Share books about mollusks in order to introduce the concept of mollusks. Select picture books that have colorful and intriguing pictures and clear, easy-to-ready words. Some age-appropriate books for preschoolers are "Are you a Snail?" by Judy Allen and "A Clam Named Sam" by Lee DeVitt and Chris Millis. Read the books aloud to children during circle time. Afterward, discuss facts that preschoolers learned about mollusks.
Songs about mollusks help children learn and remember vocabulary related to mollusks and the characteristics of mollusks. Share songs with preschoolers that repeat the names of different types of mollusks so that children are more likely to remember the information. Select songs that have familiar melodies such as "Hokey Pokey" or "Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me!" Use a compact disk player to play songs about mollusks. Teach preschoolers the songs and encourage them to sing with the music. Encourage children to make up their own songs about different types of mollusks.
Help children create a paper bag octopus. Provide each preschooler with a small brown lunch bag. Show preschoolers how to crumple newspaper and stuff it into the bottom of the paper bag. To create the octopus's head, twist the end of the bag and then use string to tie. Preschoolers can glue googly eyes onto the octopus and draw on a mouth with a marker. Make the octopus' tentacles by cutting the loose part of the bag into eight strips. Encourage children to draw circles on the legs using a marker to create the octopus' suction cups.
Hold snail races to provide preschoolers with an opportunity for direct observation of mollusks. For the snail race you will need 2 snails, white construction paper, notebook paper, a pencil and a ruler. Line up two snails on white construction paper and let the race begin. Children can observe how snails move, how fast snails move and how far they move. The white paper allows preschoolers to see the trail of snail slime. Use a ruler to measure the distance that the snails travel. Record preschoolers' observations on a piece of notebook paper.