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ABOUT ME THEME

CRAFTS:

Butterfly From Hand Prints
Items needed: colorful construction paper, toilet paper tube, glue/tape, scissors, pencil/markers
Directions: Fold a piece of paper in half and trace child's hand with the wrist on the fold. Make sure that there pinkie and ring finger are together and their middle and pointer are together. Cut out hands making sure not to cut on the fold. Open and decorate the hand prints. Cut a strip of paper and glue around the tube. Next, glue the hands to the paper covered tube. Let dry. You can add some pipe cleaner antenna if you wish.

Body Tracing
Trace the children's bodies by having them lie down on a large piece of paper. The body shape can be decorated at school by the child with crayons and felt-tip markers. The shapes could also be taken home and decorated with parental assistance.

Child Collage
Supply the children with magazines with pictures of children, construction paper and glue and let them make collages. 

Fingerprint Art
Children ink fingers with a stamp pad, and make fingerprints on paper. They can turn them into crazy critters with felt pens by drawing eyes, whiskers, legs. Examine how each child's fingerprint is special.

Finger Tab Puppets
Materials: pop can tabs; coloured construction paper; glue; scissors; markers
What to do: Have each Beaver create a design for her puppet; it can be an animal, a face, a person, a native mask, a famous character. Help younger Children to cut this image out of construction paper. (These images may have to be pre-cut by the leaders in some cases.) Glue the puppet to the closed side of the tab and let it dry. Children can then decorate their puppets with markers. They can then make their puppets come alive by putting their finger through the hole in the pop tab. Have the colony put on a show for parents or for each other.

Footprints 
Then the children did Foot prints. Trace their little feet and the children colored them.

Feet
Pour sand into a coke flat and dampen with water have children put a foot in then raise the foot carefully and pour plaster of paris into the foot print and let harden, carefully lift the dry foot print out of the sand and brush off. You can write the child's name and age on the foot before it dries. you can also use a stick to poke a hole into the heel of the foot and hang it up.

Handprints 
The children made handprints with tempera paint. Caption: “I have to hands and on my hands I have 10 fingers. Will you count them with me?”

Hand Wreath
Let children dip their hands in paint then place on paper in a circular shape. If Christmas time let them use green paint then take the tip of their finger and put berries on the wreath and draw a red bow on top.

Hand And Feet Angels
Trace a child's foot then trace their hands on either side of the feet at the widest part then have children draw on faces , hair, and halo.

Hand And Feet Reindeer
Trace a child's foot then trace their hands (spread open) on either side up near the widest part of the foot. Then draw or glue on eyes and nose.

I like.... Collage
Supply the children with many different magazines, with foods, toys, etc. Let the children cut out things they like and glue them onto a piece of paper.

Me Puppet
Have the children create a sock puppet by placing buttons and yarn on a colorful sock with tacky glue. 

"Me" Collage
Materials:  Magazines, markers, glue, tape What to Do:  Have children look though a variety of magazines, and cut out pictures that they can relate to.  With an overhead, or a shadow made with a flashlight, trace a profile of each person and have each child glue their pictures on their profile.  When everyone has finished, allow Kids to share the pictures with the rest of the group.

Self-portrait
Have the children do a self-portrait.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

All About Me
These activities are done by lgroups,  kids can help one another gather the following information:
• height
• weight
• hand print (trace hand on one of the book pages)
• length of arm, leg, foot, ear, big toe
• circumference of head, arm, leg
• physical skills (including how far the kid can
hop, throw, step) how high the kid can jump
• how many push-ups the kid can do
• how fast the kid can run from
one spot to another
• picture (e.g. from a Polaroid instamatic camera)
• silhouette. Make it by laying the kid’s head sideways on a piece of paper and tracing an outline of the face. Have kid cut out and glue it into the book. For physically challenged children, encourage them to do their best and look for other attributes to record.

A Cake of Birthdays
Materials: a large bristol board with a birthday cake drawn on it; scissors; construction paper in thick strips; markers What to do: Give each Child a strip of construction paper, which will be her candle. Help each Child put her name, age and birthday on the candle, and then let Kids decorate their candles as they would like. Leaders should also make a candle for themselves, and don't forget one for B.-P.! Make slits in the "cake" so that all members can put their candles in the cake. Keep this poster up in your hall to remind everyone of the group's special days.

Butt Bump
Equipment:  A snow covered area
How to Play:  This is a simple traditional Inuit children's game that's lots of fun!  In pairs, the children stand back to back with "butts" about 12 cm apart.  Without moving their feet or looking over their shoulder, they try to "butt-bump" each other off balance.  Anyone who falls over should be amply cushioned by snow and snowsuit padding.

Co-ordination Game
Read slowly the first time, then faster and faster.
Hands on your hips, hands on your knees,
Put them behind you, if you please.
Touch your shoulders, touch your nose,
Touch your ears, touch your toes,
Raise your hands high in the air
At you sides, on your hair.
Raise your hands as before
While you clap: one, two, three, four.
My hands on my head I place,
On my shoulders, on my face.
Then I raise them way up high
And make my fingers quickly fly.
Then I put them in front of me
And gently clap: one, two, three.

Eye Color Chart
Have the children raise their hands if they have brown eyes. Count and record the number of children that have brown eyes. Repeat for blue, green and hazel. Graph the results. Ask the children "what color eyes do most of the children in our class have?" Have them look closely at other children in the class - into their eyes.

Finger and Hand
One day, all of the fingers, except for Thumb, were fighting over which was strongest.
"I'm the strongest," said Index, "because I help Malak all the time when he's writing."
"What about me?" said Pinkie. "You know how they always say that the underdog comes out the winner!
"The other two fingers had arguments of their own, and before you knew it, things were getting pretty noisy!
"Hold it!" Thumb yelled. "Let's have a contest. Whoever can lift this book will win, and I, personally, will proclaim him the strongest."(You can use a book to act this part out)Each finger tried, but try as they might, not one of them could lift the book so much as an inch.
"Now," said the thumb, "Let's all get back together and see what happens.
"And, of course, it worked!
 

Feet Freeze
Have each child trace their feet(of course, you need to help them). Then cut out the feet, and tape them in a line throughout the classroom. Play some music and have the children walk around stepping on the various feet. You can play freeze this way.
Two little feet
Two little feet go tap,tap,tap
Two little hands go clap,clap, clap
One little boy turns around
One little child sits quietly down.

Feet Fun
Trace child size shoe shapes on a piece of poster board. cut a large square around the feet. Laminate or cover the poster board squares with clear adhesive paper.
- you can place them in a path and encourage children walk along the foot path.
- you can give each child two and encourage them to step onto them and then jump off.
- you can use them to place two in front of the sink to show little ones where to stand when washing hands.

Footsteps
Prepare lots of footstep patterns for use in games.  Trace a right and left shoe on a piece of paper and cut out both.  Use them as patterns to cut out "feet" from rug samples, felt, clear vinyl or laminated construction paper.  Stick the feet to the floor with masking tape.  Keep them close enough together that children can hop or step from one to another.  A leader rolls dice and calls out the number of steps each child can take.  In one  game, the players simply count out loud as they step.  In another, you can ask them to name and match whatever foot they land on.  Next to some footprints, you can place other activities (a ball to throw into a tin can, a puzzle, an obstacle to crawl over or under, etc.) for them to complete before moving on.  The feet can also come in handy when the group is rotating through stations. Use them to make trails from one activity to another.

Feet On Hands
Make handprint tracks across a hard floor. For more durability, cover the handprints with contact paper. Put on music and have the kids play follow the handprints. For added fun, have the handprints track sqiggle and turn, going into or under small places just the right size for the little ones.

Father Abraham
March around together as you sing. Each time you sing a verse, add different parts of the body at the end.
Father Abraham, had seven sons, sir (Salute)
Seven sons sir, had Father Abraham
And they never laughed (Mimic laughing)
And they never cried (Wipe eyes)
All they did was go like this:
With a left (Circle left arm and start song again)...With a left and a right (Circle both arms, sing again adding indicated actions for each new verse)...With a left and a right and a foot...With a left and a right and two feet...With a left and a right and two feet    and a head...With a left and a right and two feet   and a head and a hip...With a left and a right and two feet   and a head and two hips...With a left and a right and two feet   and a head, and two hips and a MARCH!
 

Get To Know ME
Ask the children to look at one another and tell you what is the same about all of them. Point out that, despite similarities, everyone is special. Now have students look for things that are special about each of them, such as hair, eye color, nose shape, family, address, and name. Together count eyes, noses, feet, toes, and so on.

Hair Color Chart
Have the children raise their hands if they have brown hair. Count and record the number of children that have brown hair. Repeat for red, blonde and black. Graph the results. Ask the children "what color hair do most of the children in our class have?" 

Height Chart
Measure each child's height and create a graph to represent the children's height in your class. 

Hands
Take a close look at your hand. Can you believe that there are 27 bones in each of your hands? Now make a fist with your hand. Do you see these bumps? Do you know what they are called? They are called knuckle bones. Now bend and straighten your fingers...do you see the hinge joints? Now move your thumb in and out....it can do that because of your saddle joint which allows your thumb to bend and rotate.
One way we greet our friends is by shaking hands. In the Army people salute. Let's all salute. On Star Trek Mr. Spock shakes hands like this: put 4 fingers together, then open middle and ring finger. Let's make up some of our own handshakes.
1. Pinky shake
2. Slide hands in opposite directions
3. Open all fingers, interlace, shake
Say this while creating new shakes:
If you want to get to know me,
Here is your chance.
Just jump on your feet
And do the Welcome dance
Then skip around, don't miss a beat
Stop and shake the hand of each friend you meet.

Listen to your heatbeat
Allow the children to listen to their heartbeat with a stethescope. The toy ones work, but some of your parents may have access to a real one. 

Playing Footsie
(this can be circle time activity)
1. Take off shoes and talk with the kids about their two feet, ten toes, big toe, little toe, etc.
2. Sing "Where is Big Toe" to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin"
3. Encourage them to wiggle their toes, point or stretch their toes, slide their feet on the ground, walk on tiptoes, even try "clapping" their feet together.

Sensory Activities
Provide different sensory materials for them to feel with their bare feet, such as a scratchy door mat, furry craft fur, spongy pillow, soft felt. Talk with them about different textures.
Place two small chairs next to a dish tub with a VERY SMALL amount of water. Let two kids sit together and soak their feet. Provide a towel to dry their feet. Let them rub baby lotion on their feet afterwards if they desire.

Thumbs Down
The thumb is our most important member on our hand. To prove this point, tape the thumb down to the palm of the hand with masking tape. Have students try to write, turn the pages of a book or button a button. Is it possible?

What is in the Suitcase?
Bring in a small suitcase filled with favorite things from home to share with class, such as a postcard of a trip, a china animal, a sweater. Children then take turns taking suitcase home and bringing their favorite objects to share.

SONGS:

Five Little Monkeys
5 little monkeys jumping on the bed
(Five fingers jump on palm of opposite hand)
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the Dr. and the Dr. said,
No more monkeys jumping on the bed.
4 little...
3 little....
2 little....
1 little...
No little monkeys....
Mama called the Dr. and the Dr. said,
put those monkeys back to bed.

Hokey Pokey!
You put your right foot in you put your right foot out
You put your right foot in and you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around
That's what it is all about!!
(Continue with the rest of the hands, legs, then "whole self")

Hands on Shoulders
Hands on shoulders, hands on knees,
Hands behind you if you please.
Touch your shoulders, now your nose,
Now your chin and now your toes.
Hands up high in the air,
Down at your sides and touch your hair.
Hands up high as before,
Now clap your hands--one, two, three, four.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
Knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes,
And eyes and ears,
And mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
Knees and toes.

One Finger, One Thumb
Words are accompanied by motions with finger,
thumb, hand, raising arms, stamping feet, standing
up and sitting down.
One finger, one thumb, one hand, keep moving,
One finger, one thumb, one hand, keep moving.
One finger, one thumb, one hand, keep moving,
And we’ll all be happy and smile.
2nd verse
One finger, one thumb, one hand, two hands,
Keep moving.
One finger, one thumb, one hand, two hands,
Keep moving.
One finger, one thumb, one hand, two hands,
Keep moving.
And we’ll all be happy and smile.
Add in turn:
3rd verse: One arm
4th verse: Two arms
5th verse: One leg
6th verse: Two legs
7th verse: Stand up/sit down

Right Hand,Left Hand
This is my right hand:
I'll raise it high.
This is my left hand:
I'll touch the sky.
Right hand, left hand,
Roll them around.
Left hand, right hand,
Pound, pound, pound.
 
 

STORIES:

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TIPS/NOTES: