Believe it or not in almost 15 years of doing crafts with kids I had never done this! Thanks to Denise in Florida for the inspiration for this activity!
- Gather your materials. You will need some contact paper, various colors of tissue paper and scissors.
- Cut your tissue paper into all different sizes but keep the shape consistent.
- Make your sun catcher by folding a large piece of contact paper so that the front and back piece would be connected by a seam, so for a square I cut out a large rectangle then folded it in two.
You can make a triangle by cutting out a square and folding it in two. - Peak back the backing only as far as the seam. You can see in this picture the backing is still on 1/2 of the contact paper.
- Stick your shapes on, encourage your child to over lap them, and notice that they make a new color when that happens.
- Peel the remaining backing off and seal it onto the other side.
- Go catch the spring sun!
The Shape Song!
Do you know what shape this is?
What shape this is?
What shape this is?
Do you know what shape this is I’m holding in my hand?
Books!
“ The Greedy Triangle” by Marilyn Burns is a funny story about a triangle who keeps adding more and more sides until he is confused, but your preschooler will be learning all about shapes while fun. The author is a bit of a superstar in the teaching world, I am a huge fan of not only this book but her methods in general. If you are a teacher , especially elementary aged and aren’t familiar with her you should be.
” My Very First Book of Shapes” by Eric Carle is a great introduction into shapes, but won’t loose it’s appeal as your child ages. The book is split so the fun begins when you try to match the shapes! Carle’s distinctive collage illustrations are a delight !
” Flip a shape: Go! “ by Harriet Ziefert will keep busy toddlers interested in all the shapes that are made with a school bus , boat and more! The simplistic and bright illustrations coupled with the movements of the flip a shape, this book will be a hit with your toddler!
I have done this tissue paper activity with my daughter many times – it's her favorite. I cut an outline out of construction paper, like a butterfly, stick it to the contact paper, and she adds the tissue paper to color it in. We've also done an apple tree, where we do just green & brown & some red for apples. Love it!
Genna-
That is fantastic. I think I may have to modify that and use it soon!
I love this website and find so many wonderful ideas to apply as a bilingual kindy teacher in a German kindergarten. This week I am focusing on shapes, and I can use movement activites, the craft here and some suggested books to spread over the week. Many thanks!!!