1. Social Studies
1.1. Use play money to pretend buying items for the picnic. The store is set up in Dramatic Play!
1.1.1. Go on a picnic in the classroom and eat sandwiches for snack
1.1.1.1. Take photos of class picnic
1.1.1.2. Take photos of family picnic
1.1.1.3. Use pictures for Newsletter and Classroom Photo Album
1.2. Vote between choice of song and fingerplay
1.2.1. Discuss family experiences of going on a picnic
2. Science
2.1. Set up an ant farm.
2.2. Use magnifying glasses to observe the ants and tunnels they make.
2.3. Find a place outside where ants congregate. Place 3 different foods on the ground and mark that spot with chalk. An hour later, go outside and see if ants ate the food and if they moved it.
2.4. Use scale to weigh small, medium, and large watermelons. Predict the outcome of how much the watermelon will weigh.
2.5. Plant watermelon seeds.
3. Movement/Physical Education
3.1. Use clear packing tape to attach pictures of picnic items to balance beam and use at entry into classroom.
3.1.1. Play Duck Duck Goose except replace the word Goose for a picnic item name
3.2. Create an obstacle course. Tape picture of picnic item to each section of the obstacle course. For example: Go under the table (watermelon), etc. Include over, around, through, up, etc.
3.2.1. Make an indoor hop scoth using pictures of picnic items-children have to jump and hop.
4. Creative Arts
4.1. Decorate lunch sack for our classroom picnic
4.1.1. Make invitations for family picnic using a variety of materials-colored pencils, paper, markers, glue, stickers or other materials of child's choice
4.1.1.1. Children assemble their own sandwich for classroom picnic. Include variety of items for them to choose from to make their sandwich with.
4.1.2. Paint 3 sections of egg carton black and turn into ant; use wiggle eyes, pipe cleaners or other materials of child's choice
4.1.3. Use playdough, plastic knives, dowel rods for rolling pins to pretend making food for the picnic
4.1.3.1. Use celery, cream cheese, and raisins to make ants on a log for snack.
5. Technology
5.1. Assemble children. Use computer for writing details of the family picnic. Let children help.
5.2. Give each child a copy of the details of the picnic to glue to their family's invitation.
6. Home/School Connectedness
6.1. Send home a newsletter telling about activities at school and announce the family picnic.
6.2. Plan a family picnic. Use parent volunteers to help coordinate!
7. Language/Literacy
7.1. Books:
7.2. The Best Picnic Ever by Clare Jarret
7.3. Monster Math Picnic by Grace Maccarone
7.4. 100 Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes
7.4.1. Song
7.4.1.1. Fingerplay
7.4.1.2. Once I Saw An Ant Hill
7.4.2. Oh, The Ants Are Busy!
7.5. Ants at the Picnic by Michael Dahl
7.5.1. Brainstorm
7.5.2. Vocabulary known about picnics-write on chart paper
7.5.2.1. Present pictures of picnic foods and clap the syllables
7.5.2.1.1. Journal what the ants are doing in the ant farm
7.6. Packing for a Picnic by Mary Lou Roberts
7.7. We're Going on a Picnic by Pat Hutchins
7.8. The Most Perfect Spot by Diane Goode
7.9. The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy
8. Math
8.1. Child places objects on the correct tray for sink and float-use picnic items such as grapes, corn on the cob, paper cup, plastic fork, napkin; make prediction before item is tried
8.2. Make a graph with 4 pictures of picnic food. Children place thier picture under the food they like best. Discuss the columns-which has "more" children, "less" children, or the "same."
8.2.1. Copy, extend, and create patterns using either small pictures of picnic food such as watermelon, hamburgers, corn on the cob, etc. or I have small manipulatives in my classroom-grapes, apples, oranges
8.2.1.1. Include prices on food in dramatic play so children see written number and identify numbers 1-10 by pointing or verbally naming
8.2.1.2. Put picnic items in picnic basket. Take turns counting the number of items using one-to-one correspondence.