Columbus Day Theme
Books

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus - David Adler
In 1492 - Jean Marzollo
What Is Columbus Day? - Margot Parker
Songs, Poems, Stories, & Fingerplays

Columbus - sung to "Mary Had A Little Lamb"

Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
Ocean blue, ocean blue.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
To find this land for me and you.

Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
Ocean blue, ocean blue.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
In fourteen hundred ninety-two

~More Piggyback Songs, Totline Books

Columbus Sailed Over the Ocean

Columbus sailed over the ocean,
Columbus sailed over the sea.
Columbus discovered America,
But Columbus didn't see me!
Nina, Pinta,
The Santa Maria, too.
They all sailed
Over the ocean blue.

Columbus was looking for India,
But Columbus missed it, you see.
Columbus discovered America,
But Columbus didn't see me!
Nina, Pinta,
The Santa Maria, too.
They all said
Over the ocean blue.

~Karen Anderson, Pamela Barksdale
from Special Day Celebrations, Totline Books

Christopher Columbus - sung to "I'm a Little Teapot"

Christopher Columbus sailed the sea.
Ships on the ocean, one, two, three.
When the trip was finished, he could see
America, the home of you and me.

~Carla C. Skjong
The Best of Totline Newsletter
Arts & Crafts
Columbus Day Ships

Give each child a walnut shell half, a small piece of playdough, a toothpick and a small square of white paper for a sail. Let the children decorate their sails and glue them to their toothpicks. Have the children roll their playdough pieces into balls and place them in their walnut halves. Then have them stick their toothpick sails into the playdough to complete their ships.

Extension: Let the children have fun floating their Columbus Day ships in a tub of water.

~Special Day Celebrations, Totline Books
In The Kitchen

Deviled Egg Ships

Peel hard-boiled eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and let the children mash them in a bowl with mayonnaise and a small amount of mustard. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. Make a sail for each ship by poking two holes in a small square of paper and sticking a toothpick in one hole and out the other. Then insert the toothpick sails in the deviled egg halves.

Variation: Instead of making deviled eggs, use plain hard-boiled egg halves to create the ships.

~Special Day Celebrations, Totline Books
Theme Ideas

Land Ahoy!

Make telescopes for the children to use to "search for land" while pretending to sail on the ocean. For each telescope you will need two cardboard tubes, one narrow enough to fit inside the other. Slip the wider tube over the narrower one. Then demonstrate how to use the telescope by looking through the narrower tube and moving the wider tube back and forth over it. While the children are playing with their telescopes, recite the following poem:

Land ahoy! Land ahoy!
Shouts the sailor with great joy.
Land ahoy! Within my sight!
Land ahoy! We sleep tonight!
Land ahoy! It's good to see
Something other than blue sea!

~Jean Warren
Special Day Celebrations, Totline Books
Links

Columbus Day - About.com
Columbus Day Crafts and Activities - Enchanted Learning
Columbus Day Coloring Pages - Preschool Coloring Book
Columbus Day Activities - DLTK
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