Spring is the time for learning all about new life! New flowers are popping up all over, and new baby ducklings can be seen taking their first swim. It is a great time to add a little thematic fun in your preschool clasroom.
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
Mrs. Mallard was sure that the pond in the Boston Public Gardens would be a perfect place for her and her eight ducklings to live. The problem was how to get them there through the busy streets of Boston. But with a little help from the Boston police, Mrs. Mallard and Jack, Kack, Lack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack arive safely at their new home.
If you love children’s books as much as I do you will really enjoy these sweet and simple activities based on Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings. If you are not familiar with it, this book is about a family of 8 little ducklings and their parents looking for a home. It makes a wonderful read aloud for your preschool students and lends itself well to some darling and fun activities… like Duck Pond Slime!
What kid doesn’t love playing with wonderfully gooey and fluffy slime? It is even more fun when you add another element like these cute rubber duckies to create Duck Pond Slime that is sure to keep them busy for a long time! It makes a great base for a simple sensory bin as well. ALWAYS carefully supervise your students or children when using slime.
How to Make Duck Pond Slime:
Materials:
-
R ubber Ducks - 1 cup white school glue
- 1 tsp. Baking soda
- ¼ cup of water
- 1- 1 ½ Tablespoons Saline contact solution
- 1-2 cups sensitive shaving cream
- Blue food coloring
Step 1:
In a large container combine water, glue, and baking soda, stirring until completely combined. Mix in shaving cream and blue coloring well.
Step 2:
Add saline solution while stirring, continue adding slowly just until slime is no longer super sticky and begins to pull away from the sides of the container.
Step 3:
Use your duck pond slime in a shallow bin with rubber ducks and any other small related items you choose to create a simple sensory bin.
Your preschool students are going to love this tactile activity. Read through the story and encourage children to act out the different parts with their rubber duckies.
How cute do these little duckies look when diving for food? Store your slime in an airtight container when you are done and you will be able to reuse it over and over.
The Ugly Duckling Literacy Unit
This is a literature unit your students will love! Includes a 15-page early reader and 10 follow-up literacy activities. While this set was designed specifically to cover first grade standards, it can easily be adapted for use with kindergarten or second-grade students. Students learn and study characters, settings, events, character feelings, scene analysis, compare & contrast, story sequencing, retelling, problem & solution, foolish fairy tales and more!
