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CLOTHING THEME

CRAFTS:

Button Collage
Supply the children with buttons, construction paper and tacky glue and let them make button collages.

Buttons on Socks
Have the children create a sock puppet by placing buttons on a colorful sock with tacky glue.

Button Bracelet
Place a piece of masking tape around the child's wrist, sticky side out, and loose enough to be comfortable. Let the child place buttons on the tape.

Button Picture Frame
You will need six popsicle sticks, tacky glue, buttons, two small magnets, construction paper and a picture of the child. Then you make a frame with four popsicle sticks. Lay two stick parallel to one another (stick 1 and 2) then complete the from with sticks 3 and 4. Then to make the picture stay in you will need to add stick 5 and 6 on the top and bottom of the frame. So you have sticks 3 and 4 (the sides) with a stick on the top in front, top in back, bottom in front and bottom in back. Follow? Connect these sticks with glue. When dry have the children decorate these sticks with paint. Let that dry. Then let the children glue buttons on the frame. Let that dry. Cut a piece of paper to fit the back of the frame. Glue that on. Cut the picture to fit in the frame, and insert the picture. Then glue the magnets at the top and bottom of the back of the frame. Viola.. an awesome gift.

Button Prints
Use tacky glue to attach a variety of buttons to the bottom of empty film canisters. When dry, show the children how to use these as stamps.
You can use paint or non-toxic ink pads.

Button Necklace or Bracelet
Supply the children with string and buttons to make a necklace or bracelet.

Button Balloons
Supply the children with buttons, blue construction paper and tacky glue. Let them glue a few buttons on their paper. Ask them to turn the buttons into balloons by adding string.

Button Bugs
Supply the children with buttons, construction paper and tacky glue. Let them glue a few buttons on their paper. They can turn these buttons into many different bugs by drawing legs, wings and antennae.

Button Flowers
Supply the children with buttons, green construction paper and tacky glue. Let them glue a few buttons on their paper. Have the children turn the buttons into flowers by drawing stems and leaves on the buttons.

Button Headbands
Measure your child's head, and cut a piece of construction paper long enough to create a headband. Glue the paper together so the headband fits snugly on your child's head but is loose enough to take off easily. Let the child glue buttons on the headband with tacky glue. Be sure the glue is completely dry before wearing.

Button Rubbings
Glue some buttons onto card stock with tacky glue. After the glue has dried, have the children place this paper under their paper and rub over it with a crayon.

Cotton Ball Painting
Materials:  Cotton balls, an assortment of paper, mixed tempera paint, clothespins
What to Do:  Have the children select a piece of paper to paint on.  Give each child a clothespin and enough cotton balls for each colour of paint available.  Make sure that all of the colours of paint are in easy reach of every child.  Ask your Children to use the clothespin to pick up a cotton ball, dip into the paint colour of their choice, and make designs with it on their paper. Use these objects as your paintbrushes:-twigs-leaves-feathers-toothbrushes-strings tied on sticks-cotton swabs-straws-bubble wrap.

Farmer’s Hat
Each kid needs a paper bag big enough to fit on his head. Form it by grabbing 5cm - 6cm at the bottom of the bag, twisting it into a kind of top-knot, and holding it together with tape. Then turn the bag inside out so that the twist is on the inside. Cut slits up the edges of the bag to resemble straw, and fold up the bottom to make a brim. Wear these hats for the rest of  the group play.

Hat Collages
Let the children find pictures of hats in old magazines. Then they can paste the pictures onto a precut hat shape. Display around the room. This can be done with any piece of clothing such as socks, coats, shirts, pants. 

Hats
Materials:  newspapers, staples 
What to Do:  Fold a sheet of newspaper in half along the middle fold. (See diagram) Place it with the long, open side toward you. Fold down the upper corners to meet in the middle; crease the folds well. Now you have a triangle with an extra strip at the bottom. Fold up the front strip to the front, and the back strip to the back. Open up the hat and fit it onto a Beaver's head. If the hat is too big, try smaller-sized paper or simply use staples to make a better fit.

Torn Paper Clothes
Have the children tear pieces of paper to form a shirt and glue them onto a piece of paper. Then have the children glue buttons on the shirt.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

Blow the Button
Two or four player game. Place masking tape two to three inches from the edge on two opposite sides of a flat table. These will be the goal lines. Place a piece of masking tape in the cneter of the table this will be the face off mark. Players stand on opposite sides of the table. A light button is placed on the face off mark. Players use straws to try to blow the button over the opponents goal line. First team or player to gets the button across the line wins.

Button, Button
Equipment: One button
How to Play:  This is an old, quiet game to play when you want things to calm down a bit.  Ask the group to sit in a circle on the floor.  Choose one child to be "It" and have her sit in the centre of the circle.  The rest of the children put their hands behind their backs, and a leader secretly gives one of them a button.  On a signal, all the children begin to move their hands so it looks like everyone is passing the button at the same time.  This way, the person who has the button won't be noticed when he starts to pass it around the circle from hand to hand.  "It" tries to guess who has the button.  When "It" finds it, she trades places with the one who was holding the button and the game continues.

Chores
You could make various styles of clothing out of construction paper and put a pocket on each one of them. Write individual household chores (age appropriate) on individual pieces of paper, mix them up and put into a pocket. Hang them up with miniature clothespins on a string in your home where you have room for this. Then have the child pick a chore from the pocket. You could make a "Need to Fold" (Chores that need finished) and "Folded" (Chores that have been done) list and check all that apply for each child and when they have all of their "Clothes Folded" (chores for the week) you can give them a treat, movie, allowance...Etc.!

Clothesline
Make a clothesline with pictures of clothes you've cut out. You can make a sketch of different articles of clothing, such as shirt, pants, socks. You hang a clothesline up with 26 clothes pins. Have the child cut out the sketches and write a letter of the alphabet on each one. Then find pictures of things that start with that letter and glue to clothes and hang them on the line.

Dress-Up
Put lots of different dress up clothes in the dramatic play area like dresses, suits, uniforms, Etc and allow the kids to play dress up with the clothes.

Matching Game
Gather clothing items from home. Play a game "What does not belong?" For example, place out a winter coat, along with a pair of shorts, a pair of sandals and a bathing suit. Ask the children what does not belong, and why? 

Sorting Clothing by Seasons
Bring a suite case full of all sorts of different clothes. Pack swimsuits and winter coats, mittens, boats, shorts, t-shirts, rain coats, umbrella, Etc. Then discuss the weather out side. The time of the year, winter, fall, spring or summer. Begin pulling out the clothes and have the children tell you what time of year they belong in. Put up 4 trees, representing the four seasons. Put a basket under each tree then as you pull out the clothes and discuss what season they belong with, the children take turns putting them in the correct baskets.

The Shoe Game
All children sit in a circle and take off one shoe. Children hide their eyes as the teacher hides all the shoes. The children must find a shoe that DOES NOT belong to them and bring it back to the circle. When all the shoes have been found, teacher asks a child whose shoe he found. Child looks around the circle to determine who is wearing a shoe that matches the one he found. When he finds the owner, he returns the shoe, and that child now must find the owner of the shoe she has found. This activity leads to lots of conversation regarding sorting, matching.

Washing Clothes
Have water in your sand and water table have children wash clothes.

SONGS:

Dressing in the Morn
This is the way we get dressed in the morning, dressed in the morning, dressed in the morning
This is the way we dressed in the morning, so early in the morning!
This is the way we put on our shirt, put on our shirt, put on our shirt
This is the way we put on our shirt, so early in the morning!
Act out each movement.....continue adding items of clothing depending on the weather or season you want to discuss. (Socks, shoes, snow pants, boots, raincoat, Etc.)
 

STORIES:

Have any good stories? Let us know!
 

FOOD SUGGESTIONS:

Button-Shaped Snacks
For a snack, use any of the following for an button shape:
Sliced Bananas
Sliced Oranges
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Egg
Round Crackers
 

TIPS/NOTES: