CENTER ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILY AND PETS THEME

The activities below compliment the "FAMILY AND PETS" theme on the Kinderplans.com website.

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Family and Pets Theme

Literacy Centers
1. The reproducible emergent reader "The Perfect Pet" would be compiled, colored and the children would draw their perfect pet on the last page of the book. They could practice reading it together with a friend.

2. Sorting pictures that begin with the "i" sound (pictures found in the member's area under the heading "Alphabet Pictures).

3. Matching rhyming picture cards (found in the theme unit).

4. Practice printing the letter "i" using different methods (painting, salt tray,white eraser board, magnetic board, stamping it out with bingo markers or using the printing book found on the site).

5. Visual Discrimination - children could be matching the pet words with those on the picture cards (found in theme unit).

6. Word family activity - have two dice, the word families that have been previously introduced are printed on one and the initial consonants on the other. The children shake the dice and determine what word is made. This could be further extended to determine if it makes a real or nonsense word. A photograph of this activity can be found on the web site.

7. Practice sight words (new ones and previously introduced ones) using games and activities posted on the previous blog below.

These are just a few suggestions. You would not use all of them. Pick a few that would be suitable for your class. They can be placed in bins and the children can choose which one they would like to work with. I would have all the children complete the reader as one should go home every 3-5 days.

Writing Center
On the theme book page there are large and simple outlines of pets. These could be used to make shape books. The children could be drawing a picture of their favorite pet. They can use the sentence that was modeled in class time as a guide. Note: There will be a wide range of ability with completing this activity. Some children will be only scribbling, others making a few letters to a few able to print the complete full sentence

Math Center - Introduction to Money
Children could be sorting, estimating, counting and making money patterns.

Craft Center
1. The letter "i" picture mnemonic activity outlined on the website.

2. Activities displayed on the website,

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Family and Pets Theme

Science
Simple information books about pets could be placed in this center.

Dramatic Play Center
Pet Store - place a cash register and stuffed pet supplies in here. Each item could have small stickers or numbers placed on them. This is how many pennies it will take to purchase the item.

Listening Center
A copy of the book "I Wanna Iguana" (or another pet book) would be placed at this center along with the reading to listen to).

Library
Below you will find suggested books for the "Family and Pets" theme. You can click on the name of the book to find where the book can be ordered. Press back button to return back to this page.
1. I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff
2. The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini
3. Clifford the Big Red Dog series by Norman Bridwell
4. Oh, The Pets you Can Get: All About Our Animal Friends by Tish Rabe
5. The Best Pet of All by David Larochelle
6. Cats, Cats, Cats by Leslea Newman
7. Dogs, Dogs, Dogs by Leslea Newman
8. My Family Book by Todd Parr
9. The Mommy Book by Todd Parr
10. The Daddy Book by Todd Parr
11. My Family is Forever by Nancy Carlson

Other Centers
1. Painting (easels)
2. Blocks (big and small)
3. Sand or Water
4. Puzzles
5. Overhead transparency (a copy of the emergent reader could be placed here and the children would model read the story).
6. Playdough center
7. Read Around the Room - Pictures of pets with their names are posted and children point to them using a special pointing tool. They read the name posted on the picture. Other print in the classroom could also be read. (there are pictures found on the theme page)

Click on the link below to take a tour of of more Preschool and Kindergarten Activities
Preschool and Kindergarten Activities