Vacations

AREA SETUP
(Open thematic poster-Vacations) Print, laminate, and decorate the walls of your daycare with all kinds of posters.

Decorations
(Open educa-decorate-Vacations) Print, cut out, and laminate. Use the illustrations to decorate the walls of your daycare and to set the mood for the theme.

CIRCLE TIME

Each morning, invite children to pretend they are sitting in a bus, a car, an airplaine... or even on a boat. Line up chairs and give each child a chance to be the driver/pilot/captain. If you choose to travel by boat, have children sit on a blanket and explain to them that the floor is water. Using a small spray bottle, spray the children in your group. Pretend to visit a different country or location with them. Fill a suitcase with a variety of items which represent your destination. Open the suitcase and let each child select an item and present it to the group. Discuss.

Poni on vacation
(Open Poni-Vacation) Print and laminate. Use Poni to introduce your daily destination.

SPECIAL TOOL

This special tool was created in response to a special request received. Print and display. (Open diploma-I can write my name)

PICTURE GAME

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

WRITING ACTIVITIES

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

Stationery-Vacations
Stationery is offered with each theme. Use it to communicate with parents, in your writing area, or to identify your thematic bins. (Open stationery-Vacations) Print.

Educa-nuudles-Vacations
(Open educa-nuudles-Vacations) 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

ACTIVITY SHEETS

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

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS

Have fun with these wonderful workshop ideas provided by Caroline Allard.

Construction/building blocks:

• This is the perfect theme to include anything related to means of transportation.
• Add cardboard tubes (paper towels, wrapping paper, etc.) which can be used to make tunnels.
• Create a long tunnel using several 2-litre soft drink bottles. Simply cut the ends off and stick them together. Flexible tubing from a dryer can also make an excellent tunnel.
• Lay a play mat for tiny cars on the floor or draw streets using colourful adhesive tape (you can even draw streets on the walls). If you prefer, use string to trace streets and move them around each day.
• Display posters of people from different countries and a world map.

Arts & crafts:

• Decorate your arts & crafts area with pictures of cars, trains, planes, and people from around the world. They will inspire children for their various projects.
• Means of transportation stencils.
• Tiny toy cars and paint. Simply roll the cards in the paint and then on construction paper. Repeat with trucks and compare the prints.
• Cardboard, recycled materials, and plenty of imagination can be used to invent an original means of transportation, one children would like to use for their next vacation.
• A world map which can be decorated.
• Maps of various regions and countries.
• Invite children to use recycled materials to reproduce something they visited while on vacation (or a place they would like to travel to).

Role play:

• Transform your role play area to make it look like an airplane, a train, a boat... just follow your imagination! A few chairs and a few decorations are all you need. Children will have fun for hours! You may choose to add a few clothing items which can be used to dress up as a captain, a pilot, etc. Display the word flashcards in this area. Encourage children to pick a destination and decorate accordingly.
• Transform your role play area to make it look like a beach. Include an umbrella, a tiny pool filled with sand, bathing suits, beach towels, sunscreen, sun hats, sunglasses, etc.

Manipulation:

• Memory game with educatall picture games related to vacations.
• Memory game, lotto game, or other games related to means of transportation and travelling.
• Green and brown modeling dough which can be used to sculpt cactuses or palm trees.
• Car, truck, plane, and train puzzles.
• Puzzles representing various vacation scenes.

Drawing:

• Coloring pages related to the theme.
• Creative coloring activity.
• Offer colourful paper instead of plain white paper.
• Make crayons which are not used every day available (waxed crayons or wooden pencils).
• Let children color on maps.

Pre-reading:

• Books about means of transportation.
• Books about travelling and vacations.
• Travel and tourism guides with pretty pictures.
• A movie about a trip (Dora for example).
• A picture book showing people in action.
• A map of the world to decorate your area.
• Headphones and music from around the world.

Pre-writing:

• Activity sheets.
• Mazes.
• Connect the dots activities.
• Explore the letter V like vacation.

Music and motor skills:

• Create an obstacle course children must complete while holding a paper plate and pretending to drive, with their hands in the air and pretending to fly, or while making train sounds. Display pictures or objects from different countries throughout the obstacle course.
• Play a game of "I am going on vacation and I am packing..."

Early science:

• Make paper airplanes.
• Can you make a boat that will really float on water?

Kitchen:

• Introduce children to recipes from around the world (and accessories).
• Prepare a variety of tropical drinks... complete with little umbrellas and orange or pineapple slices.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Story and memory game-Vacations
(Open story and memory game-Vacations) Print, cut out, and laminate the pictures. Place them face down on the floor and invite children to pick three cards and invent a story related to the pictures. Variation: Print two copies and use the pictures as a memory game.

Picture clue story
(Open picture clue story-Vacations) Print. Sit in a circle with your group and begin reading the story. Pause each time you reach a picture clue to give children the chance to "read" the missing words.

Word flashcards

Use the word flashcards to spark a conversation with your group, in your reading and writing corner, or to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Vacations) (Open giant word flashcards-Vacations) Sun, sand, sandcastle, airplane, swimming pool, train, bus, umbrella, water slide, suitcase, tent, travel trailer.

ROUTINE AND TRANSITION ACTIVITIES

Game-This is my spot-Vacations
(Open game-This is my spot-Vacations) 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 sun path
(Open my sun path) Print, laminate, and secure the illustrations on the floor to create a path which leads to the areas children frequently visit in your daycare such as the bathroom and the cloakroom. If you prefer, use the illustrations to delimit your various workshops.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Suitcase race
Fill two suitcases with exactly the same number of items and divide your group into two teams. The first player from each team must run to his team's suitcase, grab an item, and hand it to the next player. The second player must put the clothing item on, run to the suitcase, grab an item, and run to give it to the third player and so on.

At the train station
You will need four areas which can be outlined using ropes or hula hoops. The four areas will represent train stations and children will be passengers. The leader of the game is the train station chief. He/she says, "Passengers, go to another train station." Children then quickly run to another area (train station). During the change, the train station chief must try to touch the passengers. Each passenger he/she touches will be a train station chief for the next round. The game ends when there are no more passengers to catch.

I am piloting the plane
Play fast-paced music. Let children move around like airplanes. Show them how they can step up onto their toes and then back down onto their heels. Start the engine and spin around a few times. Spread your arms out to your sides and encourage children to fly around the daycare.

Vacation obstacle course
Set up an obstacle course which represents various means of transportation which can be used to go on vacation. Have children travel through a tunnel (like a train), walk on a balance beam (which can represent the wings of an airplane), etc.

Diving
Spread a large blanket on the ground and hide summertime objects under it. Deposit a large box nearby. It will represent your treasure chest. Invite children to dive under the blanket to find the objects and deposit them in the treasure chest.

Sun dance
Stand in a circle with your group and deposit a hula hoop in the centre. The hula hoop will represent the sun. Children take turns inventing a sun dance. Encourage children to try their friends' dances.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Special Day-Poni on vacation

I travel
(Open Poni passport) Print for each child. Children must stamp their passport at each stop during their vacation. Organize a variety of workshops in your backyard. For each workshop, find a special stamp.

At the beach: Add a variety of beach accessories to your sandbox and play tropical music.
On a picnic: Set up a picnic table, plastic dishes, plastic food items, a checkered tablecloth, etc.

Camping: Set up a tent and add sleeping bags, air mattresses, and a pretend campfire.

At the swimming pool: Fill a small swimming pool with water and add beach towels, bathing suits, swimming goggles, a scuba mask, flippers, a ball, etc.

At the cottage: Collect a few large appliance boxes and use them to set up several individual cottages. Add an inflatable canoe, oars, plastic insects, butterfly nets, etc.

A day at the beach
Pretend you are going to the beach with your group. Call upon children's imagination. Search for the best spot to set your beach towel, play ball, go for a swim, lie in the sun, etc.

Treasure hunt in the sand
Choose an object with your group. Designate a child to hide the object in your sandbox. When he is done, invite the other children to search for it. The child who finds the object will be the next to hide it. Variation: Paint pebbles with gold paint with your group. Once dry, hide them in the sand. Search for gold. You can also provide sieves.

ACTIVITIES INVOLVING PARENTS

Postcards
Ask parents and grandparents to give you postcards they have lying around the house. Laminate them and display them on a wall or on a table using adhesive paper.

Vacation scrapbook
Ask parents to share vacation photos with you (or simply use pictures found in travel magazines). Cut them and glue them on scrapbooking paper.

My vacation map
Display a world map on a wall near your daycare entrance. Invite parents to indicate, with a colourful sticker, the destinations they have visited with their child.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Color by number-Vacations
(Open color by number-Vacations) Print for each child. Children must color the picture according to the color code.

Educ-trace-Vacations
(Open educ-trace-Vacations) Print for each child. Children must trace the lines using the correct color and then color the object at the end of the dotted line using the corresponding color.

Bingo-Vacations
(Open bingo-Vacations) Play bingo with the children in your group, parents, and grandparents. Print, laminate, and store in a small box or Ziploc bag.

Magnifying glass game-Vacations
(Open magnifying glass game-Vacations) Print and laminate the board game and playing cards. Cut them out and store 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 an item, they deposit the card in the corresponding box.

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

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

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

What's missing?
Fill a suitcase with a variety of items related to vacations. Open the suitcase and show children its content for a few minutes. Close the suitcase and discreetly remove an item. Open the suitcase again and ask children to identify the missing item.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Postcard
(Open models-postcard) Print for each child. Glue both parts back to back. Invite children to draw the country they enjoyed visiting most during the theme. Have them glue a flag of the country on their postcard. Mail each child's postcard to his/her house. They will be surprised to receive it in the mail!

Vacation photos
(Open model-camera) Print the model. Trace it on heavy cardboard and cut it out. Each child will have his own camera. They can take turns pretending to be photographers. The other children can dress up with costumes which represent various countries and destinations (a sombrero for Mexico for example) and strike poses for the photographer.

I am planning my next vacation
Provide several travel magazines. Children cut out pictures of activities and places they are interested in and choose their next destination. Have each child present his dream vacation to the rest of the group.

EARLY SCIENCE

Creative recipe-Colourful sand (Open creative recipe-Colourful sand)

Ingredients:

• Fine sand
  
• Water
  
• Food coloring
  
• Metal or glass bowls

Steps:

1. Divide the sand among the bowls to create different colors.
2. Add water to each bowl, enough to cover the sand.
3. Add enough food coloring to obtain the desired color.
4. Mix and set aside for 12 to 24 hours.
5. Remove excess water.
6. Spread the sand on paper towels and let dry.
7. Use the sand for various crafts and projects.

The ocean in a bottle
Pour sand in an empty 2-litre soft drink bottle until it is ¼ full. Add a few small seashells or pebbles and fill it with water. Add a few drops of blue food coloring. Seal the cap with hot glue. Shake the bottle. Watch everything mix together. Set the bottle on a table and watch everything settle, just like at the bottom of the ocean.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES
Salty like ocean water
Serve a variety of sweet and salty food items to your group. Ask them to identify their preference: sweet or salty. Compare the results.

Picnic
Organize a picnic for lunch or snack time. Let children help you prepare the meal. They can help with sandwiches, veggies, etc.

Ocean dessert
Give each child a clear bowl. Prepare two or three recipes of blue Jell-O. Let children fill their bowl with the mixture. Add a few gelatin fish before placing the bowls in the refrigerator to set. Serve at snack time or for dessert.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Picnic
(Open picnic basket) Print for each child. Have children cut out the basket and assemble it. When they are done, encourage them to cut food items they would like to eat out of grocery store flyers and glue them on their picnic basket.

Sand picture
Print a simple coloring page which represents a vacation activity or object. Ask children to trace the outline with glue. Sprinkle the page with sand, shake off excess sand, and let dry.

Colourful sandpaper
Give each child a piece of sandpaper. Provide coloured chalk and let children draw on the sandpaper.

Collective vacation project
With your group, choose a vacation spot and create a mural which represents your dream destination.

My cap
(Open models-cap) Print for each child. Have them color their cap. Assemble and let children decorate their cap before wearing it.

Trip around the world
(Open craft-children around the world) Print the model and leave it on a table along with glue, scissors, glitter, wiggly eyes, felt, etc. Children will love creating multicultural characters. Join them together, hand in hand, using fasteners. Hang from the ceiling or display on a wall.

Sunny sunglasses
(Open sunny sunglasses) Print the model and trace it on heavy cardboard for each child. Children decorate their sunglasses.

My kite
(Open kite) Print for each child. Fold the kite in two. Deposit a few drops of poster paint on one half of the kite, fold, and press to make a print on both sides.

CREATIVE COLORING

(Open creative coloring-Vacations) Print for each child. Have children draw a scene from their last vacation on the postcard.

COMPLETE THE DRAWING

(Open complete the drawing-Vacations) Print for each child. Children must draw the missing elements to complete the drawing.

SCRAPBOOK-Vacations
(Open scrapbook-Vacations) Print for each child. Complete the page with children and add it to their scrapbook (if you do not already have a scrapbook, visit the educatall club to print one).

COLORING PAGES
(Open coloring pages theme-Vacations) Print.

SONGS & RHYMES

(Open songs & rhymes-Vacations)

Vacations

By: Patricia Morrison

Sung to: Hot Cross Buns

Va-ca-tions, Va-ca-tions
With your family and with your friends
Va-ca-tions
Go to the beach or the lake
Go have lots of fun
With your family and with your friends
Va-ca-tions

Have fun!

The Educatall team