Materials
colored balls (ball pit balls work well)
box, bin, or pail to store each color ball
Instructions
l Create a colorful wand by taping several strands of colorful curling ribbon and
crepe paper streamers to the end of an unsharpened pencil or wooden
dowel.
What to Do
1. Add color to transition time with a colorful wand and hat.
2. Invite one child to wear the hat and hold the wand.
3. Designate a specific group of children who are ready to move on to the next
activity: "The children who are wearing a red shirt may move on," and so on.
4. After you announce the specific color group, the "Color Captain" walks around
the room and taps the children that fit into the group with the wand.
5. As each child is touched, she may line up or move on to the next activity.
6. Continue calling out color groups until the "Color Captain" taps each child
with the wand and the entire class has moved on to the next activity.
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
l Each day, allow a different child to be the Color Captain.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Invite each child to use the wand to point out other color items within the
classroom. Wave the wand through the air as you name a color. Invite
children to search the room to find a small object of that color and bring it to
the circle area. Have each child tell about her object. Call out a new color
and wave your wand again. Continue the activity until children have
identified all the colors.
