Yesterday, I was searching on Facebook and have been wondering if there were any articles expressing the need for more weather related lesson plans in Preschool. I searched and searched, but I couldn't find one that truly covered the reasoning behind having weather activities in your curriculum. So, I felt that this topic in the month of January could benefit our parents, homes schooler and preschools. Hang onto your hats, mittens, and gloves, because this is going to be a good beginning to our blog adventure together.
~Painting the Learning Experience Together~
Everyday, the early childhood age group can't wait to see, touch and hear the world. They're not only discovering and exploring the world for the first time, but they are ready to learn a little more about the weather experiences that they sense everyday. They feel the wind blowing on their cheeks, they see the wind blowing their little brothers hat off, but the curiosity rises when they can't touch it or hold onto it. Oh, but what if we could put wind in the form of a bubble to chase and to catch or to watch blow away. Or possibly a pin wheel mounted on the hillside next to their play ground area? We could create meaningful questions like, "Oh my goodness that was a big wind! Is our pin wheel telling us that it is windy today?" They will run to see and a matter of fact, they will continue to watch it the entire time they are outside playing and continue wondering inside, what the pin wheel is doing on the hillside. So, make sure you put it in view of your classroom windowsill Science Center. Have we provided that doorway to this emerging Science concept that they can build on? Yes, we did! Emergent Curriculum is a matter of providing awareness to the basic tools needed to survive in an academic setting and providing the foundations for success. And this curious phenomenon that we take for granted everyday, they will find fascinating and will want to learn more. Let's expand a little further with our daily circle time weather chart and activities to see if those little light bulbs will light up.
Dance Like Snowflakes ~ Unknown Author
Sung to: "Frere Jacques"
Dance like snowflakes
Dance like snowflakes
In the air
In the air
Whirling, twirling, snowflakes
Whirling, twirling, snowflakes
Here and there
Here and there.
Our circle time weather activities shouldn't become a repetitive or meaningless activities that the children will move beyond on you from another resource. So, don't be that teacher that races through circle time without making those meaningful connections with their environment, with pretend play, with song and dance, with the First Nature Learning (FNL) activities that will help them to have a better understanding of the why's to your learning experiences that they do everyday. Above is a wonderful example of a song that will make their imaginations run wild and help you to express wind in another way during a playful activity like this one. Oh, they will sense the movement that they see, the air that they can't hold, the silly snowflake dancing that they have seen the wind do and their positions "here and there" that change when they observe the wind. Just like the bubbles in the wind, but now with the snowflakes on a cold January day. January brings so many opportunities for science projects with the snow and with this new awareness of knowledge that will build more information for them and for when they need to express this in writing when they are in their elementary school years.
This short song and dance will bring Language and Literacy, Fine and Gross Motor strengthening and coordination, Math positions and a memory teaser about their pin wheel on the hillside. A meaningful moment that will find us asking another meaningful question, "I wonder what our pin wheel on the hillside last Fall would have been doing if it was singing and dancing with us?" They will giggle and laugh while spinning their hands in a circle, because preschool children are smart learners and are able to understand fully each step of the way. This memory teaser has now placed their imaginations to when it was warmer outside, when there were colorful leaves on their tree study. This connection will be your transition opportunities to their next activity.
A really good early childhood caregiver will find ways to provide the best learning experiences that will prepare them for a more structured classroom environment later. So, Paint the Learning Experience Together while exploring and discovering the world together! They will love you for it.
Author: Deborah Barnes
Children First Curriculum, USA, LLC
Early Childhood Specialized Curriculum Consultant, Pre-K Tutor, Life Coach and Mom Coach
Math Power of Pre-K: Expand your specialized curriculum with visuals, symbols, objects, communication and it's word. You'll be surprised the Outcome!
3 Meaningful questions to bring multi-culture learning experiences into your homeschool and classroom.
Blizzard Weather & Community Helpers
Building Character: Being that December brings so many gift boxes, shipping boxes and in January bottles and plastic wraps to our homes and classroom, this group project would be a fun way to use them. Teaching our children that we all need to help each other to be safe during a snow storm and a community is filled with people of all different colors, sizes, faces, clothing, talents, skills and a big snow storm is a good way to bring multi-culture awareness into their learning experiences. Children learn best while playing and connecting familiar props to express community togetherness will be everlasting in their memories. And by using recycled materials or materials from earlier lesson plans, they'll learn to find ways to be resourceful and creative to make things work at home and at school. Fun, fun, fun!
Child-Driven Winter Scene Project
1 Shoe Box
Roll of Bubble Wrap
Clear Plastic Packing
Blue and White Construction Paper
Blue and White (Color Study) Pom Poms
Thanksgiving Felt Finger Play Tee Pees
Thanksgiving Felt Finger Play Native American Indians
Block Center Toy People For Community Helpers
1. What can we use from our recycling box that looks like snow?
They found bubble wrap, clear plastic packing, white construction paper and used their glue from the art center as it's ground cover. Roll the pom poms in and on top of the pretend snow like big snow boulders
2. What toy friends can we use to show our love and friendship?
During Thanksgiving we discussed different ways the Native Americans Indians live in our country and they wanted to help them to stay safe and warm in our winter community. They placed tee pees as their homes in the snow. Allow them to expand with their tree study and place a felt pine tree too. Creativity!
3. Can we find community helpers from our block center that can help our friends & neighbors?
The Block Center was where they headed to find all of the community helpers. They were different sizes, colors and were police officers, firemen, construction workers, street helpers and children helpers. They even placed the fire dog in their winter scene to help too.
How do we stay warm in the winter? Our home: Insulation, windows, siding, doors, heat. Our body: Coats, Hats, scarves, boots & gloves. Our Winter Animals: Fur coats, twigs, leaves, branches. Meaningful Question for Discussions.
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January is the time for science experiments such as this easy homemade ice cream recipe. great for the preschool or home school setting. Yummy! Enjoy!
Starting out the New year teaching our children good eating habits; is an awesome beginning to the rest of their life. Find us on Pinterest: Creative Kidzzz Cafe http://www.pinterest.com/childrenfirst1/creative-kidzzz-cafe/
Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.
Children First Curriculum, USA
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