C is for Cat Craft

• Use easy to cut shapes to create a cat craft during your letter C unit. Help preschoolers cut out a large circle for the cat's body, a smaller circle for the head, two small triangle for the ears, small circles for paws and a large letter C for the tail out of construction paper. Preschoolers can color or paste eyes, a nose, mouth and whiskers onto the smaller circle for the cat's face. Preschoolers practice cutting, gluing and following directions as you reinforce beginning sounds and the shape of the letter C.
  
  

All About Cats Book

• Help preschoolers go beyond house cats with a simple homemade book featuring pictures of cats to cut out and color. Provide preschoolers with coloring pages of lions, tigers, house cats, leopards and other common cats. After pictures are colored, preschoolers can cut out their pictures and glue into a book of pages bound with yarn or staples. Encourage preschoolers to copy or trace the first letter in the cat's name on each page and discuss where in the world the cats are commonly found while pointing out the locations on a globe or map.
  
  

Counting Cat Whiskers

• Make five cat faces out of construction paper or paper plates with ears glued and eyes, a nose and mouth drawn. Number the cats one to five and give preschoolers 15 pipe cleaners. Ask them to take turns adding the appropriate amounts of pipe cleaners to the cat faces according to the number of the cat.
  
  

Veterinarian Visit

• Invite a veterinarian to your classroom to talk about the proper care of cats as house pets. After the visit, or if you cannot get a veterinarian to visit your class, set up a dramatic play center with stuffed animal cats, food bowls, a doctor or vet's kit and a pretend litter box and cat toys so students can practice taking care of their class pet. Make sure the cats get lots of attention and proper care as preschoolers practice following directions and responsibility.
  
  

Shapes and Sizes

• Trace, cut and laminate different sizes and shapes of cats from lions to house cats. Instruct preschoolers to take turns sorting by shape or size in ascending or descending order to practice following directions and identification skills.