Materials
- shoeboxes
- paint and brushes
- poster board
- scissors (adult only)
- brads
- Velcro
- empty toilet paper tubes
What to do
1. This is a nice bulletin board activity to make when the children are learning about trains or transportation.
2. Help the children paint the shoeboxes to look like train cars. Allow to dry.
3. Cut out wheels from poster board and attach them to the shoeboxes with brads. Add toilet paper tube "smokestacks."
4. Mount the shoeboxes on a bulletin board wall with a track under it. Attach the boxes to each other with Velcro.
-Anna Granger, Washington, DC
Instructions
Prepare the "swamp" before the children arrive.
1. Trace the alligator pattern on 20-30 pieces of fabric and cut out.
2. Draw eyes on the alligators' heads.
3. Lay the fabric alligators around the floor in a random fashion, making a
pathway around the room.
4. Toss the beanbag in the center of the pathway.
Activity
1. Ask a child to tiptoe through the "alligator-infested path" to retrieve the
beanbag.
2. Continue until all the children have had a turn.
3. You can make this more challenging by having children hop, slither, and
move in other ways through the "swamp."
Note: Most of the activities in this chapter can be done with infants and
toddlers of all ages, with some modifications. When doing fingerplays with
infants, simply sing the song or recite the rhyme as you do the actions.
Infants will enjoy watching your movements. Toddlers can participate by
following your actions and perhaps singing along.