make your own Brown Bear Book.
Grown-ups: fold writing paper and staple to look like a book. Children: draw different animals you might see or color each page differently or maybe different foods you like to eat. What do YOU see? Make a mixed-up painting. Paint different colors on a page. Use different utensils (plastic fork, spoon or cup) to create texture as well as mixing up the colors. Paint a pattern. Use corks or cotton balls or whatever you have on hand, and dip them in different color paint. Can you make a pattern? Make a ladybug. Use a paper plate and color or paint it red (or any color you choose). Add black dots. How many dots do you want your ladybug to have; count them. You may add legs and antenna with pipe cleaners. |
Egg crate caterpillar.
If you have a cardboard egg crate, cut in half the long way. Placing the egg crate upside down, paint the first cup red for the head, maybe adding eyes and antennae. Paint the rest green. (Remember, you can show your child a picture and let them make their own color choices). Caterpillar necklace. String red and green beads with yarn. Another option, color tube pasta by placing the pasta in a plastic baggie. Put in 3-4 drops of food coloring. Take them out and place on a lined cookie sheet to dry completely. Then string. Caterpillar in a cocoon. String a pipe cleaner with beads to look like a caterpillar. Wrap your caterpillar in tissue. Color a bath issue tube or paper towel tube to look like a cocoon. Slide your caterpillar inside the tube. |
Snacks
|
Graham Cracker Bear.
Coat the cracker with peanut butter, frosting, whatever you like to help the eyes and nose stick to the cracker. Use raisins or chocolate chips for the eyes and a marshmallow for the nose. |
Mixed-Up Chameleon trail mix.
Fill small bowls or cups with a small variety of your child’s favorite snacks (pretzels, goldfish, raisins, dried fruit, Cheerios). Let them add it to a different bowl, cup or baggie to create their very own trail mix. |
Caterpillar fruit kabob.
Cut green grapes and a strawberry in half. Line the grapes up as the body and the strawberry for the head. You can also use cucumbers and tomatoes or green apples and strawberry. |
Dancing Dino Activities and Resources:
Explore... The Ocean!
Fun Facts: Around 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans. The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean. You can find mountains and volcanoes on the bottom of the oceans. The biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale.
Explore... The Ocean!
Fun Facts: Around 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans. The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean. You can find mountains and volcanoes on the bottom of the oceans. The biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale.
Ocean Art...
Paper Bag Jellyfish
A paper bag Paint Googly eyes Glue Scissors Paint the paper bag - you can mix colors and make a new color! Let the paint dry and glue on googly eyes. Then draw vertical lines on the bag and cut along the lines. You made a jellyfish! |
Foil Fish Craft
Cardstock paper Tinfoil Markers, oil pastels or acrylic paints. Glue Draw a fish shape on a piece of paper and cut it out. Wrap your fish in foil. Add your design to the foil. You can use acrylic paint, oil pastel crayons or permanent markers. What design will you make? Swirls, stripes, scales – anything goes! If you want to hang your fish as a mobile, apply a design to both sides. |
Handprint Crab Craft
Red cardstock (or white paper and red paint) White cardstock Large googly eyes (or you can draw eyes) Black marker Scissors Pencil Glue stick |
Trace your hand on the red cardstock two times. Cut out each handprint.
Cut out two 2″ circles and a small triangle shape from the circle to create the crab claws. Begin to assemble the crab by positioning the two handprints with thumbs pointed up and fingers pointed outward. Slightly overlap the palms and glue in place. Using the white card stock, draw a crescent shape for the crab’s smile and cut it out. Use the black marker to draw a smile line. Glue the crab’s smile in the center of the two handprints. Glue the crab claws onto the pointer finger of each hand. Glue the googly eyes onto both of the thumbs. |
Newspaper Shark Craft
Newspaper Light blue, dark blue, black and white paper Googly eyes (or you can draw eyes) Scissors Glue Cut out your shark face shape (any shape or size works) from your newspaper. Glue your shark face onto your light blue paper. Cut out ocean waves from your dark blue paper and glue them at the bottom of your light blue paper, overlapping your shark face. Cut out a shark mouth (a semi circle) and teeth (triangles) from your black and white cardstock paper. Glue them onto your shark face, together with your googly eyes. |
Celery Stamp Rainbow Fish
Paper 1 stick of celery Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple paint Googly eye Draw a picture of a fish. Cut up one stick of celery into 6 pieces. Put out rainbow colored paints and dip a stalk of celery into each color. Starting from the front of the fish, stamp the celery to make it look like fish scales! |
Sensory Ocean Activities....
Baking Soda Dough Recipe
2 cups baking soda 1 cup cornstarch 1 1/4 cup water Combine all the ingredients in a pot and heat on medium heat. Continue to constantly stir the ingredients until the mixture begins to thicken. This will take several minutes. When the mixture starts to come together and looks like mashed potatoes, scoop it out onto parchment paper to cool down. Cover it with a damp cloth. |
Baking Soda Sea Art
Baking soda dough (recipe to the left) Parchment paper Cookie cutters Fork or toothpick Newspaper or something to cover your table surface Once the dough is cool enough to handle, you can roll it out to approximately 1/4" thickness. Use cookie cutters, stamps or create a shape by hand. If you’d like, use a fork to make dots on a starfish. |
|
Wave Bottle
A great “calm down” or sensory activity. You can even put sea shells, glitter, or small items inside and watch them ride the waves! An empty water bottle White vinegar (or water), Blue food coloring, Oil (baby, canola, or vegetable oil) |
Fill bottle with 1/3 vinegar and add coloring. Then add oil. Oil sits up top and won’t mix! (Hot glue or tape the lid on to make sure you don't end up with a blue mess on your floor!) Shake and swirl - it’s really fun to watch! Looks like waves at the ocean! |
Ocean Science…
Jellyfish Salt Painting
Glue Cardstock Paintbrushes Liquid watercolors or food coloring mixed with water Salt Squeeze your glue design onto your cardstock. Sprinkle your design with salt unit it is covered. Shake off excess salt. Dip your paintbrush into the paint and gently touch the salt covered glue. (A dropper would work well, too). Magically watch the paint travel and mix colors. |
Salt Water Density Experiment
2 tall glasses large enough to hold an egg Warm water Salt Fill one glass with water about 2/3 of the way full. What will happen if you drop an egg in the water? Drop one in! In the other glass, fill water to the same height. Stir in 3 tablespoons of salt and mix well to dissolve. Drop an egg in - watch it float! The salt makes the water denser thus allowing objects to float that would otherwise sink in fresh water. |
Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue
A plastic mixing bowl Small plastic sea creatures Tap water Food coloring Salt |
In the mixing bowl, add water, sea creatures and food coloring.
Put in the freezer, take out when completely frozen and dislodge frozen ocean from the bowl. Try to rescue the animals by melting the frozen ocean. Experiment with water, salt, mini tongs, etc. on your frozen dome. Why does salt melt the water? Salt helps to lower the freezing point, and therefore the melting point, of water. |
Ocean Treats…
Under the Sea Graham Crackers Graham crackers and some graham cracker crumbs in a bowl Goldfish crackers Sprinkles Icing Blue food coloring Spread blue frosting on 3/4 on one graham cracker. Place the bottom of the frosted graham cracker into the bowl with the crumbs, covering just the bottom to look like sand. Add goldfish onto the icing. Decorate with sprinkles. Yummy! |
Octopus Cracker 2 Ritz crackers Peanut butter Raisins Pretzel sticks Spread peanut butter on a Ritz cracker and place a second cracker on top. Add 8 pretzel stick “tentacles” into the peanut butter. Add two small spoonfuls of peanut butter on the top cracker and secure raisin “eyes.” Enjoy! |
Ocean Treats…
|
Octopus Fun
Print the “Octopus Fine Motor Practice” game here. Roll the dice. Cover the number of spots on the octopus with buttons or coins that corresponds to the number you rolled. Who will cover their octopus first? |
Little Wing Activities and Resources:
Here are some ideas and activities to do over the summer focusing on the OCEAN!
Here are some ideas and activities to do over the summer focusing on the OCEAN!
Aquarium Sensory Bottles
Water Blue food coloring Small shells Make mini aquarium sensory bottles so kids can tap on the aquarium wall without getting in trouble as they shake up some ocean animals, make some waves, and learn about the creatures of the Empty bottle. |
Sand Play Dough Recipe
2.5 cups of flour 1 cup of sand 1 cup of warm water 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil Mix all of the ingredients together and knead until it comes together. If it is too sticky, add more flour and if it is too dry, add more oil. |
|
Sea Creature
Using play doh, create a sea creature... Get creative! Paper Ocean Scene
Cut up blue paper into small squares and glue to paper creating an ocean scene. Find pictures of fish or other sea creatures and paste to the ocean. Sand Writing
Write letters and numbers in sand using your fingers |
Paint Project
Use various shades of blue to paint. Use Q-tips, cotton balls, loofahs, or even their hands. Add some glitter for extra fun! Soothing Sounds
Play ocean sounds on your phone, tablet or YouTube. Relax and close your eyes. Think about what it feels like to be at the ocean. |
Kick-off your ocean theme activities with an awesome STEAM project! This cool ocean theme craft is very easy to make with just a few simple materials from the kitchen. Combine art with science with STEAM learning, and discover about absorption.
Color copy paper or markers and crayons
Glue
Scissors
Watercolors
Watercolor paper
Paintbrushes
Salt
-Coat the watercolor paper in water until it’s damp but not soaked. Watercolor paper is highly recommended for salt painting activities and will yield a nicer finished project!
TIP: Watercolor paper is made to handle all the extra water! Construction paper or copy paper is more likely to tear and rip off during the process.
-Select your paint colors. Different shades of blue with touches of green and yellow will make for a pretty ocean background. Using a paintbrush add the watercolors to the damp paper until you are happy with the results.
-While the paper is still wet, sprinkle pinches of salt across the surface and let the science begin!
TIP: Spread the salt so you don’t have little piles of salt left on the paper.
- Allow your ocean salt painting to dry completely and then glue on your sea creatures and bubbles. You can even make your own additions of seaweed or
fish!
Color copy paper or markers and crayons
Glue
Scissors
Watercolors
Watercolor paper
Paintbrushes
Salt
-Coat the watercolor paper in water until it’s damp but not soaked. Watercolor paper is highly recommended for salt painting activities and will yield a nicer finished project!
TIP: Watercolor paper is made to handle all the extra water! Construction paper or copy paper is more likely to tear and rip off during the process.
-Select your paint colors. Different shades of blue with touches of green and yellow will make for a pretty ocean background. Using a paintbrush add the watercolors to the damp paper until you are happy with the results.
-While the paper is still wet, sprinkle pinches of salt across the surface and let the science begin!
TIP: Spread the salt so you don’t have little piles of salt left on the paper.
- Allow your ocean salt painting to dry completely and then glue on your sea creatures and bubbles. You can even make your own additions of seaweed or
fish!
Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft
Paper plate Party streamers or tissue paper Craft glue Scissors Paint and paintbrush Googly eyes Marker |
-Cut your paper plate in half. You only need one side of your paper plate.
-Allow your child to paint the entire front of the paper plate any color they desire. You can be jellyfish specific or let them use their imagination. Allow paint to dry for just a bit. -While your paint is drying, go ahead and begin cutting the streamers in half long ways. You should have 8 pieces of long thin streamers. -Now that your paper plate paint is dried, flip it over to attach your streamers. Add one dot of craft glue on each streamer and glue. -Glue down googly eyes and with a black marker have your child draw a mouth if they wish. |
|
Sing the Five Little Starfish Song
Five little starfish by the lie down by the shore, The yellow starfish got lost and that left just four. Four little starfish float in the sea, The blue one swam too faraway and that left just three. Three little starfish in the ocean blu,e The red one went on a seahorse ride and that left just two. Two little starfish bathe in the sun, The orange one washed out to sea and that left just one. One little starfish swimming without a friend. It was time for him to go home and so our song had to end. |
Zoo Crew Activities and Resources:
Dive deep into exploring the OCEAN!
Dive deep into exploring the OCEAN!
|
1. Ocean slime: 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup liquid glue or white glue, 1/2 cup liquid starch, liquid watercolors or food coloring and glitter.
Start by pouring the water and liquid glue into a bowl. Mix until combined. Add your liquid watercolor or food coloring to the glue-water mixture and glitter, add liquid starch and stir, once it starts to thicken knead by hand & ENJOY. 2. Sea Creature Salt Art: White glue, Card Stock Paper, Paint Brush, Liquid Watercolors or Food Coloring mixed with water, salt. Pour the glue onto the paper making a jellyfish with dangling arms, starfish, fish or crab. pour the salt to cover all the glue and dust-off excess.. prepare several different colored cups of liquid paint, you’ll then dip your paintbrush into the paint cups and gently touch the salt covered glue lines and magically watch the paint travel and mix colors. 3. Crystal seashells: Borax Powder, water, measuring cups and measuring spoon, Mason Jars or Glass Containers, seashells. Boil water then add 3-4 tbls of borax powder per 1 cup of water. make a cup solution to get started if you are going to do several seashells. When you are mixing the solution, you will still see a tiny bit of the powder floating around and settling to the bottom. That means it’s saturated! Place your seashells in glass containers {glass prevents the solution from cooling down to quickly} Add the solution to the glass containers and watch what happens. 4. Oceans of the world: (in a book or online) try to find or count how many oceans they are in the world. What kind of water is in an ocean? Can you think of jobs people have that work in or around an ocean? What are the two oceans called on either side (coast) of America? 5. Guess who?: List 10 things that live under the sea then give two or three clues for each. See how many things you can think of and how many clues you get! For example, I am pink and called another word for little...who am I?, I have a hard- shell and pinching claws...who am I?, I have eight legs that wiggle...who am I?, I am round, clear like jelly and can sting...who am I?, I don't gallop but I live under the sea...who am I?... |
6. Swim the surf: well, really your bathtub but pretend by bringing in swim shoes, goggles/sunglasses, sunscreen, bathing suit, beach towel, beach hat, seashells, any ocean play animals, sand toys, shaving cream ( for waves) and SWIM!
7. Alphabet fishing and matching game: big plastic tub or bin, water, ping pong balls, small fishing nets with handles, black sharpie, empty egg cartons and blue liquid color. Write a letter of the alphabet on each ping pong ball ( or any other small item that floats) and in each space of the egg carton and place next to the water bin. dump the ping pong balls into the blue colored water bin. go fishing with your net for a letter, identify it and then place it in the matching letter in the marked egg cartons. 8. Beach in a box: shoebox ( attached or detached lid), blue and white paint, glitter, kinetic sand ( or regular), play shells, little people, mouthwash bottle caps or thimbles, small plastic containers. Paint the inside of the shoebox with blue paint, (if attached, paint lid and add clouds), sprinkle glitter. Once dry fill with sand to cover the bottom like a beach, add shells, play people, bottle caps (tiny buckets), containers and imagine away! 9. Bubble wrap jellyfish: white paper or cardboard, blue paint, bubble wrap, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue and glitter. Paint your paper with blue paint and sprinkle with glitter. when the glitter paper is dry glue on one or two semi-circle pieces of bubble wrap. glue on eyes and tape to the bottom of each as many pipe cleaners as you want. 10. Fish soaker game: filled water balloons, paper plates, black sharpie, tape, fish cut outs. Using a permanent marker, write the letters of your name on each paper plate and matching letters on the water balloons. On fence (or other hard surface) tape paper plates and fish cut outs (try to have at least one fish near each lettered plate). The object is to identify each letter on the water balloon and then throw it at the plate with the matching letter, WITHOUT "soaking the fish". |
Ocean edibles:
a. Sand snack: Place 3 vanilla wafers in a ziplock bag. Crush to make sand. Pour the sand in the bottom of a clear cup and scoop blue jello on top for the ocean, whipped cream for the waves and gummy fish.
b. Tuna fish snack: use a fish cookie cutter to cut two pieces of bread, spread tuna salad, pieces of lettuce, celery or pickles as seaweed and add goldfish crackers.
c. Fishing poles: pretzel rods, breadsticks or celery sticks, cream cheese, or peanut butter and goldfish crackers. Dip either the pretzel rod, bread stick or celery stick in the peanut butter or cream cheese, spread the goldfish crackers on a plate and try to fish for a cracker!
d. Shark punch: cranberry juice, white grape juice, 12 shark gummies. fill an ice cube tray with cranberry juice and put a shark gummy in each cube and freeze. Add these shark ice cubes to cups filled with white grape juice and enjoy!
a. Sand snack: Place 3 vanilla wafers in a ziplock bag. Crush to make sand. Pour the sand in the bottom of a clear cup and scoop blue jello on top for the ocean, whipped cream for the waves and gummy fish.
b. Tuna fish snack: use a fish cookie cutter to cut two pieces of bread, spread tuna salad, pieces of lettuce, celery or pickles as seaweed and add goldfish crackers.
c. Fishing poles: pretzel rods, breadsticks or celery sticks, cream cheese, or peanut butter and goldfish crackers. Dip either the pretzel rod, bread stick or celery stick in the peanut butter or cream cheese, spread the goldfish crackers on a plate and try to fish for a cracker!
d. Shark punch: cranberry juice, white grape juice, 12 shark gummies. fill an ice cube tray with cranberry juice and put a shark gummy in each cube and freeze. Add these shark ice cubes to cups filled with white grape juice and enjoy!
Aquariums and Zoos might still be closed, but you can still see the animals!
Visit The Aquarium of the Pacific, The National Aquarium, The San Diego Zoo, The Georgia Aquarium, and The Adventure Aquarium.
Visit The Aquarium of the Pacific, The National Aquarium, The San Diego Zoo, The Georgia Aquarium, and The Adventure Aquarium.
