need ideas

[ShaunaCO]

I'm leading a co-op class for ages 3-4 over the next few weeks and am doing a unit study about Australia. I begin each class by reading a children's book along with a brief lesson relating to it (One Woolly Wombat (http://www.amazon.com/One-Woolly-Wombat-Rod-Trinca/dp/0916291103) and Koala Lou (http://www.memfox.net/koala-lou.html) so far, and for the next class I'll do Big Rain Coming (http://books.google.com/books?id=PM18UJmFQIEC&dq=big+rain+coming&pg=PP1&ots=Mfp7YiqPoz&sig=PfqQYmgrurEg5mR5LsRntZLtxN0&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?q=big+rain+coming&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=FlockInc.:en-US:official&client=firefox&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail)), a game or active activity, and a simple craft.

I have found several patterns for making boomerangs and plan to have the kids decorate them. I had originally planned to do a project I found online in which you wet and crumple up brown paper, let it dry, and then use Q-tips to imitate aboriginal dot art on bark, but given that the kids are so young and had a hard enough time managing the paper plate emu we made, I'm not sure that paint is such a great idea. What I will probably do instead is let them decorate a cardstock boomerang with dot art after we read and talk about aboriginal culture and art. What might be a good alternative to painting the dots that wouldn't be too messy? I suppose I could just get some of the dot stickers like what you would use at a garage sale, but those seem a little big.

Also, what are your ideas for preschool games that don't require a lot of space but could be adapted to an Aussie theme (like Duck, Duck, Goose becoming Koala, Koala, Kangaroo)?

[shalomew]

Maybe use those bingo marker dauber things instead of paint? Sorry- I don't know exactly what they are called but I have seen them at Wal-Mart in several different colors.

And for a game- maybe pin the pouch on the kangaroo?

[Di in NJ]

Cardstock is tough. It's the shiny stuff, right? I've had sooo much trouble getting any paint or marker or crayon to stick. But I, like shalomew, immediately thought of those bingo markers. They are supposed to be great for preschoolers.

As for a game idea, what comes to mind is the apron that Katy No-pocket gets. You could make a matching game out of it. Each pocket would have a picture on it of an object (Aussie objects, like kangaroo, boomerang, etc). The kids have to put the right object into each pocket. You'd probably have to break the class into small teams of 3-4.

[Mechelle in OR]

If it were me, I would use brown cardboard. It is thick, will survive a throw, easy to decoarte and cheap/free.

Sometimes using a stamping technique works with little ones. Like a tiny potatoe stamp or an eraser on the end of a pencil. A pencil eraser could be used in either paint or on a stamp pad.

Another dot idea may be to use colored paper dots from hole punching. A glue stick can be rubbed over the area beore adding the dots.

Have fun!