#451. Name Day

Language, level: Pre-School
Posted Mon May 25 13:14:24 PDT 1998 by Elaine Magud (magud@inreach.com).
Joshua Cowell School, Manteca, Ca.
Materials Required: see activities
Activity Time: 2 hours
Concepts Taught: Name practice

Name Day - a one day theme activity for name writing practice in Kindergarten.

1. I cut 18x12 paper in half - 18x6. then with permanent marker I printed their names. They traced over their names with glue ( this was something I really had to model) and then they glued alphabet macaroni on top - these were really neat!

2. I wrote their names on sentence strips and laminated them. They traced their names with grease pencil for practice.

3. Using crayon - they traced their names in rainbow colors - a new crayon for every letter.

4. They printed their name on construction paper - crayon - going over the letters 3 times to make sure the crayon was layered on thickly. Then we watercolored over the name and made a crayon resist. This was the first time we had done this - the kids thought it was magic!

5. We used alphabet stamps and stamped their names.

6. I had some great alphabet stickers and they got to make their name out of stickers.

7. Alphabet sponges - they sponged their names in tempera.

8. Using colored glue I printed their names on a sentence strip - you could also use dimensional paint. Use a thick line of glue. Do this a few days in advance. Now they can put newsprint over their name and gently pass a pencil over the surface of the paper. This makes a relief drawing of their name. They can also trace the letters with their fingers - great for tactile learners!

Next year I am going to add magazines and let them cut out letters and create a name collage. I also thought about using stencils and letters I have pre-cut with our elison machine. I've also ordered clay so that they can make the letters out of clay. so many ideas....so little time!
Djinn