Preschool Programs Chapter
By Heather Coleson
Space Station Texas
- Books to Share
- Nametag
- Rhymes and Poetry
- Songs
- Crafts
- Games and Activities
- Guest Speakers
- Books to Display or Booktalk
- Bulletin Board
- Display
- Decorations
- Incentives
- Refreshments
- Audio Recordings
- Videos/DVD’s/Films
- Web Sites
- Professional Resources
- Craft Materials
Books to Share
Astronaut PiggyWiggy by Christyan Fox.
I Want to Be an Astronaut by Bryon Barton.
Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen.
Mooncake by Frank Asch.
Papa Please Get the Moon by Eric Carle.
Twinkle by Scott Fischer.
What is the Moon Full Of? by Shulamith Oppenheim.
Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon by Dan Yaccarino.
Nametag
Stars and Planets
Make star nametags from an Accucut die at http://www.accucut.com/Star_2-p3722c427-path0.html. Or, use the planet pattern provided at the end of this program.
Rhymes and Poetry
The Moon
(Adapted by Heather Coleson. Sing to the tune of the “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”)
| The round and glowing moon, | (raise arms above head and form a circle) | |
| Shined up the night so bright, | ||
| Out came the clouds, | ||
| And blocked up all its light. | (lower arms, waving hands downward in a sweeping motion) | |
| Along came the wind, | (blow) | |
| And blew the clouds away, | ||
| And the round and glowing moon | (slowly raise arms above head and form a circle) | |
| Was shining once again. |
Recite the Mother Goose rhyme, “Hey Diddle Diddle.”
Recite “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” from The Best Kids Book Site at http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/funfingerplay.cfm?fingerplayid=303
Recite “Planets” and other space rhymes and poetry from the Can Teach web site at http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems34.html.
Songs
Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Flannelboard patterns can be found on Pages 72-73 in The Best of Totline Flannelboards by Kathleen Cubley.
Crafts
Space Scenes
Materials
- 12 x 18 inch black construction paper
- Pre-cut stars, moons, and circles
- Silver glitter
- Glue
Directions
Give each child a 12 x 18 inch piece of black construction paper, a pre-cut star and moon, and circles in varying sizes and colors to represent planets. Let the children decorate an outer space scene and add silver glitter to their pictures for a nice finishing touch.
Orbiting Objects Paper Plate Craft
Select from a variety of objects to orbit around your paper plate moon, earth or planet from DLTK Kids at http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/space/morbit.htm.
Shooting Star Wands
Materials
- Yellow card stock or construction paper
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Liquid glue
- Curling ribbon
- Glitter
- Straws
Directions
Using the star pattern from Family Fun at http://familyfun.go.com/printables/craft-templates/printable/star-pattern/, cut a star for each child from yellow card stock or construction paper. Cut up enough 2-foot pieces of curling ribbon for each child to have 3 to 4 pieces. Pre-curl the ribbon and give each child several pieces. Let the child tape or staple the ribbons to the top of the straw; tape or staple the star to the top of the straw; and decorate the star with glitter.
Games and Activities
Play the “Planet and Star Games” from Jean Warren’s Preschool Express at http://www.preschoolexpress.com/theme_station07/outer_space_jun07.shtml.
Guest Speakers
Invite someone from a local planetarium or astronomy group to speak to the kids about stars and planets.
Books to Display or Booktalk
Astronauts by Carmon Bredeson.
Lift off! by Carmon Bredeson.
Moondogs by Daniel Kirk.
On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets by Michael Dahl.
The Planets by Martha Rustad.
Pupniks: The Story of Two Space Dogs by Ruth Lubka.
Bulletin Board
Blast off to Storytime!
Create a space scene on your bulletin board. Make a large moon with a rocket on it. Add stars and other planets.
Display
Ask a staff member or a local astronomy group for a telescope and star guides to display. NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center loans displays to non-profit organizations, free-of-charge. Be sure to book well in advance. Visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/events/exhibits/index.html for details.
Decorations
Place glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on the ceiling and walls of the storytime room, and turn off the lights and show the children the starry sky! Be sure to announce in advance that you are going to turn off the lights.
Incentives
Purchase “Solar System Dot Stickers” from SmileMakers at http://www.smilemakers.com/Smilemakers/product_family.asp?family%5Fid=1723&
gift=False&mscssid=00361E1C9B508439CB7C677168ED4717 in packages of 75 for $5.99.
Refreshments
Serve prepackaged Moon Pies in a variety of flavors. Top them off with a glass of milk. Or, serve freeze dried ice cream and Tang.
Audio Recordings
“Aikendrum” on Raffi the Singable Songs Collection by Raffi.
“Rocket” on Toot! Toot! by The Wiggles.
“Moon Moon Moon” on Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner.
Videos/DVD’s/Films
All About Astronauts. (61 minutes)
All About the Planets. (23 minutes)
The Big Space Shuttle. (50 minutes)
Magic School Bus Space Adventures. (82 minutes)
Reading Rainbow: Space Case. (30 minutes)
Web Sites
Johnson Space Center’s Web site for Children
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
This web site includes games, projects, fun facts and more, all presented in a kid-friendly format.
NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/index.html
The NASA web site has a special area for students in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade with informational articles, a picture dictionary, and games.
Professional Resources
The Best of Totline Flannelboards by Kathleen Cubley.
Accucut
http://www.accucut.com/
Purchase dies, die-cut machines, and laminators from this web site.
The Best Kids Book Site
http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/
Storytime ideas, books, crafts, and fingerplays can be found on this web site.
Can Teach
http://www.canteach.ca/index.html
This web site contains lesson plans, recipes, songs, poems, and numerous other resources for elementary teachers.
DLTK’s
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
This web site has a variety of crafts for kids, ages 2 and up.
Jean Warren’s Preschool Express
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/
This web site includes Toddler and Preschool storytime activities, songs, crafts and patterns. The pattern section is useful when making nametags.
SmileMakers
http://www.smilemakers.com/
Good quality stickers and small incentives are available from this web site.
Craft Materials
Planet Name Tags
