Post a notice:

Let the parents know that you need small water bottles, variety of jar lid covers, variety of clean metal cans with no sharp edges, large boxes, shoe boxes, Kleenex boxes, dish pans, contact paper, magnetic tape, cardboard egg cartons, sturdy plastic cups such as yogurt cups, clear packaging tape, duck tape, sturdy safe bangle bracelets for the toddler activities and collect them up for this week and future weeks.

Post a note on the door and ask for Donations for Toddler Activities, most parents will bring in a few items.

Teaching Picture: Veggies

On the download page you will find the printable pages and print out today’s picture. Tape the picture to the wall in a location where the toddlers can see it.

As you show the picture to children, talk about the picture, tell the children about the picture. Talking to the toddlers is a good way for them to get started on using their own language skills. The more words a toddler hears the more he learns, even if he/she is not talking yet, they are listening and learning and all of a sudden they will be talking.

Refer to the language development section below for a few suggestions on things to talk about with toddlers about the picture, the language development will give you suggestion on things to talk about or it will show an activity, rhyme or story and then continue talking to the children about the picture, using your own words.

Keep in Mind: Any and all printed material is not safe for toddlers. So do not give any printouts to the children unless you are supervising them. These are for you to hold up or attach to the wall.
Look at your toddlers and in a soothing voice talk about the picture.

Today's Music: Folk Music

Play folk music for the children today.

Please Note: If you don't have any folk music you can check at your local library and try to borrow some folk music to play for the toddlers, if they do not have folk music, try to select some different types of music to play for the children, such as; blues, classical, country, soft rock, etc. Play the music softly throughout the day in the background and it would be nice to play it quietly during naptime also to help the children settle down to go to sleep and keep them sleeping with a soft back ground noise.

Language Development: Veggie Book (Included) Print Out
Print out the veggie book and read it to the children.

You will need:

Card stock paper (available from Wal-Mart)
Clear Contact Paper
Yarn or string
3 Hole Punch

Teacher will need to print out the veggie book onto card stock paper. Then cover the pages with clear contact paper to make them durable. Next, teacher will need to 3 hole punch down the side and then tie the pages together with yarn and tie securely.

Teacher will read the book to the children and show them the pictures.

Songs/Finger Rhymes: This Is The Way We Drop The Veggies
Tune to: Here we go round the mulberry bush

This is the way we drop the veggies, drop the veggies,
This is the way we drop the veggies,
Early this fall morning.

This is the way we pick the veggies,
Pick the veggies, pick the veggies,
This is the way we pick the veggies,
Early this fall morning.

Sing the song above and as you sing the song, drop some plastic toy veggies about the room and then as you sing this is the way we pick the veggies, encourage the children to help you pick up the veggies.

Safety Note: Make sure all the plastic veggies are sturdy and safe for the toddlers to play with, make sure they are not too small to choke on.

Group Activity: Drop the veggies

You will need:
Plastic toy veggies
Brown Construction Paper
Clear Contact Paper
Hot Glue Gun (teacher only)
Large Jar Covers

You will need a few sheets of brown construction paper and cover these with clear contact paper and then teacher will need to cut the brown construction paper lengthwise to make two strips. (Use glue gun when children are not present)Then teacher will need to hot glue some large jar covers down the strips of paper. The contact paper is slippery so make sure you lay these against the wall so the children do not slip on them.

Lay plastic toy veggies across the jar covers that are hot glued onto the contact paper in rows like in a garden and show the children how to pick the veggies up. Tell the children its harvest time and we need to pick the veggies. Then show the children how to re-plant the garden, by placing the veggies back into the covers.

Recite the poem below with the children while picking the veggies.

1, 2, 3 pick veggies with me
1, 2, 3, pick veggies with me and you will see how fun it can be.

Safety Note: Make sure that none of the veggies are too small that the children could choke on them, always check with a choke tube. Make sure when the activity is over to put the contact paper with the jar lids away.

Art/Sensory Activity: Carrot

You will need:
Carrot Print out
Thick Orange Crayons
Packaging Tape

Directions: Have the children color their carrot picture with non toxic thick orange crayons. Place packaging tape securely around the crayon, leave the top part for coloring, this will help the crayons not to break.

Please Note: Make sure the children do not put the art materials into their mouths. If they do, try to direct their attention onto their art activity and if they continue to put the art materials in their mouth, try to offer them something they can chew on, such as a teething ring. If this doesn?t work you may need to remove the item that they are putting in their mouth and substitute something safer for them to use or remove them from the area and try again later.

Taking Pictures Home: Make sure parents know that the pictures are not toys; they are to be hung up as decorations or put away as memories not given to the children to play with as they could choke on the small pieces of paper if not being watched.