The rainforest is home to thousands of different species.
Rainforest themes for preschoolers can include lessons on geography, biology, math, singing and literature. Decorate the classroom with rainforest decor and include rainforest animals or plants in lessons unrelated to the rainforest. This will reinforce the rainforest lessons by having the children relate back to previous lessons. If you wish to practice counting, let children count monkeys swinging from vines or how many animal sounds they hear on a rainforest soundtrack.
Art
Preschoolers can create snakes, born to slither around the rainforest floor. Let children design snakes using air-drying colored clay. Snakes can lay straight, slither in an S shape or coil up in a spiral. Use bright, tropical colors for the body and small black clay circles for the eyes. Let snakes sit out for a day or two to dry completely.
Taste Test
The taste test works well with geography and sensory exploration lessons. Let children taste a variety of fruits from the rainforest including star fruit, mango, banana, papaya and coconut. Ask parents about allergies before beginning this lesson. Explain where in the rainforest each fruit grows and what kind of animals like them.
Songs and Exercise
Sing the song ''There are Four Layers in the Rainforest,'' to the tune of ''If You're Happy and You Know It.'' The song teaches children about the different layers in the rainforest. Sing: There are four layers in the rainforest. Four Layers! There are four layers in the rainforest. Four Layers! Forest floor, (have children crouch down), understory (have children stand up and bend over like tree branches), canopy (children stand up with hands over their heads like an umbrella), emergent (children stand up and reach as tall as they can.) There are four layers in the rainforest.
Animals
The teacher sits on her knees and pats a beat. He or she sings: We're going through the jungle, we're going through the jungle, what can we see? What can we see? Children sit in a circle and take turns pulling figurine animals out of a bag. When an animal is pulled out the teacher explains about the animal and it's life in the rainforest.
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