Teaching Time and Clock Parts

Objective:  Expose children to the words relating to time and clock parts.

Preparation:

• Make word cards for the words “time”, “hands”, “face”, “numbers” and “clock”.
• Have a teaching clock with movable hands.
• Prepare to read the book, Me Counting Time by Joan Sweeney.
• Have a worksheet with analog clock parts to do as a direction following activity.  Clock parts worksheet

Lesson:

Read the book, Me Counting Time.  Discuss and compare to the children.

Put up the word cards.  Talk about some of the sounds in the word.  (T, K, short o, etc.)  Use the word cards to label a clock in the room.

Show the teaching clock.  Talk about the parts of the clock.  (face, hands, numbers)

Learning Activity:

Give each child an analog clock worksheet and crayons.  Read each part of the instructions and do the worksheet together.    Clock parts worksheet

Organize your amphibian theme activities for 2 days:

Day one:

Preparation:

1.Find drawings or pictures of frogs, toads and salamanders from books, magazines or old calendars.

2.Cut sheets of legal size papers in half lengthwise and accordion fold it them into 4 sections. Have crayons, pencils or markers for the children to draw with.

3.Find a book to read about the life cycle of a frog. Some excellent books are

Tadpole to Frog by Jan Kottke:

Fantastic Frogs by Fay Robinson

What is an amphibian?

1.Amphibians are animals that metamorphose from a water animal to a land animal.

2.Amphibians include frogs, toads and salamanders. Show pictures and discuss differences

3.Toads have dry, warty skin, while frogs have smooth, wet skin.

4.Frogs have tiny teeth on both upper and lower jaws, while toads do not have teeth.

5.Frogs have longer hind legs than toads. So frogs jump, while toads hop.

6.Salamanders have a long body and a tail. Frogs and toads are shorter and have no tail.

Define metamorphosis and discuss.

Change of physical form

Read a book and discuss each stage of the life cycle

Some suggestions for some good books on the life cycle of a frog:

Tadpole to Frog by Jan Kottke

Fantastic Frogs by Fay Robinson

1.Eggs.

2.Tadpoles have gills, similar to fish, covered and protected by a flap of skin. As they continue to develop, their hind legs form and grow. Then their tail begins to shrink and the front legs appear.

3.Soon the gills are gone, and the tadpole begins to breathe air at the surface, with his brand new lungs.

4.Soon after transforming into froglets or toadlets, they begin life out of the water and start eating insects.

Do a craft project:

1.The frog cycle book

2.Accordion fold a half sheet of legal size paper into four pages. Label each page as follows: Eggs; Tadpoles; Tadpoles with legs; Adult or Frog.

3.Write “Frogs” on the front for the title.

4.Have the child draw a picture to go with each stage.

5.Have the child write their names on the book.

Here are a few suggested discussion questions:

1.What information about amphibians did you like the most?

2.What are the main differences between a frog and toad?

3.What is a tadpole?

4.What other animals “metamorphose”? Butterflies

Objective: Children will learn about the sense of taste.

Materials:

“tongue map”

Lemon wedges

unsweetened cocoa powder

pretzels

gumdrop with sugar coating

Suggested books:

Lesson:

• show “tongue map”
• Have the children look at the small bumps (taste buds) on each others’ tongues. Taste buds are connected to nerves which carry messages to the brain which deciphers what is being tasted.
• Have the children taste:
  • sweet (gum drop with sugar coating)
  • sour (lemon )
  • bitter (unsweetened chocolate)
  • and salty (pretzel ) food finding the place on the tongue where that type of food is best tasted.

Eating Healthy / Food Groups

Objective: Children will learn about nutrition and food groups.

Materials:

• Paper plates

• Markers, crayons or colored pencils.

• Magazines with a large variety of pictures of food.

• Simple pictures of foods from each food group (protein, fruit, vegetables, grain and dairy).

• Scissors

• Cardstock

• Suggested book

  • Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert

Preparation:

• Make a “plate” by cutting a large circle. Draw lines dividing it into four parts (as shown in picture). Label each of the food groups in each section: fruit; vegetables; grain; protein. Make a glass representing the milk or just make a smaller circle, label it “dairy”. Put them on the bulletin board.

• Draw lines on paper plates dividing them and labeling each section in the same manner as above.

• Draw and label with “dairy” a picture of a glass of milk (or a smaller circle) printed on cardstock.  (You may want to print several on one sheet.)

Lesson:

• Read the book(s) then discuss while showing pictures.
  • Discuss each of the food groups and some of the foods that fit into each category.
  • Discuss sweets and foods that are unhealthy and should be avoided or limited.
• Have the children sort the pictures into the 5 different food groups.

Activity 1: My plate bulletin board

• Have the children find and cut out pictures of a food from each group in the magazines, then glue them to the large plate on bulletin board.

Activity 2: My plate

• Have the children draw a food from each group on their paper plate.
• Write what the children drew under their drawing.
• Have the children cut out the milk, then staple the “milk” to the top right edge of the plate.

More info, tips, and resources can be found at www.choosemyplate.gov

Note:  This lesson can be taught in 6 lessons, one for each food group and a review on the 6^th day.  Work on the bulletin board plate each day with each food group, then on the review day do the paper plate activity. 

It is also fun to have a food experience with each food group.  Some ideas are to have the children bring something to add to the fruit salad, nut cups, vegetable soup or tray, etc.

Opposites, and Following Directions

Objective: Children will learn to follow directions using opposite, position, and attribute words.

Materials:

• Have stickers—each child will need a variety of stickers, but all children will need the same ones.

• On sheets of paper, have the words “Opposites/Following Directions”

• Find music for the song, The Hokey Pokey.

• Various objects to set up an obstacle course such as:

  • Chairs

  • Desks

  • Hula hoops

  • Pillows

  • Whatever you can find that you think will work

• Suggested books

  • The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss

  • Here A Chick, There A Chick by Bruce McMillan

  • Baby Food by Tansy Dunn

Preparation:

Set up an obstacle course that will require children to learn attributes and opposites. Here is an example:

• walk  backward  and forward   between chairs
• go up stairs to the top and down stairs to the bottom
• crawl under table
• step over stools
• crawl through a tunnel
• go into and out  of a small tent
• hop from two legs to one leg alternating left and right

Lesson:

• Read the book(s) then discuss while showing pictures.
• Ask the children to name some opposites, for example:
  • What is the opposite of up?
  • What is the opposite of out?
  • What is the opposite of big?
  • Etc.
• Have the children go through the obstacle course.
• Sing and act out,  The Hokey Pokey.

Activity:

Give the children the papers and have them place specific stickers on specific places on the paper (back, front, left, right, middle), for example:

Place the orange star sticker at the top of your paper.

Place the pink heart sticker on the left side of your paper.

Etc.

Spiders

Objective: Children will learn the characteristics of spiders and how they differ from insects.  (This is a good lesson to teach after the insect lesson.)

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of spiders and insects from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Make word cards for the words, “insect” and “spider”.
• Cut out 1”- 1 1/2″ hearts from foam or heavy paper. Any color will work, spiders vary in color.
• Cut out 3” hearts from foam or heavy paper
• Glue the hearts together at the points to form spider’s Cephalothorax and Abdomen (head and body).
• Punch holes around the sides of larger heart—4 on each side
• Have chenille (pipe cleaner) stems 4 per spider
• Have permanent markers of all colors
• Make a web in the classroom to hang the spiders on. You can create your own with yarn or use synthetic spider web.

• Suggested books:

  • Spider Names by Susan Canizares

  • The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

Lesson:

Read the book(s) then discuss while showing pictures.

Spiders belong to a group of animals called “arachnids”. Arachnids are creatures with two body segments, eight legs, no wings or antennae.

Most spiders have four or more openings, or glands, on their abdomen called spinnerets which produce the silk they use to create webs.

Discuss the body parts of a spider

• Spiders have two body segments. The front segment is called the Cephalothorax. The spider’s eyes, mouth fangs, stomach, brain and the glands that make the poison are on this part of the body. The legs are connected to this part, as well. Most spiders have eight eyes, but some have less. Spiders also have these tiny little things called ‘pedipalps’ that are beside the fangs. They help to hold prey while the spider bites it.

• The second part of the body is called the Abdomen. The back end of the abdomen is where the spinnerets, the silk producing glands, are. The spider’s body has an oil on it to keep the spider from sticking to it’s own web. 
• Spider’s legs are covered with many hairs. The hairs pick up vibrations and smells from the air.
• Spiders have a hard outer shell called an ‘exoskeleton’.

Activity: Take pictures of insects and spiders and sort them by putting the insects by the word “insect” and spiders by the word, “spider”.

Discussion questions:

• Where do spiders live? Spiders live everywhere even in lakes and ponds
• What does it eat? Spiders are carnivores and most eat insects.
• What likes to eat the spider? Birds, toads, lizards and monkeys
• What is the difference between spiders and insects? Many people think that spiders are insects but they are mistaken since insects have six legs and three main body parts. Most insects have wings.
• Can spiders hurt humans? All spiders have fangs! And, yes, they almost all have venom in them. Most spider poison will not harm people, however, because it is quite weak. There are a few spiders which include the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse spiders with poison strong enough to cause pain. If a bite from these spiders is left untreated, death could result.

Here is a very fun song to sing with the children to the tune of “My Darling Clementine”:

It’s an insect, not a spider.

It has 6 legs instead of 8.

3 on this side and 3 on that side

and it’s crawling on my plate.

Activity:   Foam Spider

Have the children add 8 eyes to the Cephalothorax and decorate the Abdomen with permanent markers.

Back of spider

Help them feed the chenille stems down through the hole closest to the Cephalothorax on one side and come up in the hole farthest from the Cephalothorax on the other side.

Repeat previous step for each hole crossing over in the back.

Have the children bend the “legs” into an s-shape from the body.

Hang the spiders on your spider web somewhere in the classroom as a decoration.

Note:  Children love this activity and it is fun to do around Halloween.

Measuring 

Objective: Introduce children to measuring, inches and the tools and words used in measuring.

Preparation:

• Make a word card for Measuring.
• Have measuring tools like cups, measuring spoons, tape measure, ruler, etc.
• Have small objects to measure with a ruler.  (books, blocks, crayons, pencils, tools, toys, etc.)
• Have a wall measuring poster to measure each child.  Plan to leave this on the wall and measure again in the spring.
• Print and make a small book (4 pages) for each child.  inches book
• Get stickers 1 inch square, 3 in. square sticky note pad, yarn cut in 4 in. pieces.
• Have a ruler for each child.
• Suggested book:   ME and the Measure of Things , by Joan Sweeney

Lesson:

Put up the word card “Measuring”.  Talk about some of the sounds in the word.  (Mm, _s_)

Read the book and show some measuring tools and discuss how they are used.

Measure the height of each child on the measuring poster on the wall.

Have each child select one of the objects to measure or have them pick an object from the room.  Measure each object with a ruler.

* (You may also want to use a balance scale, ounce scale or postal scale to weigh the small objects.)

Activity:

Give each child the book, Inches.   Help them read the questions? Help them measure and glue items to the page.  Have them write the number of inches on the line.  On the last page have them draw a picture of themselves and write how many inches tall each child is.

Read the book together.

    Insects

Objective: Children will gain a better understanding of the body parts and life cycle of insects, and how they are beneficial to humans and our environment.

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of insects from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Print out the attached template of fly sack puppet.   fly puppet pattern
• Have green, blue, and purple crayons with paper peeled off.
• Paper sacks.
• Mix together green and silver glitter glue.
• Cut ¾” x 6″ strips of black construction paper.
• Suggested books:
  

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
2. The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
3. The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
   

Lesson:

Before beginning lesson have the children paint the eyes of their sack puppet with glitter glue. Make sure they have a very thin coating so it will be dry when it comes time to cut them out and attach them to the sack.  (This can be done the day before or as soon as class starts.)

Read the book(s) then discuss while showing pictures.

Discuss the body parts of an insect. Here’s a link to a diagram: http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/~/media/0FBDF2CB55964EB78D8BFFBF45C53945.ashx?w=440&h=209&as=1

• Head
• Thorax
• Abdomen
• 6 legs (attached to thorax)
• 4 wings (some varieties)
• antennae [an-ten-ee] (plural for antenna)

Discuss the life cycle of insects. Here’s  a link to a diagram:  http://eorganic.info/sites/eorganic.info/files/u257/Complete_metamorphosis_375.jpg

• Egg
• Larvae
• Pupa (cocoon)
• Adult

Have the children name different types of insects (bumble bee, moths, flies, ants, beetles, etc.) and ask questions for each named insect.

Possible Discussion Questions:

• Where does the insect live?
• What does it eat?
• What likes to eat the insect
• What does the insect spend it’s day and night doing?
• How does it hide?
• How does the insect defend itself?
• How does the insect help humans/environment?
  • bees make honey and pollinate our plants.
  • flies eat and clean up our trash and dead animals.
  • insects can be a source of food for some animals including humans.
• How does the insect hurt humans/environment?
  • Mosquitoes spread disease such as malaria, west nile virus, etc.
  • Flies have been known to carry over 100 different kinds of disease causing germs.

Activity: Fly Sack Puppet

1. Glitter glue the eyes and let dry.  (Best done the day before.)
2. Rub the wings with the side of purple, blue and green crayons and cut them out.
3. Glue wings to the back side of sack.
4. Accordion fold 6 black legs then staple 3 legs on each side of sack.
5. Cut out and glue the eyes onto the flap of the sack.

Pumpkin Plant (vine)

Objective: Children will learn sequencing the growth of a pumpkin and parts of the plant.

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of pumpkins and pumpkin patches from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Print out the attached template of book for children to illustrate.  Print on 8.5 X 14 in. legal paper.Pumpkin sequence book Cut in half lengthwise to make 2 books. Accordion fold the book.
• Have crayons or colored pencils.
• Have a pumpkin.
• Decide on a book to read. Suggested books: It’s Pumpkin Time  by Zoe Hall   I Like Pumpkins by Jerry Smath

Lesson:

Cut pumpkin in half and discuss the seeds and waste part of the pumpkin. Show the children the inside of the seeds and discuss how we can roast them and eat them.   

What are some uses for pumpkins?  Jack-o’-Lanterns, pumpkin butter, pies, custard, bread, cookies, soup.

Read the book(s) then discuss while showing pictures.

Discuss the sequence of the growth of a pumpkin:

• Seed
• Sprout
• Small green pumpkin
• Big orange pumpkin

Discuss parts of the plant:

• Stem
• Leaf
• Root
• Flower
• Fruit

Possible discussion questions:

What do plants need to grow? water, fertile soil, sunshine.

What are some other plants besides pumpkin plants?  trees, tomatoes, etc.

How do plants make their food? Photosynthesis: Photo synthesis is the process by which plants capture and use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose.

In what seasons do we plant, and harvest pumpkins?

Activity:  Pumpkin Book

Have children illustrate the book discuss each page as they work.