A pumpkin theme is often used during the autumn months and can be used in many subject areas. Count pumpkin seeds with the preschoolers or color the seeds using two or three colors to teach patterns with the students. Speak with the students about how farmers plant seeds to grow pumpkins and demonstrate by sprouting a pumpkin seed in the classroom. Create pumpkin art with paper plates and construction paper or celebrate Halloween by painting jack-o-lanterns for students to take home.
Transportation encompasses any methods that allow you to get from here to there which includes boats, planes and vehicles. In circle time, discuss what kind of transportation vehicles have wheels and count how many wheels a car has versus a tractor trailer. Play some themed music and ask the students to fly around the room holding their arms out to the sides resembling airplanes. Fold a piece of newspaper into a boat and experiment in a water table to see if it floats.
Outer space is a place that many preschoolers are curious about. Create a make-believe telescope with an empty paper towel roll by painting it black and decorating it with stars. With small empty cardboard boxes, students may make an astronaut helmet by cutting a rectangle out of the front to use in the dramatic play learning center. Introduce the preschoolers to the planet Earth and discuss both the land and sea comprising our world. Instead of doing a dot-to-dot worksheet with the students, encourage students to make a star-to-star poster spelling their names as a writing activity.
The month of February has been deemed dental health month by the American Dental Association which encourages good oral health practices starting with even the youngest children. Invite a dentist or dental hygienist to the preschool classroom to explain and show children proper tooth brushing technique. Paint with toothbrushes and create a happy, healthy mouth by gluing mini-marshmallows to a paper plate's edge and then folding it in half. Incorporate children's literature about dental health in circle time to reinforce the theme.