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If you are looking for preschool lessons on whales, I have some fun activities and lessons plans that your kids will love! If you missed Day 1 on our Summer lessons, check it out for a great start.
We are sticking with the underwater theme for the final few days of our lesson plans (week 1). This is so interesting to the kids and I am learning a lot, too.
Every week, I try to take our kids to the library at least once. They offer great (free) programs, along with books, DVDs and audio-books that we check out weekly. We get some non-fiction books for learning lessons and we also pick up a few chapter books (I read a few chapters every night before bed) and a few fiction books just for fun that the kids pick out. I am going to incorporate these library materials into today’s lesson…
Lesson at home before we leave:
SIGHT WORD HUNT:
Sight word hunt using our sight words from our Sight Word Bingo Day. Tape the sight word cards around the house. Keep them relatively low to make them a little easier to find. Give your child a piece of paper and a pencil and send them on their hunt. When they find a word, they have to write it down. When they find all 10 (or whatever number you of words you decide on), they bring it back to you.
You could easily make this a lesson for younger kids by doing a letter hunt. You will probably have to go with them and write the letter for them (have them trace over it with a highlighter).
Science: Sticking with the hunt theme, today we are going on a whale hunt! Hop onto your couch and pretend that it is a boat. Bring your laptop, phone or tablet along (or some good whale books) and look at the whales that you are seeing swimming by you! You can find some really great pictures online or even some educational videos. Talk about whale facts that you are looking at and reading! If you got a whale book at the library, read them to your children during meal times (when they really pay attention) and at night.
Math: GETTING PREPARED FIRST… You (adult) Get a sheet of paper and draw 10 whales – just basic drawings, nothing fancy! Cut it out (it doesn’t have to be perfect- they are kids and they really don’t care how well you drew or cut).
Write a number on the tail of the whale and draw dots on the head of the whale that correspond with the tail.
EXAMPLE: the first whale will have a number 1 on the tail and one dot on the head. Now you will cut each whale in half.
The game will be to match them up. Put the cards into one pile or two piles (heads and tails) and mix them up. Help your child if they need help. Count together.
With older children: (If your child is older than the end of Kindergarten or if you feel they are ready for higher thinking…) I would put an equation on the tail 7+ 14 = and then put the answer on the head (21). You could even do multiplication, subtraction, division…
Whale Art: Give each child a sheet of blue construction paper (the darker, the better). Have them draw whales with white chalk. Remind them to draw eyes, a mouth, a blow-hole, etc… When they are done, have them cut them out (we are working on their fine motor skills)
FINGERPLAY:
I’m A Big Whale:
I am swimming, I am swimming, I am swimming in the sea. (move arms like you are swimming)
I’m a big whale and I’m swimming I am swimming in the sea. (open your arms bigger and swim)
I am singing , I am singing, I am singing in the sea. (cup hands around mouth like you are shouting words)
I’m a big whale and I’m singing, I am singing in the sea.
I am spouting, I am spouting, I am spouting in the sea. (move arms in upward motion from floor to ceiling)
I’m a big whale and I’m spouting, I am spouting in the sea. (start hunched down on the floor and pretend to grow).
I am sure that your child will enjoy these lessons! Break them up into several days, if you want to.
Check out these other other ideas on Pinterest!
