NAME OF MY STATE

What state do we live in?

*Let children take turns identifying your state on the map.

State Song (Jodie Slusher -Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”)
Virginia is our state.
Virginia is our state.
Richmond is our capitol.
Virginia is our state.

*Insert your state's name and capitol in the song.


My World (Tune: “The Wheels on the Bus”)
In this song, you’ll have to fill in the name of your school, city, state, country, continent, and planet.
The name of my school is ___, ___, ___.
The name of my school is ___.
That’s the name of my school.

The name of my city is...

The name of my state is...

The name of my country is United States…

The name of my continent is North America…

The name of my planet is Earth…


My State Book
Make a state book based on your state flower, animal, famous people, state bird, capitol, flag, insect, famous places, etc. Children can become EXPERTS about their state.

For example: New Hampshire, New Hampshire, what do you see?
I see the Capitol in Concord looking at me.
Capitol in Concord, what do you see?
I see the purple lilac looking at me…

*The teacher who shared this idea said her kids loved reading this book and the parents were so impressed that their children knew more than they did about the state!


Mapping Ideas
*Ask children to point to the states as you discuss them.

What state were you born in? Ask your parents what state they were born in.

Follow your favorite team (football, baseball, basketball, etc.) Who are they playing this week? Walk your fingers from your state to where the game will be played.

What states are your neighbors?

What country is north of the USA? What country is South?

What does the blue color on the map represent?

Where are the Hawaiian Islands? Where is Alaska? Are they attached like the other states?

Point to the north, south, east, and west on the map.


Directions
Label the walls in your classroom with "north," "south," "east," and "west." Sing this song to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" as you point to the words. Face "north" as you begin.

The sun is rising in the east, uh-huh, uh-huh. (Point with right hand.)
The sun is setting in the west, uh-huh, uh-huh. (Point with left hand.)
My nose is north. (Point in front of you.)
My tail is south. (Point behind you.)
And so I turn myself around (Turn around.)
And the sun keeps rising in the east.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.


Hint! Take children outside in the morning. Point where is the sun coming up with your right hand. That direction is east. Point to the opposite direction with your left hand. That direction is west. Your face is north and your back is south.

FIFTY NIFTY STATES

If I were in charge of the world I'd definitely put a map of the United States in every classroom. Why? Well, first of all, I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! Here are some other activities you could integrate in a meaningful way.

The Name of Our Country (Starlett Phillingane - Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Our country is the U – S – A,
U – S – A, U – S – A.
Our country is the U – S – A
United States of America!


The Fifty Nifty States (Tune: “Turkey in the Straw”)
There are 50 states in my country,
If you sing along you will learn them with me.
We are all very proud of the red, white and blue.
We’ll start with “A” and work our way through.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas
California Colorado Connecticut Delaware
Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho
Illinois Indiana Iowa Don’t you know!

Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine
Maryland Mass. Michigan Minnesota
Miss. Missouri Montana Nebraska
Nevada N.H. New Jersey New Mexico

New York N.Carolina N. Dakota Ohio
Oklahoma Oregon Penn. We’re on a roll!
Rhode Is. S.Carolina S. Dakota Tennessee
Texas Utah We’re near the end, you see.

Vermont Virginia Washington State
West Va. Wisconsin Wyoming This is great!
We can sing them, we can say them, and now that we’re all through.
Kiss your brain and say, “Yahoo!”

Hope you'll like this video my webmaster Alex May made for this song.

Click to view

Alex also created a free printable US outline map for you. It is 30 inches wide after you print it and tape the pages together.

Click to download map

CAMP SONGS AND SING ALONGS

Can you imagine sitting around a campfire and singing? Talk about a vanishing activity! No electronic device…no big screen…no musical instruments…just an engaging song and friends! My daughter and I were reminiscing that nobody sings like that any more. If you ever sang around a campfire as a child, it's a happy memory you will never forget.

The great thing about children is that you can still give them that special memory in your classroom or out on the playground. One day we built a fake campfire out of sticks. (I would have had the fire marshall after me if we built a real fire.) The kids found sticks, stuck marshmallows on the end, and pretended to roast them in the fire. It was hysterical, because they were totally into the experience. We then sang some of our favorite songs. 

Yogi Bear 

You can sing along with me on this video:

Click to view

I have a friend that you all know
Yogi, Yogi. (On “Yogi” hold arms out like a tummy.)
I have a friend that you all know
Yogi, Yogi Bear. (On “Bear” make circles with thumbs and index fingers
and put them on your head.) 
Yogi, Yogi, Bear.
Yogi, Yogi, Bear.
I have a friend that you all know
Yogi, Yogi Bear.

Yogi has a little friend
Boo Boo, Boo Boo… (On “Boo Boo” put hand down low as if patting
his head.)

Yogi has a Ranger Friend,
Joe, Joe… (Pretend to salute on “Ranger.”)

Yogi has a girlfriend, 
Cindy, Cindy… (Fluff hair on “Cindy.”)

They all live in Jellystone,
Jelly, Jelly… (Wiggle all over on “Jelly.”)


Baby Fish
Long before "Baby Shark" I was singing about "Baby Fish."

Click to view video

Baby fish, do-do, do-do-do-do, (Open and shut index 
Baby fish, do-do, do-do-do-do. fingers to the beat.)
(Sing twice.)


Momma fish… (Open and shut hands.)
Daddy fish… (Open and shut arms.)
Giant whale… (Extend arm and leg to make whale’s mouth.)

Activities: Make up other verses, such as one about uncle fish, grandma fish, etc. Have the children suggest arm movements to do for the different fish.

Coming Round the Mountain

Here's a video to an old camp favorite.

                     

Click to view video

Swimming
(Tune: “Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main”)
Swimming, swimming, (Pretend to stroke arms.)
In the swimming pool. (Take index fingers and make a square in the air.)
When days are hot (Pretend to fan self.)
Or days are cold, (Rap arms around your self and shiver.)
in the swimming pool. (Make a square in the air.)
Back stroke, (Stroke arms backwards.)
Side stroke, (Swim to the side.)
Fancy diving, too. (Palms together and pretend to dive.)
There’s no place (Shake head “no.”)
I would rather be
Than in the swimming pool. (Make a square in the air.)

*The second time through hum the first line as you make the motions.
Third time hum the first two lines and make the motions.
With each verse omit the words and hum as you make the motions until you are just humming the song.

Here are some other favorite campfire songs:

Found a Peanut
The Wheels on the Bus
Chica Boom Chica Boom

.

OUTDOOR ART 101

A bucket, a brush, and some water and you'll have one of the best outdoor art experiences ever!!! My kids would spend hours (well, actually minutes) painting playground equipment, trees, the sidewalk, etc. They were very "sincere" about their painting and were totally engaged. The best part was clean up!

Here are a few more art projects that are great to do outside.

Window Painting
Materials: shaving cream (non-menthol)
Directions: Squirt shaving cream on windows and let children fingerpaint. Clean up is easy with a hose.


Bubble Painting
Materials: several bottles of bubbles, food coloring, large sheets of paper, clothes pins
Directions: Clothes pin paper to a fence. Add food coloring to the bottles of bubbles. Children blow the bubbles on the paper and watch them "pop" into designs.




Fly Swatter Painting
Materials: ink pad, paper, paint, paper plates, fly swatter, clothes pins
Directions: First, let children make insects by pressing their index finger on the stamp pad and pressing it on the paper. Attach the paper to the fence. Put a small amount of paint on the paper plate. Children get to dip the fly swatter in the paint and swat at their insects.

P.S. I cut a hand shape out of my fly swatter for this activity.

Nature Prints
Materials: paper, paint, paper plates, paper towels, flat natural objects
Directions: Fold the paper towels and place them on the paper plates. Pour a little paint on the plates. Encourage children to find flat natural objects, such as leaves, flowers, ferns, feathers, etc. Children press the objects in the paint and then press on the paper to make prints.




Wheel Painting
Materials: toy cars, trucks, and other vehicles with wheels, paint, newsprint or large sheets of paper, paper plates
Directions: Put a small amount of paint on the paper plates. Dip the wheels of the vehicles in the paint, and then “drive” them across the paper.

Tissue Fade
Materials: tissue paper, white paper, spray bottles of water, sunny day
Directions: Cut or tear the tissue paper into pieces. Place on the white paper. Spray with water and place in the sun. When dry remove the tissue paper to see your faded design.

IT "ADDS UP" OUTDOORS

The sun is shining so let’s take state standards out on the playground for some counting and cardinality.

Number Hunt
Take lunch sacks and write different numerals on them. Give each child a bag and ask them to make that set and put it in the bag. Let children share what they have found with their friends. Have children return the objects to where they found them.

*This can also be done with a partner or in small groups.

Hint! Whenever collecting things outside remind the children to only pick up items off the ground. You never want to pull leaves or flowers off plants because it might hurt them.

Counting
Children can count trees, fence posts, balls, bushes, and many other items on the playground.
*Have children estimate how many and then verify their guess by counting.




Exercise and Count
Have children count how many times they can jump rope. How many jumping jacks can they do? How many times can they bounce and catch a ball without dropping it?


Dot to Dot
Take chalk and write numerals 0-20 randomly on a hard play surface. Children start with zero and run, hop, march, or skip to each numeral in order.

*Adapt the amount to the ability of your students.



Estimation
Fill a basket with rocks, pinecones, leaves, or other natural objects. Ask the children to estimate how many there are. Count the objects. Who guessed more? Who guessed less? Who was closest?

Patterns
Collect 5 or 6 leaves, rocks, sticks or other natural objects. Place a leaf, then a rock, a leaf, then a rock. “What will come next?” Let children make up their own patterns with objects in nature.

Addition & Subtraction
Work out addition and subtraction problems with sticks, leaves, and other natural objects.

Geometry
Draw basic geometric shapes (square, triangle, rectangle, oval, rhombus, circle) on 6” cardboard squares. Pass out the shapes and challenge the children can find something on the playground with a similar shape.

*Divide children into small groups and let them make shapes with their bodies on the grass.

Measurement
Give children rulers to measure objects on the playground. “Can you find something 2” long? Can you find something smaller than an inch? What’s longer than 5”? How can you measure the slide?”

*Give children a popsicle stick or piece of string and ask them to find something longer, shorter, the same size, etc.

Position I Spy!
Children use positional words to play “I Spy” on the playground. For example: I spy something beside the slide. I spy something behind the tree. I spy something above the sidewalk. I spy something between the big tree and the fence…

Sorting
Ask children to collect different items on the playground. (This will vary with the season and your habitat.) Put their objects together in a big pile. Ask the children to sort the objects. What was their sorting rule?

Seriation
Collect sticks of different lengths and have the children put them in order from smallest to largest.
*They could also seriate leaves, rocks, etc.

Graphing
Ask each child to find a leaf on the playground. Make a graph and have the children lay their leaf in the appropriate space. Compare quantities.

WRITE RIGHT OUTDOORS

What better place to do REAL writing about REAL experiences than out on the playground!

Cameras
Cut 5" off the top of lunch bags. Give children scrap paper and markers to decorate like a camera. (Oops! Some of them might not know about cameras any more so you might need to explain that to them!!) Punch holes and tie on string so the camera can be worn around the neck. Cut 4 1/2" squares and place inside the camera. Take children on an nature walk and invite them to take "photos" of things they see. When you return to the classroom ask them to draw their favorite thing on the paper in their camera. Next, ask them to write or dictate a sentence about their "photo."

*Note! Tie this into science themes by having them take "photos" of signs of summer, animal homes, living objects, and so forth.




Opinion - What I Like to Do Outside

Make blank books by folding two sheets of paper in half and stapling the side. Give children the books, something to write on, and inspire them by sitting under a tree on the playground. 



Descriptive – My Senses 

Prepare a worksheet with the following:


I see _______. 
I hear _______. 
I smell _______. 
I touch ______. 


Give children a clipboard and encourage them to explore the playground as they fill in the blanks (write or draw pictures). Let children share their findings with classmates and then put their pages together to make a class book.

Narrative - Cartoon

Prepare cartoon frames for children with 3 or 4 sections. Have them use the cartoon frames to illustrate something they have done outside. Demonstrate how to add dialogue bubbles so the characters can talk.


I Wonder Research

Make “thinking pads” for children by cutting paper into fourths and stapling several sheets together. Explain that you will take a “wonder walk” on the school grounds. If they see something they’d like to know more about, they can draw a picture or write it on their thinking pads. Let children share what they recorded when you return to the classroom. Brainstorm how they can find out more about their topic. 
*Let them do “research” with their parents for homework.

SKILLS GALORE OUTDOORS

Sometimes you just have to think outside the box to make standards more fun!

Reading Tree
Choose a poetry book, storybook, and non-fiction book to read outside under a shady tree. Can the children identify the books?


Reading Buddies
Divide children into pairs and let them each choose a favorite book. Go out on the playground, find a shady spot, and enjoy sharing their books with each other.
*Encourage them to ask each other questions about the books they read.


Alphabet Walk
Write letters on a paved surface with chalk. Challenge the children to step on the letters as they name them. Can they think of something that starts with each sound.

Word Hopscotch
Draw a hopscotch grid on a paved surface. Write high frequency words in each section. Children hop on the spaces as they read the words.


Talking Stick
Choose a stick on the playground and then have the children sit in a circle under a tree. Explain that you will start a story. As you pass the stick around, the child holding the stick can add to the story. Only the person holding the stick is allowed to talk. You might want to start a story about the day a space ship landed on the playground or the day animals started to talk.

Prepositions on the Move
Using playground equipment, call out various prepositions, such as on, off, over, under, by, between, to, from for the children to demonstrate.


We Can Do Opposites
Gather children around playground equipment and tell them you will call out a word. Can they demonstrate the opposite? For example, if the teacher said down, the children would climb up. If the teacher said front, the children would move to the back. Other words could be over, behind, inside, and so forth.


Verb Relays
Divide children into relay teams. The teacher names a verb and the children act out the meaning until everyone on their team has completed the movement. For example, you could have them walk, march, strut, prance, and so forth.
*It's a good way to integrate synonyms!