Let children get creative by pretending to be in a canoe. Place large cardboard boxes on the floor. Use a knife to cut oars out of cardboard. Have children climb into their canoes and pretend to row down the river. Children can also take turns riding in the canoe and pushing another child's box across the floor. Ask preschoolers to use their imaginations and tell you what they "see" as they row along.
Lay out wooden craft sticks on a table. Add glue, tape and string. Hang a picture of a canoe where children can reference it. Tell children to create their own canoes using these materials. When each child has designed his own canoe and the glue has dried, fill a sensory table or plastic tub with water. Have children put their canoes in the water one at a time to see if they float.
Give each child a picture of a canoe outline drawn in a thin or dotted line. Children must first trace the outline of the boat for writing practice. Once they cut out the canoe, give them a second piece of paper to glue it onto. Each child must create his own scene around the canoe. Pass out crayons or markers and encourage children to think about where a canoe might be found and what would be in it.
Add cutting practice and instruction about shapes to your canoe lesson. Give each child a sheet of paper with images of different shapes. Children must cut out each shape, then use them to create a canoe picture. They can use large rectangles for the sides of the canoe and small rectangles for seats inside the boat. Longer rectangles make oars with squares at one end. Glue the image onto paper. If your class has a collection of shape blocks, children can use these blocks to experiment as well.