Letter P and His Pals Have a Party

Letter P had a party one day.         

Those who attended came from far away.

A perky pig from Paris, a peacock from Peru,

A penguin from way down south, sat across from Lou.

A parakeet that said, “Tweet, tweet, tweet,”

A panther from the jungle growled, “Le-e-t’s eat!”

Letter P served pizza and purple punch

In paper plates and cups — oh, what a lunch!

After they played games, it was time to go.

All put on ponchos and fixed them just so.

P gave out some paper and some pretty pens,

Then said, “Please be sure to write, my dear friends!”

Susan LaBella          Editor, Early Childhood Education Newsletter

 

PUZZLIN’ PIES

Place four paper plates on a table.

Use four more paper plates that you have colored as follows:          — one paper plate has been colored to look like a pizza          — one paper plate has been colored to look like a pumpkin pie         — one paper plate has been colored to look like an apple pie          — one paper plate has been colored to look like a cream pie          Next, cut each plate as follows:          — cut one paper plate one in half          — cut one paper plate one in fourths          — cut one paper plate one in sixths          — cut one paper plate one in eighths          Place the cut pieces in a box. Invite children to choose the correct pieces to fill up each plate on the table.

A PAIL FULL OF Ps

Cut out pictures of items whose names begin with p. Also, cut out pictures of things whose names do not start with P. Paste each picture onto a piece of poster board. Place all the pictures face down on the floor. Give each child a pail (a plastic sand pail could work) and invite him/her to collect only those things whose names start with P.

CRAZY Ps

Provide each child with a cut-out uppercase and lowercase P. Invite children to decorate their Ps with          — popped popcorn          — colored polka dots          — peppermint candies (round or crushed)          — painted peas (dried peas)

POPSICLE TIME

Give each child 10 to 15 Popsicle sticks. Help each child write his or her name on each stick. Have children place the sticks on a table side by side, creating a rectangle. Next, let children use masking tape to tape all the way across the sticks to keep the rectangle together. Help children gently turn over their rectangles. Invite children to draw a picture with crayons on the sticks. When pictures are complete, children can take the sticks apart and reassemble them in the correct order to show their pictures. Popsicle sticks won’t get lost because they all have the owner’s name on them!

SNACK TIME WITH LETTER P

These two snacks are sure to bring on the smiles. Purple Smoothies          Place 1-1/2 cups milk, 1 sliced banana, and 1/2 cup grape juice in a blender. Blend until smooth and frothy. This makes three 1-cup servings. Personal Pretzels          Next, try these soft pretzels: Use 2 16-ounce loaves of bread dough to make 24 1-1/2 inch balls. Roll each of the balls into a long snake shape. Give one “snake” to each child so they can make their own pretzel designs. Next, place pretzels on a greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Let stand for 20 minutes. Combine 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush this on each pretzel and sprinkle with coarse salt. Heat oven to 350 degrees and place the cookie sheet on a middle rack. On the bottom rack, place a shallow pan with 1 inch of water in it. Bake pretzels on the rack above the water for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

YOUR WORD CORNER

Here are some words you will need.              See them, say them … hey, you can read!!

put          pig          pen

Write the words on a chart and review them. Then read aloud each sentence that appears below. Try each word in each sentence. Let children tell you which word fits.
1. I can write my name with this _____. 2. Where did you _____ your coat? 3. The _____ is named Wilbur.

Check out the following Web sites for additional background and activities.

Alphabet Coloring Sheets: Letter P   Let children color each P picture online. http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/interactive-alphabet/letter-p/

Handprint Peacock Craft   Let children try this simple craft. http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mhandprintpeacock.htm

Letter P Activities   Some cute ideas here. http://pocketful–of–posies.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-letter-p-activities.html

Pond Activities   P is for pond, too. Try out some of these suggestions. http://www.ssnsc.org/education/pond_activities.htm#PreK-2