Automobiles: Day Two

Wheels

Learn the shape of wheels.
Wheels help cars go.


Read:
The Wheels on the Bus--

Songs/Fingerplays:

Wheels on the bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town.
Other verses:
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish.
The doors on the bus go open and shut.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep.
The driver on the bus says, "Move on back."
The people on the bus go up and down.
Wheels
Wheels big,
(form big circle with fingers)
Wheels small,
(form little circles with fingers)
Count them one by one
Turning as they're pedaled
(make pedaling motion with hands)
In the springtime sun,
1-2-3-4-5
(count fingers)

Activities:
Motor around the room with your child and pretend to drive with plastic plates (steering wheels).

Bring in a bicycle and show how the wheels go around. Then, make wheels out of paper plates with 1 - 7 spokes. Have your children put them in order.
Car Wheel Painting
Need: small cars and trucks, paint, construction paper.
Provide large sheets of paper and low flat pans of tempera paint (pie tins). Encourage the children to place the small cars and trucks in the paint. They can then make car and truck tracks onto their construction paper.

Tracks a Wheel Makes

Let your children drive toy vehicles through several different substances (water, paint, mud, shaving cream, silly putty, etc) Talk to them about the different tracks that is made in the different substances.

Wheels On A Road
Need: small outline of a school bus or other vehicle, long strips of white paper, crayons.
Give each child a long strip of white paper with a small paper autos glued on the left-hand side. Have the children lay the long strip of paper on the floor. Tell the children that this is the road the bus drives on, and ask them to draw all the things that are on each side of the road.

Tire Rubber
Cut off several pieces of rubber from old tires. Place the tire rubber pieces on the science table with magnifying glasses.

Wheel Sequence
Cut out various sized circles from posterboard to represent wheels. Have the children sequence the wheels from largest to smallest.

Rolling Jars

Get several Clear Jars of the same size. Put different small materials in each one (a marble, crayon, block, pencil, etc.). Let the children roll them around discuss with them how the items affect the jars ability to roll.

Snack:

Cheese Wheels
Cut cheese slices using a cookie cutter into circle shapes to represent wheels. Top each round cheese slice with raisins or serve with crackers.