Materials:

• chart paper and marker
• camera and film
• paper
• glue sticks
• pencils, pens, or markers

Objective: Children will develop gross-motor, fine-- motor, and creative-thinking skills as they explore the many ways they can move their bodies.

In Advance: Write the following question on a sheet of chart paper: How many ways can we move our bodies?

ACTIVITIES

1. Show the children the sheet of chart paper and read the question. Ask the group if they can think of 20 different ways they can move their bodies. Write the numbers 1 through 20 on the paper and write down the different ways children suggest they can move their bodies.
2. Use a camera to record some of the different ways the children move their bodies during this investigation. Be sure to photograph each child in the class.
3. Begin by asking children to stand up. How many ways can they move their bodies while standing? Encourage everyone to take a turn. Record each movement on chart paper.
4. Now ask children to sit on the floor. How many ways can they move their bodies while sitting? Have they reached 20 yet? If so, can they think of more ways they can move their bodies?
5. Encourage them to notice how they can move individual body parts such as their fingers, their hands, and their thumbs. How many ways can they move their heads? How about their mouths and eyes? Who can raise his eyebrows, turn his tongue, or move his nostrils?
6. Keep a list of all of the ways children can move their bodies. How many ways did they find? Now ask children to share what they learned about their bodies. Create a summary sheet based on their observations.

Curriculum Connection: LITERACY

Moving Our Bodies Book. Use the photographs to create a class book. Glue each photograph onto a sheet of paper. Ask children to write or dictate information describing their photograph. Invite the class to create a title and cover for their book. Bind the pages, then read the book together and place it in the library area for everyone to enjoy.