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Archives for September 2012

Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes with Free Printable

September 10, 2012 by Mama Carmody 14 Comments

Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
with free printables

Are you ready to have fun with shapes? We are going to start out by having fun with learning activities for circles. There are so many circles all around you. The buttons on your shirt or coat may be circles. The wheels on the car or your bike are circles. What other circles do you see? Maybe you are eating something for dinner or a snack that is a circle shape. Have fun with theses activities and stories that are about circles.

Content:
Toys
Craft:
Circle Pizza
Snacks
Story Time
Music
Related Posts
Toys
What type of circle shaped toys can you find to play with today? Do you have some balls, a hula hoop, a slinky or a game of ring toss? You could play with marbles or a yo-yo (if your child is a little older). Look for circles on some of your other toys, like the wheels on your cars and trucks. A toy that I liked using with my children and with my preschool classes was Playful Patterns by Discovery Toys. When learning about circles I would just use the circles and the pictures that used circles for the children to play with. It is also a good toy for learning colors and sorting activities.

Craft
Circle Pizza Craft

Circle Pizza Craft

Materials Needed:

Materials Needed for Circle Pizza Craft
Materials Needed for Circle Pizza Craft

Circle Pizza craft page
Pepperoni craft page
White Paper
Light brown crayon
Brown crayon
Reddish brown crayon
Red paint
Paint brush or foam applicator
Hole punch
Scissors
White glue
Basil and oregano seasonings

Instructions:

1.  On white copy paper, print the circle pizza craft page and the pepperoni craft page. I printed the pizza on cardstock so it would hold up better with the paint and glue.

2.  Color the edge of the crust with the light brown crayon. (The Crayola color I used was actually called tan.)

Circle Pizza Craft: Coloring the crust.

3.  Color the pepperoni with the reddish brown crayon then cut them out. (The Crayola color was called Mahogany.)

Circle Pizza Craft: Creating the Pepperoni

4.  There is an empty area on the bottom of the pepperoni page. Use the brown crayon and color that area. Then use the hole punch to punch out sausage crumbles.

Creating Sausage for Circle Pizza Craft

5.  Cut a white piece of paper into very thin strips; to resemble shredded mozzarella cheese.

Assembling the Circle Pizza

6.   Use the paint brush or foam applicator to paint the “tomato sauce” on the pizza.

7.  Lightly sprinkle the basil and oregano and the “shredded cheese” on the wet paint. (I didn’t use glue for this part. The wet paint held everything well. I did use the handle of the foam applicator to push the “mozzarella” into the paint so it would hold better.)

Seasonings and “Cheese” on Circle Pizza

8.  Glue the pepperoni and the sausage on the pizza.

Learn about circles while doing this fun Circle Pizza craft.

9.  Now you have a wonderful Circle Pizza.

* The above craft would also work well for a lesson on the sense of smell.

** You can also use the Grape craft from Learning Activities for the Color Purple or the Blueberry Pie craft from Learning Activities for the Color Blue.

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Foods for snack or meal time

Ritz crackers or any round cracker, cut cheese into circles, sliced banana, Cheerios, make some personal pizzas with English muffins, round cookies or slice an apple through the middle for some circle shaped slices.

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Story Time

(affiliates included)

Circles (The Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
This is a wonderful book to introduce circles to any age. The text is simple and there are great illustrations of circles that we see around us every day.

Circles (Shapes) by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Reading Level: Birth – 4yrs old
A cute introduction to circles. The rhyming storyline leads you through bright illustrations of a kitten’s birthday party. There are many circles on each page to be observed, counted and enjoyed.

I See Circles (All About Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find circles in many different places. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of every day items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban (only covers circles and squares)
Reading Level: Birth to 2nd Grade
There is no storyline to this book. It is just pages and pages of pictures from the world around us. It concentrates on two shapes; circles and squares. This is a great book for introducing shapes to your child. This book could lead into a great game of finding circles right where you are.

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Music & Singing Time

Because of copyright laws I am not going to put links to songs (unless I have permission from the artist). I will give you the names of songs that I like to use and you can find them on a CD, video or YouTube to sing with your child.

Ring Around the Rosie

Mister Sun (Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun) I would always have the preschoolers make a big round circle with their arms for the sun.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars – Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
When Do Children Start Learning
The Lessons – Overview

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Filed Under: Learning Activities, Shapes Tagged With: circle, circles, educational activities, free printable, fun learning, learn, learning, learning concepts, learning fun, learning opportunities, learning shapes, love to laugh, love to laugh and learn, love to learn, making learning fun, preschool, preschool lessons, printable, shapes

Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes

September 15, 2012 by Mama Carmody 38 Comments

Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes


 
It’s time for some fun learning activities with ovals. When I was growing up we had an oval shaped swimming pool in our backyard. I enjoyed playing with Silly Putty which was stored in an oval shaped egg. What fun things do you remember doing with ovals? There are some great books listed below that are all about ovals. Be sure to take time to enjoy the craft. I would love for you to stop by my Facebook page (Love to Laugh and Learn) and share some pictures of the ways you enjoyed learning and playing with ovals.

Content:

Toys
Craft:
Abstract Picture of Circles and Ovals
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

What kinds of oval shaped toys can your child find? Can they build an oval train or car track? Are there some play food eggs in their pretend kitchen? How about some plastic Easter eggs? Get some play dough out and experiment with making balls (circles) of play dough and then squishing it slightly to turn the circles into ovals. If it’s warm out fill up some water-balloons and have a fun time in the yard. Ovals can be found everywhere? What else did you and your child find?

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Craft

Learn about the relationship between circles and ovals with this fun craft.

Abstract Picture of Circles and Ovals

Not all arts and crafts have to form a specific picture or item. Experimenting with different materials and creating your own art work can be very fun and extremely educational. In this craft your child can learn the relationship between circles and ovals while creating their own artwork.

Materials Needed:

Toilet paper tubes
Paint (as many colors as you want)
Plate
White Paper

Instructions:

1. Pour a small amount of paint out on a plate.

Preparing for abstract oval/circle painting.

 

2. Dip one end of the toilet paper tube into the paint and stamp it onto the white paper. Have your child be careful not to squish the tube for the first few “stamps”.

3. After making several circles on the paper, gently squish the toilet paper tube. If your child has trouble keeping the toilet paper roll squished into an oval you can use a rubber band to hold it in an oval shape.

You can use a rubber band to help hold the oval shape.

4. Dip it in the paint and “stamp” onto the paper. What shape are you making now?

Learn about the relationship between circles and ovals with this fun craft.

This is a very simple craft that can be used with a very young child but older children will also enjoy making their own abstract art pieces.

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Foods for snack or meal time

Boiled eggs, olives, baked potato, kiwi (if you slice it end to end), grapes, oval-shaped crackers, pumpkin seeds, cucumbers or pickles (sliced end to end)

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Story Time

I See Ovals (All about Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find ovals in many different places. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of every day items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

Ovals around Town (Shapes Around Town) by Nathan Olson
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
There are so many ovals around us. Some windows are shaped like ovals. Watermelons are shaped like ovals. The author does a wonderful job of explaining and showing the difference between a circle and an oval. I especially liked how a couple of the illustrations showed that an arch reflected in water looks like an oval. There are bright fun colors and illustrations throughout the book. You and your child will have lots of fun as you explore ovals.

Ovals (The Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
Dana Meachen Rau has a great series of little books about shapes. In this book you will see several different ovals. You might find some right in your own house. The simple text and bright pictures will give you and your child a lot to talk about. This is a great little book for introducing ovals to your child.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview

 

Filed Under: Learning Activities, Shapes Tagged With: craft, crafts, educational activities, fun learning, laugh, learn, learning, learning activities, learning crafts, learning fun, learning opportunities, learning shapes, love, love to laugh, love to laugh and learn, love to learn, making learning fun, ovals, preschool, preschool lessons

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