SPLASH! Summer Reading Club: 6-12's Week 3

Shark Attack!

6-8's and 9-12's

1. Activity: Shark Match

Directions:

Give each child a sheet that contains pictures of sharks on one side, and have them match the pictures up with shark names on the other. The one with the most correct matches receives a prize.

2. Activity: Shark Snack

Supplies:

-Cut out pictures of fish

-Parachute

Directions:

Have each child grab hold of the side of the parachute so that they are all more or less equally spread around it. Scatter the fishes under the parachute. As a group, slowly wave the parachute up and down, so that it will balloon. Take turn calling each of the children’s name in a chant (sharky-sharky Bobby, can you catch a green fish). When a child’s name is called, they can run under the lifted parachute and try to collect the right color of fish before the parachute falls again.

3. Game: Minnow, Minnow, Shark

Directions:

Is played the same way as Duck, Duck, Goose

4. Game: Toothy Tag

Directions:

The child in the center is the shark and the other children are the fish. The fish line up at one end of the room and when the shark calls “GO!” they try to make it to the other side without being caught by the hungry shark. If they are caught, they become sticky seaweed; their feet must stay in one spot, but they can reach with their arms to try to catch the fish. If a fish is touched by the seaweed, it becomes seaweed too.

5. Game: Shark Says

Directions:

Same as Simon Says, but with a more watery theme (e.g., Shark says swim! Shark says stop. Bite your friend... just kidding!)

6. Craft: Shark Attack Hat

Materials:

Grey/blue/silver construction paper or tin foil

Red paper (optional)

White paper

Scissors

Glue

Tape

Crayons or markers

String (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prep before the program: Cut squares from construction paper approximately 22 cm (The larger the better - depending on what size paper is available at your branch); Give each child a square.

2. Fold one corner to the opposite end, making a diagonal crease.

3. Place paper on head, making sure one corner is aligned with the forehead (creating a widows peak).

4. Fold the opposite corner from forehead into a fin (back of the head) by folding the paper left and right making another crease.

5. Glue these two sides of the fin together, only to the crease, leaving the back open to sit on the child’s head. Adjust accordingly.

6. Cut out large white triangles for teeth. 

7. Glue these teeth around the bottom of widows peak, crowning the forehead.

8. Add googly eyes on each side, gills, and red sparkles or paper for blood!

9. Optional: Add string to secure around head.

10.  Wear as hat

SPLASH! Summer Reading Club: 2-5 Week 3

Deep Sea Divers!

2-3's and 4-5's

1. Activity 1: Camouflage Fish

As an ice breaker, obtain various pictures of sea creatures in their camouflage state. Ask the participants to find the animals in the picture. Various fishes are able to camouflage because of disruptive patterns such as stripes, spots, splotches or eyespots. Eyespots refer to the illusion of the back of the fish being in the front, hence the name eyespot. Examples of animals that have the ability to camouflage include the octopus, scorpion fish, goby fish and seahorse.

2. Read: "Sneakers, the Seaside Cat"

3. Song: Fish in the Sea

(Tune: “Wheels on the bus”)

The fish in the sea go swim, swim, swim

swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, swim

The fish in the sea go swim, swim, swim

All through the day

The lobsters in the sea go pinch, pinch, pinch

pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch

The lobsters in the sea go pinch, pinch, pinch

All through the day

The octopuses in the sea go wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

The octopuses in the sea go wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

All through the day

The crabs in the sea go click, click, click

click, click, click, click, click, click

The crabs in the sea go click, click, click

All through the day

Or Action Song: “5 Little Fishies”

Five little fishies swimming in the sea, teasing Mr. Shark; “You can’t catch me!” Along comes Mr. Shark quiet as can be….SNAP!

Four little fishies swimming in the sea, teasing Mr. Shark; “You can’t catch me

Three little fishies swimming in the sea, teasing Mr. Shark

Two little fishies swimming in the sea, teasing Mr. Shark;

One little fishies swimming in the sea, teasing Mr. Shark; “You can’t catch me!” Along comes Mr. Shark quiet as can be….SNAP!

No more little fishies swimming in sea!

4. Read: "Shark and Lobster’s Amazing Undersea Adventure"

5. Action Song: Blue Shark, Blue Shark

(This can be done with puppets, as a felt board, or pictures printed in colour)

Blue shark, blue shark

What do you see?

I see a green turtle swimming next to me.

Green turtle, green turtle

What do you see?

I see a purple octopus gliding next to me.

Purple octopus, purple octopus

What do you see?

I see an orange seahorse floating next to me.

Orange seahorse, orange seahorse

What do you see?

I see a red crab crawling over me.

Red crab, red crab

What do you see?

I see a yellow fish speeding past me.

Yellow fish, yellow fish

What do you see?

I see a big whale coming after me!

6. Read: "The Snail and the Whale"

7. Craft: Submarine Window

Supplies:

-Paper plates (2 per child)

-Blue and green tissue paper, craft paper, or streamers

-Scissors

-Glue

-Saran Wrap

-Markers

-White paper

-Stapler

Instructions:

Prepare beforehand (if the children are too young, or time is limited) by cutting the center out of half of the paper plates, and cutting the blue and green papers into pieces and strips. You can also draw and/or photocopy small pictures of fish, octopi, sea horses and other sea creatures onto white paper.

The Children can use the blue and green paper as their sea water by gluing the pieces onto the back side of an in-tact paper plate. Ten, have them color and cut out (with help if necessary) some of the sea creatures. They can then set the sea creatures on their sea background (note: it is not necessary to glue them). After adding all of the desires sea creatures, place a layer of Saran Wrap over the scene. Then place the cut-out paper plate on top and staple it all together to form an ocean scene, as viewed through a submarine window.

SPLASH! Summer Reading Club: 6-12 Week 2

Viking Adventure!

6-8's and 9-12's

1. Activity: Write your Viking name on a rune stone

Directions: The boy's Viking names will be followed by their father's name and 'son.' ex. John, whose dad's name is Philip, would become 'John Philipsson' the Viking. The girls will add there mother's name as an extra name on the end of theirs. ex. Mary, the daughter of Carol becomes Mary Carol.

            Once the kids have figured out what their Viking name would be, they can write their names out in Viking symbols on the printed rune stone.

2. Craft: Make your own Viking helmet

Supplies:

-Poster board (black)

-Tin foil

-Stapler

-Scissors

Instructions:

Cut a strip of poster board that is long enough to reach around your head and staple it to form a band. Cut another strip that is approximately 20 inches long, and make one side of it pointed. Staple the flat end of the strip to the backside of the band. Next, take a piece of tinfoil that is one square foot or a little larger, and shape it to the top of your head. Staple the tinfoil to the inside of the band to form a hat, and then use the pointed strip of poster board to form an arc over the hat. Let the pointed end hang down a little over the hat to form a nose-guard.

3. Game: Viking hat toss

Instructions:

Separate the children into pairs, and have them stand across from one another. See if they can toss their partner's Viking hat so that it lands onto their head.

4. Game: Viking Telephone

Instructions:

Explain that even though the Vikings had their own alphabet, very few Vikings could read or write; thus, most teaching was done verbally. Have the children sit in a circle and whisper a sentence (preferably a Viking related sentence) to one of the children. The message is then whispered around the circle, until it reaches the end. The last child can then state what they heard out loud. If the message made it around the circle without changing, they can all receive a prize. If not, try again.

5. Game: Frozen Dragons

Instructions:

Pick to children to be the frozen dragons and have them stand in the middle of the room. The rest of the children, without touching the dragons, can then circle around them and try to make them smile. Once a dragon smiles, their turn in the center is over, and someone else can take their place. The one who can keep a straight face for the longest time wins, and can be crowned Viking King or Queen.

6. Craft: Viking Shield

Supplies:

-Paper plates

-String

-Markers

-Single hole-punch

Instruction:

Give each child a paper plate and allow them to design their own Viking shield using the markers. Once they are finished, punch two holes in the plate and tie a string through them to form a handle.

7. Activity: Viking Chant

Instructions:

Have the children sit in two straight lines as if sitting in a viking longboat. Designate them into four different groups. While pretending to row the long boat, they can chant as follows:

Group 1: Heave Ho, Heave Ho

Group 2: We are Vi-king war-ri-ors, We are Vi-king war-ri-ors

Group 3: Thor, O-din, Thor, O-din

Group 4: Val-hal-a, Val-hal-a, Val-hal-a

8.Snack: Swedish Berries and Swedish Fish

SPLASH! Summer Reading Club: 2-5's Week 2

Going Sailing!

2-3's and 4-5's

1. Song: A Sailor went to Sea

A Sailor went to sea, sea, sea

To see what he could see, see, see.

But all that he could see, see, see

Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.

2. Read: “A Sea-Wishing Day”

3. Poem: Sailing

I see a ship a-sailing, sailing, sailing,
I see a ship a-sailing, sailing out to sea;
The captain at the railing, railing, railing,
The captain at the railing waves his hand to me.

I see a ship a-rolling, rolling, rolling,
I see a ship a-rolling, rolling home from sea;
I hear its bell a-tolling, tolling, tolling,
I hear its bell a-tolling, coming back to me.

Or : Ferryboats

Over the river,
Over the bay,
Ferryboats travel
Every day.

Most of the people
Crowd to the side
Just to enjoy
Their ferryboat ride.

Watching the seagulls,
Laughing with friends,
I'm always sorry
When the ride ends.

James S. Tippett

4: Read: “Captain's Castaway” or “The Little Boat”

5: Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream;

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

Row, row, row your boat

Gently to the shore;

If you see a lion there,

Don't forget to roar.

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream;

If you see a crocodile,

Don't forget to scream!

6. Read: “Sailor Bear” or  “Tom and Pippo on the Beach”

7. Rhyme: I Saw a Ship A-Sailing

I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And, oh! it was all laden
With pretty, things for thee!

There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold;
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.

The four-and-twenty sailors
That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice
With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, 'Quack! Quack!'

8. Craft:

Supplies:

- Large square piece of paper

- Markers

- Feathers

-Streamers

-Stapler

Instructions:

            Fold the large piece of paper in half and have the children decorate one side of it with the markers. Fold the top corners in to the center, creating the shape of a sailor's hat. Fold up the bottom flaps and staple, creating a sailor's cap. The child can then use the feathers and streamers to finish decorating their hat.

SPLASH! Summer Reading Club: 6-12 Week 1

 Beach Party

6-8’s, 9-12’s

1.   Activity: Memory Game – I’m Going to the Beach

Instructions:

1.      Have the children sit in a circle.

2.      Going around the circle each person begins a sentence “I’m going to the beach and I’m going to bring…”

3.      They list something that they would need to bring to the beach, e.g. sunscreen.

4.      The next person then has to list what the previous children are bringing and add one item to the list.

5.      As you go around the circle the children have to remember more and more items.

Note: Parents/caregivers or older siblings could be involved if the children are having trouble remembering the items.

2.   Game: Hot Beach Ball

This is a variation of the game Hot Potato. You will need a beach ball to serve as your “potato.”

Instructions:

1.      Have everyone sit in a circle leaving a bit of space between each person.

2.      Play beach-y music. One suggestion is “Surfin’ Safari” by The Beach Boys, or any Beach Boys song.

3.      While the music is playing the children toss the beach ball around the circle to each other.

4.      Periodically stop the music.

5.      The person who is holding the beach ball when the music has stopped is out and has to stand on the outside of the circle.

6.      The winner is the last person sitting in the circle.

3.   Game: Pin the Shades on the Sun!

Instructions: A summer version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey!

-Print out (and if possible, laminate) a picture of a sun with a face

-Print out or draw a pair of sun glasses (for variety, you can do a few different kinds)

-Blind fold one child at a time, spin them, and let them try to place the glasses over the sun’s eyes!

4.   Crafts: “Sand” Castle Contest

Materials:

• Toilet paper/paper towel rolls, cylinder containers (i.e., potato chip

containers)

• Small cardboard boxes

• Pieces of cardboard

• Paper cups

• Construction paper

• String

• Popsicle sticks

• Glue

• Scissors

• Crayons/markers/pencils

• Glitter

Instructions:

1. Arrange the group into teams.

2. Put enough materials for all of the groups in the centre of the room,

on a table or on the floor.

3. Give the groups one minute to collect materials. Monitor this so that

there is not one group taking everything!

4. In their groups have the children construct a castle with the

materials they have gathered. Give the children a time limit to

complete their castle.

Leigh

Materials

   –Tissue Paper

   –Yarn (long enough to reach around children's necks)

Instructions

Before hand, cut out squares of tissue paper of various colors and use a punch to create a hole through the middle. Then the children can string the paper onto the yarn in order to construct a leigh.

Beach Towel

Materials

   –Scissors

   –Streamers

   –Markers

   –Sparkles

   –Large pieces of paper

   –Glue

      

Instructions

Before hand, cut large pieces of paper (comparable to the size of a beach towel). Allow the children to use the streamers, markers, and sparkles to design their own towels.

5. Snack: Watermelon