Learning About Vehicles and
Transportation
By: Toddlers
September 2015
Our Opening Event
The Toddler class has really show an
interest in vehicles and transportation and
are really excited to learn all about them.
Their interest has really sparked since we
have been hearing and seeing many
different vehicles. The children love
seeing the garbage truck out the window
when it comes to pick up the garbage.
The class also loves hearing and looking
for airplanes when we are outside on the
playground. During circle time, we had a
discussion about different vehicles and
the Toddlers enjoyed sharing their
knowledge about them with us. As one of
our opening events we introduced and
read books about trucks, airplanes and
cars. For the next several days we are
going to learn about vehicles and
transportation through many various
activities and experiences.
What Do We Know?
 Trucks say, “beep beep.”
 Airplanes are in the sky.
 Mommy & Daddy drive
a car.
 Trucks are big.
 Boats go in water.
What Do We Want To Know?
 How do airplanes stay
in the sky?
 Where do trucks go?
 How do boats float?
 How do trucks go
“beep beep”?
Our Project Plan
Explorations and Investigations
Lacing Vehicle Cards
*Language Works / Well Aware*
The children used their fine motor skills as they
practiced lacing many different vehicle cards. I
worked one on one with them as I explained how
to lace the cards. The children showed curiosity
and motivation as they practiced lacing. They
persisted and followed directions working their
pieces of yarn through the holes on their cards.
We learn to:
- Follow one step directions.
-Develop pincer grasp to pick up small objects.
- Strengthen and refine small muscle skills.
We learn it by:
-Engaging in group or individual activities that require
following simple directions.
- Picking up small, yet safe objects.
- Practicing small muscle skills such as lacing.
Explorations and Investigations
Transportation Sticker Collages
•Art Smart / Language Works*
The children used many different types of
transportation stickers to make a sticker
collage with. These stickers included trains,
helicopters, airplanes, cars, trucks and buses.
As the children placed the stickers onto their
papers, they like naming what vehicles they
were putting on their papers. We also talked
about what colors they were using as they
made their collages.
We learn to:
-Investigate the world through our senses.
- Make deliberate markings or drawings.
- Participate in the give and take of
conversations.
We learn it by:
-Exploring materials that engage the senses.
- Using developmentally appropriate art
materials such as stickers and wide paper.
- Conversing with teachers who model
communications both one on one and in
groups.
Explorations and Investigations
Sink or Float
*Science Rocks/ Language Works*
Our sink or float activity had the children very
entertained. First, I explained to the Toddlers what
sink and float meant. Next, I held up one toy at a
time and asked them if they thought that certain
toy would sink or float in the water. I then handed
the toy to one of the children and they dropped the
toy into a tub of water. The children then watched
carefully as they observed if the item sank to the
bottom or floated on top. In the process, we talked
about boats and how they float.
We learn to:
-Follow one step directions.
- Participate in the give and take of conversations.
- Question when exploring materials.
- Understand cause and effect and how repeated
actions make things happen.
We learn it by:
-Engaging in group or individual activities that require
following simple directions.
-Conversing with teachers who model
communications both one on one and in groups.
- Describing and discussing our observations and
experiences with teachers.
- Connecting our actions to an effect.
Explorations and Investigations
MASKING TAPE ROAD
*Art Smart (Dramatic Art)/
Our World *
The kids loved driving small cars and
trucks on a masking tape road on the
floor. As the drove the cars, they talked
about the colors of the road. They also
liked making car noises and beeping
sounds as they rode the cars along the
road.
We learn to:
-Demonstrate ability to use imagination
in play.
- Initiate short conversations with
teachers and peers.
We learn it by:
-Using both open ended props and
representational props.
- Having conversations with teachers
and friends about daily experiences
and activities.
Explorations and Investigations
Vehicle Match
•Math Counts / Language Works*
Our vehicle matching game was fun for the children to
participate in . They each took turns matching different kinds
of vehicles. These vehicles included bikes, trucks, bulldozers,
buses, fire trucks, boats, cars etc. The children did a great job
matching all of them correctly. As they matched, we talked
about what kind of vehicle it was and what it does.
We learn to:
- Identify similar items from a variety of objects.
- Follow one step directions.
We learn it by:
- Playing sorting/matching games.
- Engaging in group activities that require following simple
directions.
Explorations and Investigations
Transportation Puzzles
* Math Counts*
The children practiced using their
fine motor skills as they put various
puzzles together. It was great to
see the children using their
knowledge of matching to put
together the puzzles. They even
helped each other out when
someone couldn’t find where a
piece went.
We learn to:
- Match an appropriate block to
the correct shape on a toy.
We learn it by:
- Experimenting with placing
blocks in shape boxes or pieces in
simple puzzles.
Explorations and Investigations
Car Track Painting
*Art Smart*
The class had a blast as they used
different small cars to do tire track
paintings with. They loved seeing
the tires make prints all over their
papers. Each car had different
wheels which made each
painting unique and different.
We learn to:
- Investigate the world through our
senses.
- Experiment with and explore color.
We learn it by:
- Using developmentally appropriate art
materials.
- Expressing creativity in our own way
without teacher direction.
Explorations and Investigations
Making Play dough
*Language Works/ Science Rocks*
The children were big helpers with
making cinnamon scented play
dough. They followed directions as
they helped scoop, pour and mix
ingredients to make the dough.
They then used toy cars and other
play dough tools to explore the
dough with.
We learn to:
- Follow one step directions.
- Experiment with volume.
We learn it by:
- Engaging in group or individual
activities that require following
simple directions.
- Filling, dumping, and comparing
containers with varied materials.
Explorations and Investigations
Car Wash
*Science Rocks / Sensory*
Washing cars in the sensory table
was a big hit. The children had
their very own “car wash” as they
used sponges, soap and water to
wash small toy cars.
We learn to:
- Use an object as a tool to
complete a task.
- Experiment with volume.
We learn it by:
- Exploring materials that engage
the senses.
- Filling, dumping and comparing
containers with varied materials
such as water.
Explorations and Investigations
Sky Pictures
* Art Smart/ Language Works*
After reading the book, “Little Cloud”
by Eric Carle. The children got to
create their very own sky pictures. I
gave them school glue with
paintbrushes and cotton balls to make
the sky. They were also given pieces of
Q-tips to make “airplanes” in their sky.
As we created our art, we talked about
how airplanes fly.
We learn to:
- Investigate the world through our
senses.
- Experiment with and explore color.
We learn it by:
- Using developmentally appropriate art
materials.
- Expressing creativity in our own way
without teacher direction.
Explorations and Investigations
CAR COLOR MATCH
*LANGUAGE WORKS/ MATH COUNTS*
The Toddlers participated in a car color
match. We practiced color recognition,
using our matching skills and following
directions as we matched. We
matched colored cars to the same
color circle that was on the table.
We learn to:
- Identify similar items from a variety of
objects.
- Follow one step directions.
- Understand concepts such as on/off.
We learn it by:
- Playing sorting/matching games.
- Engaging in group activities that require
following simple directions.
- Having teachers continually talk about
what we are doing: “You’re matching the
green car. Can you put the green car on
the green circle?”
Explorations and Investigations
APPLE BOATS
*Well Aware*
The class made yummy apple boats for
an activity. They used an apple slice, a
pretzel stick and a piece of cheese to
make the boat. They followed me as I
showed them step by step how to put
the boat together. First, we stuck the
pretzel stick into the apple. Next, we
squeezed a piece of cheese on top of
the pretzel to make the sail. Their
favorite part was getting to eat it!
We learn to:
- Follow one step directions.
- Understand and identify “healthy” foods.
We learn it by:
- Engaging in group or individual activities that
require following simple directions.
- Discussing our daily snack foods.
Our Families Got Involved
Explorations and Investigations
Bringing in our own Vehicles
*Our World *
The children loved bringing in their own
vehicles from home to share and show
to their friends. We talked about what
kind of vehicle each one was. Some of
the vehicles that the children shared
was an ambulance, a tractor, a
monster truck, and a tow truck. I
explained to the children how each
vehicle was unique and had a special
job that it did.
We learn to:
-Develop a sense of self as both separate
from and connected to others.
- Make friends and develop positive
relationships.
- Express compassion or empathy.
We learn it by:
-Bringing items from home to share with the
group.
- Sharing our toys, being sensitive to
classmates’ feelings, and showing other
acts of compassion.
- Playing together in learning centers.
What We Learned
-
-
-
Each vehicle has a special job that it does.
Trucks do a lot of different things.
There are lots of different types of vehicles.
Boats float on top of the water.
Trucks have horns that make the sound “beep beep” when you press on
them.
Four forces keep an airplane in the sky. They are lift, weight, thrust and drag.
Lift pushes the airplane up. Weight is the force that pulls the airplane toward
Earth. Thrust is the force that moves the airplane forward. Engines give thrust
to airplanes. Drag slows the airplane.
An object will float if it weighs less than the amount of water it displaces. This
explains why a rock will sink while a huge boat will float. The rock is heavy,
but it displaces only a little water.
Our Culminating Event
We made a
classroom book
of all the neat
things that we
learned. The
children love
looking at their
pictures and
reflecting on
what they
learned that
week.