Swamps

CIRCLE TIME

Stick several pieces of white cardboard on a wall, at children’s level, to create a bulletin board. Throughout the week, let them draw, paint, and display fish, frogs, plants, insects, etc. Your homemade bulletin board will decorate your daycare for the duration of the theme.

CIRCLE TIME QUESTIONS

• What sound does a frog make?
• Can you name other animals that live in swamps?
• What color are frogs?
• Name things frogs can do (hop, swim, stick out their tongue).
• Where do frogs live?
• What do fish eat?
• What can we find in a lake? In a pond?
• Name other types of animals that live in water?
• Do you like rain?
• Do you know how to swim?

My froggy hat

(Open educa-decorate-Frogs) Print and cut out the items. Have children glue them on a straw hat. Let them add green straw and other nature-related accessories all over. Hide a plastic frog in your hands and secretly show it to the children in your group, without completely revealing what you are hiding before circle time. During circle time, encourage children to take turns hopping like a frog to create a wave-like succession of movement.

Poni discovers and presents-Reptiles

(Open Poni discovers and presents-Reptiles) Print, laminate, and cut out the different cards. Use them to discuss reptiles with your group. If you have a Poni puppet, use it to make this activity extra special for your group. Ask childlren to name different types of reptiles. Find a picture of each reptile and use them to identify characteristics and discuss reptile facts. Have a jar filled with jelly snakes handy as you greet children in the morning. Give each child one jelly snake.

AREA SETUP

Educa-decorate-Swamps

(Open educa-decorate-Swamps) Print, cut out, and laminate. Decorate the walls of your daycare and hang decorations from the ceiling to set the mood for the theme.

Educa-decorate-Frogs

(Open educa-decorate-Frogs) Print, cut out, and laminate. Decorate the walls of your daycare and hang decorations from the ceiling to set the mood for the theme.

Educa-decorate-Reptiles

(Open educa-decorate-Reptiles) Print, cut out, and laminate. Decorate the walls of your daycare and hang decorations from the ceiling to set the mood for the theme.

PICTURE GAME

The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with the group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game-Swamps) Print, laminate, and store in a “Ziploc” bag or in your thematic bins.

WRITING ACTIVITIES

Writing sheet

(Open writing activities-S like swamp) Print for each child or laminate and use with a dry-erase marker.

Stationery-Frogs

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

ACTIVITY SHEETS

Activity sheets are provided for each theme.  Print and follow instructions. (Open activity sheets-Frogs)

Educa-nuudles-Swamps

(Open educa-nuudles-Swamps) Print for each child. Have children color the sheet and use Magic Nuudles to give it a three-dimensional look. Variation: You don’t have Magic Nuudles? Have children fill the spaces designed for Magic Nuudles with bingo markers or stickers. To order Magic Nuudles.

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-Swamps) (Open giant word flashcards-Swamps) Cattail, lily pad, frog, seaweed, fish, heron, tadpole, mud, dragonfly, minnow, duck, fly

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS-Swamps

Construction/building blocks

• Provide only swamp-colored blocks (green, brown, gray, etc.).
• Forest animals.
• Plastic reptiles and frogs.
• Objects from nature (tree branches, pine needles, pinecones, etc.).

Arts & crafts

• Brown and green cardboard.
• Easel and poster paint children can use to paint frogs in a swamp.
• Paper plates that can be used to make frog masks.

Role play

• Pet shop: cages, aquarium, plastic plants, plastic animals, empty pet food containers, etc.
• Swamp: Use plastic plants to represent a forest or swamp. Add plastic reptiles and animal figurines.
• Costume: a safari-style outfit complete with a straw hat and binoculars.

Manipulation

• Frog-themed memory game using educatall pictures.
• Memory game, lotto game, or other board game involving frogs.
• Green and brown modeling dough that children can use to represent frogs and their habitat.
• Puzzles related to the theme.

Drawing

• Coloring pages related to the theme.
• Creative coloring activities.
• Have children draw on brown and green paper instead of white paper.
• Provide crayons that children may not normally use, such as waxed or wooden crayons.
• Stencils that can be used to draw frogs and their habitat.

Pre-reading

• Books about swamps and frogs.
• A picture book containing several pictures of frogs and aquatic animals that can be found in swamps. Old “National Geographic” magazines represent great resources.
• A poster containing pictures of frogs and reptiles displayed on a wall.

Pre-writing

• Activity sheets related to the theme.
• Connect-the-dot activities.
• Explore the letter S like swamp.

Music and motor skills

• An obstacle course throughout which children must hop like a frog.

Science

• Turn a sensory bin into a vivarium. Simply fill it with dirt, pebbles, water, tree branches, etc. Add a few plastic reptiles and let children play.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

Game-This is my spot-Swamps

(Open game-This is my spot-Swamps) Print each illustration twice. Using adhesive paper, press one copy of each illustration on the table. Add the other set of illustrations to an opaque bag. Children take turns picking an illustration to determine their spot at the table for the day. You can also use the illustrations for naptime spots or your task train.

My lily pad path

(Open lily pads) Print, laminate, and deposit the illustrations on the floor to create a path leading to various locations within the daycare. The path can lead to areas children visit regularly throughout the day such as the bathroom and the cloakroom. It may also be used to delimit various workshops.

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES

Jell-O bin

Prepare blue and green Jell-O, using a little less water than what is suggested on the package. Once it is set, cut it into cubes. Place the cubes in a few containers and add plastic frogs. Young children will love manipulating this fun texture.

Hop, hop, hop

Encourage children to hop around the room making frog sounds. Carry children who can’t walk on their own.

I croak…like a frog

Have fun imitating frog sounds (and other animal sounds). This is a great exercise for fostering language development in young children.

Gentle rain

On a hot sunny day, give each child a spray bottle filled with water and have fun spraying water on each other to cool off.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Lacing-Frogs

(Open lacing-Frogs) Print, laminate, and cut out. Punch holes where indicated and provide shoelaces, ribbon, or string that children can thread through the holes.

Fly toss

(Open fly toss) Print and laminate. Glue the giant frog on a piece of heavy cardboard and cut out its mouth. Glue the flies on the tops of frozen juice cans. Children must try to toss the flies in the frog’s mouth to feed it.

I am a frog

Give each child a party horn (one that unrolls when you blow in it). Glue a piece of Velcro on the end of each child’s horn and on several small insect pictures. Children pretend they are frogs. They blow their horn and try to catch the insects.

Lily pad path

(Open numbered lily pads) Print and laminate the lily pads. Arrange them on the floor to create a path and encourage children to hop from one lily pad to the next, in numerical order. If you wish, you can also print two copies of each lily pad to organize a race. Divide your group into two teams and see which team reaches the end of its path first. Have fun using the lily pads to count backwards too. These lily pads can also be used for a game of frog-themed muscial chairs. Children simply walk around the lily pads to the sound of music. When the music stops, they must quickly find a lily pad to sit on.

Frog hop

Provide jumping ropes and invite children to hop like frogs.

Miraculous catch

Attach a cord to the end of a broomstick. Tie the opposite end around a clothespin. Position yourself behind a large piece of furniture and have fun attaching paper fish or treats to the fishing line.

Swamp jumping

Set a blue or green blanket or piece of cardboard on the floor to represent a swamp. Invite children to jump over the swamp.

Raindrops

Set a hula hoop on the floor for each child. The hula hoops will represent puddles. Tell children they are tiny raindrops. Encourage them to hop from puddle to puddle as if they were splashing in them.

I am a frog

Invite children to pretend they are frogs. Have them perform various frog actions such as swimming, hopping, sticking out their tongue, etc.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Let’s get wet!

On a hot rainy day, go for a short walk with your group. Touch the rain, ask children if it feels warm or cool, help them notice the color of the sky, the shapes of the clouds, etc. Set buckets in your yard and observe how quickly they fill up with water. Hop in puddles, search for worms, etc.

Frog-filled pond

Set your hose in your sandbox to make mud. Add plastic frogs, snakes, and other reptiles. Let children play in their very own pond.

Big fish, little fish

Cut several different sizes of fish out of construction paper or cardboard. (Open models-Fish) Slide a paperclip on each fish to represent its mouth. Attach a magnet to the end of a string and wrap the other end around a stick to create a fishing rod. Set two baskets on the floor: one for big fish and one for small fish. Children take turns catching a fish and dropping it in the correct basket.

Frog long jump

Organize a long jump competition in your sandbox. Children must stand at one end of the sandbox and execute one big frog jump, as far forward as they can. Mark and measure the distance covered by each child.

Giant lily pads

Set hula hoops (lily pads) on the floor and invite chidren to hop in the hula hoops, like frogs. You may also hold hula hoops vertically and invite children to pretend to swim through them like frogs.

Miniature frog pond

Set a kiddie pool on the floor and add a variety of plastic frogs (different sizes and colors). Let children manipulate them.

ACTIVITIES INVOLVING PARENTS

Thematic bag

Prepare a special thematic bag containing a frog puppet and a frog storybook. Send the bag home with a different child at the end of each day and encourage parents to read the story to their child as he or she plays with the puppet. Your thematic bag could also contain two copies of the theme’s picture game. Families can use them for a memory game.

Green like a frog

Ask parents to prepare a list of green things with their child. Compare the lists during circle time the next day.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Scene-Swamps

(Open scene-Swamps) Print, laminate, and cut out the items. Children can use them to decorate the scene.

Educ-math-Frogs

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

Magnifying glass game-Frogs

(Open magnifying glass game-Frogs) Print and laminate the board game and the cards. Cut them out and store them in a box or in a Ziploc bag. Children pick a card and search for the item on the board game, using a magnifying glass. Once they have found the item, they deposit it in the correct square, on the board game.

Educ-math-Swamps

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

What’s missing?

Arrange several swamp-related items on a table and invite children to observe them closely for a few minutes. Set a blanket on top of the items and remove one. Pull the blanket off and ask children to identify the missing item.

Educ-Big and small-Frogs

(Open educ-big and small-Frogs) Print and laminate the game. Children must arrange the cards in the squares in the correct order, from smallest to biggest.

Hunt and seek-Frogs

(Open hunt and seek-Frogs) Print and laminate. Children pick a card and search for the item in the scene.

Puzzles-Frogs

(Open puzzles-Frogs) Print and laminate. Children must arrange the pieces to complete the scenes.

Which frog is missing?

Arrange several plastic frogs on a table and invite children to observe them closely for a few minutes. Set a blanket on top of the frogs and remove one. Pull the blanket off and ask children to identify the missing frog.

RELAXATION ACTIVITIES

Let’s relax

Play music that contains water sounds, for example waves or a rippling stream.

Silent fish

Play the silent game. When you give the signal, everyone must stop talking and be silent, like fish in water. When a child makes a sound, he is eliminated. Keep playing until all the children in your group have spoken or made a sound.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Rowboats

Ask your grocer for a few cardboard boxes. Have children decorate them to represent rowboats. Give them each a fishing rod (stick with a string and a magnet attached to the end of it). They will have fun sitting in their rowboats and fishing for paper fish that have a paperclip attached to one end.

I croak…like a frog

Have fun imitating frog sounds (and other animal sounds). This is a great exercise for fostering language development in young children.

Frog pond

Fill a sensory bin with water, pebbles, sand, plastic plants, etc. Add lily pads (cut out of Fun Foams) and plastic frogs.

Insect hunt

Cook spaghetti pasta in a large pot and add a few drops of green food coloring to the water. Drain the water and set the cooked pasta in a large container. Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to create a gooey texture. Hide plastic insects among the pasta. Children must use their hands to find the insects.

What floats?

This activity is perfect for a hot summer day. Collect several objects, some that will float and others that will sink. Encourage children to guess if each one will float before dropping it in a container filled with water.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

Swamp snack

Prepare small bowls of green and blue Jell-O. Add small jelly frogs and fish to each bowl before the preparation sets. Serve as an afternoon snack.

Edible lily pads

Give each child an English muffin and have children spread blue cream cheese all over it (simply add a few drops of blue food coloring to the cream cheese) to represent a swamp. Next, children can press two or three slices of cucumber or zucchini on the cream cheese arranging them to represent lily pads. Finally, provide jelly frogs they can use to complete their edible lily pads.

Frog drink

For each child, add a scoop of lime sherbet or mint ice cream to a tall glass. Pour 7-Up in the glass and add two raisins (or candy pieces) to represent frog eyes.

Frog legs

Serve frog legs at lunch time.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Swamps

(Open models-marsh animals) Print and cut out the various models. Children can use them to trace and paint swamp elements.

Our swamp

(Open models-marsh animals) Print several models. You will need a large paper banner or several pieces of cardboard that you can string together. Display your banner on a wall. Provide a wide range of arts & crafts materials and accessories that children can use to represent a swamp: strips of green construction paper, aquatic plants, blue paint for the water, brown poster paint for mud, multicolored Fun Foam (fish), yarn, tissue paper, etc.

Stained glass fish

Grate old waxed crayons, dividing colors. Let children drop wax shavings on a piece of waxed paper. Set a second piece of waxed paper on top and use an iron (low heat) to seal both pieces. Cut a fish shape out of the waxed paper and hang it in a sunny window.

My frog

Give each child a paper plate. Have them paint the back of their plate green and the other side red. Once the paint is dry, fold the plate in half so that the red portion is on the inside. Glue two large eyes on the top and draw two black dots to represent a nose. Add a red construction paper tongue.

Frog mask

Give each child a paper plate and cut an opening near the bottom to represent a mouth. Let children decorate their frog as they wish, but encourage them to draw a mouth outline around the opening. Attach a piece of elastic or string on either side of each child’s mask so that you can tie it behind their head. Insert a party horn in the opening. When children wear their mask, they can blow their party horn to unroll it and represent a frog tongue.

Mosaic frog

(Open models-Frogs) Print for each child. Cut scraps of tissue paper into tiny pieces. Ask children to glue them all over a frog model using white glue or a glue stick. Let dry and display.

Mandalas-Frogs

(Open mandalas-Frogs) Print for each child. Have children color the mandalas to help them calm down during certain periods.

Puppets-Frogs

(Open puppets-Frogs) Print. Let children choose and color their puppet. Glue a Popsicle stick behind each frog and encourage children to use their frog puppet to invent stories.

Painted frogs

Set up easels and provide poster paint. Invite children to paint frogs, swamps, lily pads, etc.

Lily pads

(Open models-Lily pads) Print. Encourage children to practice their cutting skills by cutting out a series of lily pads.

COLORING PAGES

(Open coloring pages theme-Swamps) Print for each child.

Creative coloring

(Open creative coloring-Swamps) Print for each child. Have children draw the missing elements.

Open creative coloring-Frogs

(Open creative coloring-Frogs) Print for each child. Have children draw the missing elements.

SONGS & RHYMES

(Open songs & rhymes-Swamps)

By: Patricia Morrison - Sung to: Row, row, row your boat

Swamps

Croak, croak, croak, I hear

In the swamp water

It’s a frog, it’s a frog, it’s a frog, it’s a frog

A huge bullfrog in fact

Eyes, eyes, eyes, I see

In the swamp water

A gator, a gator, a gator, a gator

If you’re too close it’ll snap

Have fun!

The educatall team