Make-it Topic - Vacation

Imaginative

• Set up an airport for the children to go on vacation, include suit cases, hats, old cameras, cars
•  Set up a Hawaiian destination use leis and shells place a sheet out for pretend sand
• Set up a vacation boat using a big box and place out different things in the box
• Set up a travel agency using books, calculators, pens pencils, phones suit cases and fun shirts to buy

Language 

• Pack an ABC suitcase use pictures of different items with in the alphabet and pack a suit case ex. A- alligator purse B- bubble gum C- camera D-doll and so on 
• Read “The night before summer vacation”
• Read “Oh the places you go” by Dr. Seuss discuss where they go in a day
• Read “Just a snowy vacation” 
• Place out a map and discuss the places on the map and where the children have been

Art

• Make postcards
• Use old stamps to make a stamp collage 
• Make painted paper airplanes 
• Use magazines allow the children to cut out destination photos attach to mack-tack cut out in a country shape 
• Collect different travel guides from chamber of commerce, AAA, and tourist web pages. Allow the children to cut out the pictures and create their own travel itinerary 
• Use tissue boxes to make a train for the animals to travel in 
• Gather large boxes have a group decorating party to make trains, boat, planes; have paints, felts, material and buttons with glue to use
• Make a travel diary to take home 
• Place out paper in the shape of a suit case have pictures of clothes the children can cut out and paste in their suit case

Water/Sand

• Place boats and people in the water table
• Make a beach in the sand table using shells, balls, shovels, and buckets 
• Place camels in the sand table

Gross Motor

• Let’s pretend to be plane/boat/train/car to music 
• Have a relay of packing a suit case
• Place out mats with pictures of different places like mountains, beach, Eiffel tower, zoo have the children crawl, dance, jump to different places
• Play a find the suit case game using clues around the house

Science/Curiosity

• Ocean in a bottle: Collect a water bottle for each child. Have the children fill the bottom of their bottle with sand (about two inches). Drop shells into the bottle and then fill with blue soapy water. Super glue the bottle lid shut. As the children shake the bottle the soapy water will look like waves and the sand will be mixed up. Once the children quit shaking the sand will once again settle to the bottom
• Object exploration: Bring nature items into the classroom from different area of the country. Such as sand, pine cones, snow, hay, flowers, etc. Let the children examine the objects and guess where they would have to travel to find them. 
• Sink or float have items for a beach vacation do they sink or float 
• Place out ice to see what happens

Blocks

• Have cars, boats, planes, and people 
• Have animals for a zoo to be set up

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• What should I bring place out pictures of different destinations that are hot and cold have items such as skis beach balls and ask the children what item they would take skis to the mountains, beach ball to the beach etc. 
• Match the suit cases file folder game
• Have a file folder game with stamps and an airplane, boat, or train at the end encourage the children to roll a dice and count trying to get to the end 
• Lace and trace suit cases, and clothes
• Place out a doll trace out with clothes have the children dress for a vacation
• Place out play dough for making a travel machine

Music

• Sing the vacation song 
• Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the plane (zoom zoom)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the plane (zoom zoom)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation Oh we're goin' on a vacation
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the plane (zoom zoom)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the train (chug a chug)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the train (chug a chug)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation Oh we're goin' on a vacation
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the train (chug a chug).
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation in our car (honk honk)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation in our car (honk honk)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation Oh we're goin' on a vacation
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation in our car (honk honk)
  Include other modes of transportation such as a boat

Quiet

• Use a flannel board for the children to make their own vacation story

Cooking

• Make food from around the world and sample them 
• Sushi use rice crab, avocado, and rice paper to roll the ingredients or use sea weed paper

Field trip

• Go to the airport to watch the planes 
• Visit a travel agency Take a city trip using the bus