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Here were our plans for our carnival theme:

And here are the details for each activity:

Carnival of the Animals:

We started off the week listening to the music from Camille Saint-Saëns’s and moving like the animals in Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky. This book has a poem for each animal accompanied by a classical musical movement. After reading each poem we listened to the song and Madelynn pretended to be each animal in the circus.

Carnival Predictions:

Our next story was Little Elliot Big Fun By Mike Curato. Before reading, we practiced making predictions.

I asked “After looking at the cover, what do you think this story will be about?”  Madelynn: “The elephant is going to the fair.” Then I asked: “What will the elephant do in the story?” Madelynn: “He’s going to go on the rides.”

Carnival Comprehension:

Next we read Olivia and the School Carnival By Tina Gallo. After reading, we talked about the things the children made for the carnival.  Then I asked Madelynn what she would like to make for the school carnival and had her draw it on the response page. Madelynn said she would make a piggy race.

Carnival Comprehension:

  Our last read aloud was Daniel Goes to the Carnival By Angela C. Santomero. After reading, we talked about what it means to be afraid, and why Daniel was feeling afraid. Then I asked Madelynn if she has ever been afraid of something and had her draw it on the response page. She said she was afraid of ants.

Tracking Print:

Our last book was this letter C for Carnival alphabet reader. Madelynn identified the picture then pointed to each word as she read. Since we switched to the more difficult version she is working on learning new sight words each week. Afterwards she colored all of the pictures in.

Color by Sound Ice Cream:

This week we focused on ending sounds so we started with this color by code activity. Madelynn looked small pictures in the larger picture, and identified the ending sound. Then she followed the directions to make each spot the correct color.

Carnival Sound Stamping:

Next, for more letter practice we used our dot stampers. We started out stamping inside the letter to make a C. Then Madelynn had to find the upper and lowercase c’s in the carnival booth, stamp them and make the “C” sound each time. Then she stamped the other letters different colors and tried to make the sounds for each one.

Pop the Middle Sound:

  To practice identifying tricky vowel sounds, I set up this carnival themed water balloon toss game.  First I drew 5 large circles with sidewalk chalk and labeled each with a vowel. Then I filled a bucket with water balloons.  Madelynn chose a CVC word card, identified the middle sound, then tossed a water balloon into the correct circle.

Carnival Name Craft:

For this week’s name craft we created a bunch of name balloons.  First, Madelynn cut the balloon pieces out. Then she wrote the letters in her name on each balloon. After she finished writing, she glued the balloons in order to spell her name. Then she cut and added yarn strings under each balloon to make a bouquet.

Carnival Journal Writing:

  For our journal this week Madelynn chose to draw her favorite carnival ride. She said “I like the fun house.” So I drew lines for each word, then we worked on writing the sounds together.

Carnival Number Writing Tray:

Our first math activity this week was a carnival themed number writing tray.  To make this fun sensory activity I filled our shallow tray with sprinkles. Madelynn used ice cream number cards as a model and chose which ones she wanted to practice.  Then she used a sugar cone and/or her finger to write numbers in the pretty themed tray.

Ducky Grab and Color Graph:

Our math focus this week was graphing and analyzing data. For our first activity I used permanent marker to color dots on the bottom of small rubber ducks.  Then I placed all of the ducks in a small bin of water. Madelynn chose a duck and recorded on the graph. She continued grabbing ducks until all the  duck colors were graphed.

Bucket Toss Graphing:

Our next carnival game was this bucket toss game.  I filled a bin with small ping pong balls. Then, Madelynn tossed the balls one at a time into the buckets. When she finished tossing, she counted the number of balls in each bucket and graphed them on the recording sheet.

Scoop and Graph Popcorn:

Our last activity was a yummy rainbow popcorn graph.  Madelynn used a small cup to grab a scoop of rainbow colored popcorn.  Then she sorted the colored pieces onto the rainbow popcorn graph.  Finally she recorded the number of each color, then used the graph to answer the questions. And of course ate her delicious snack when she finished.

*You can also dye your own popcorn following these instructions.

Popcorn Number Sense Mats:

We used these mats to practice numbers 11-20 this week. First, Madelynn identified the large number. Then she made it with play dough and counted the popcorn in the ten frame. Next, she used a dry erase marker to practice writing the number, and finally counted out pieces of popcorn to fill the bucket with the correct amount.

Popcorn Sensory Bin:

In this sensory bin: Popcorn, plastic popcorn boxes, pretend salt shakers, fine motor tools, scoops, cups

Popcorn Stamping Craft:

Our first craft this week turned out super cute.  First I printed popcorn box pieces on colored cardstock. Madelynn cut and glue the pieces together.  Next she scrunched up a small piece of tissue paper to use as a stamper.  I filled a tray with yellow and white paint and she stamp the tissue in both colors to stamp delicious buttery popcorn on top of the box.

Balloon Inflator:

For our science experiment this week we made our very own balloon inflator. First Madelynn poured about ½ cup vinegar into an empty plastic water bottle. Next, I helped her stretch a balloon out a bit and insert the funnel. She filled balloon about halfway with baking soda. I carefully stretched the balloon around the neck of the bottle without letting the baking soda fall into the bottle. Then Madelynn lifted the balloon up and shook the baking soda into the bottle. Finally she watched in awe as the balloon inflated!

Cotton Candy Puffy Paint:

Our second craft this week was yummy puffy cotton candy paint. Madelynn helped me mix a small batch of puffy paint with equal parts shaving cream and white glue in a bowl. I divided it into 2 bowls and dyed one pink and one blue with food coloring. I also rolled a small piece of white cardstock to form a cone and glued it to the bottom of a sheet of paper for the cotton candy cone. Madelynn used the puffy paint to paint swirls of cotton candy on top of the cone.

Duck Race Sensory Bin:

In this sensory bin: water, cut pool noodle, small rubber ducks, squirt guns

For our last carnival themed game, I cut a pool noodle the length of the bin and placed it inside to divide the bin into 2 “lanes.” Then we placed one rubber duck in each lane.  We each used a squirt gun to squirt the duck and race to the other side of the bin. Madelynn also had fun just spraying and splashing with the ducks in the bin even without racing.

Want all of this week’s Carnival activities for preschool?  You can grab them here:
On my site : Carnival Plans & Printables On TpT: Carnival Plans & Printables

Or you can grab our entire year of themes and plans:
On my site here: Preschool Bundle On TpT here: Preschool Bundle

Then check out the rest of our 45+ themes on the Preschool Curriculum Main Page.

The post Preschool: Carnival first appeared on Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten.

**This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. View our full disclosure policy here.**

Here were our plans for our ocean theme:

And here are the details for each activity:

Ocean Vocabulary:

Our first book this week was Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck. While reading I used picture cards to reinforce new words. Then Madelynn made an ocean vocabulary book. She drew pictures to show each animal and used the picture cards and book as a reference.

Fish Problem and Solution:

Our next story was Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. Before reading we discussed and defined problem. We talked about how every story usually has a problem or something that goes wrong. After reading, Madelynn drew and labeled the problem in the story (The pout pout fish was very sad.) Then we talked about and drew how the problem was solved (He met Miss Shimmer and she gave him a kiss. Then he felt better!)

3 Little Fish Retelling:

Our next story was The Three Little Fish And The Big Bad Shark by Will Grace. After reading, Madelynn drew to show what happened in each part of the story.

Ocean Inferring:

Our last book was Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andrae. First we discussed the animals that live in the ocean. Then I read the poems 1 at a time without showing the illustrations.  Madelynn used the clues in the text along with what she knew to infer the type of animal and draw it on her response page. She loved when I showed her the picture to check if she was right.

Tracking Print:

Learning vowel sounds can be tricky and are usually the last letter sounds I worry about preschoolers mastering.  So for our last book this week we read this O for ocean alphabet reader. I included a mixture of items that representing short and long O sounds. Madelynn identified the picture then pointed to each word as she read. Afterwards she colored all of the pictures in.

Ocean Letter Writing Tray:

Our first literacy activity this week was an ocean themed letter writing tray. To make this fun sensory activity I filled our tray with blue sand and gems. Madelynn used seashell letter cards as a model and chose which ones she wanted to practice. Then she used her finger to write letters in the sand.

Ocean Sound Stamping:

Next, for more letter practice we used our dot stampers. We started out stamping inside the letter to make an O. Then Madelynn had to find the upper and lowercase o’s in the ocean, stamp them and make the “O” sound each time. Then she stamped the other letters different colors and tried to make the sounds for each one.

Fishing for Sounds:

This game was super engaging and easy to set up.  First I printed, laminated and cut out the ocean word cards. Then I filled our large bin with water and foam letters from the lakeshore alphabet fishing game. Madelynn used the magnetic fishing pole to catch letters and build each word, identifying the missing middle sound for each one.

Ocean Name Craftivity:

For this week’s name craft we created an ocean full of name fishies.  First, Madelynn cut the fish and water pieces out. Then she wrote the letters in her name on each fish. After she finished writing, she glued the fish together in order to spell her name. Then she added a few bubbles near each fish with a white crayon.

Ocean Journaling:

For our journal this week Madelynn chose to draw her favorite ocean animal. She said “I like turtles.”  I drew lines for each word, then we worked on writing the sounds together.

Color by Code Shark:

We worked on addition to 5 this week for our color by the code activity. Madelynn solved the number sentence in each section of the picture then used the key to color each one the correct color.

Ocean Measuring:

Our new math focus for the week is measurement, so we started out with using nonstandard units, goldfish crackers, to measure ocean animals. After lining up her crackers on the line to measure each animal, Madelynn counted the number and wrote it on each page.

Weighing Seashells:

Madelynn loves experimenting with balance scale, so I made sure we had at least one fun ocean activity for learning about weight. First she choose a small plastic ocean animals  to place on one side of the scale.  Next she filled the other side of the balance scale with the seashells  one at a time until the scale balanced out. Finally she counted and recorded the weight on the response sheet.

Ocean Capacity:

Capacity is always a fun measurement concept for preschoolers, because they love to fill and dump things.  For our ocean themed capacity exploration I filled our sensory bin with blue water. Then I added plastic ocean animals, various sized containers, measuring cups and spoons. Madelynn explored capacity by seeing how many cups, or scoops of water fit in each container. I helped her to make predictions and check to see how accurate they were as well.  She also added sea creatures to discover how they affect capacity.

Measuring Seashells:

For our last measurement activity we tried out standard measurement using a flexible measuring tape. Madelynn choose a seashell then lined up the measuring tape to measure the length of each type of shell. Then she wrote the measurements on the recording sheet.

Ocean Water Bead Bin:

In this bin: ocean water beads, plastic ocean animals, fine motor tools, cups

Jellyfish Craft:

Our first craft this week was a 3D jellyfish. We started out painting a small paper bowl (try to find the least waxy variety possible so paint will stick!) various colors with tempera paint.  After it dried, I helped Madelynn cut and staple ribbons underneath the upside down bowl. Finally she glued large googly eyes to the top to finish the jellyfish, and I poked a small hole for a loop of elastic in the top for hanging.

Ocean Ice Melt:

It has been nice and hot around here this week, so we moved our next activity outdoors! I froze ocean creatures in blue ice ahead of time. Then I placed the ice blocks in large bin with tools, eye droppers and cups of warm water. Madelynn used tools to excavate the ocean creatures.  We sorted, named, and counted the animals.

Fish Watercolor Painting:

Our second craft was a super simple one. I printed a few fish outlines on white cardstock. Madelynn used liquid watercolors to paint bright colored tropical fish.  After the paint dried, she cut the fish out and added a googly eyes to the faces.

Ocean Animal Kinetic Sand Play:

In this sensory bin: blue kinetic sand, mini ocean animal sand molds

Want all of this week’s Ocean activities for preschool?  You can grab them here:
On my site : Ocean Plans & Printables On TpT: Ocean Plans & Printables

Or you can grab our entire year of themes and plans:
On my site here: Preschool Bundle On TpT here: Preschool Bundle

Then check out the rest of our 45+ themes on the Preschool Curriculum Main Page.

The post Preschool: Ocean first appeared on Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten.