Materials
- picture-word cards of animals
- music of choice
- tape
What to do
1. Talk with the children about different animals. Ask if they know what sounds the animals make. How do the animals move? Introduce types of animals that aren't necessarily typical in your area.
2. Tape animal pictures on the floor in a circle. Make sure you have enough for everyone. Start the music and ask the children to walk in a circle. When the music stops, the children stop and they must act like the animal they are standing on. How does it walk, fast or slow? What kind of sound does it make? Start music up again and when it stops they get to be a different animal. You can do this with or without eliminating any animals.
3. Vary the game by making two sets of each animal. When the music stops, the children find the other person with the same animal just by listening to the sounds and watching the movements.
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
To extend the children's learning, take them on a trip to your local zoo.
Assessment
Consider the following:
- Are the children able to act out the animals while maintaining self-control?
- Can the children indicate the animals that make particular noises?
-Rebecca Espanola, Panama City Beach, FL
Instructions
1. Cut out facial features from felt, such as eyes, noses, and mouths (smiling,
frowning, open wide, and so on).
2. Encourage the children to create faces with the body parts on a flannel
board. Help them to label an appropriate emotion that reflects how the face
might "feel," for example, happy, sad, mad, or scared.
