The Letter "O"

Oh the things that begin with the letter "O".  
"O" shaped cereal
octopus
orange
olives
octagon
oak tree
oil
ocean
ostrich
owl
otter
ox
Olympics
outer space
one
Oscar the Grouch
opposites
oatmeal
oboe
octave
occupation
off/on
omelet
obstacle course
oar
ocelot
October
President Obama
odd number
old
open 
opossum
orange juice 
orangutan
orchid
origami
ounce
outside
overalls
overcoat
oyster
okay
o'clock
oink
obey
object
observe
obsidian
ode
odor
office
officer
once
onion
onyx
ooze
opera
operation
option
opinion
orchestra
Oreo
organ
ornament
orzo
outfit
over
out
oven


check out these pages all about:
Opposites 
Outside Activities
Orange
Ocean
Olympics
Police Officers


O shaped cereal:  
You can use any cereal that is circular shaped, like Cheerio's, Fruit Loops or Apple Jacks.  Although the Fruit Loops will give you more options as far as colors.


O Shaped Cereal Necklaces
Supply your children with o shaped cereal and yarn, string or wire.  Have the children thread the cereal onto the yarn to create a necklace.  


O Shaped Cereal Art
Have the children glue the cereal onto a piece of paper.


O Shaped Cereal O's
Have the children glue o shaped cereal on to a piece of paper in the shape of an "o".


O Shaped Cereal O's coloring page
Print up an O coloring page and have the children glue the o shapes cereal inside the letter "o".


Orange Cereal O's
Make necklaces from the orange cereal o's
Let the children glue the orange cereal on paper in any shape
Have the children glue it in an O shape
Have the children glue the cereal onto an "O" coloring page


Orange Neck Relay
Before you begin, you will need to mark a start and finish line. Divide your group into 3 or 4 equal teams. Have one orange for each group. Have the children in each team line up behind the start line. The first person in line will put the orange under their neck. Then, when you say go, then children will run to the finish line and back to the start to pass off the orange to the next in line. That person will then run to the finish line and back, and this will continue until each person on the team has had a turn. The first team to have their final person cross the finish line wins. 
Optional rules:
No one may use their hands unless they drop the orange.
If a child drops the orange they must return to the start line.
Have all the children run at once with no teams.

Orange Neck Relay

Divide your group into 3 or 4 equal teams. Have one orange for each group. Have the children in each team line up. The first person in line will put the orange under their neck. Then when you say "go" the first child will pass the orange to the person behind them without using their hands. The second child must hold the orange under their neck and pass it again until the orange makes it to the end of the line. 
Optional Rules:
If a child drops the orange, the orange goes back to the first person in line.
Have all the children line up in one line and time how long it takes to pass it.

Orange Passing
Played like "Hot Potato"
The children sit in a circle. Have the children pass a orange around the circle while you chant:
orange, orange, orange and sweet,
orange, orange, fun to eat,
Who will get caught we will see,
We will count, one, two THREE!!!
Whoever is holding the orange when you say three goes in the center for one turn. 
Play again, then the next person that is holding the orange replaces the first child in the middle. 

Comparing Oranges

Have the children compare and contrast a nectarine and an orange. Create a venn diagram to show the similarities and differences.

Orange Fingerprints

Supply each child with a piece of white paper and an orange non-toxic stamp pad. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add details with a black marker or pen.

Orange Seeds
Allow the children to glue the seeds from a orange to a piece of paper.
Variation: Let the children glue the seeds to orange paper shaped like an orange.
Variation: Have the children tear bits of white paper to represent the seeds.
Variation: Have the children color a paper plate orange, then glue real seeds or paper seeds to the plate.

Owl Fingerprints

Supply each child with a piece of white paper and black, grey or brown non-toxic stamp pad. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add details with black and orange markers or pens. 

Owl Sizing
Find different pictures of owls and laminate them. Have the children arrange the birds according to size. 

Owl Sorting

Find pictures of owls and laminate them.  Have the children sort the owls.  (color, where they are, kind etc)

Orange Ice Cream Fingerprints

Supply each child with a piece of white paper and an orange non-toxic stamp pad. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add details with a black marker or pen. 


Make Orange Ice Cream
Ingredients for two servings:
1/2 c milk (white)
1 T. sugar
1/4 t vanilla 
Food Coloring

Add a few drops of orange food coloring (or mix 2 yellow to one red) to the milk.  The more you add the more orange the ice cream will be.  Place all ingredients into a pint-sized Freezer baggie and seal. In a gallon size Freezer baggie fill 1/2 way with ice and add 6 T. of rock salt on top of ice Place pint size baggie inside gallon size baggie and seal tight! Have the children shake the bags. It will become a solid in about 4 minutes.

Fingerprint Bugs 

(A Big Hit with my Toddlers) Supply each child with a piece of white paper and an orange non-toxic stamp pad. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add legs and antennae with a black pen, or for older children, have them add the legs and antennae. 

Find Something That Begins with "O"
Have the children find something in the room that begins with the letter "O" and have each child bring it to circle time. Have each child tell the class what they have found.

Fingerprint Orange Balloons

Put a small amount of tempera paint in a small shallow container. (The metal lid of a juice bottle works well) Show your child how to dip his/her finger in the paint and make a fingerprint on a piece of paper. (Alternative: Use a non-toxic ink pad) have your child make several fingerprints in several different shades of orange. After the paint dries, have your child draw strings on the fingerprints as if they were balloons. (Alternative: glue on string or yarn.)

Find Something Orange
Have the children find something in the room that is orange and have each child bring it to circle time. Have each child tell the class what they have found.


Orange Chat
Have the children name as many things they can that are orange. Write down their list.


Letter O Chat
Have the children name as many things that they can that begin with the letter "o".  Write down their list.
Orange "O" art!
Cut out the center of a paper plate to form the letter "o".  Have the children paint a paper plate orange. When dry have the children add orange items like feathers, buttons, orange o cereal, puzzle pieces or orange pieces of paper. 

Sponge Print
You can find already shaped sponges at most art and craft stores or you can make your own. Have your child dip the sponges into orange paint and press on a piece of paper. You can use octopus, owl, "o" or other shaped sponges.

Orange "O" Headbands
Measure your child's head, and cut a piece of construction paper long enough to create a headband. Glue the paper together so the headband fits snugly on your child's head but is loose enough to take off easily. Glue the orange items, orange "o" cereal or items that begin with the letter "O" to the headband. 

Orange Necklaces 
Have the children cut out shapes from orange construction paper. Then, have them use a hole punch to make a hole, so they can thread them onto a piece of yarn. Add orange colored noodles to the necklace.

O Rubbings
Cut "O" shapes from paper doilys or sandpaper. Tape these shapes to the table. Have the children place a piece of thin white paper over the shapes and rub a orange crayon over the shape. 

Cookie Cutter Painting
Put a small amount of orange tempera paint in a large shallow container. (A pie tin works well) Show your child how to dip the cookie cutter in the paint and press onto a piece of paper to create a print. Use O shaped cookie cutters or other cookie cutters that begin with the letter "o".

Kool Aid Art
Sprinkle a little dry orange kool aid mix onto a piece of paper. Have your child spray water from a spray bottle onto the paper. For added adventure, you may choose to take your children out into the rain with a piece of paper that has kool-aid on it. 

Stamping Patterns
Use different "o" shaped rubber stamps with orange ink to create a simple pattern on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the pattern on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.

Picture Matching 
Find stickers of "o" or orange items. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut in a jig-jag form. Use a highlighter to highlight the edges. Do this with many different stickers. Have the child match the stickers, and line up the two halves of the index card. 

Memory
Find stickers of "o" or orange items. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut the index card in half. You can use these cards to play memory.

Orange Sort 
Draw different kinds of "o" or orange items and have the children sort the cards. Or you can cut out pictures and glue each onto a separate piece of paper. Have the children sort the items. 

Orange Survey
Ask the children "Do you like oranges?" Graph the results.

Taste Test
Have the children try a variety of orange kool aid vs orange juice. Ask them which they like the best. Record the results.

Lacing Cards
Cut orange poster board into shapes and punch holes around the edges. Then let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards. 

Orange Play Doh
Have the children make a variety of items with orange play doh.

Orange Jar
For older children. Fill a small jar with similar orange items. Ask each child to guess how many orange items are in the jar. For younger children, limit the number of orange items to less than ten. Record each child's guess. Count the orange items. 

Orange Jar 2
Provide three identical jars with pre-counted red items of 20, 30, and 40. Label these jars 20, 30 and 40. Place 20 to 40 red items in a fourth identical jar. Allow the children to examine all four jars before they guess. Record the children's approximations. Count the orange items. 

Serve Oranges or Peaches
Serve orange Fruit Snacks
Serve carrots
Serve orange Milk
Add a few drops of orange food coloring to your milk.
Serve Orange Juice
Try Orange Sherbet for a treat

Collages 
Have the children cut out pictures of "o" or orange items from magazines, and glue them onto a piece of paper for a collage. 

Collage 
Allow your child to use scraps of orange items to create a collage. They can use orange ribbons, lace, yarn, paper, gift wrap, cellophane, tissue paper and whatever other materials you may have. 

Place Mat
Have the children cut out pictures of "O" or orange items from magazines. Have the children glue the pictures onto a piece of paper. Laminate the paper and use for a place mat.

Sticker Art
For a very simple art project, supply the children with a piece of paper and "o" or orange stickers. For younger children this provides an excellent fine motor activity.

Yarn Art
Set out a piece of yarn and a shallow container of orange paint . Have the child dip the yarn in one color of paint, and run it across the paper. Use a new piece of string for a different shade of orange.


Yarn Art 2
Set out a piece of yarn and a shallow container of orange paint . Have the child dip the yarn in one color of paint, and run it across the paper. Use a new piece of string for a different shade of orange.  Have the children create an O shape with their yarn.

Yarn Art 3
Set out a piece of orange yarn and a shallow container of glue . Have the child dip the yarn in the glue, then form an "o" on their paper.  Allow to dry.
O Shaped Cereal Fruit Loops Math
Place the numbers one thorugh six on six small post it papers. Place these papers in the bottom of each muffin tin hole. Have the children place one Fruit Loop in the one space and two in the two and so on.


O Shaped Cereal Fruit Loops Art
Have the children use the orange Fruit Loops to create a picture.

O Shaped Cereal Fruit Loops Sort
Have the children sort the Fruit Loops by color in a muffin tin. To make it easier you can cut construction paper circles from the same color as the cereal to place in the bottom of each hole. 
Orange Water
Add a few drops of orange paint to your water table. This will make your water orange. 

Eye Dropper Art
You will need: watered down non-toxic red paint, paper, pipettes and straws. Supply each child with a straw and a piece of paper. Allow the children to use the pipette (or medicine dropper NOT GLASS) to place a small amount of paint onto a piece of paper. Then, have them use the straw to blow the paint around their picture. 

Noodle Necklaces
Supply the children with pasta noodles (if you can find anelli or anellini) that have been dyed orange and yarn. Have the children thread the noodles onto the yarn to make a necklace. 

Noodle Art
Supply the children with pasta noodles that have been dyed orange. Have the children glue the noodles onto a piece of paper. 

Looking at the world through orange colored glasses:
Obtain orange cellophane wrap and many toilet paper rolls. Apply a square of the cellophane wrap to the end of the toilet paper roll and secure with a rubber band or masking tape. Each child should have one. Have the children look through the tube to see what everything looks like. You could also have five of these set up in your science area for the children to use, or bind two of the same color for binoculars. 

Goop
Mix 2 cups water with a little orange food coloring, add 6 cups of cornflour/cornstarch to make goop. 

Mixing Colored Water
Materials: water, red food coloring, plastic eyedroppers or pipettes, white plastic egg cartons
Fill three of the spaced in your egg carton with water. Add a couple of drops of red to one, many drops of yellow to another, and none in the last. Show the children how to use the eyedropper or the pipette to move the water from one spot to another. Let them experiment with mixing the colors. 

Sand and Water Table Ideas
add a few drops of orange food coloring to the water 
add soap and a few drops of orange food coloring to the water 
add orange ice cubes to the water 
use orange rice (add food coloring to the rice, mix and let dry) 
use orange pasta (add food coloring to the pasta, mix and let dry) 
add orange plastic blocks to the sand or water 
add octopus shapes to the water table
add ocean animals to the water table

Color Hop
Cut O shapes from orange paper. Use contact paper to attach these to the floor. Place them in a manner where the children can hop from one shape to the next easily. 

orange, orange, Green!!!
Played like "Duck, Duck, Goose" except the children will say "orange, orange, Green". 

Mr. orange Says:
Played just like "Simon Say" except the teacher says "Mr. orange Says". With younger children, do not make children sit out... just say "Mr. orange didn't say". 

Color Song:
Suzie is wearing orange today 
orange today, orange today, 
Suzie is wearing orange today 
All day long 
(Substitute Suzie with a name of the child in your class, and red for the color that child is wearing) Repeat the song twice and let the child dance during the song. Have the other children sing and clap along. 

Color Jump Song
If you're wearing orange then 
Jump up and Down, 
Jump up and Down, 
Jump up and Down, 
If you're wearing orange then 
Jump up and Down, 
Now sit back down. 

Construction Sign Art
Have the children color pre-cut signs orange. 
Alt. Have them paint the signs orange.

Creating Orange
Have the children mix yellow and red water to create orange. 

Creating Orange 2
You can place two table spoons yellow paint and one tablespoon red paint (kids non toxic paint) into a Ziplock bag. Seal the bag and tape shut. Have the children squish the paint around until it is orange. (they could use this paint for their masks...)

Blanket Fun
Place a soft orange object (bean bag or soft stuffed toy) on a blanket or parachute. Have the children shake the blanket till the object flies off. 

Orange Prints
Cut an orange in half and have the children dip in paint and press onto paper for orange prints.

How many seeds?
Have the children guess how many seeds will be in your orange. Record their answers. Dissect the orange and count.

Parts of an orange
Talk about the parts of an orange. What shape is it? How does it feel on the outside? How is the inside different from the outside?

Orange Obstacle Course
Set out some orange cones to be a part of an obstacle course. Try to use as many orange things as possible as part of the course.

Construction Signs
Print up some construction signs on orange paper and place them in your block area. Encourage children to wear hard hats when building.

Orange Shaving Cream Art 
Add a few drops of red and yellow (2 yellow to 1 red) food coloring to shaving cream. Mix a little. Have the children use this to paint with. 

Fishing
Cut out several shapes o shapes from orange construction paper. Write several numbers on them. Have them laminated. Then place a paper clip on each shape. Make a fishing pole out of a dowel or pencil, string and a magnet. Place the shapes on the floor and have the children sit in chairs around the shapes. (This may work better with a few fishing poles.) Have the children try to catch a shape with the fishing pole. Then, when they catch one.. show it to them and ask what number it is.
Variation: Ask the child if they can catch the "1"

Orange Punches Collage
Have the children glue orange shapes onto a piece of paper. 



My Octopus Song by chicky-ma-ma
Sung to "Three Blind Mice"
Octopus, Octopus
In the Sea, In the Sea
To swim they use all 8 of their arms
Their color changes to hide them from harm
They live in the sea, not on a farm
The Octopus


Paper Plate Octopus
Have your child cut a paper plate in half. Have the child draw eyes on the plate, then glue on eight pieces of crepe paper to the bottom as arms. When dry hang by a window to see the octopus "swim". 


Easy Octopus Art
Draw 7 5 1/2 in lines up from the long side of a piece of construction paper. Have the child cut along the lines to make arms, and roll the paper and tape the sides of the body together. Have your child bend the arms outwards, and stick on sticker eyes.

Pipe cleaner Octopus
Cut a toilet paper tube in half. Have your child tape eight pipe cleaners onto the tube for legs. Use a marker for the eyes. 


Ocean Scene
This one is so simple. Buy some fish stickers.. have your child put the stickers on a piece of blue paper for an ocean scene. 

Ocean Bottle-image submitted by Julia
Clean out an empty plastic pop bottle. Add water, blue food coloring, and glitter, and maybe a few pebbles. Seal the bottle closed using a little hot glue, allow to completely dry before the children can play with it. Tip the bottle back and forth. roll the bottle on the floor. 


Hot Dog Octopus
Cut slits into a hot dog 2/3's of the way up. Use a toothpick to poke two eyes near the top. Put the hot dog in a pan of boiling water.


Christmas Ornaments 
Decorate canning lids with string, ribbon, sequins, lace, and odds and ends. Glue a pipe cleaner to the back and hang on your tree. 

Christmas Ornaments II 
Have the children decorate really Christmas ornaments with string, ribbons, lace, sequins and odds and end. Allow to dry and send home for a great gift.


To be continued......