Summer Preschool – Ocean Week

For this summer week we will be focusing on the ocean and water in our preschool program, so come along and swim with us.

Every week of our summer preschool we are having a game day. Game days are not just for fun, though children do enjoy them immensely. They are also for developing gross motor skills, fine motor skills and executive functioning skills. Playing simple movement games allows children to practice their listening skills, following multi-step instructions, waiting for their turn and taking turns in an engaging manner. All of these skills are important to learn before kindergarten or any structured learning environment. 

We use the resource Preschool Play: Seasons of Wonder Coursebook | Oak Meadow for our summer preschool.

First Circle Time

Read the book Down by the Bay https://a.co/d/0i0ZgZ2T 

If you don’t know this song already, go to: https://youtu.be/DWKVKfk6e40?si=twJv6rA1Yy4WtoQV

I encourage you to sing the song to your child as you go through the book and laugh at the silly animals. You can pause to ask your child, “Wait, do llamas wear pajamas?” or “I’ve never seen a whale with a polka dot tail!” Questions like these encourage your child to think about the book and compare the book to real life.

Next, we will move to our Preschool Play:Seasons of Wonders by Oak Meadow.

1. Here is the Sea on page 226 is a fun verse to first show your child, then encourage them to try the motions with you. Repeat each verse as many times as your child wants.

2. Five Alive on page 226 is a counting verse. Here are the motions to go with it:
   • (count with your right fingers)
   • (place your hands together like a fish swimming)
   • (count with your left fingers)
   • (sweep your hands forward as if releasing a fish)
   • (raise your hands up in a questioning manner)
   • (shake your pointer finger)
   • (look at all your fingers spread out in front of you)
   • (look sadly at your right pinky finger)

3. The Sun on page 226 is a standing verse for your whole body.

4. A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea on page 227 is a fast-paced ending to circle time. 

Game Day

1. Cross the Sea as written on page 229 is appropriate for 4 years old and up if there are at least 3 players. Here is a simplified version for fewer people or younger children. Place a medium to large ball in the middle of the floor between two people about 10 feet apart. Tell your child this is a pearl. Prompt your child to say “Shark, shark, may we cross the sea!” then answer with “Yes, yes, but stay away from my pearl!” Start to move towards the pearl but allow your child to fall on the ball and claim the pearl for themselves the majority of the time. Go through as many sea animals as you can think of while playing this very simple game. I went through every sea creature I could think of and had to start over because my three-year-old wanted to keep playing.
2. Rolling in the grass on page 233 is such a fun activity. This is described as an outdoor activity on soft grass, but it can also be done inside. You can wrap your child up as a burrito with a blanket and then have them roll out, or even give them a push to get going to roll out of the blanket. You can roll across the floor, or better yet make a ramp off the couch with cushions. My child took a kids couch that unfolds into a bed and turned it upside down to roll down. 

Second Circle Time

1. For this second circle time, you can ask your child if they want to read the book again or just sing the song. See if they have a preference and see if they have a reason for it. If they are a younger 3, it is normal for children not to be able to articulate why they like one thing over another. Even 4-year-olds may give a silly or nonsense answer. You may find if your child is a kinesthetic learner, that they prefer the song by itself and moving everywhere while you sing or while singing with you. Children who are more emotional learners may enjoy the book and visuals better and logical learners may go either way.
2. Repeat the four verses from the first circle time. Repetition is wonderful for little brains.

Optional Activities:

1. Bubble Prints on page 232 is such a fun summer activity. Doing this outside might be a good option. Also remember, if your child can not reliably blow INTO a straw, it might be best to do it for them since sucking in paint and bubble solution will not be very fun. 
2. Decorative Clay Pots on page 230 is a wonderful activity for older fours. With tempera paint, permanent markers and a curved surface to decorate, this could be a bit too challenging for younger children. 
3. Nature Collage on page 233 is a fun activity to do with all ages. For younger children, putting glue in a small bowl and giving them a paint brush to use may work better if they are unable to squeeze a regular bottle of glue onto a page. You can even add a little paint to the glue to give it some color and make it more fun. Don’t be surprised if your younger 3-year-old picks only one plant to make a picture with and insists on using the full plant with roots.