Arts Infused Unit Plan: Thursday- Book "From Head to Toe"

(To Be Continued Later...)

Language Connection

Animals --> Physical Education

Body Parts --> Following Instruction

Action Words --> Five Senses

ACTIVITIES & PROJECT:

Students will use play dough to make body parts.
Song: This is the way
Students will categorize the features of the animals.
Mr. Potato Head- Piece together

[Who doesn’t love Mr. Potato Head? It’s personally one of my favorite childhood toys! But did you know that Mr. Potato head is also a great toy for helping your child grow and develop? This toy is not only fun but it helps to build creativity, sensory-motor development, language skills, and cognition. Next time you and your kids are playing with your Mr. Potato Head, consider these benefits and ideas:

Build language acquisition by naming the different body parts, clothing, and accessories. Talk about the actions you are performing, such as “I am putting the eyes on” or “I am taking the hat off.” Encourage your child to ask for the parts they want and make choices, such as “Do you want the hat or the shoes?”
Develop your child’s ability to follow directions and improve their spatial awareness. Have them follow directions, such as “put the eyes under the nose” in order make new creations and funny faces. Or work on two step directions by telling the child to “put on the mouth then put on the nose.”
Talk about differences and similarities. Place two Mr. Potato Heads out on the table and have your child tell you how they are the same and different, such as they both have two eyes but one has lips and one has teeth. See how many similarities and differences your child can find.
Improve body awareness and body identification skills. Help your child identify the different body parts, as well as the clothing and accessories. Then have them point to those parts on their own bodies. Improve their understanding of what actions the different body parts perform by asking him or her to find “what allows you to smell” or “what allows you to see.”
Develop eye hand coordination, hand strength, and bilateral skills by putting the pieces on and taking them off. Encourage your child to use a two hand approach to help them stabilize and manipulate the pieces. Information provided from http://embraceyourchaos.com/2012/12/101-ways-to-play-32-mr-potato-head/]