Section 1: Patternsfor Lesson Plans

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning 5

AGES: 21/2–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To coordinate largeand small muscles

✄ To stimulate socialdevelopment

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using blocks, a pictureof a deciduous tree, andleaf cutouts, the childwill build a fall tree.

MATERIALS:BlocksLeaf patternConstruction paper in

fall colors (red,orange, yellow,brown)

ScissorsLaminator and

laminating film, orclear contact paper

Resealable plastic bagPicture of a deciduous

tree with leaves infall colors

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using a leaf pattern, trace and cut out many leaves of each color.

2. Laminate the leaves, or cover them with clear contact paper.

PROCEDURES:1. Show the children a deciduous tree (one that loses its leaves each

year) with leaves in fall colors.

2. Have the children place blocks on the floor to resemble a tree withbranches.

3. Have the children place leaves on the branches.

GROUP SIZE:2–4 children

Blocks: Fall Leaves

Dramatic Play:Thanksgiving Dinner

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning6

AGES: 3–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To role-play lifesituations

✄ To promote socialdevelopment

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Wearing Pilgrim hats orAmerican Indianheadbands and usingdishes and plasticfoods, the children willpretend to cook andserve Thanksgivingdinner.

MATERIALS:Play kitchen in

housekeeping areaPlastic food and dishesPattern of girl

Pilgrim’s hatPattern of boy

Pilgrim’s hatConstruction paperStapler and staplesScissorsPaper grocery bagFeathersYarnHole punch

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using the patterns, cut either a boy’s Pilgrim hat or a girl’s Pilgrim

hat for each child.

2. To make each boy Pilgrim’s hat, cut a 2" wide strip of constructionpaper for a headband. Attach the strip to the hat cutout by staplingit (you will fit each hat to a particular child’s head).

3. To make each girl Pilgrim’s hat, cut out each triangle. Staple pointA to point B. Fold down point C and staple it to the connectedA and B. Fold the brim back at the dotted line. Using a paperpunch, make a hole at point D at the end of each side of the brim.Tie a length of yarn to each hole. (This will allow the child to tiethe hat under her chin.)

4. To create an American Indian headband for each child use a 2" widestrip cut from a paper grocery bag. Staple a feather to the headband.

PROCEDURES:1. Each child will put on his or her Pilgrim hat or American Indian

headband.

2. The children will pretend to prepare a Thanksgiving meal using theplastic foods and dishes.

3. Have the children sit down and pretend to eat.

EXPANSION:Read The Very First Thanksgiving by Rhonda Gowler Greene, illustratedby Susan Gaber (New York: Atheneum, 2002). This simple text is writtenin a style reminiscent of “The House That Jack Built.” The book worksbackward from the very first Thanksgiving Day to the difficult voyagethe Pilgrims faced, then it returns to the first Thanksgiving.

GROUP SIZE:3–4 children

Language Arts:Three Little PigsFlannelboard Story

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning 7

AGES: 2–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To promotelanguagedevelopment

✄ To enact a storywith flannelboardpieces

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using flannelboardpieces, the childrenwill tell the story of“The Three Little Pigs.”

MATERIALS:Pig, wolf, and house

patternsConstruction paperScissorsSmall twigsStrawMarkers or crayonsLaminator and

laminating film, orclear contact paper

SandpaperHot glue gun and glue

sticksResealable plastic bagFlannelboardPicture book with story,

“The Three LittlePigs”

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using the patterns, trace and cut out three pigs, one wolf, and three

houses.

2. Color the cutouts and laminate them, or cover them with clearcontact paper. When coloring, remember that one house was madeof straw, one of sticks, and the third of bricks.

3. Using the hot glue gun, glue straw on one house and small twigson another.

4. Cut seven wide strips of sandpaper and hot-glue one to the back ofeach cutout.

5. Place the flannelboard and cutouts on the table.

PROCEDURES:1. As you read the story of the three little pigs, have the children take

turns putting the cutouts on the flannelboard.

2. Have the children join in reciting repetitive phrases such as “Littlepig, little pig, let me come in”and “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.”

3. When finished, store the cutouts used on the flannelboard in aresealable plastic bag.

EXPANSION:Older children may tell the story without having you read the book.

Manipulatives:What Do I Wear?

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning8

AGES: 2–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To promote finemotor control

✄ To enhance eye-hand coordination

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using cutouts of abody, a shirt, and pants,the child will dress apaper doll.

MATERIALS:Patterns of a body,

shirt, and pantsConstruction paperWallpaper samplesScissorsLaminator and

laminating film, orclear contact paper

Markers and/or crayons

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using a body pattern, prepare construction paper cutouts (you may

also draw facial features on these).

2. Prepare at least two cutouts from each of the pants and shirtpatterns, using figured wallpaper.

3. Cut the sleeves shorter on at least one of the shirt cutouts, to makeshort sleeves.

4. Cut the pants legs shorter on at least one of the pants cutouts, tomake shorts.

5. Laminate the cutouts, or cover them with clear contact paper.

6. Place the cutouts on the table.

PROCEDURES:1. Give the child the body pattern.

2. Ask the child if the weather is cold or hot outside.

3. Ask the child to dress the paper doll with the shirts and pants onthe table.

4. Ask the child why he or she chose the long or short shirt and pants.

EXPANSION:For older children, trace the patterns on paper or wallpaper and allowthe children to cut out the clothes.

VARIATION:Prepare a body cutout and clothes cutouts for each child. Have eachchild draw on the facial features and glue clothes on the bodies.

GROUP SIZE:2 children

Math: Snow Cones

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning 9

AGES: 2–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To promote one-to-one correspondence

✄ To identify andmatch colors

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using paper cutouts,the child will match thecolors of snowballs andsnow cones.

MATERIALS:Snowball and snow

cone patternsPaper in various colorsPencilScissorsLaminator and

laminating film, orclear contact paper

Resealable plastic bag

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Trace and cut out one, two, or three sets of matching snowballs and

snow cones.

a. Two-year-olds: two or three colors

b. Three-year-olds: 5 to 10 colors

c. Four- and five-year-olds: 10 or more colors

2. Laminate the snowballs and snow cones, or cover them with clearcontact paper.

3. Store the matching sets separately in a resealable plastic bag.

PROCEDURES:1. Lay the snow cones in a horizontal row.

2. The adult will ask the child to identify the color of each cone.

3. The child will be given a stack of snowballs.

4. The child will place the snow ball on top of the matching colorsnow cone.

GROUP SIZE:1–3 children

Outdoor Play: MonkeySee, Monkey Do

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning10

AGES: 3–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To enhance socialdevelopment

✄ To follow directions

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using a monkey cutouton a stick, the childrenwill play follow theleader.

MATERIALS:Monkey patternWooden paint stirrerTag boardScissorsMarkersStapler and staplesLaminator and

laminating film,or clear contactpaper.

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using the monkey pattern, cut out a large monkey from tag board.

2. Color the monkey with markers.

3. Laminate the monkey or cover it with clear contact paper.

4. Staple the monkey to a wooden paint stirrer.

PROCEDURES:1. Explain to the children that today they will be monkeys, and that

monkeys imitate what they see.

2. Hold the monkey on the stick and lead the children around theplayground.

3. Have the children imitate whatever you do, because you are themonkey leader and they must do whatever the monkey leader does.

4. Have the children take turns holding the monkey on the stick andleading the other children through the playground.

EXPANSION:Read Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (New York: W.R. Scott, 1947).In this classic book, a peddler who sells caps loses them all to monkeys.How will he get them back?

GROUP SIZE:10–12 children

Science: AbsorptionExperiment

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning 11

AGES: 3–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To practice inferring

✄ To compare andcontrast results

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using paper towels,aluminum foil, waxpaper, newspaper,eyedroppers, water, andan umbrella cutout, thechildren will participatein an exercise to deter-mine which materialsabsorb water.

MATERIALS:Umbrella pattern

(found in the book,Patterns for ActivitiesA to Z)

ScissorsPencilEyedropperCupsWaterAluminum foilWax paperPaper towelsNewspaper

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using the umbrella pattern, prepare a cutout from aluminum foil,

wax paper, paper towel, and newspaper, making one set foreach child.

2. Fill plastic cups two-thirds full with water.

PROCEDURES:1. Ask the children,“What will happen if we drop water on the paper

towel?”

2. After the children respond, have them drop water on the papertowel using an eyedropper, then ask them what happened tothe water.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the wax paper, aluminum foil, andnewspaper.

4. After water has been dropped on all four materials, ask the childrenwhich materials acted the same with the water.

EXPANSION:The children may select other materials around the room to testwhether or not they absorb water.

GROUP SIZE:2–5 children

Writing: Castle andName

Copyright © 2005, Thomson Delmar Learning12

AGES: 3–5

DEVELOPMENTALGOALS:

✄ To promoteprewriting skills

✄ To recognizealphabet letters

LEARNINGOBJECTIVE:

Using a constructionpaper castle and awriting implement,the child will trace hisor her name.

MATERIALS:Castle patternConstruction paperScissorsPermanent markerWhite glueCrayons, pencils, pens,

chalk, or water-based markers

ADULT PREPARATION:1. Using the castle pattern, trace and cut out a castle for each child.

2. Fold each castle into three sections.

3. In the left section, write the child’s name with a permanent marker.

4. In the middle section, dot the child’s name.

5. Leave the last section blank.

6. Trace over the fully written name with white glue. (This willdry clear.)

PROCEDURES:1. Give each child the castle bearing his or her name.

2. Allow the child to feel the glue outline of the letters of the name.

3. Ask each child to say the letters of his or her name while tracingthem with the fingers. (You may need to help the children who donot recognize the letters.)

4. Have each child select a crayon, marker, pencil, or pen.

5. Have each child trace the letters of the dotted name with thecrayon, marker, pencil, or pen.

6. Have the children attempt to write their names on their own, in theblank sections of their castles.

GROUP SIZE:2–5 children