Materials
White paper towels
Construction paper
Glue
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Containers of water
Food coloring
Paintbrushes
Instructions
1. Make a large color dot for each center in your classroom using a different
color of construction paper for each center. A good idea is to trace around a
dinner plate on the paper and cut out the circle.
2. Write the name of the center on the dot or on a matching sheet of
construction paper.
3. Laminate the dots or cover them with clear contact paper. Hang a different
color dot in each center.
4. Write each child's name on an index card and put each index card into a
library pocket. Keep them where the children can access them easily, such as
the front of your desk. Also put three or four library pockets into each center.
5. Whenever there is free choice for centers, each child brings his name card to
the center of his choice and puts it into an empty library folder. If all the
pockets in a particular center are filled, the child must choose another center
to go to. This helps keep the number of children in each center small, and it
also helps the teacher see where each child should be.
6. When center time is over, ask the children to clean up their area. Then each
child will return his index card to his own library pocket.
