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Preschool Sun Theme
This Preschool Sun Theme page includes preschool lesson plans, activities and Interest Learning Center ideas for your Preschool Classroom and links to specific weather activities!
You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.
Let the Theme planning begin!
You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your theme.
You can also click the links below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.
You will also find information on a Weather Theme that includes many other types of weather!
Preschool Sun Theme Art
Visors
I've seen these made in a classroom and the children had fun decorating and then wearing them!
Materials needed: paper plates; hole puncher; string, markers and stickers
In advance: Cut the paper plates in half. Then cut off the rims of the paper plates halves. (In the prek class, the children did these steps! The teacher drew a black line where they were to cut! Great cutting practice!)
Hole punch each side of the paper plate rims (again, let the children who are able do this step!).
They decorate the rims.
Tie string through the holes and adjust and tie for the size of the child's head.
Keep the half circles of the paper plates for future projects or place at the writing center for a fun shaped paper to use.
Bright Collage
Provide red, yellow and orange tissue paper, scissors and glue.
Let the children cut (or tear) the paper to make a bright, sunshine filled collage!
Earth Rotating Around The Sun Thanks Chris for submitting this activity!
Before the activity, we go into the bathroom and turn out the light. I shine flashlight (sun) on a globe with a shiny object taped to where we live. I say, 'the Earth is turning' as the 'sun' shines. I ask, "Hmm, the light is on our area. What are we doing? We are eating breakfast. Now we are coming to school." etc.
When the shiny object of where we are is in the dark, I ask 'What are we doing? We are sleeping. It's night."
I also show a photo of Moonscape, which is the photo of the Earth with bottom darkened taken by the astronauts from the moon.At the art table, we paint half a paper plate yellow and the other half black.
Kids glue on several yellow 'rays' (strips of paper) on the sun side.
They sprinkle glitter on the black side (stars).
Plates dry. Then kids cut a small blue circle (4 inches across).
They stick on a small round circle.
I affix a paper fastener to the middle of the circle and attach to the middle of the plate.
Kids can play with their plate. Oh, you are moving into the black, what are you doing? (sleeping) Oh, the Earth is turning, now look, you are in the yellow part, the sunny part, what are you doing? (getting up, eating breakfast), Oh, now you are in the middle of the yellow, what are you doing? (eating lunch)
A few of my kids loved to play with their circles at night before bedtime, their parents told me.Preschool Sun Theme Block Center Ideas
Shadows!
Provide flashlights at the block center. Encourage the children to make shadows by shining the light from different angles on their structures.
How can they make the shadows larger? Smaller?
Preschool Sun Theme Circle Time Ideas
Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!
Weather Announcer
Each day this week, have children look outside and announce the weather: Is the sun out? Is it raining? Where is the sun when it rains, etc.
Mr. Sun Song
Give each child a sun shape made out of paper.
Have the print their name on it as best they can.
Now sing! Use your sun as you sing!
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun.
Please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun Mr. Golden Sun, hiding behind a tree (hide your sun behind you!)
We are all asking you.......
To please come out so we can play with you!
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, Please shine down on,
Please shine down on, Please shine down on me! (Hold Sun above you!)
Hokey Pokey Sun
Use your sun shapes to do a variation of the Hokey Pokey!
You put your sun in, you put your sun out
You put your sun in and shake it all about!
Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your Sun Theme!
Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!
More Sunshine
Slice oranges. Provide pretzels and raisins.
The children place an orange circle slice on their plate. They can use the pretzel sticks for the rays of the sun and raisins to make faces!
Preschool Sun Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area
Beach Day!
Set up your dramatic play area with beach towels, empty plastic containers for pretend sunscreen, sunglasses, play picnic food, floaties, etc. You could also add an empty wading pool or a wading pool with plastic balls in it!
Preschool Sun Theme Ideas for Your Easel--
More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)
Mix glitter into yellow paint and orange paint at the easel during this theme!
Preschool Sun Theme Large Group Games
that help build their muscles while they have fun together
Shadow and Sun Obstacle Course
Set up an obstacle course for the children to climb/crawl and hop through!
Have some items (like under chairs or behind a box) be the shadow (no sun) part and have precut out suns (from felt) for the children to hop on in the sunshine!
Preschool Sun Theme Ideas for Your Library
Book Suggestions for the Library
(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website. If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )
To Be Like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson
Sun Song by Jean Marzollo
When the Sun Rose by Barbara Helen Berger
Wake Up, Sun! (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2) by David L. Harrison
Preschool Sun Theme Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Their Math Skills and The Small Muscles In Their Hands!
Rays of Sunshine
In advance, draw and color a circle and draw long rays coming from all around the sun.
Provide the children with sorters/counters (any will do--use plastic chain links, animals or attribute blocks) for them to trace, sort and count onto the rays!
Preschool Sun Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to Get Your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin!
May There Always Be Sunshine
This is one of my favorite preschool songs! It is by Charlotte Diamond. It is a great song to teach the children!
Preschool Sun Theme Activities for your Sand and Water Table
Sun in the Sand
Provide spray bottles to make your sand damp this week. Provide craft sticks and paint brushes for the children to make Sun and other shapes in the sand!
Preschool Sun Theme Science Activities for Your Preschool Scientists in Training!
Shadows
Provide flashlights for the children to check out how light makes shadows depending upon where the light is shining on an object.
Writing Activity Ideas for Your Preschool Sun Theme!
"S" Practice
Making letters that have curves are difficult at this age! Provide some papers that you have printed large "S"'s on and laminate.
The children trace with a dry erase marker, erase and trace again!
For children ready to print letters, print the word "sun" on papers and laminate. They can trace with dry erase markers or try to print the word themselves on a picture of the sun they have made.
Go to the main WEATHER Theme Page
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Hey there! Welcome to Preschool Plan It! I’m Cheryl, a preschool teacher of over 20 years.
I KNOW, I know, you spend hours of time developing your preschool themes, activities and preschool lesson plans each week. You are commited to planning preschool themes and activities that are engaging hands-on, interactive, fun AND meet the goal of supporting each child’s level of growth and development.
I am commited to providing you, the preschool teacher, with everything you need to develop preschool lesson plans and preschool activities for your classroom all in one place!
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