Math:
Flower Height: Make a tall flower that is about the height of an average kindergartener. Place the flower on a blank wall (like a growth chart). Have a child stand against the flower. The other children must decide if he is taller than, shorter than, or the same height as the flower.
Eating Seeds: Give each child a portion cup with 15-20 sunflower seeds (shelled). Playing like the Whale Game in Math Their Way, tell the children story problems as they eat their seeds. Children pretend their hand in the yard. Say, “One day I went outside and I saw 2 seeds in my yard.” Children put 2 of the seeds from the portion cup on their hand. Say, “Then, I walked over to the slide and saw 3 more seeds.” Children put 3 more seeds on their hand. Say, “How many seeds did I see in my yard?” Continue with “Then down came a bird and ate 2 of my seeds.” The children will eat two of the sunflower seeds. Ask, “How many seeds are left?” Continue telling story problems until the children have eaten all of the seeds!
Sorting Seeds: Have each child bring a package of seeds to school. The children can sort the seed packages by various categories.
Sorting Flowers: Have each child bring a bunch of plastic flower from the dollar store to school. Cut the bunches into individual flowers. Put in a large basket, and have the children sort the flowers by various categories.
Spill the Bugs!: Put 6-9 plastic bugs inside a bug box. Have the children sit in a circle. Turn on the music, and have the children pass the bug box around the circle. When the music stops the children say, “Spill the Bugs!” Who ever has the box, spills the bugs and counts them as they put them back in the box. You can play the same activity by having the children count backwards as they put the bugs back in the box.
It’s About Time: After reading the Grouchy ladybug, children make a clock using a paper plate. Press a brad in the center of the plate to hold 2 paper hands. Place dots around the outside of the plate to show the children where to write the numerals. Turn on Stepping Out On the Town from Hap Palmer’s Can A Cherry Pie Wave Goodbye CD. The children will set the time on their own clock.
Ordinal Flowers: Make 5-10 flower hats by attaching flowers to a ball hat or painter’s hat. Have 5-10 children put on a hat and get in a row. Give another child a watering can. Tell the child to water the 5th flower. Continue having other children water the flowers in the different positions.
Literacy:
Word Family Fingers: After reading In the Tall, Tall Grass, introduce the word tall using the finger spellers. Finger spellers are made by cutting the tips off of canvas work gloves. These can be purchased at dollar stores. You will need 3-4 pairs of gloves. On each one of the fingers, write either a vowel with a red marker or a consonant with a blue marker. Do all of the letters with several of the vowels and the most popular letters. Put t – a – l – l letters on your fingers. Remove the t and replace it with another letter such as b. Have the children make a list of _all family words.
Planting a Rainbow: After reading the story, Planting A Rainbow introduce the interactive chart Plant A Rainbow. See the photo. Children can make their own rainbow using a Ziploc baggie, shaving cream, and food coloring. Give each child a Ziploc baggie. Squirt some shaving cream inside each baggie. Place a few drops of two different primary colors in the baggie and seal. The children will squish the shaving cream to mix the colors. Place the baggie on the top of the table. You can call out words, letters, or numerals for the children to write with their finger on the bag. The shaving cream will show their writing!
Rainbow Number Salad: Children can also make a rainbow number salad by following this recipe. See a photo of this book in the photo gallery.
Rainbow Number Salad.
In goes 1 red strawberry.
In goes 2 orange oranges.
In goes 3 yellow pineapples.
In goes 4 green apples.
In goes 5 blue blueberries.
In goes 6 purple grapes.
Cut the fruit into small bite size pieces and let the children each make their own salad in a small cup.
Apron Annie In the Garden: Read the story Apron Annie In The Garden. When telling the story, make yourself an apron using any apron pattern. We found fabric that matched each of the pockets on Annie’s Apron. There is a picture of the apron in the photo gallery. Then in each of the pockets, place the items from the story. Pull them out as you tell the story. After reading the story, have the children sort the items by living and non-living. The children can make ladybug cookies following the recipe found in Animal Hooks, Books, and Cooks. The book also contains steps for making the apron.
The Carrot Seed: Read the story The Carrot Seed. Teach the children the poem Nice Mr. Carrot.
Nice Mister Carrot
Nice Mr. Carrot
Has curly hair.
His head grows underneath the ground,
His feet up in the air.
And if you give his feet a great big pull
…..
Mushrooms in the Rain: Teach the children the Rain, Rain Go Away interactive chart. See picture of this chart in the photo gallery. Read the story Mushrooms in the Rain. Children will have fun making rain art. Let children use droppers to drop diluted food coloring (the primary colors) onto a paper plate. Using a spray bottle filled with “rain”, have the children rain on their plate. Watch the colors mix and form the secondary colors.
The Tiny Seed: Read the story The Tiny Seed. Children will enjoy making Sunflower Cookies following this recipe.
1. Get a sugar cookie.
2. Spread the cookie with peanut butter.
3. Place the candy corn petals around the edge.
4. Add chocolate chip seeds to the center.
For a science connection on how seeds travel have your children each bring in an old sock. Have them place the sock over their shoe, and go outside for a spring walk. (Be sure children walk through that special place where you have scattered grass seeds!) The children then each plant their sock! Watch the seeds grow. (If the seeds don’t grow, when the children go home add some seeds to their pots and cover with dirt.)
Sticker Stories:
Give children a flower sticker to place on their paper. They will use their crayons to make a picture with their sticker. Then, give them 3--4 x 4 squares. On the first square they write what happens in the beginning of the story, on the second square what happened in the middle of the story, and on the third square what happened in the end of the story. The 3 squares really helped my children to develop a story!
In the Rain With Baby Duck: After reading the story In the Rain With Baby Duck, cut a feather from yellow felt. Spread Crisco on the feather. Using a spray bottle, spray the felt. The children will see how the Crisco repels the water just like on a duck!
Theme Development Through Centers:
Blocks: The Garden Center Provide the children with a variety of lawn and garden items picked up at the Dollar Stores such as tools, gloves, seeds, aprons, etc. Make aprons that say “The Garden Center”. The children will use the blocks to build a garden center. Provide the children with Post-It notes to price their items, give them a basket of change, and open your own garden center!
Housekeeping: The Florist Provide the children with a variety of plastic flowers picked up at the Dollar Store. (I always ask each child to bring in one bunch.) Cut the bunches into individual flowers. Pick up a variety of baskets and place a piece of florist foam in the bottom of each basket. Make a poster that has various colors of flowers labeled with their color word. The children can use the poster as they write down orders taken on the order pads. Order pads can be made by listing the name of your florist, such as Eagle Springs Florist. Add cute clip art, and run several copies. Children then us the flowers and baskets to complete the orders. Money and post-it notes are used to price and sell the baskets.
Read or Write the Room: Pick up a variety of plastic flowers to glue to hats, pencils, and glasses. The children will love to wear them as they read and write around the room.
