WEEK 11 LESSON PLANS

Wee-Play Games

STORYLINE
Today we are going to start class by taking a few trips. We'll take a car, a plane and a train! 

OPENING RUNS

• Today we're going to take some trips. Grab your steering wheels, we're going to go for our first drive! 
• Have kids pretend to drive their "cars" to one end of the field and park their cars at their dots.
  • Drive to the park and ask kids, "what do you see at the park? do you like to use the slide? the swings?"
  • Drive to the zoo and ask kids, "what animals do you see at the zoo? what animal has a long trunk?" 
  • Drive to Disneyland or the grocery store or movies and ask kids, "what do you see at these places" 
• Then say, "now we're going to be airplanes!" Collect all of the steering wheels.
  • Fly to Hawaii and ask kids, "what animals live in the ocean?"
    • Have kids do the hula dance with you for extra fun 
• Then say, "now we're going to be a train!" Put your arm up and say, "Chooo, choo, we're going to take the train to San Francisco. 
  • Train to SF and ask kids, "what's the big bridge called in San Francisco?" 
    • Show kids how to make a bridge with their hands and say, "the Golden Gate bridge is red! What color is the bridge?"
• Add any variations needed to make it more fun or take different trips. 

STORYLINE
For today’s Exploration Time, we have set up our Castle Building Course. During this course, we will be practicing our social play as we build castles with our classmates.

INSTRUCTIONS

• When I say, “GO!” parents, help your child jump or step through the ladders.
• When you get to a set of building blocks, parents encourage your children to work together to build a castle or tower.
• After your castle has been built, children can knock it down together to rebuild another one.
• Remember, if your child is all finished building castles, he/she may continue to practice sharing with the exploration equipment.

TEACHING TIPS

• Approach: Encourage all children to participate in building a castle.
• Approach: If children are particularly shy, they can build a castle with Coach or their parent.

STORYLINE
For today’s Operation Time, we will be playing Pass the Ice Cream. During this time, we will be practicing our social play as we share and pass the ice cream to one another.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Before the game begins, I will pass out a tall cone to everyone.
• When you get your cone, can you tell your parent:
  • What color it is.
  • If it is big or small.  
  • What shape it is.
• Now, let’s follow along with me:
  • Can you hold your cone up high/low?
  • Can you touch your cone to your toes/knees/belly/shoulders/head?
  • Can you balance your cone on your head?  
  • Can you squeeze your cone under one arm/the other arm/under your chin?
  • Can you place your cone on the ground and take a big step over? Now, let’s go the other way.  
  • Can you toe-tap the top of your cone with one foot? Now let’s try the other foot.
• Now, I will pass a Wiffle ball to everyone.  
  • Put your Wiffle ball inside your cone as if it is ice cream.
  • When I say, “GO!” parents, help your child pass their ice cream to another student.
  • Let’s try to pass the ice cream to everyone in class.
• Now, once we have passed our ice cream around:
  • Can you trade ice cream with someone who has blue/red/yellow/etc.?

TEACHING TIPS

• Approach: Have extra Wiffle balls in case children have a difficult time sharing.

STORYLINE
Today we are playing Hot Potato. In this game, we will be practicing our social play as we pass the potato (bean bag) to the person sitting next to us.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Before the game begins, parents, help your child find a spot seated in the circle.
• We will begin with a practice round.
  • When I say, “GO!” parents help your child pass (not throw) the potato to the child sitting next to him/her.
• Now, this time, I will need everyone to help me sing the song as we pass the potato.
  • The lyrics are:
    • One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four.
    • Five potatoes, six potatoes, seven potatoes, more.
  • Let’s see who has the potato when we sing the last lyric, “more”.
  • Then, we will continue singing.

TEACHING TIPS

• Approach: This is not an elimination game but game for children to practice passing and sharing to others.  
• Approach: Encourage children not to throw the beanbag to the person sitting next to them.

STORYLINE
For today’s Parachute Time, we will be playing See-Saw Pull. In this game, we will be practicing our social play as we cooperatively pull the parachute back-and-forth

INSTRUCTIONS

• Before the game begins, find a seated spot around the parachute.
• Let’s listen very carefully to the directions that I give:
  • Can we shake all the wrinkles out of the parachute?
  • Let’s shake, shake, shake and freeze (repeat 3-5xs).
  • Can we shake the parachute side-to-side?
  • Let’s shake the parachute down low/up high.
• Now, this time, we will begin pulling the parachute cooperatively:
  • When I say, “GO!” we will see-saw the parachute back-and-forth and then side-to-side.
  • Let’s add the lyrics to Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
    • Row, Row, Row your boat,
    • Gently down the stream.
    • Merrily, merrily, merrily,
    • Life is but a dream.
• Now, this time, all children will go on top of the parachute:
  • Parents, help your child find a spot seated on the parachute about an arm’s distance from the next child.
  • When I say, “GO!” parents will see-saw the parachute back-and-forth and then side-to-side.

TEACHING TIPS

• Approach: Encourage parents to help their children remain seated while playing with the parachute. This will help prevent children from going underneath or on top of the parachute.
• Approach: To avoid accident or injury, do not jerk the parachute too quickly while children are on top.

STORYLINE
Today we are ending our class with a  parachute game. We are going to try to make a big cave with our parachute. 

CLEAN UP

• Have kids clean up the equipment using color (i.e. Pick up a piece of equipment that is red, blue, green etc.)

CLOSING PARACHUTE

• Make big waves with the parachute like the ocean!
• Make small waves like the lake!
• Now we're going to make a cave. Tell parents that on the count of 3, we're going to lift the parachute to the sky and walk 3 steps forward, placing the parachute under our bottoms to make a cave. 
  • If the cave is not high enough, make the cave again. 
• Once under the parachute, choose a few songs to sing based on how much time you have left:
• Options for songs: 
  • Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes 
  • The Wheels on the Bus
  • Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
  • Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
  • Baby Beluga In the Deep Blue Sea
  • The Ants Go Marching Two by Two