Explore fun, engaging and exciting world themed activities to do with toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Our activities are widely used by teachers, moms, dads, child care providers and more!
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Italy Arts and Crafts
Arts & Crafts Ideas
Cooked spaghetti with food coloring – lay it on the paper and let it dry or press it in between paper and peel it off.
Finger painting on silk scarves.
Decorate plastic eggs
Pasta Collage
Cross-Stitch with plastic grids, large blunt needles and yarn
Easel Art: glue “mosaic” squares to glue onto large paper
Italy Games and Activities
Sensory Ideas:
Spaghetti hard and soft
Bow tie pasta
Lasagna noodles
Rotini
Tube pasta
Discussion
I would encourage talk of how the pasta is similar and different and possibly graph likes and dislikes or who has and has not eaten the pasta before.
Group Ideas
Opera – listening and/or singing
Scarf dancing
Puppet Play
Science Ideas
Water table – recycled meat trays made into gondolas
Dramatic Play Ideas
Set up a boutique – high heels, loafers, scarves, blouses, skirts, cash
Register, money, purses, jewelry, etc.
Block Area
Hang up pictures of Italian architecture and historic ruins (Coliseum, Parthenon, etc.)
Math
Teach the children Roman numerals.
Language – Italian
Bon giorno means hello
Addio means goodbye
Grazie means thank you.
History
Venice is probably the most unique city in Europe. There are no streets in Venice, only canals. People travel by taxi-boats called gondolas. (This fact could open up a lot of ideas for water-play, boats, transportation, etc.) The Tower of Pisa is perhaps that most unusual tower in the world. During construction, the ground beneath began to sink causing it to lean. Today, it leans almost ten feet to one side and will eventually fall over.
Blocks
Have the children build their own Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Italy Recipes and Snacks
Garbanzo beans (chick peas)
Italian Ices
Pizza
Italian bread
Biscotti (cookies)
ITALIAN MEATROLLS (makes aprox. 9 rolls)
1 1/2lb ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 Tbs. Parmesian Cheese
Mix and have kids help make meatrolls.
1/3 cup (1/4 C. for smaller kids)of meat mixture for each roll.
Cook in microwave for about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Add rolls to spaghetti sauce. Cook on low for additional 15 minutes, and serve over your favorite pasta. (I had gotten Italy shaped macaroni from a specialty store) RELATED BOOKS
The Prince of the Dolomites by Tomie de Paola
Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
The Crab Prince by Christopher Manson
The Canary Prince by Eric Jon Nones
The Story of Befana by Ilse Plume
The Talking Tree: and old Italian tale by Inna Rayevsky
The monkey, the lion, and the snake by Kurt Werth
Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Italy by Virginia Haviland
Count silvernose: a story from Italy by Eric A. Kimmel
Caterina, the Clever Farm Girl by Julienne Peterson
Papa Gatto: an Italian fairy tale by Ruth Sanderson
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