I am a student teacher and have to do my lead day with a "dairy theme", I have some ideas but it is a hard theme! Any suggestions would be helpful such as books, dramatic play, art, center ideas, sensory ect. Only serious suggestions please- I thought I could tye in farm stuff.
Sarah
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For sensory, if you mix cornstarch with water it looks like milk. You add just enough cornstarch to turn the water white. For example, a gallon of water to 1/4 of corn starch. This is good cause it won't spoil (ofcourse you would make a new batch at least every other day, usually every day thats what I do), and to avoid and dairy allergies.
You could put a picture of a cow from a magazine (a real photo) on the art easel or on the table and ask the children to try to paint or draw a cow. They may use the picture(s) for reference if they chose. Encourage them to think about where the cow lives and its different surroundings.
You could ask parents to donate paper milk cartons, and rinse them out VERY well. Then each child could decorate their own milk carton. It might be good to cover them all with white butcher paper so they have a "clean slate" to work on.
Anonymous
Have one of the centers be a butter making center. It is really easy. Buy some heavy cream and place it in a jar. As each child comes to the center, they have to shake the jar as hard and as long as they can. By the time everyone has had a turn, you can empty the jar and you will have a big clump of butter in the middle of the liquid. Drain off the liquid and use the butter for biscuits or toast during snack time. For art, they could paint a cow picture using sponges. Find or draw a large picture of a cow with no spots. Copy it on white paper and give them small sponges and brown and black paint. They can put the spots on the cow. You could also so "milk" bubble art. Use black construction paper and white tempera paint (add a little water so it will flow). Each child is given a straw and they use it to blow drops of paint around on their paper. It is a pretty cool effect. You can find tons of children's books on this topic, try searching amazon.com to get some ideas. For role play, you could do the "Farmer and the Dell" song and have straw hats or aprons or toy animals or overalls, etc for props. Goodwill is agood place to look, especially now after halloween. Good luck and I hope some of these ideas help!
Secret Agent
As a preschool teacher, I have done this with great results & wonder in each child's face. Take whipping (heavy) cream, fill a baby food jar about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Shake the jar, as the cream moves around (similar to the churning effect) the cream will turn into a small ball of butter. Pour off the excess liquid & enjoy. We actually "made butter" for our class Thanksgiving dinner & the children were so proud to serve it to their parents!
laura
As an owner/operator of a daycare centre....you've got to check out the dairy farmers of ontario- they will send you free resources. They also have other resources that are at a minimal fee. As a field trip...you can also look into visiting a local farm for a tour. When I was teaching....the kids really loved it! Good luck!
Telina_26
There are some good lesson plans here:
http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/educators/lessons/lessons-glance/lessons-prek.asp
In particular - Five Dairy Cows & A Dairy Day Treat