The Desert: A Unit Study

Our family just returned from a trip to Arizona. While traveling we visited the Grand Canyon, the red rocks of Sodona, and the desert. I decided to use this trip as an opportunity to make my, "The World" study come alive.  Several weeks before the trip we began reading books about the desert, all kinds of deserts not just limited to the deserts in the southwest United States. After we scavenged the shelves at our library and then had books ordered from all over the place through the inter library loan system the three favorites that I used for our formal lessons are the above pictured, The Desert Alphabet Book, The Grand Canyon, and A Walk in the Desert.They featured history, animal, landscape shots, and more.

I also made sure we had storybooks about the desert and we read, read, read them! If you are doing a study about the desert for young ones I highly recommend: The Three Little Javelinas, Tortoise and the Jackrabbit, and the classic Clementines Cactus. These great storybooks made learning about the desert fun. From these storybooks we learned more than we bargained for about  desert animals and that was without even trying!

So, in addition to reading these books we also did art, music, and watched a wonderful Reading Rainbow (throw back to my childhood!) video on Native American art called The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.

My son's favorite art projects:
Making a cactus out of green playdough and toothpicks.
Using a ruler to measure out and draw a life size tarantula, cutting it out, and hiding it around the house to "spook" us.

Our favorite desert song:
We put this to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus

The tortoise in the desert eats prickly pear fruit, prickly pear fruit, prickly pear fruit...all day long. 
The hare in the desert goes hop, hop, hop.....all day long. 
The tarantula in the desert goes creep, creep, creep...all night long. 
The owl in the desert goes hoot, hoot, hoot....all night long. 

You can keep the song going. We ended up having upwards of fifteen verses to our song. I used this as a good opportunity to teach nocturnal and diurnal too. So, we ended the song with "all night long" or "all day long" depending on if the animal is nocturnal or diurnal.

We did a study on Native American art from the southwest and while in a Grand Canyon gift shop the Moose found examples of the pottery. He was so excited to have made this discovery. It really made the lesson we did at home come to life for him, which is what this teaching Momma was hoping!  Upon coming home we have created a travel scrapbook, written in our family adventure journal, and read once more all of our desert books now that we can combine the pages of the  books with our experience in Arizona.

Up next on our gigantic unit study, "The World" is a study on rivers, lakes, and oceans.  Fun!

FieldTrip: The Fire Station

For me, teaching preschool and kindergarten is an incredibly experiential few years. There are very few things that we formally learn about that we do not also find a way to touch or interact with on some level. Reading books can peek a child's interest in a topic and a first hand look at that topic can seal the deal~ a readers becomes a doer! It is much more difficult to forget that which we actually do with our own hands. Even if young children do not remember the specific event they will still integrate the experience into their continuously growing minds.

A field trip is the perfect opportunity to take a subject matter and turn it into hands on fun!

Using the book, Tito the Firefighter, which has both English and Spanish text I created a unit study that touched on fire safety, introduction of Spanish words, people in the community (firemen) and my son's favorite~ the big red LOUD  firetruck!

The unit study ended with a trip to the local fire house that really put the power (water power that is!) behind the story.

Tips for making a field trip to your local firehouse:

It is easy! Simply call your local fire department and express interest in visiting the fire station. Tell the ages of the children attending. Many fire stations will simply let you come for a visit and as long as no emergency is taking place they will give a tour, talk fire safety, and even let you sit in the truck! For an added bonus, check and see if your fire department puts on a special program for Fire Safety and Prevention Week October 9-15, 2011. And, make sure to make a special visit in May for International Firefighters Day and express appreciation for the work these men and women do each and every day!

Some more resources:
Crayola Fire Station Field Trip 
Apples for the Teacher Fire Safety Resources 
Sprout Online Fire Safety Activities

Many blessings raising readers!

Katie

The Busy Little Squirrel

Sorry, its sideways!

The Busy Little Squirrel written by Nancy Tafuri is simple in its content and wording. The storyline~ an adorably drawn squirrel that is busy preparing and collecting for winter. He can not stop and play with friends, despite their offers for fun, because he must store up food and make warm his nest.
I really like the value that this story portrays of preparation. We must work in order to rest. It is a good lesson for our children, one that we can find numerous ways to reiterate during the daylight hours!
At the end of the book the sweet squirrel is plum tuckered out in his nest sleeping soundly and safely, just as our hardworking and hard playing children are nestled in their beds each night.

Pre-K Unit Study Idea: 

One of the activities that I created to go along side Tafuri's book is a lesson on observation and data collection. It is simple. And, to extend this lesson I would suggest doing this once each season and then comparing the results. Do we see more activity from the Squirrel in the fall or the winter? 

We created a chart, came up with our own keys for potential activities and set the time for observations. For one week we look out of our window, front door, or porch (depending on how cold it is here!) and observe the squirrels behaviors. I had my son come up with his hypothesis' on potential behaviors. He listed eating, sleeping in his nest, playing, running across the street, foraging, and visiting his grandpa! We narrowed it down to eating, foraging, playing, and sleeping. (But, I did full-heartily agree that squirrels do indeed visit their grandparents!)  Each morning, afternoon and evening for one week we observe and then report on our chart. At the end of the week we turn the chart into a graph and my son gives a verbal account of the squirrels behavior to his Daddy.

This activity takes only moments a day and teaches reading, science, reasoning, and mathematics skills. Plus, it is a wonderful way to participate with nature as the weather turns colder.

Many blessings,


Katie

Running Shoes

Just in time for preparing your Operation Christmas Child shoebox, I have come across a lovely book that can help open up some dialog between you and your children.

One of my boys picked this up from the library without my knowing and I am so thankful.

The story, Running Shoes, written by Frederick Lipp is an inspirational story of a little girl and her wish for running shoes. The shoes will enable her to make the long walk to school each day. The book sweetly and beautifully emphasis the absolute gift that is literacy, as well as gently encourages compassion and teaches perseverance.

I cried while reading this story, and then had to laugh as I looked up to see my children perplexed by my emotions!

Here are a few ideas for using this book in a Pre-K Unit Study:

1. Find Cambodia on a map, introduce three unique things about this country, and have fun trying your hands and feet at a bit of traditional Cambodian dancing.
2. Go to different closets in your house and count how many pairs of shoes each person has. Have your children make a chart to record the types of shoes. Does your family own more running shoes or sandals, more dress shoes or slippers?
3. Go outside and have your children try to run in different shoes. Which shoes are best for running and why?
4. Use this book to do a character education study on gratitude, compassion, and hard work.
5. After reading participate together in an activity of service that will encourage your children to give to others. Perhaps, compile a box for Operation Christmas Child and include small picture books that delight and inspire even non-readers. Another great organization that is close to my heart is Ethiopia Reads. 
6. Make molds of your feet into sand, dirt, or dough and measure them (as is done in the book).  Practice using a tape measure and recording the findings. Compare and analyze.


Many blessings!

Lines That Wriggle

Lines that Wriggle (Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson) is plain old fun!

Every page in eye-popping bright, alive and filled with lines that are traceable for curious fingers.

Words such as sprout, tickle, curve, wiggle, wave, bend, and swish appear to jump out at the reader. This makes for good reading and a lot of invitation to move and groove to good words.

"What would it look like if we swirled?"
"How could we make lines in threes with these pieces of yarn?"
"Are their any lines hiding in this room?"

Lines that Wriggle is a fantastic early math book disguised as pure entertainment.

Here are several ideas you could use in a unit study with this book:

1.  Simply open the book and have little fingers trace the textured lines. Encourage the kiddos to express what they feel, see, and think. Talk about lines, lines, lines!

2. Cut up pieces of yarn in variety of sizes. Let your kiddos play with the string to make lines similar to those in the book.  They can make the string wavy, criss-cross, and mend for starters. Plus, let them do a free for all and have fun making the yarn into whatever they want!

3. Open the back door and have your kiddos pick up leaves that have fallen to the ground. Using tape secure the leaves to your table. Assist your children in using the yarn to replicate the lines on a leaf. You can do this on a table top of make a really big replica on your wall!

4. Go on a "line" scavenger hunt. Look for lines in your house and about in the world.


Many blessings!