Materials
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Pictures of spider webs
Scissors
Clear adhesive paper
Tape
Colored or white string
Small plastic spiders or bugs
Instructions
Prepare:
1. Cut out magazine pictures of 10 or more different articles of clothing (such as
shirts, pants, dress, hats, socks, nightgown, and so on).
2. Cut out an equal number of items one couldn't possibly wear (such as a dog,
truck, teakettle, computer, and so on).
3. Glue one picture onto each index card. Laminate or protect them with clear
contact paper.
4. Shuffle the cards and place them face down in a basket.
5. Set up for the game in front of your circle time area. Tie the clothesline
between two chairs or any two objects that allow the line to spread within a
child's reach. Attach the clothespins.
Play the Game:
1. Settle the children into a semi-circle facing the clothesline. Place the basket of
cards in the middle.
2. Say, "It's laundry day such a CHORE! I'm so glad you're all here to help me
out. Oh no, my clothes dryer is broken! I'll have to hang everything outside
on the clothesline to dry in the sunshine. Let's take turns picking cards from
the basket. If the card shows something to wear, please hang it on the
clothesline for me. If not, place the card beside the basket, because it belongs
somewhere else."
3. Guide the children to make the proper choices. Encourage a good giggle
about the idea of wearing a bicycle, a television set, a refrigerator, or
whatever.
More to do
Instead of a laundry theme, make sets of cards for classifying other groups of
objects or themes (such as animals, fruits, things that fly, dinosaurs, and so on).
Fine Motor: Play "Clothespin Pick-up." Give each child a clip-type clothespin
and an assortment of small objects (such as crayons, wooden beads, cotton balls,
and so on) on a tray. Challenge the children to pick up these objects using the
clothespin. (Make sure the clothespins are good quality so that the hinges don't
fall out.)
