Marine transportation

AREA SETUP
(Open thematic poster-Marine transportation) Print, laminate, and display all kinds of posters.

Educa-decorate-Marine transportation
(Open educa-decorate-Marine transportation) Print, cut out, and laminate. Use the items to decorate the walls of your daycare and set the mood for the theme.

Educa-decorate-Means of transportation
(Open educa-decorate-Means of transportation) Print, cut out, and laminate. Use the items to decorate the walls of your daycare and set the mood for the theme.

Educa-theme-Marine transportation
(Open educa-theme-Marine transportation) Print and laminate the items that represent the theme. Use them to introduce your group (and parents) to your theme while decorating a corner of your daycare.

Garland-Marine transportation
(Open garland-Marine transportation) Print. Let children decorate the items. Cut them out and thread them onto a ribbon to create a garland. Hang your garland within your daycare or close to your daycare entrance.

Garland-Means of transportation
(Open garland-Means of transportation) Print. Let children decorate the items. Cut them out and thread them onto a ribbon to create a garland. Hang your garland within your daycare or close to your daycare entrance.

SPECIAL TOOL

This special tool was created in response to a special request received. (Open group identification-Sailors) Print, laminate, and use the various items to identify children's belongings and decorate your daycare.

CIRCLE TIME

Set a blanket on the floor to represent a boat. Explain to your group how the area surrounding the blanket is water. If you wish, hold a spray bottle filled with water in your hands. Whenever a child touches the floor around the blanket, spray him/her.

Suggestions to spark a conversation and introduce the theme:

• Ask children to name means of transportation that can be seen in rivers, oceans, and lakes.
• Invite children to reproduce the sounds and sirens associated with various means of transportation.
• Present several pictures representing different forms of marine transportation. Encourage children to identify the one they prefer and explain their choice.
• Invite children to name different means of transportation used by their family members.

PICTURE GAME

(Open picture game-Marine transportation) Use the pictures to decorate your daycare or to spark a conversation with your group. Print, laminate, and store the pictures in a Ziploc bag or in your thematic bin.

ACTIVITY SHEETS
(Open activity sheets-Marine transportation) (Open activity sheets-Means of transportation) Print and follow instructions.

WRITING ACTIVITIES
(Open writing activities-B like boat) (Open writing activities-K like kayak) (Open writing activities-C like canoe) (Open writing activities-F like ferry) Print for each child or laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Stationery-Marine transportation
(Open stationery-Marine transportation) Print. Use the stationery to communicate with parents, in your writing corner, or to identify your thematic bins.

Educa-nuudles-Marine transportation

(Open educa-nuudles-Marine transportation) Print for each child. Have children color the sheet. Once they are done, they may use Magic Nuudles to turn the coloring pages into three dimensional works of art. Variation: If you do not have Magic Nuudles, ask children to fill the spaces designed for the Magic Nuudles with bingo markers or stickers. To order Magic Nuudles

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS

Construction/building blocks:

• All toys representing various means of transportation.
• Empty cardboard tubes (toilet paper, wrapping paper, paper towels, etc.) for making tunnels.
• Cut the ends off several empty 2-litre soda bottles and stick them together to create one big tunnel.
• A flexible dryer hose can also represent a tunnel.
• A toy car play mat. You can also use colourful electrical tape to draw your own road network on the floor and walls. String works well too.
• Transform your area to make it look like a construction site by adding tractors, dump trucks, cranes, etc. You can also fill a kiddie pool with sand and let children play in it indoors.
• Decorate your area with pictures related to the theme.

Arts & crafts/Drawing:

• Decorate your area with pictures of cars and boats (old calendars) for inspiration.
• Stencils representing various means of transportation.
• Light blue (sky), brown or black (ground), and dark blue (water) construction paper. Children can draw or glue their favorite means of transportation on the water, on the ground, or in the sky.
• Toy cars and paint. Children will enjoy rolling the cars through the paint and then on construction paper. Encourage them to repeat with different vehicles and compare the tracks left on the paper.
• Cardboard, recycled materials, and plenty of imagination for creating reduced models of various forms of marine transportation.

Role play:

• Transform your area to represent an airplane, a train, or a boat.

• Transform your area to represent a garage. You will need work clothes, gloves, different types of tools, and, if possible, an old tire and wheel.

Manipulation:

• A memory game using educatall.com pictures related to the theme.
• A memory game, a lotto game, or other board games related to the theme.
• Modeling dough along with cookie cutters representing boats and other forms of marine transportation.
• Puzzles related to the theme.

Reading/relaxation:

• Books about means of transportation and related professions.
• Cars book and CD sets.
• Cars movie.
• A picture book showing various means of transportation being used as part of daily life.
• A felt board with three distinct sections (land, water, air) and different means of transportation cut out of felt that can be associated with the correct section.

Music/motor skills:

• An obstacle course children must complete while holding a steering wheel (paper plate) in their hands.
• Associate sounds to the correct means of transportation.

Sensory bins:

• Water table: toy boats, toy trucks, and other items that will either sink or float. Encourage children to formulate hypotheses before adding the items.
• Sand table: Children will love to manipulate toy cars or other means of transportation.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Word flashcards
Use the flashcards to spark a conversation with your group, in your reading and writing corner, or to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Marine transportation) (Open giant word flashcards-Marine transportation)

Print. boat, canoe, rowboat, paddle, kayak, ferry, cargo, aircraft carrier, cruise ship, oil tanker, towing vessel, sailboat (Open word flashcards-Means of transportation) (Open giant word flashcards-Means of transportation) Print. airplane, train, boat, car, bus, bicycle, taxi, subway, helicopter, motorcycle, hot air balloon, truck

Let's chat
(Open word flashcards-Marine transportation) Print and laminate the word flashcards. Have each child pick a word flashcard. They can take turns presenting the corresponding word/item to the group. Let children share what they know about each item. Ask them questions to spark a conversation.

Sequential story
(Open sequential story-Raise your sails) Print and laminate the illustrations. Children must place them in the correct order.

Scene-On the water
(Open scene-On the water) Print, laminate, and cut out the pieces. Children use the items to decorate the scene.

Picture clue story-Travels
(Open picture clue story-Travels) Print. Sit in a circle with your group. Begin reading the picture clue story. Every time you reach a picture clue, pause to give children the chance to guess the missing word represented by the picture.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

Game-This is my spot-Marine transportation
(Open Game-This is my spot-Marine transportation) Print two copies. Laminate and cut out the cards. Glue one copy of each card on the table using adhesive paper. Drop the other copies in a bag. Children take turns picking a card to determine their spot at the table for the day. You may also use the cards to determine naptime spots or for your task train.

My path on water
(Open my path on water) Print, laminate, and arrange the illustrations on the floor to create a path that leads to areas children visit regularly throughout the day such as the bathroom, the cloakroom, etc. If you prefer, use the illustrations to delimit your various workshops.

Clean hands bin
Fill a bin with a variety of games and activities related to the theme to keep children busy after handwashing. The only rule: children's hands must be clean if they wish to manipulate the contents of the bin.

They're calling your number
Stick a picture or a number behind each chair, making sure you have a copy of each one in your hands. At lunch or snack time, call children one by one like in a bus station, a port, or a train station. Have them pick a number or picture they can use to determine their spot at the table.

MUSICAL AND RHYTHMIC ACTIVITIES

Mattress canoes
Children sit in groups of two or three on naptime mattresses. Play music. Children hold either side of their mattress and sway from side to side to the sound of the music as if they were sitting in a canoe.

Motor sounds
Invite children to imitate the sound of a train, a boat, an airplane, a truck, and a car. Don't forget sirens too! Children love this activity.

Means of transporation
Have children listen to recordings representing various means of transportation and encourage them to identify them. You can provide pictures to help children make associations.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND MOTOR SKILLS

Lacing-Marine transportation
(Open lacing-Marine transportation) Print, laminate, and punch holes around the contour of each shape. Children can thread a string, a shoelace, or ribbon through the holes.

The raft
Two or three children sit on a raft (pieces of newspaper on the floor). They are shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. When you give the signal, the other children pretend they are sharks. They must tear the newspaper all the way around the raft until there is nothing left.

Ships in the fog
Divide your group into two teams. Select one child from each team who will be the captain. He or she stands on a starting line (the port). The other children stand blindfolded in front of their captain, holding their teammates by the shoulders to represent a ship. Each captain must direct his or her ship using only verbal instructions. Which ship will reach the port first?

Lacing-Means of transportation
(Open lacing-Means of transportation) Print, laminate, and punch holes around the contour of each shape. Children can thread a string, a shoelace, or ribbon through the holes.

Tiny engine game
Have each child place a sponge (tiny engine) on his/her head. Have them start their engine (begin walking). If a child's engine falls off, he/she must stop and wait for a friend to pick it up (without letting his/her own engine fall). Both children can then take off again, each with their own engine on their head. Children may never pick up their own engine. This game helps build skills required for teamwork.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

To move about, I use...
Have children stand on a line at one end of the yard. Invite them to suggest various means of transportation. For example, if one child suggests an airplane, children briefly move towards you with their arms extended to imitate an airplane. Have them act out each suggested means of transportation.

Fishing trip
Use large cardboard boxes to represent rowboats. Let children paint them. Set the rowboats on a large piece of blue plastic. Encourage children to sit in their rowboat and use swimming pool noodles as oars. If they wish, they can set a tackle box inside their rowboat to make the activity seem real.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Educ-same and different-Means of transportation
(Open educ-same and different-Means of transportation) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must circle the illustration that is different in each row.

Educ-math-Marine transportation
(Open educ-math-Marine transportation) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must count the objects in each rectangle and circle the corresponding number.

Educ-shadows-Means of transportation
(Open educ-shadows-Means of transportation) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must draw a line to the shadow which corresponds to each illustration using a dry-erase marker.

Educ-trace-Marine transportation
(Open educ-trace-Marine transportation) Print for each child. Children must trace the lines using a crayon of the corresponding color and then color the item at the end of each line using the same color.

Educ-colors-Marine transportation
(Open educ-colors-Marine transportation) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. If you prefer, print the document for each child. Children must associate each item to the corresponding color by drawing a line between the two using a crayon of the same color.

Puzzles-Means of transportation
(Open puzzles-Means of transportation) Print, laminate, and cut out the pieces. Children must place the pieces correctly to recreate the scenes.

Magnifying glass game-Travels
(Open magnifying glass game-Travels) Print. Laminate the board game and cards. Cut out the cards and deposit them in a box or bag. Children pick a card and search for the item on the board game, using a magnifying glass. Once they have found the matching item, they set the card in the corresponding square, on the board game.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Dress-up dolls-The ship's captain
(Open dress-up dolls-The ship's captain) Print and laminate. Leave the clothing items and doll on a table in your manipulation area. Children will enjoy dressing the doll.

I travel by...
Invite children to bring an item representing a means of transportation from home. Encourage them to present their item to the group. Compare the items with the children in your group. Try to identify similarities and differences. Discuss the color and size of each item too.

A very long trip (mime game)
Invent a story in which you are going on a very long trip with your group. Pretend to use many different means of transportation, acting out each one. Begin your trip with a pretend car ride to the airport (children can pretend they are driving). Get on a pretend plane next before riding a bus or pedaling a bicycle to your hotel. Afterwards, travel back to your starting point, using the same means of transportation, but in reverse order.

EARLY SCIENCE/MANIPULATION/EXPLORATION

I can float like a boat
Fill a very large bin with water. Gather several different objects, making sure that some of them will float while the others will sink. Before depositing each item in the bin, ask children if they think they will float or sink. Jot down their observations.

Boat race
For this activity, you will need empty milk jugs or cartons. Cut the top off of each one and keep only the bottom sections (approximately 3 inches high). Let children decorate the boats and set figurines (passengers) inside. Fill a kiddie pool or large bin with water and set the boats inside. Provide spoons children can use to create waves in the water to make the boats move forward.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

Food item of the week-Grapefruit
(Open educ-poster-Grapefruit) Print and laminate the cards. Use them to present the food item to your group. They will enjoy discovering different forms of everyday foods. Display the cards in your kitchen area or next to the table where children eat.

Citrus boat
Cut several oranges and grapefruit in half. Help children scrape out the fruit. Once the fruit halves are completely emptied, fill them with prepared Jell-O and place them in the fridge until they are set. When the Jell-O is ready, insert a toothpick and a tiny flag (piece of cheese) inside each fruit half. Serve the citrus boats at snack time or for dessert.

My submarine
At lunch time, give each child a submarine bun. Set a platter filled with different types of cold cuts and sliced vegetables in the centre of the table. Help children prepare their submarine for lunch.

Sailboat sandwich
Prepare sandwiches and cut each one into four triangles. You will need many 1 cm-thick apple slices. Place a ¼ sandwich on top of each apple slice to represent sailboats.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Models-Marine transportation
(Open models-Marine transportation) Print as many copies as you need. Use the models for various projects and activities throughout the theme.

Models-Means of transportation
(Open models-Means of transportation) Print as many copies as you need. Use the models for various projects and activities throughout the theme.

Puppets-Marine transportation
(Open puppets-Marine transportation) Print the models on heavy cardboard. Let children cut out and decorate their puppet using a variety of arts & crafts materials. Stick a Popsicle stick behind each puppet.

Puppets-Means of transportation
(Open puppets-Means of transportation) Print the models on heavy cardboard. Let children cut out and decorate their puppet using a variety of arts & crafts materials. Stick a Popsicle stick behind each puppet.

Foam boat
Have children cut boat shapes out of Styrofoam plates. Glue a Popsicle stick in the centre of each boat and add a construction paper sail.

My full boat
(Open models-Marine transportation) Print a boat for each child. Have children fill their boat outline with dry pasta, necklace beads, glitter, etc.

My tickets
(Open models-transportation tickets) Print several copies and have children color and cut out the tickets. Use the tickets for various activities throughout the theme.

Stencils-Means of transportation
(Open stencils-Means of transportation) Print and cut out the stencils. Children can use them to trace and paint items related to the theme.

Our imaginary means of transportation
Hang a large white paper banner on a wall within your daycare. As a group, create an imaginary means of transportation using crayons, magazine clippings, arts & crafts materials, etc.

Miniature sailboats
For each child, you will need a walnut half (if a child in your group is allergic to nuts, use Minigo containers). Fill the walnut halves with modeling dough and insert a toothpick. Cut a tiny square out of white paper for each child. Invite children to draw on the squares. When they are done, glue a square on each toothpick to represent a sail.
Note: If you use walnut halves for this activity, your miniature sailboats will float on water.

My marine transportation
Give each child a cardboard box that is big enough for him/her to sit inside. Encourage children to decorate the box to represent a sailboat, a ship, a canoe, etc.

COLORING PAGES

Complete the drawing-Marine transportation
(Open complete the drawing-Marine transportation) Print for each child. Have them complete the picture by drawing the missing items.

I am learning to draw-A boat
(Open I am learning to draw-A boat) Print and laminate the model sheet. Encourage children to practice their drawing technique on the model sheet. When they are ready, they can try to draw a boat on their own.

Coloring pages-Marine transportation
(Open coloring pages theme-Marine transportation) Print for each child.

SONGS & RHYMES

(Open songs & rhymes-Marine transportation)

By: Patricia Morrison Sung to: I'm a little teapot

Tiny sailboat

The oh so tiny sailboat
Rides the waves
Here is its mast
Here is its sail
When the wind is blowing
It sails away
Out into the ocean
Far, far away

Have fun

The Educatall team