Invite preschoolers to make turtles using paper plates as the base of the turtle shell. Allow preschoolers to use markers or crayons to color the backside of their paper plates. Provide paints for students who want to paint their plates with paintbrushes or their fingers. Set out tissue paper scraps for preschoolers to glue on their paper plate to make a stained-glass style turtle shell. After shells are decorated, have preschoolers use construction paper to add a head, tail, limbs and eyes.
Make paper-mache turtles with your preschoolers' help. Invite preschoolers to cover inflated balloons with newspaper strips dipped in mixture of 1 cup glue and 2 cups water. When the newspaper hardens, pop balloons with a pin and cut in half to make turtle shells. Have preschoolers paint the shells and use construction paper scraps to finish off their turtles. Use the turtles as part of a bulletin board display, as hats for preschoolers to wear while pretending to be turtles, or as props for a beach or ocean-themed dramatic play area.
Have preschoolers make a group or bale of turtles. Provide small rocks, about the size of a preschooler's fist, for students to paint and decorate like turtles. Use small pea-sized white pebbles for turtle eggs. Allow preschoolers to play with their family of turtles in a sand table. Encourage preschoolers to bury their baby turtle eggs like a mother turtle and see if someone else can find the hidden eggs.
Not all turtles are small. Provide large sheets of construction paper and paints for preschoolers to paint life-size 5-foot green sea turtles or 7-foot leatherback sea turtles in small groups. Have preschoolers practice their cutting skills and cut out the paintings to hang on a wall. Encourage students to add sea plants and other fun decorations to keep their life-size turtles happy.