Juanita Said:

Preschool All About Me Lesson Plans?

We Answered:

A Rainbow of Hands- one of the topics I like to cover in this theme is that we each have our own skin color and every skin color is okay. I purchase skin tone colored construction paper. This is usually a small group lesson but doesn't have to be. I read about a book about accepting other people/similarities-differences of people and then we work together to find which color of construction paper is the closest to our skin color. Then we trace our hand print and cut it out (since this is probably at the beginning of the year some of your children will need help cutting the hand print out.) We then tape them onto the wall into a rainbow shape. You can also tape them into a circle and put your class picture in the center, for a nice display. This activity works very nice in a diverse classroom.

www.childcareland.com has a free all about me "book" printables.

I like to use the tune BINGO to focus on each child's name. Works well for a transition...great literacy component.
I know a child who is our friend
And Caleb is his name-o
C-a-l-e-b
C-a-l-e-b
C-a-l-e-b
And Caleb is his name-o.

Any name activity is a great lesson for All About Me and throughout the year. You can do chants- have children hold up a piece of construction paper with a letter on it...in order to spell a child's name.
Give me a C! Give me an a! Give me a l! Give me an e! Give me a b! What does that spell? Caleb!!!

Self portraits work well in this theme. You can also have a child stand at a full length mirror and "trace" themselves with a washable marker. You can have them make faces out of paper plates and add yarn to make their hair (have hair colored yarn).

You can paint with body parts-like feet, hands, thumbs, even elbows! They get a kick out of the elbow.

Have the children work together to trace each other's body on bulletin board paper and then cut out and decorate.

It's fun to make a scarecrow using their actual clothing (you have to ask the parents to send in clothes :-)) It goes along with Fall and All about Me.

I'm Handy! My hands can... display or class book. Have them trace and cut out their hand print or use die cut handprints and have them dictate to you what their hands can do and then they can draw a picture of that activity.

Make a simple growth chart and let the children decorate it. You can make individual ones that can go home or you can do a class one and measure all the children...have them write their names next to their height for name practice.

Collecting Thumbprints: Use fingerpaint or washable stamps to create thumprints of each of the children. Explain how specialists use their prints to find people. Even twins have different thumbprints. Create a board with all the children’s thumbprints. Have a magnifying glass nearby so the children can study them.

Homemade Stethoscope: 3-foot long rubber tubing and two funnels (or tops of two plastic soda bottles). Place one funnel at the end of the tube and secure with masking tape. Do the same with the other end. For that matter- any activity that deals with their physical body.

Place a mirror at the bottom of the water table. Add water and a few tub toys.

The Mailbox Preschool magazine had a science experiment called The Skin is a Great Protector. If you wish for me to send a copy of this...email me with your actual email address and I can send it to you.

Mystery Footprints: After doing painting with your feet...follow up with this activity in your discovery area. Bringing up that every animal/person has feet...they might look different. Cut out several sets of bird footprints and cat paw prints. Attach a set of cat prints, then a set of bird prints, to the floor. At the end, have just cat prints. Ask, “What do you think happened to the bird?”

Obtain x-rays and magnifying glasses. Place the x-rays on the windows, let the children discover different types of bones in a human body. They love this -- this activity also encourages language development. Many questions, some they will answer themselves.

I'm Glad I'm Me
No one looks
The way I do.
I have noticed
That it's true.
No one walks the way I walk.
No one talks the way I talk.
No one plays the way I play.
No one says the things I say.
I am special.
I am me.
There's no one else
I'd rather be!

My Body Rhyme
Here's my face and this is my nose!
I can touch my hair,
It grows and grows.
I have a mouth to eat and eat,
And way down there...
I have two feet!
Look at my arms stretching way up high,
It's time to go...
So I'll wave Good-bye!
Wiggle your fingers
Wiggle your nose.
Wave both hands.
Now touch your toes.
Count: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
That was fun!
Let's do it again.

Katalina Matalina is a fun song for this theme.

Watch Carefully: Have a child come to the front of the circle. Have him/her stand still. Then whisper a body part to him/her. All of the children should watch carefully. S/