This week we read Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni.

 Then I demonstrated how to measure things around our classroom in non-standard units.  Our units were "inchworms" or cut up pipecleaners.  The kids loved being turned loose with a small bag of inchworms to measure things around the classroom.

I combined some ideas that I found on two very creative kindergarten sites: http://fairydustteaching.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-tall-tall-grass.html and

http://thesunshineshack.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-tall-tall-grass.html to come up with a Pre-K version of this project.  I LOVE the grass cutting part.  I have lots of kids who are using scissors for the very first time.  This gives them great practice and really works on those fine motor skills.  I also LOVE the book, In the Tall, Tall Grass.  Lucky me, I have big book version of it.  It is so engaging for young learners.  It includes pictures they love, big clear print, AND rhyming and alliteration.  It's just an all around great choice for an for early childhood read aloud.  So here's what I came up with:

After cutting the "tall grass,"  each child created insects from construction paper shapes, google eyes, and markers.  Each child also chose a phrase from the book to glue onto the grass.

Here's the printable:  http://www.growinginprek.com//In%20the%20tall%20tall%20grass.pdf

This week the kids really enjoyed A Color of His Own.  I wanted to come up with an extension activity for this sweet story of a chameleon who is tired of changing colors to match his environment.  This is what I came up with.  The kids enjoyed it so much that several did extra pages so they could take some home (since I was keeping their first ones for a class book).

Here's the printable: http://www.growinginprek.com//A%20Color%20of%20His%20Own.pdf

The clipart is from creepycrawlyroadshow.com

Look what my teaching partner did with this idea:

I discovered Pete the Cat on Fran Kramer's blog Kindergartencrayons.  I want to share it here in case someone has not discovered this great book yet.

http://www.growinginprek.com/startingschool.htm

Update:  Have you seen all the great printables for Pete the Cat on Makinglearningfun.com?

http://makinglearningfun.com/themepages/PetetheCat.htm