Hi Christine,
A theme such as "Exploring Nature" can be part of your program's curriculum all year long. It is appropriate for all ages!
Babies can splash water, smell a flower, feel the wind, taste a fruit, and listen to bird calls. Older children can safely handle natural materials and take walks through whatever nature is easily available--a small lawn, nearby grasses and trees, local gardens and parks, and rocky places where the earth is visible--for daily or weekly observations of seasonal changes.
Soil/dirt mixed with a little water makes a kind of paint.
Planting seeds in a garden or a large pot helps children understand the needs of living organisms.
Building art sculptures out of sticks and other natural materials is both creative and an engineering design project as children figure out what to use to attach the materials together.
A class can make a book about nature using drawings or photos they take over time of favorite plants or the sky, and continue adding to it all year. As children read the book and share it with their families they will reflect on their observations.
Using a theme to connect areas of learning helps us organize the activities we provide so they will support children's growing understanding of important concepts.
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Peggy Ashbrook
Early childhood science teacher
Alexandria, VA
NSTA The Early Years columnist, Science and Children
Early Years blogger,
www.nsta.org/earlyyearsAuthor: Science Learning in the Early Years, and
Science Is Simple
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-22-2018 01:18 AM
From: Christine Barletta
Subject: preschool themes
What is a good classroom theme for 3 yr old in pre-k???
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Christine Barletta
Self
Saint Louis MO
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