Hobbies And Interests
Animal Walks
Line up the preschoolers along a wall on one side of the room. Stand at the opposite side of the room and begin the game by calling out a name of an animal, such as "snake," "rabbit" or "fish." The children all have to think quickly about how that animal moves around and then start working their way toward your side of the room moving like that animal. For instance, if you called out "dog," the players get down on all four legs and crawl over to you. If you find that a child has trouble figuring out the animal moves, don't hesitate to help her out. Choose a different animal after every round.
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Prior to the game, take pictures of several natural items found around an outdoor area. Things like pine cones, berries and flowers work well. Print out copies of the pictures for each student and head over to that area with the pictures in hand. When you say "go," the children all have to find the items seen in the photos and place each object inside a plastic bag. After about 10 minutes, tell the children to stop. Survey their bags to see which player found the most items during the hunt and proclaim him the winner of the game.
Camouflage Fun
Gather the children outside and have them all shut their eyes while you spread around the area (on the ground, on tree trunks, on bushes, etc.) various-colored pipe cleaners. Tell the children to look around and find as many pipe cleaners as they can. The children will find that the more natural-colored pipe cleaners (browns and greens) are harder to find as they blend in to their surroundings. Give them about two minutes to perform the task. Afterward, count how many cleaners each child has. Whoever has the most pipe cleaners wins the game. Discuss with the students the reasons why the earth-toned pipe cleaners were harder to find, and teach them about how animals use camouflage.