Skip to main content

Cookies Theme

Who doesn't love cookies? We have an entire theme based on cookies and it is one of my favorites! We incorporate a lot of counting into our cookie theme. We count chips onto cookies in our Math Center.
 We count cookies and clip the correct numeral in our Fine Motor/Sensory Center.
 We serve cookies at the bakery in the Dramatic Play Center.
 We also practice numeral recognition and matching and fine motor skills using cookies and pom poms.

 We have taken a field trip to a local bakery some years and other years made cookies together as a class but in both situations, we have decorated them and enjoyed eating them.

 There are several cookie stories we read including:
*"The Gingerbread Boy"
*"The Gingerbread Girl"
*"Whose Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?"
*"The Doorbell Rang"
*"May I Please Have a Cookie?"
*"The Duckling Gets a Cookie"
*"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"
At our Art Center, the students create their own gingerbread boy or girl.
For Letter practice, a paper cookie can be hidden behind a letter and students take turns guessing which letter the cookie is behind.
We also sit in a circle and pass a paper cookie behind our backs. Then we guess who stole the cookie using the chant from the corresponding book.
Finally, rolling and cutting playdough is a great hand strengthening exercise and fun for the students while they pretend they are making cookies.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Body and Senses Theme

I usually spend a day for each of the basic five senses and then further the theme by spending a few more days covering the basic parts and functions of the body such as heart, lungs, skin, and brain. For the sense of taste, I give each child something sour (lemon drop), something salty (pretzel), and something sweet (a piece of chocolate) to eat. We discuss the tastes and which they like the best. Then we discuss our tongues. Each student can be given a mirror to look into to see their tongue and the taste buds on it. We read "Jamberry" and try some different flavors of jam. For the sense of smell, I place items in film canisters and allow each child to smell each item and guess what it is. Then we graph which smells we like and do not like. A follow up activity is to ask students to determine which items will have a smell and then walk the items around and have students smell them and determine if their guesses were correct. I use things like mustard, a comb, or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nursery Rhyme Theme

 A few years ago when I pulled out Nursery Rhymes to read to my class, I discovered many of them had never heard these stories before.  I grew up on Nursery Rhymes so this was interesting to see. We dove into a unit of Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales and they loved it! This is also a great unit to really focus on rhyming with the children. Blocks, pool noodles, and cups can be used in STEAM challenges to build castles and towers. Straw, sticks, and rocks can also be added to use in building houses when you read "The Three Little Pigs."  We create our own Nursery Rhyme book where the children illustrate the rhymes and then get to take their books home to share.  The students love collecting the pigs and returning them to their pens. We use pink balloons and hula hoops.  We also try to be as nimble and quick as Jack and jump over our own candlesticks.  "The Three Little Kittens" lost their mittens but we play a matching game with ours. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pumpkin Theme

 Every October we learn about pumpkins. Mini pumpkins are brought into the Science Center for every child and we investigate them with magnifying lenses and our senses. We also cut the top off of a large pumpkin and scoop the seeds out to investigate as well.  I allow every child who is interested, a turn scooping seeds out. I never require the students to help if they are not interested.  In the Literacy Center, we use mini pumpkin erasers to trace around letters. Pumpkin stickers can also be used.  We take a field trip to a local pumpkin patch where every child is allowed to pick a pumpkin to take home.  In the Fine Motor/Sensory Center, we make pumpkin pie with orange playdough and rolling pins.  We also count and make patterns in the Math Center with pumpkin erasers or manipulatives. In the Pumpkin STEAM box, I include mini pumpkins, leaves, acorns, magnifying lenses and orange slices of pool noodles that the children can play and e...
Post a Comment
Read more