Offer the Week 19, Day 3 activity to provide practice in identifying patterns.

Engage children in identifying patterns in book text and pictures. The book includes some patterns that may not be familiar to children.

Display cover of the book and wonder aloud what patterns we might be able to see with bugs. Introduce the book title and names of the author and illustrator.

Read the book, pausing to encourage children to finish saying a pattern you initiate with the book. Example: On the page with a butterfly, say the flutter-float-flutter-float pattern, and then pause for children to say what comes next (which is on the next page).

You may wish to read the page entitled “About Patterns” at the end of the book, but the second page about patterns may have limited interest among younger children.

After reading the book, display each page that shows an insect and invite children to say the pattern on the pictured insect. Repeat children’s pattern descriptions to reinforce pattern knowledge. If help is needed to identify a pattern, name the first few items in the pattern and then encourage children to finish the pattern. Example: On the page with the caterpillar, point to and name the first three colors.

Today we will play a game we’ve played before called It’s Raining, It’s Pouring. Remember, we will use our hands and voices for this game.

How do we play It’s Raining, It’s Pouring?

We will make different noises for our pretend rainstorm. Before we make a new rainstorm, let’s practice the sounds and actions we’ve done before. Remember, when we practice something, we do it many times so we can get better at it.

[As you demonstrate each sound and the action that produces the sound, invite children to copy you. Practice each sound for several seconds before moving to the next one.]

• First we will practice the sound of wind. Our wind will make a quiet whooshing sound.
  [Lightly blow through your lips.]
• Now we will practice the sound of raindrops.
  [Click your tongue lightly.]
• Next we will practice the sound of rain.
  [Pat your hands on the floor slowly and then more quickly.]
• Our last practice noise is the sound of a heavy rainstorm.
  [Clap your hands loudly. Add thunder sounds by saying “bam, pow.”]

Now let’s make a new rainstorm together.

• First let’s make the sound of wind.
• Next let’s make the sound of raindrops.
• Now let’s make the sound of rain when it falls on things.
• Last let’s make the sound of a heavy rainstorm.

Now we will make a rainstorm with different sounds. Watch and listen carefully as I show you the new movements and sounds.

[As you demonstrate each sound and the action that produces the sound, invite children to copy you. Practice each sound for several seconds before moving to the next one. Omit one of the sounds if you anticipate four consecutive sounds will be too challenging for children.]

• First we will practice the sound of wind. Our wind will make a quiet whooshing sound.
  [Rub your hands together.]
• Now we will practice the sound of raindrops.
  [Snap your fingers.]
• Next we will practice the sound of rain.
  [Clap your hands slowly and then quickly.]
• Our last practice noise is the sound of a heavy rainstorm.
  [Pat your knees loudly. Add thunder sounds by saying “boom, crash.”]

Now let’s make a new rainstorm together.

• First let’s make the sound of wind.
• Next let’s make the sound of raindrops.
• Now let’s make the sound of rain when it falls on things.
• Last let’s make the sound of a heavy rainstorm.

[Repeat the sequence if time permits and children remain appropriately engaged.]

Today we practiced listening carefully so we would know what to do. We also practiced remembering what to do.

In our game we made the different sounds of a rainstorm. We listened carefully when we practiced making each sound. We also listened carefully for the name of the sound we were to make.

We are learning about different kinds of art. Yesterday we made a mural. We learned that a mural is a big piece of art created on a wall, building, or ceiling. Where is our mural?

Today we are going to make a kind of art called a collage. We know that a collage is a piece of art that is made with different kinds of things.

[Display two pictures of collages.]

The artists who created the collages shown in these pictures glued different shapes and colors of paper to larger pieces of paper.

The collages were made by children when they were the ages of children in our room.

• What do you see in these pictures of collages?
• How are the collages different?

There are different ways an artist can make a collage with paper. The artist may cut the paper into whatever shapes he/she wants. Or, the artist may tear the paper into different shapes. Then the artist can glue the pieces of paper onto a bigger piece of paper or board.

[Demonstrate cutting colored paper into several shapes, and then glue the shapes to a piece of white paper.]

Today each of us will make a collage. Each of us can decide to cut or tear the colored paper into whatever shapes we want. Then we can glue the shapes to white paper wherever we want to place them.

[Provide white paper, colored paper, scissors, and glue. Encourage children to plan how their collage will look and what colors and shapes are needed to create their ideas before they begin. Support children in their efforts.]

A collage can be created in more than one way. We used paper, scissors, and glue to make collages. Look at all of the creative collages we made! What do we see?

[Display collages in your room and draw children’s attention to how specific collages were created. If space permits, continue to display the mural made on Day 1 so children can compare these two different types of art.]