Theme: Community Helpers
Curriculum Area: Creative Art
Activity: Painting with Needle Plungers
Ages of Children: 3 – 4 years
Materials Needed:
1. Different colors of non-toxic paint for needle plunger painting
2. 5 pounds of plasticine or Play-Doh
3. Cayiezel, Giovanni & Mesturini, C. (2008). Nurse (Little People Shape Books) [Board books New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Incorporated. & Crepeau, Ingrid & Richards, Ann (2003). A Show of Hands: Using Puppets with Young Children. St. Paul: Redlead Press.
4. Terms/Words to use for finger play: - knead, form, place, and take
5. 5 child-safe needle plungers to be used as paintbrushes
6. 5 pieces toy plastic thermometers
7. water for cleaning up
8. 5 pieces 14x14 inches cardboard as base/canvass
9. 5 aprons
Advanced Preparation:
1. 5 books showing samples of community helpers helping people in the community bought to the classroom:
a. Allender, J. A., Rector, C. & Warner, K. (2009). Community Health Nursing: Promoting and Protecting the Public's Health. Fresno, CA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
b. Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2009). Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community-Oriented Practice. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
c. Nies, M. & McEwan, M. (2007). Community/Public Health Nursing: Promoting the Health of Populations. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
d. Maurer, F. & Smith, C. (2009). Community/Public Health Nursing: Health for Families and Populations. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
e. Harkness, G & DeMarco, R. (2001). Community and Public Health Nursing: Evidence for Practice. Fresno, CA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
2. The children are encouraged to assemble the materials for creative artwork to make the execution of the sensory collage easier.
Developmental Objectives: Through the participation of this activity, the children will be able to:
1. Enhance their fine motor skills through the use of plasticine or Play-Doh in creating human forms to represent community helpers as the nurses of the community.
2. Nurture their creativity through self-expression through painting, with the use of syringes, what represents the community.
3. Improve their social skills through sharing of materials and knowledge about what their hands can do during circle time.
Concepts
1. Community Helpers as the Nurses of the Community
2. Painting with alternative tools like needle plungers instead of paintbrushes
3. Creative interpretations of discussed facts about Community Helpers
Plan Implementation:
Introduction: Gather the children to the story carpet and invite them to examine their hands. Discuss the different ways that they can use their hands (using the terms knead, form, place, take) as well as how they can complete tasks in participating in duties that teach the community about healthy living practices.
Procedures:
1. Read the book A Show of Hands, Using Puppets with Young Children to the class.
2. Invite the children to move towards the table by using one of the movements taught in the book.
3. Pass the materials around for the children to examine. Explain their characteristics such as their texture as well as the reasons why and how they are used.
4. Encourage the children to be curious about the materials they are seeing and touching for the first time. Entertain their questions.
5. Let them shape the plasticine/Play-Doh into nurses/community helpers and arrange a ward environment using the beds.
6. Mix paint into a thick texture and allow the children to use the needle plungers to paint on the plasticine/Play-Doh as well as on the cardboard. Open the doors and windows to allow fresh air to flow in.
7. Encourage the children to be creative in using the needle plungers as paintbrushes. Make sure that enough air is circulating in the room and allow them to wash their hands and clean themselves with clean water.
Transition: The children can refer to Nurse (Little People Shape Up Books) as reference in identifying how community helpers interact with other members of the community in teaching healthy living principles.
Integrated Theme Based Activities:
1. Dramatic Play using the painted community helpers and the community. Children are shown how community helpers help the community. The children are encouraged to participate through suggesting what the community helpers should do to help the community and the teacher acts it out using the characters created during the art activity.
2. Determining the values shown in the dramatic play. How helpers are influenced in the creation of a community apart from its physical boundaries.
3. Encourage the children to have their own dramatic play using the art they created.
4. Listen to the children explain what they did in the play to determine what they have learned from community helpers.
5. Encourage the children to share what they have learned regarding community helpers.
References
Allender, J. A., Rector, C. & Warner, K. (2009). Community health nursing:
Promoting and protecting the public's health. Fresno, CA: Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins.
Cayiezel, G. & Mesturini, C. (2008). Nurse (little people shape books). Board
Books, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Incorporated.
Crepeau, I. & Richards, A. (2003). A show of hands: Using puppets with young
children. St. Paul: Redleaf Press.
Harkness, G & DeMarco, R. (2001). Community and public health nursing:
Evidence for practice. Fresno, CA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Maurer, F. & Smith, C. (2009). Community/public health nursing: Health for
families and populations. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Nies, M. & McEwan, M. (2007). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the
health of populations. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2009). Foundations of nursing in the community:
Community-oriented practice. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
