Materials:

• overhead projector
• large sheets of mural paper
• collection of small objects, including: keys, clothespins, blocks, toy vehicles, small dolls, dollhousefurniture, paperclips, combs, pencils, or paintbrushes
• variety of art materials including colorful paper or fabric scraps, glue, markers, crayons, and tempera paint
• sentence strip paper

Developing Skills:

• creative thinking
• fine motor
• math
• literacy
• observation

ACTIVITY

Show children an overhead projector during group time. Ask if they know what type of machine it is and how it is used. Place a few objects on the projector and ask children to describe what they see. Show them how the projected image can be made smaller or larger by adjusting the distance between the projector and the screen. Invite children to take turns placing a mystery item on the projector while the rest of the group take turns guessing what the object is based on the image.

Place a large sheet of mural paper on the wall. Ask each child to find an object she would like to enlarge onto a sheet of paper, and place children's objects on the projector. Keep the paper and the projector aimed at children's eye level so one or more of them can trace the outline of the object.

Assist children in developing a schedule so they will know when it is their turn. Offer assistance to children who need help tracing their objects.

Set up another area where children can choose art materials, including markers, paint, collage supplies, or a combination of materials, to decorate their tracings. After they finish, help children cut out their tracings from the large sheet of paper. Distribute sheets of sentence strip paper, so they can write labels for their tracings. Children can write their labels freehand, trace alphabet letters, or use alphabet stamps. Find a place to display children's art.

Remember: If you do not have access to an overhead projector, you can do a similar activity using magnifying glasses. Children can use magnifying glasses to enlarge small objects and create large drawings based on their observations.

TAKE-HOME ACTIVITY

Transparent collage. Send home a small sheet of clear contact paper and a resealable plastic bag filled with a variety of collage materials. Invite families to place collage materials on one half of the sticky side of the contact paper, and then fold the other half down so the sides stick together to create a collage to display in a window.

Curriculum Connection: MATH

Counting and sorting on the wall. Use the overhead projector to project objects for children to count while introducing addition and subtraction concepts. Invite children to group similar objects together or organize them in size order.