Materials:

• construction paper
• old magazines, tissue paper, or paint swatches
• scissors
• several disposable cameras
• binder rings
• hole punch

Objective: Children will develop observational, math, and language skills as they engage in daily activities to distinguish colors, shapes, and opposites.

In Advance: Explain to children that they will make a special book about their favorite things to do in school.

ACTIVITIES

Explain to children that they will engage in a weeklong outdoor treasure hunt. Each day they will search for different things like colors, shapes, and opposites. Tell children they will use cameras to record what they find on their treasure hunts. The entire group can do each of the following projects or small groups of children can be assigned to find a specific treasure. The activity will culminate with a book-making activity that depicts all the treasures.

Colored Treasure
Collect a variety of colored paper (tissue paper, paint swatches, or colors from magazines ads) and ask children to choose a color. Invite them to go on an outdoor treasure hunt to find things that are the same color. Show them how to use the camera so they can each photograph their found "treasure." Write children's names on their colored paper and save the paper in an airtight plastic bag or envelope. Children can glue their photographs and colored paper swatches onto a sheet of oaktag. Include children's dictations to describe their colored treasures.

Shape Treasure
Cut out a paper triangle, circle, square, and rectangle. Divide children into four groups and give each group a shape. Provide each group with a camera. Children can work in teams to find and photograph things outdoors that match their shape. Glue their shapes and their photographs onto sheets of oaktag and include children's dictations or writings about the shapes they found.

Opposites to Treasure
Write the following opposites on a sheet of chart paper: big/small, loud/quiet, soft/hard, and open/closed. Invite children to think of other opposite pairs that could describe things found outdoors. Divide the children into four groups. Ask each group to choose an opposite pair to focus on for their treasure hunt. Provide each group with a camera to photograph their sets of opposites. Offer assistance if needed. Each team will then glue their photographs onto sheet of oaktag and label the opposite pairs.

Treasure Hunt Book
Conclude the treasure hunt with a book-making activity. Ask children to assist in organizing the sections of the book, including creating a cover and title page. Celebrate with a book party. Encourage children to share their book and information about the activity with family members.

Curriculum Connection

Literacy: Outdoor Bingo. Invite the children to make outdoor bingo cards. Provide the children with a variety of old magazines, catalogs, scissors, glue and paper. Ask the children to cut out pictures of things that are found outdoors and glue them onto sheet of paper. (Cut out pictures ahead of time for younger children.) Provide the children with a crayon and a bingo card during outdoor playtime or neighborhood walks. Invite them to try to find items on their cards.

BOOKS
In the Small, Small Pond*
by Denise Fleming
(Scholastic Inc.; $2.96)

My Many Colored Days
by Dr. Seuss
(Alfred Knopf, 1998; $6.99)

Who Said Red?*
by Mary Serfozo
(Scholastic Inc.; $3.95)