Circus -- Preschool & Kindergarten
Fingerplays/Songs
Five Circus Elephants
Five circus elephants waiting near the door.
One jumps through a hoop.
And now there are four.
Four circus elephants looking up to see.
One walks around the ring,
And now there are three.
Three circus elephants waiting for their cue.
One dances to a song.
And now there are two.
Two circus elephants looking for some fun.
One bounced a yellow ball,
And now there is one.
One circus elephant standing all alone.
He waved his trunk to say goodbye,
And slowly walked on home.
We are All Clowns Today
Tune: Farmer in the Dell
We are all clowns today,
We are all clowns today,
Hi ho the derry o
We are all clowns today!
Silly Clowns
Five silly clowns, jumping all around,
Jump so high, then touch the ground.
One silly clown said, "I can't stay,"
So he turned around and hopped away.
Repeat with four, three, two, one.
Art
Clown Toilet Paper Painting
Print out the Clown Outline. You can glue the clown outline onto white construction paper. Add hair to the picture, dip toilet paper rolls in paint and stamp on the paper. Use crayons to decorate the tie with circles.
Clown Ruffle Collar
Need: coffee filters and food coloring
Have children color the coffee filters by dipping them into colored water. Lay flat to dry. When dry fold the coffee filters in half and tape them together in a line. Wonderful clown collar for a child to wear.
Circus Clown
Need: Paper Plate, scrap pieces/collage material
Set the scrap pieces and collage material in bowls or paper plates on the table. Give each child a paper plate and let them glue collage materials onto the paper plates to create a clown.
Creating Clowns
Cut shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles,etc) out of construction paper in a variety of colors and sizes. Have the children glue the shapes on pieces of construction paper to create clown faces.
Colored Cotton Balls
Cover about 3/4 of the roll. To color cotton balls place in a baggie with powered tempera paint and shake. Use colored cotton balls for the clown's hair in clown collages. Can also make "cotton candy" art. Start at the top of a empty paper towel roll and glue on pink or blue cotton balls.
Learning Centers
Sensory Table
Circus sensory table: sand, variety of animals, rocks, squishy balls, bracelets for hoops.
Play Money
Tips
Go to rummage sales, Salvation Army, and Goodwill, and pick up old bathing suits, sparkly clothes, boas. They make terrific outfits for the TIGHT ROPE WALKERS to wear as they cross the balance beam!
Contributed By: Laura
Group Time
Draw A Clown
Give each child 1 crayon and a sheet of white paper. Then have the children draw what you say: Display the children's clowns.
Draw a circle round and big.
Add a few hairs as a wig.
Make a circle for a nose.
Now a smile, broad and wide.
Put an ear on either side.
Add some eyes, but not a frown.
Now you have your very own clown.
Movement
Circus
Provide face paint for animal and clown faces. Have children act out animals and circus acts. Lay a jump rope on the floor for the tight rope, hula hoops to jump through.
Jump Through Fire Hoops
Wrap red, yellow, and orange crepe paper around hula hoops. Let small bits of the crepe paper dangle into the hoop. Hold the hoop vertically and let the children jump through the hoops.
From: The Complete Book of Activities, Games, Stories, Props, Recipes, and Dances: For Young Children
Put a rope down in the center of the circle. Have the elephant (child) stand on the rope.
Children sing the following song:
One elephant went out to play on a tightrope string one day. He had such enormous fun;
He called for another elephant to come.
(First line of the song and the next three lines increasing the number of elephants until each child has a turn.
Then sing the following verse) 5 (Or the number of children) elephants went out to play on a tightrope string one day they had such enormous fun, but the tightrope broke and they all fell down!
Story
Olivia Saves the Circus (Classic Board Books)
by Ian Falconer
Olivia Saves the Circus (Classic Board Books)
When all of the performers at the circus are out sick with ear infections, it's up to Olivia to save the day! That's no problem for Olivia, of course, because she knows how to do everything. From lion taming to trampoline jumping, unicycling to tight-rope walking, Olivia is the ultimate performer--with the ultimate imagination.
Video
Sites to See
