Materials: What is a Lever?, What is a Pulley?, both by Lloyd G. Douglas, and household examples of each of these types of machines, question of the day sentence (Which machine do you like best? w/pictures of a dump truck, crane, and backhoe), books for reading corner, box filled with household levers (scissors, can opener, spatula, nut cracker, stapler, tongs, etc.- the final lever I pulled out was a large wooden spoon with a toilet paper roll and marshmallows to launch with them), a pulley hidden in the room (mine was the mini blinds on the window), some examples of pulleys (can use a string attached to a rock that kids pull up and down over their finger), snacks, Materials for centers: computer, machines for children to experiment with: cars, tools, broom, hitting a baseball, block tower to knock over, pulleys, etc..
As children enter, have them find their name card and put it on the “question of the day” chart- “Which machine do you like best?”. Direct them to the reading area to look at books until all the children arrive. You could also sing a song or do a movement activity (Simon Says, Do as I’m Doing, Wheels on the Bus, etc.).
Welcome and Introduction- Have children sit on “carpets” and sing a welcome song (Here We Are Together, Hello, Hello- You can sing several songs and use fun activity songs as well)
Discuss “Question of the Day”- count and share
Review Rules- Have children model what it looks like to listen, be happy, etc.
Helping Hands- Rotate class jobs and remind children what their job is
Teacher- Assists the teacher (hold books, pass things out, etc.)
Weatherman- Look outside and chooses one or two weather pictures to put on the chart of today’s weather.
Calendar- Helps put the dates on the calendar
Snack Helper- Helps pass out snacks
Calendar- Have calendar helper put dates on the calendar. Sing a “Days of the Week” song. Talk about what day it was yesterday, today and what day it will be tomorrow. Look at the pattern and discuss the shapes.
Weather- With the help of the weatherman, look outside and put up the weather for today on the weather chart. You could also discuss what kind of clothing is the best to wear today.
Movement activity- (sometime during circle time to break it up a bit) 5 little Monkeys Jumping on the bed. (song from 101 Toddler Favorites)
Alphabet- Sing the alphabet sound song. Have children find the picture hidden around the room (they can each find two) and come sit on their carpets. Ask them what letter the pictures start with and have children put them on the correct letter on the alphabet chart (about half of them start with the letter N).
Numbers and Colors- Discuss numbers and colors throughout the day as they come up.
Tell the children you have a box. Ask them if they can guess what is inside? Tell them you will read them a story and that they should try to think about what might be in the box while you are reading. Read “What is a Lever?” and when you’re done ask the kids if they know what’s in your box. Then start pulling out the household levers one at a time.
Activity: The last lever to pull out is a wooden spoon with a toilet paper roll as the fulcrum and mini- marshmallows. Show the children how you can make a lever and launch the marshmallows into the air. Then launch them at the kids and tell them that whoever the marshmallow hits gets to eat it. (I ended up launching two at a time and naming the kids that those two were for as I shot them).
Read “What is a pulley?” Tell them that there is a pulley somewhere in the room and you want them to see if they can figure out where it is as you read the story. When you are done reading you’ll have them guess where they see a pulley (I used the pulley on the blinds).
Activity: Discuss where the pulley is and show them how it works. I also let them experiment with a pulley over their finger (a string with a pencil or rock on the end to weigh it down).
Can you think of other machines in our homes that help us do things?
Tell the children that there are lots of levers and pulleys all around us. Kicking a soccer ball is using your leg as a lever, hitting a ball with a bat is a lever, sweeping the floor with a broom is a lever. Let the children experiment with these and other machines during centers.
-Computer- Starfall.com , Letter Nn, or Fable "Morning 3, Night 4"
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-Make a Pinwheel- use the pattern at the following website and let the kids decorate and make their own wheel and axel pinwheel.
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