11 replies to this topic

[eveee]

Hi. I have put an Elmer week into our theme of colors, thinking there would be lots of inspirational ideas spring to mind. Now, it's come to doing the planning for this topic my brain isn't working. Has anyone got any ideas especially for original creative activies and physical play. Also does anyone know of any Elmer songs? Any excuse for a singalong! :D
Thanks

[mundia]

Hi there eveee (is that enough 'eeees'? :D )

Wecome on board and thanks for posting. Im afraid I cant help with the Elmer songs, as I dont know them, But Im sure that someone will.

[Susan]

HI Eveee
Welcome aboard!
I love using Elmer and not only for colours. I have used it as a starter for colours and as a "plenary" to a colour topic.
I also use Elmer for "all about us" to illustrate how everyone is the same but different and how we need a name to identify us!
Hope Educational used to do a pack, with some lovely ideas but I tried unsuccessfully to replace it several years ago. I don't know any songs though.
The large number of stories about Elmer almost a topic of there own nowadays too.

so in Elmer week I would be using Elmer shapes for colouring. patterning, media techniques etc etc. Could you make some Elmer music and a song yourselves.
One year we wrote invitations to Elmer's Day. The children convinced the parents we were having a party and were most disappointed when Elmer didn't arrive.
I've never been quite sure whether that was my fault or not but wish I'd had more flexibilty to add the party in. Can't remember why it wasnt possible now either!

Have fun whatever you do!

[hali]

Hi we did elmer stain glass windows 9obviously in elephant shapes) thery were fab :D :D :D

[leo]

we did a whole class collage of elmer. I drew HUGE cutout of Elmer( actually used a overhead projector to project elmer on to paer stuck to the wall.) I marked out squares which individual chidlren painted (mixed pva glue with paint) and then used bits of collage to decorate. Only stipulation I made was that they had to use only oe type of collage material on each square- this was more so that each square looked unique and we could talk about the differences in each square- colour and collage. This was then mounted on the display board and looked very effective. each child could point out to their squares and could talk about it to each other. As it was a small class, they got to do 2 squares each.
Hope this helsp- easy and fills a large area

[Helen]

You could make up a song.......Elmer the elephant packed his truck and said goodbye to the jungle.......etc!
Also, red and yellow and pink and green, orange and purple and blue.....I can sing an Elmer, sing an Elmer, sing an Elmer too. :D

[Beau]

Remember reading somewhere about an activity where you cut out an elephant shape using grey card. Then get the kids to stick square tissue paper shapes on using water. When its dry the tissue paper falls off but leaves the stain from the tissue paper. Never actually tried it so don't know if it works!! :D

[Mimi]

We look at the Elmer story as part of our Celebrations topic. We have a party in the roleplay area, and write invitations as has been mentioned earlier. We sing - Elmer the elephant went out to play upon a spiders web one day.......
WE also have a small square of coloured material which children dress up as Elmer in. :D

[katekit]

Hi I have found a great book 'Belair Early Years' STORIES and this has a whole 'chapter' on Elmer. You could make lots of Elmer shapes and colour each pair the same for a matching activity. Make a jungle in the corner. One song they suggest is 'One elephant went out to play upon a spiders web one day'
you can make a big web and elephant masks. Look at colour with smarties, which is their favourite etc. make a jungle area in the sand pit with twigs and small world animals. anothe :) r song is 'sing a rainbow' Make a collage Elmer with different textures. I hope these might be of some help.

[Magenta]

We made a large model Elmer with crisp box, carpet tubes etc. chn. decided which materials to use and how to fix together. Covered with papier mache then gummed squares. We took photos of each stage and then made a class book - he stayed in the book corner for ages!!!

[horsechestnut]

If you draw an elephant on Dazzle (and save it) the children can colour it in on the computer. We've done lots of computer colouring pictures and usually include a 'draw' element eg a Christmas tree to colour, and the suggestion that the children add baubles and tinsel with 'draw'. This was very popular. For a topic on 'ourselves' each child chose what colour to use for their skin, eyes and hair, then we printed them out and displayed them. :D

[catma]

Elmer. Everyone's favourite elephant!! We have the carpet tile type shapes (I think they feature in a photo in the guidance document) and I cut out a huge sugar paper elephant in black. The children then tessellated the shapes to fill up elmer. As we have the small plastic versions of the same shapes we made 4 laminated blanks of elmer and it was a table top version of the same activity. A colour elmer was used to match unifix cubes in the correct colours. Also we had a colour hunt in the garden: hid strips of coloured card all over the place and children searched for particular colours. Same in the sand tray: buried unifix cubes and we dug for green or blue etc. We read all the different elmer stories we could get our hands on and did stripes too, as I think it's wilbur who is striped. Oh and decorated the other elephants to look like elmer. Plastic elephants from the zoo got painted with water colour paints. You can also sing red yellow green and blue to the tune of heads shoulders knees and toes. There you go!!!!