Activity Card

Name of Activity: Hot/Cold Weather Collage

Domain: Physical
Goal: Coordinate wrist, hand, finger-thumb, and eye-hand movements.
Concept: Scissors are used to cut paper. On these pieces of paper there are
pictures of materials that can be used in both hot and cold situations
outdoors. Cut out the materials and sort.
Materials: Scissors and paper with weather items printed on them.
Structuring: Model how to use the scissors before giving them to the
children.
Immediate Objective: Given scissors and paper the children will learn how
to hold scissors properly and sort items based on their use during different
times of the year.
Procedures:
- Model how to hold scissors and cut. Thumbs in the circle, fingers in
the oval
- Give the children scissors and pictures of hot/cold materials.
-Allow them to sort the materials based on their similar uses
-Have children glue the materials on paper in a sorted manner
Extensions: Bring out pieces of blank paper for the children to create their
own materials with.
Simplifications: Hold the paper and/or use support scissors, hand over
hand
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Cut w/o
support

Springlocked
scissors

Hand over
hand

Sorted
Materials

MDE Physical: Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to
improve a variety of fine motor skills in structured and unstructured settings.

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Ice Skating on Plates
Domain: Physical
Goal: Develop special awareness.
Concept: During the winter water freezes into ice. We can put skates on and
ice-skate on different bodies of frozen water. Now that it is warm outside, we
can find ways to skate without ice.
Materials: Paper plates, open space.
Structuring: Model how to use the paper plates as skates safely in the large
group area. Allow three children to enjoy the activity at a time.
Immediate Objective: We can slip and slide on the carpet in a safe way
with paper plates by respecting each others personal space.
Procedures:
- Model how to use the skates within the group area and keeping your
body to yourself.
- Allow three children to go at a time. If this is too much, allow the
children to take turns individually.
- Help redirect as needed
Extensions: Have the children skate on one foot
Simplifications: Hold the childrens hands as they move.
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Identified
personal
space

Moved w/o
support

Stayed
within the
circle

Discussed
cold weather

MDE Physical: Children experience growth in gross motor development and use large muscles to
improve a variety of gross motor skills in structured and unstructured settings.

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Lacing Cloud Letters
Domain: Physical
Goal: Coordinate wrist, hand, finger-thumb, and eye-hand movements.
Concept: Clouds drift with the wind. Today it is our job to keep the clouds in
one spot and put them together.
Materials: Cardboard cloud cutouts with slits all around the edges, yarn.
Structuring: Model how to weave the yarn between the cloud slits.
Immediate Objective: We can sew yarn through the holes to keep the
clouds together.
Procedures:
- Model how to lace the yarn in and out of the slits.
- Give the children cardboard cutouts and yarn
- Scaffold discussion on clouds and ask why clouds might move so
much.
- Support as needed
Extensions: Have the children cut their own slits into cardboard pieces to
sew.
Simplifications: Tape the cloud on the table to act as another hand.
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Laced w/o
support

Taped down
cloud

Hand over
hand

Moved in
and out of
holes

MDE Physical: Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to
improve a variety of fine motor skills in structured and unstructured settings.

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Sorting Weather Appropriate Clothes
Domain: Cognitive
Goal: Determine relations among objects.
Concept: We wear different types of clothing to keep our bodies safe as we
experience difference types of weather.
Materials: Weather sorting clothes activity
Structuring: Sit with children at a table and ask them to place clothing on
the paper based on the weather we would wear it for.
Immediate Objective: Throughout the year we change the type of clothes
we wear to keep our body protected from the changing weather.
Procedures:
- Model how to place the clothing underneath the weather titles.
- Give the children one of each article of clothing.
- Ask them to sort the clothing.
- Support as needed and verbally reflect on the purposes of the
clothing styles.
Extensions: Have the children discuss why we wear different types of
clothing for different types of weather.
Simplifications: Verbalize Hot or Cold rather than solely weather styles.
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Identified
weather
type

Sorted
clothing

Discussed
why we
need

Hand over
hand
support

clothing

MDE Science- Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and
nonliving things

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Making Rain Sticks
Domain: Aesthetic
Goal: Become aware of beauty in nature
Concept: Rain makes sound when the water hits surfaces. We can make our
own rain noises in the classroom.
Materials: Paper towel rolls (taped on one side), beads, sunflower seeds.
Structuring: Model how to place the small items into the tube. Cover the
open side of the tube up and show children that the tube makes a noise
when it shakes.
Immediate Objective: We can imitate sounds we hear outside.
Procedures:
- Model how to place items into the tube.
- Give each child a tube and a small bowl with the small materials.
- Allow children to place items into the tube.
- Help them cover up the open side of the tube.
-Once completed, walk to the group area and play rain sounds on the
radio. Children can play their rain sticks while the rain sounds play.
Extensions: Have the children shake the rain sticks at different speeds for
hard or soft rain.
Simplifications: Hold the tube while they place the materials inside.

Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Filled tube
w/o support

Made noise
with tube

Explored
Filled tube
rain sounds with support
after

MDE Creative: Children develop rich and rewarding aesthetic lives

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Exploring Outdoor Materials
Domain: Cognitive
Goal: Acquire scientific knowledge related to the earth sciences: weather
Concept: When it rains, materials outside get wet.
Materials: Leaves, flowers, sticks, grass, dirt, water sprayer.
Structuring: Hold materials while children sit in their seats at a table.
Immediate Objective: Some materials outside do not need shelter from
the rain. These materials get wet when it rains.
Procedures:
- Hold the materials up in front of the children.
- Ask children what they think will happen when the water hits each
material before you spray the water (Do you think the water will run
down the side, or be absorbed?)
- Ask children to make predictions and test them out.
- If the children are calm and seated, pass the materials out to them to
test.
Extensions: Have the children spray the water on the materials individually.
Allow children to further explore the materials with magnifying glasses

Simplifications: Ask the children if they think

stay dry once the water is sprayed.
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Predicted
Identified
outcome
outdoor
material

the material will get wet or

Sprayed
material
with water

Discussed
outcome

MDE Cognitive: Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to the earth.

Activity Card

Name of Activity: Salt Art Snow

Domain: Aesthetic
Goal: Recognize themselves as artists.
Concept: Snow is made up of frozen water. Snow has a different texture
than water.
Materials: Paper, watercolors, snow, paintbrushes.
Structuring: Model how to paint the watercolors over the salt to make
snow.
Immediate Objective: Snow and water have different textures. We can
imitate the texture and look of snow by adding salt to our watercolors.
Procedures:
- Model how to add salt to your watercolor painting and paint over.
- Give the children a small cup of salt and a small cup of watercolors.
- Help correct grip as needed.
- Ask children to tell you about their snow art.
Extensions: Have children draw snow landscapes behind the salt art.
Simplifications: Sprinkle the salt on the paper and have children paint over
it.

Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Salted paper
w/o support

Combined
salt and
watercolors

Talked
about their
painting

Hand over
hand

MDE Creative: Children develop rich and rewarding aesthetic lives.

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Where will the frog be protected?
Domain: Language
Goal: Use increasingly complex sentence structures: prepositions, adverbs,
and adjectives.
Concept: The frog needs shelter from weather. Where will he be safe?
Materials: Small frog and container.
Structuring: Sit with children and ask them, Where will the frog be safe?
Interact with their responses.
Immediate Objective: We can use different words to place the frog in areas
that protect him from the weather.
Procedures:
- Ask children to use words such as, above, below, next to, inside etc.
- Ask them to describe to you where the frog would be safe from
weather.
- Put the frog in various areas around or inside the container. Ask if the
frog would be protected from the weather. Would the frog be safe next
to the container?

Extensions: Have the children find other ways to protect the frog from
weather.
Simplifications: Ask children to sign, yes or no with their hands if they
think the frog would be safe in certain areas.
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Used
prepositions

Described
where the
frog would
be safe

Verbalized
thoughts

Used sign
language
yes or
no

MDE Language and Literacy- Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and
communicate ideas to others.

Activity Card
Name of Activity: Tornado in a Jar
Domain: Cognitive
Goal: Acquire scientific knowledge related to earth sciences: Weather
Concept: Tornadoes are very strong and windy. They pick up materials from
the ground and lift them towards the sky.
Materials: Jars, water, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp dish soap, outdoor materials.
Structuring: Open prepped jar and allow children to place outdoor materials
inside.
Immediate Objective: Tornadoes are a type of weather that can pick up
materials and be destructive.
Procedures:

- Ask children to place some of their materials into the jar one at a
time (grass, leaves, toy animals etc.)
- Cap the jar.
-Ask children to explain tornadoes. Tell me what you know about
tornadoes
- Ask children to make predictions of what will happen when we spin
the jar, and how it might represent a tornado.
- Spin the jar and ask children to reflect on what they see. How does
this resemble a tornado?
Extensions: Have the children record what they noticed on paper and draw
their own tornadoes.
Simplifications: First show children to tornado in a jar, then
you about what they initially thought would happen.
Assessment: Checklist.
Name
Placed items Predicted
Talked
in jar
what would
about
happen
tornadoes

ask them to tell

Reflected
what they
saw

MDE Science- Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and
nonliving things