Stamp Collecting

Materials

1. variety of stamps
2. magnifying glasses
3. paper
4. colored pencils
5. clear tape or glue

Instructions 

1. Send home a note asking parents to bring in old stamps. These can be postmarked and cut from the mail.
2. Bring the stamp collection and other materials to an area of the classroom set up for post office play.
3. Encourage the children to make observations about the different stamps. Ask questions about the shapes, sizes, and colors. Ask open-ended questions about the pictures. Discuss what stamps are for and how they are used as payment to have items delivered to any place in the world.
4. Let the children choose their favorite stamp and attach it to a piece of paper.
5. Encourage them to use their imaginations to draw a picture of where the stamp is from, where the mail came from, or what was inside the envelope or letter. Ask the children to describe their drawing and write the description on their project.

Instructions

1. Read The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle to the children.
2. Talk with the children about spider webs. Ask the children what spiders do
with their webs, and why they make them where they do.
3. Discuss the making of a spider web. Ask each child to press the spider stamp
into the ink pad then press the stamp onto the paper provided.
4. Place the paper with the spider stamps on it into the empty copy paper box top.
5. Use tongs to gently drop a golf ball into a tray of black paint.
6. Transfer the golf ball onto the paper with the spider stamps and slowly and
cautiously roll the ball onto the paper rocking the box top back and forth while
the golf ball creates web markings across the paper.
7. Let the paint dry. Display the spider and spider webs.
S o n G
* Seat the children in a circle (this will be the "web").
* Ask one child to walk around the web as the group sings the song below.
* Pause to allow another child to be selected to join the first child and insert that
child's name in the song!
Spider Song (Traditional)
One black spider went out to play He asked one more spider to come.
On a spider web one day. Spider (child's name) come out to play.
He had such enormous fun, Spider (child's name) come out to play.
Assessment
Consider the following:
* Observe each child's small motor skills.
* Ask specific questions about the spider: How many legs does a spider have?
What does the spider use a web for? What is an important role for the spider?
How many parts are there in the spider's body?