Saturday, August 11, 2012

Preschool Space Unit



 Suggested books to reserve from your local library:



1)   Space (For kids who really Love Space) By: Sarah Powell
2)   Earth by:   Thomas K. Adamson
3)   The Planets By: Gail. Gibbons
4)   Jupiter By: Thomas K. Adamson
5)   Saturn By: Thomas K. Adamson
6)   Uranus By; Thomas K. Adamson
7)   Neptune By: Thomas K. Adamson
8)   Mercury By: Thomas K. Adamson
9)   Mars By: Thomas K. Adamson
    10) Venus By; Thomas K. Adamson
11) Pluto: A Dwarf Planet By: Thomas K. Adamson
12) Meteors and Comets By: Gregory. Vogt
13) Curious George and the Rocket By: H.A. Rey
14) Big Silver Space Shuttle By: Ken Wilson-Max
15) Cat in the Hat There’s no Place like Space By: Tish Rabe

Earth








Songs:
Caring, Sharing
(Sung to: My Bonnie)

This world is a great place to live in
With friends from all over the Earth
We all must take care of each other
And know what each person is worth.

Chorus: Caring, sharing
Come join hands together in play...today
Caring, sharing
We'll make the world better today!

So treat every person with kindness
And greet each new friend with a smile
The world needs our new understanding
Give kindness a chance for a while

Repeat chorus

Love Our World
(Sung to: If You’re Happy and You Know it)

If you love our world, clap your hands (clap, clap)
If you love our world, clap your hands (clap, clap)
If you love our world, really love our great big world;
If you love our world, clap your hands! (clap, clap)

If you love our world, plant new trees (new trees!)
If you love our world, plant new trees (new trees!)
If you love our world, plant new trees for birds and bees;
If you love our world, plant new trees! (new trees!)

If you love our world, recycle (recycle!)
If you love our world, recycle (recycle!)
If you love our world, then recycle and reuse;
If you love our world, recycle! (recycle!)

If you love our world do your part (do your part!)
If you love our world do your part (do your part!)
If you love our world, really love our great big world;
If you love our world, BE SMART! (be smart!!)

Videos:

Online Activities:
World in a Jar Jigsaw Puzzle (will have to go to “change cut” and pick the easier 6 piece version)




Earth Craft

Earth Crayon Melt



Materials Needed:
1) Earth coloring template on white paper
2) Blue and green crayon shavings
3) Pencil sharpener
4) Wax paper
5) Newspaper
6) Iron

Make crayon shavings by using an old pencil sharpener.
Color your Earth pattern using crayons. Place the Earth on top of a piece o wax paper. Sprinkle crayon shavings on top of the Earth. Put another piece of wax paper over the picture. Place a cloth or newspaper on top of that and iron gently on low until crayons are all melted. Cut our your Earth and hang in a window.

Sun








Songs:

Sing a Song of Sunshine
(Sung to: Sing a Song of Sixpence)

Sing a song of sunshine
Be happy every day
Sing a song of sunshine
You'll chase the clouds away
Be happy every moment
No matter what you do
Just sing and sing and sing and sing
And let the sunshine through!

Around the Sun
(Sung to: London Bridge)

The planets spin around the sun,
Around the sun, Around the sun.
The planets spin around the sun,
We live on earth!

The sun is found in the middle,
In the middle, In the middle.
The sun is found in the middle,
It keeps us warm!

The stars are twinkling far away,
Far away, far away.
the stars are twinkling far away,
Now make a wish

Videos:



Online Activities:

Sun Craft

Paper Plate and Handprint Sun



Materials Needed:
1) A paper plate
2) Yellow construction paper
3) Scissors
4) Glue (or a stapler)
5) Crayons, paint or markers
6) Googly eyes (optional)

Paint the back side of a paper plate yellow.
Trace a child's hand on yellow construction paper about 7 times. Cut out the tracings. Glue or staple the handprint tracings to the paper plate - the fingers are the sun's rays. Color in the sun, drawing a mouth and a nose. Either draw the eyes or glue on googly eyes.

Moon








Songs:
Orbiting Round the Moon
We'll be orbiting round the moon, yes we will
We'll be orbiting round the moon, yes we will
We'll be orbiting round the moon
We'll be orbiting round the moon
We'll be orbiting round the moon, yes we will

We'll be landing on the moon, yes we will
We'll be landing on the moon, yes we will
We'll be landing on the moon
We'll be landing on the moon
We'll be landing on the moon, yes we will

We'll be walking on the moon, yes we will
We'll be walking on the moon, yes we will
We'll be walking on the moon
We'll be walking on the moon
We'll be walking on the moon, yes we will

We'll be blasting off again, yes we will
We'll be blasting off again, yes we will
We'll be blasting off again
We'll be blasting off again
We'll be blasting off again, yes we will

We'll be landing back on Earth, yes we will
We'll be landing back on Earth, yes we will
We'll be landing back on Earth
We'll be landing back on Earth
We'll be landing back on Earth, yes we will

Climb Aboard the Spaceship
Climb aboard the spaceship, we're going to the moon
Hurry and get ready, we're going to blast off soon
Put on your helmets, and buckle up real tight
Here comes the countdown, let's count with all our might
10 . . . 9 . . .8 . . . 7 . . .6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . .2 . . . 1 . . . blast off!

Flying to the Moon
(Sung to: Farmer in the Dell)

We’re flying to the moon.
We’re going to blast off soon.
Grab your helmets and your suits.
We’re flying to the moon.

Did you feel the blast?
We’re climbing up so fast.
Hang on tight, what a sight!
We’re flying to the moon.

We’re soaring through the air.
I think we’re almost there.
Retro Rockets going off!
We’ve landed on the moon!

We climb down the stairs,
With our tanks of air.
We plant a flag, then grab some rocks
And take them back to earth.

We’re flying oh so fast.
Then we’re home at last.
What a flight, what a sight.
Flying to the moon!

Videos:

Online Activities:

 Moon Craft
Moon Rock


Materials Needed:
1) A rock (any kind will do, look for something about the size of an adult hand)
2) Silver paint
3) White tissue paper
4) White Glue
5) Silver glitter glue

Use a paintbrush to coat your rock in white glue. Next take strips of your white tissue paper and cover the rock with them (just like paper machete) Leave to dry. Once dry, paint your rock with the silver paint and leave to dry. Last, paint it all over with silver glitter glue!

Planets








Songs:
Going to Mars
Today the crew of the space shuttle
Prepares to head for the stars
Me and my fearless astronaut team
Are off on a mission to Mars

We’ve got an important assignment
A really significant goal
Find out what’s making that “Boing” sound
And report back to mission control

We’re going to Mars!
We’re going to Mars!
A mission is what we’ve got
We’re gonna say “Roger” a lot

We’re going to Mars
They’re going to Mars
We’re going to Mars
We don’t know what lies ahead
But we do know the planet’s red

We’re going to Mars!

The Planets
(Sung to: Zippidy Doo-Da)

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
Then comes Jupiter, oh my stars
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune too.
Then comes Pluto zippidy doo

Planets Around the Sun
(Sung to: The Ants go Marching)

The planets revolve around the sun, hurrah; hurrah
The planets revolve around the sun, hurrah; hurrah
The planets revolve around the sun and spin on their axis every one.
And they all go spinning, around and around . . .They go.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, hurrah; hurrah
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, hurrah; hurrah
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are whirling and twirling around the sun
And they all go spinning, around and around . . .. They go.

Jupiter, Saturn are next in line, hurrah, hurrah
Jupiter, Saturn are next in line, hurrah, hurrah
Jupiter, Saturn are next in line. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto make all nine
And they all go spinning, around and around . . .. They go.

The Family of the Sun
(Sung to: Farmer in the Dell)

REFRAIN : The family of the Sun,
The family of the Sun,
Here are nine planets in
the family of the Sun.

Mercury is hot,
And Mercury is small.
Mercury has no atmosphere;
It's just a rocky ball.
REFRAIN
Venus has thick clouds
That hide what is below.
The air is foul; the ground is hot.
It rotates very slow.
REFRAIN
We love the Earth our home,
Its oceans and its trees.
We eat its food; we breathe its air,
So no pollution, please.
REFRAIN
Mars is very red.
It's also dry and cold.
Some day you might visit Mars
If you are really bold.
REFRAIN
Great Jupiter is big.
We've studied it a lot.
We found that it has lots of moons,
And a big, red spot.
REFRAIN
Saturn has great rings.
We wondered what they were.
Now we know they're icy rocks
Which we saw as a blur.
REFRAIN
Uranus is far.
It's cold and greenish-blue.
We found it rotates sideways,
And it has a lot of moons.
REFRAIN
Neptune has a spot;
A stormy patch of blue.
The planet has a lot of clouds
And rings around it, too.
REFRAIN
Pluto's last in line
It's farthest from the Sun.
It's small and cold and icy, too;
To land there won't be fun.
REFRAIN




Videos:

Online Activities:



Planet Craft
Chalk Solar System



Materials Needed:
1) Black paper
2) Chalk, white and colored
3) Construction paper
4) Scissors

From your construction paper cut different sized circles to trace. Place a circle on top of your black paper and trace the circle with chalk. Smudge the chalk outwards and repeat with different sized circles and different colors of chalk. If you want to put little stars in your solar system try brushing on glitter glue or stick on little star stickers. If you doing this craft with young children it may be easier to trace if you secure the circles with masking tape and then remove them after they have smeared the chalk.

Asteroids, Comets, and Galaxies








Songs:
C-O-M-E-T Song
(Sung to: B-I-N-G-O)

Comets are very cold (Cross arms in front of chest and shake like you're cold)
A "dirty snowball" I've been told (Pretend to pack and then throw a snowball)
C-O-M-E-T (3x)
Comets are very cold (Cross arms in front of chest and shake like you're cold)

The coma & tails shine like gold (Wiggle fingers in front of you like the tail)
The sun makes their gases explode (Raise up both arms to signal an explosion)
C-O-M-E-T (3x)
The coma & tails shine like gold (Wiggle fingers in front of you like the tail)

Ice, dust, and rock to behold (Hold out both hands with palms up)
An elliptical orbit Halley's Comet strolled (Move index finger around in an elliptical shape)
C-O-M-E-T (3x)
Ice, dust, and rock to behold (Hold out both hands with palms up)


Videos:

Online Activities:

Galaxy Craft



Materials Needed:
1) Black construction paper
2) White glue
3) glitter

On a black piece of construction paper, draw a galaxy shape (or paint) with white glue. Sprinkle glitter over it and lay flat to dry. After it is dry, tip the paper to let an excess glitter fall off! Easy, but lots of fun!

Stars








Songs:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle twinkle Little star
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle twinkle Little star
How I wonder what you are.

Four Little Stars
Four little stars winking at me,
One shot off and then there were three.
Three little stars with nothing to do,
One shot off and then there were two.
Two little stars afraid of the sun,
One shot off and then there was one.
One little star not having any fun,
It shot off and then there were none!

Counting Stars
One little, two little, three little stars,
Four little, five little, six little stars.
Seven little, eight little, nine little stars,
Ten stars in the sky.

Tiny Star
(Sung to: Little White Duck)

There's a little tiny star
Way up in the sky.
A little tiny star,
Up so very high
She twinkles brightly
Through the night:
The stars are shining oh so bright.
There's a little tiny star
Way up in the sky.
A little tiny star.


Videos:

Online Activities:


Star Craft



Materials Needed:

    1) White paper (cardstock, construction paper or heavy bond computer paper work best)
    2) White wax crayon (crayola, etc)
    3) Tempra paint
    4) Paint brush

Draw stars on the white paper with white crayon.  I know this sounds odd but it will make sense as we go For very young children, an adult can do this prior to craft time -- it will make the project seem very magical to them mix tempra paint with water to make a wash  (about 3/4 tempra to 1/4 water -- Add a wee bit more water if the paint is still quite thick) Paint over the white paper with your tempra paint wash and watch the stars magically appear in the night sky!

Please feel free to add any other resources in the comments! Have fun! 

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