Summer/Beach Theme

Our Preschool finishes our school year before Memorial Day so it is rare that we have time to cover many summer themed activities unless I tie them in with my seasons and weather themes. At times I tie my beach theme in with my animal theme and we cover ocean animals as one of many groups of animals. A fun name activity for a Summer/Beach theme includes drawing a large yellow sun with each child's name on it. Then writing the letters of the child's name on yellow rays, one letter per ray, and having the students place them in order around the sun.
Our Fine Motor or Literacy Centers include writing letters and our names in sand or in mud. We have mixed dirt and water to create mud and we have also played with chocolate pudding as mud.
For Gross Motor play, we spend more time playing outdoors using bubbles, beach balls and sidewalk chalk.
We practice measuring items like ice cream cones or sea shells in our Math Center.
Our Dramatic Play Center has an ice cream stand that includes writing the ice cream orders, creating the ice cream orders and counting ice cream scoops.
Our Science Center has sand and seashells for the students to feel and investigate.
Some good books for a Summer/Beach theme include:
*"Commotion in the Ocean"
* "A House for Hermit Crab"
* "Mister Seahorse,"
*"The Relatives Came"
* "Jabari Jumps,"
*"The Watermelon Seed,"
*"The Very Lonely Firefly"