W is for Worm Weaving

This is a great fine motor skill development activity!  Basically, you have the kids just weave worms (brown yarn cut in long strips) through a shelf space saver weaving up and down until they get to the end.  

W is for Worm Paining

 We also got to paint with worms! The designs turned out looking pretty wormy too, which was pretty cool!

Worm Science

We did some scientific testing and made some observations about what happens to gummy worms if they are left overnight in vinegar and also in water. The kids made some fantastic observations and enjoyed looking at them throughout the week (we left them out to track any new changes). 

W is for Worm Measuring

We used worms to measure objects from around the classroom.  We may or may not have eaten a few after we were done measuring-wink, wink!   

W is for Worm

We had some very excited (understatement) kids this week about our new worm friends.  Not all of them were as excited about holding them, but most wanted to at least touch them and see what they felt like.  We voted on names for our friends during class (Graph style of course).  The final verdict was Werner, Wormie, and Ketchup-Boris.  We had fun observing them throughout the week!   We wrote down our observations on the white board together. 

W is for Worm Sensory Tub

For this sensory tub I used shredded brown paper for the dirt and pipe cleaners cut in thirds and shaped in wormlike designs.  I added magnets to the box and let the kids try to "catch" the worms.  Bonus is that besides it being a fun sensory and dramatic play experience they also learn a bit about magnetism. 

W is for Worm Races

This is a fantastic spectator sport!!! Basically how it works is you have the kids put on a "Worm Suit" (sleeping bag) and then wiggle there way across the room like a worm as fast as they can to the finish line.  Whoever is the fastest wins!

Wild West Sensory Tub

This tub served the purpose of inspiring western play using the senses. I provided small polished rocks, about 3 inches of water, cows, horses, Native American, tee-pee, and pans for panning gold (rocks that are painted gold). 

W is for Western Boot Size Sorting

We helped Miss Wanda the cowgirl sort her boots in order by size.  They did a fine job!

W is for Wild West Games

We also took turns learning how to "rope" our poor friend Bessie!  As a bonus, this was a great activity for honing in on those gross motor skills!  The kids were pretty excited to have a turn! 

W is for Wild West Mallow Roast

We had such a great time sitting around the "campfire" singing campfire songs and roasting marshmallows so we could make and eat yummy s'mores!  These were made by "roasting" the mallows over the "fire" which consisted of pretending to have a fire and using pretzels for roasting sticks.  Next we stuck the mallows between two Keebler Fudge stripe cookies.   Yum, yum if I don't say so myself!

W is for Wild West Roundup

This week Miss Wanda the Cowgirl came to class and brought her horsey friends Willie & Xander.  We had fun racing them wildly in and out around the cones.  Huge success!

W is for Worms in Water

So we did a little gummy worm science to see what would happen if we soaked a bunch of Gummy worms in water for a few days.  The kids were very delighted to find that just the next morning changes had taken place.  They observed the difference in size, color and texture.  Some of the comments were that they were really big, they were all slimy, and they were a different color.  I let them take turns touching them and they observed that they were squishy and cold.  A couple of the kids wanted to play with them during free play time and squished them till the color of them was brownish.  

W is for Wiggle

This is a fun wiggle song called Bop Till You Drop.  Great way to get in some exercise too! 

Observing Worms

We brought in some live worms to observe and talk about.  When I told the kids they could touch the worm they were hesitant, but most still tried.  After touching the worm I told them they could hold it if they wanted.  Most said no at first but after watching their classmates try, all but one of them ended up holding one.  It was fun to see a boost in confidence as they tried something new!  They seemed so proud of themselves!  I love those sweet moments!

Measuring Worms

We all used rulers and practiced measuring the lengths of gummy worms.  Great math skill to learn and fun to eat the worms at the end!

W is for Worm Snack

This little treat is AKA dirt dessert in all its yumminess!  I loved how this was a completely new idea for the kids.  They asked me if it was real dirt and were just a little worried about it being edible.  Just a little...They quickly got comfortable with the idea.  I have such great mom helpers to bring in such fun snacks! 

W is for Walter the Waltzing Worm

I know he is a little creepy looking.  He's made out of my husband's sock for heaven's sake. I don't know what's up with the strange bulge.  But that didn't make him any less cool in the kids eyes, especially since he came out to wiggle and dance with us for the song "Walter the Waltzing Worm". 

W is for Worm Weaving

We weaved worms (Thick brown yarn), oh yes we did...on weaving racks.  Whew that's a mouthful! The kids did great and seemed to think it was a silly thing to do.  Another great fine motor control activity. 

W is for Worms

We pretended to be birds eating worms.  The clothespin was the beak and the pipe cleaners were the worms.  This is a great game for fine motor control....and pretty funny to watch too!