Teaching Spring Seeds Theme& Activities

1. Teaching Spring Seeds Theme& Activities By: Stephanie Best-Hobbs

2. Spring Plants/Seed Activities • Which seed is it?Place many different kinds of seeds on a paper plate. One of each kind. Talk about the seeds with your child. Then tell your child that you are going to describe a seed, and you want them to guess which one it is. Take turns trying to guess which seed the other is describing. • Seed ShakersTake two sturdy paper plates. (The stronger the better) Place some seeds on one of the plates and place the other plate on top of the first so that both eating surface areas are facing each other. Use masking tape to seal the plates together. Have your child decorate with markers, glitter, construction paper, or ribbons. When dry, shake. Shake to music, shake it each time you take a step. Shake, Shake Shake!!!

3. Spring Plants Seed Activities • Plant a seed Song • written by Chicky(sung to London Bridges)Plant a seed and water itWater it, Water itPlant a seed and water itThen we'll watch it growMake sure that it's in the sunIn the sun, In the sunMake sure that it's in the sunThen we'll watch it grow. • Count the seedsBefore you cut a piece of fruit, have your child try to guess how many seeds will be inside. Cut open the fruit and count them. How close was he/she. Write down your child's guess.. and how many seeds that were in the fruit. The next day repeat the process. Compare your results. Were there more, less, or the same amount of seeds in the two fruits.

4. Seed Sound Jars Obtain many film or prescription bottles. (Both are great items to get from parents.) Place matching seeds in two containers. I.e. 2 apple seeds, 5 watermelon seeds etc. If using film containers, seal the lids with hot glue or super glue. If using prescription containers, cover the bottles with colored contact paper. This Montessori based activity would normally be introduced to the children in the following manner: without speaking, the teacher picks up one of the containers and shakes it. Then the teacher will pick another bottle and shakes it. Then the teacher shakes the first again. The teacher will shake the bottles and compare them until it is determined if they are a match, if they are not a match, the teacher would shake his/her head "no" and set the second bottle aside, and continue by picking up another bottle and shaking it, comparing it again to the first bottle. When a match is found, the teacher shakes his/her head "yes" and places the two bottles aside, next to each other. Then continues by picking another bottle and try to find its match until all of the matches are found. The child is invited to help when prompted by the teacher, with a shoulder shrug, or by the teacher initiating the child to pick a bottle, etc.

5. Spring Seed Activities • Seed SortUse 3 to 5 different kinds of seeds. Mix 3 to 5 of each kind of seed together. Have your child sort the seeds according to type. Ask your child which is the biggest, and which is the smallest. • What Seed do I Have?Give each child one of each kind of seed. Pick one of those seeds. Start to describe it. It is white and round. Ask the children if they can guess which seed you have picked. This activity can also be done in pairs/groups in centers. Each child would take a turn picking and describing the seed for the others.

6. Spring Seed/Planting Activities • Roots Grow DownCut a piece of paper towel to fit in a baby food jar. Put a little water in the jar then place grass seeds between the paper towel and the jar. The seeds will sprouts rapidly and the children will see the roots growing down and the plant pushing up toward the light. Place the lid on the jar and flip the jar upside down for a few days and observe the results. • Plant a Carrot TopCut the top off of a carrot, leave a little bit of the orange root. Place the carrot in damp soil and place in well lit area. Water appropriately. After a few weeks, check the root system.

7. Spring Plants Art Activities • Mud PaintingFinger paint with real mud or use chocolate pudding. • Bean CollageSupply your child with many different kinds of beans. Have your child glue the beans on a piece of paper to form a collage.

8. Spring Nature Activities • Nature BoxPlace the items you collected on the nature walk in a box. Let you child explore these items, and count them. • Nature WalkTake a plastic bag with you on your next nature walk. Encourage your child to collect leaves and small sticks, and acorns, and put them in the bag. (You can go on a nature walk in you back yard too.) Ask your child about each item they choose to put in the bag.

9. What does A palnt Need? A major thing a plant needs to grow is WATER!

10. The next thing a plant needs is plenty of sun.

11. Spring Time Alphabet

12. Aa ant

13. Bb baseball

14. Cc cleaning

15. Dd digging

16. Ee eggs

17. Ff farm

18. Gg gardening

19. Hh hopscotch

20. Ii insects

21. Jj jump

22. Kk kite

23. Ll lamb

24. Mm mowing

25. Nn nest

26. Oo observe

27. Pp planting

28. Qq quack

29. Rr run

30. Ss seeds

31. Tt tree

32. Uu up

33. Vv violets

34. Ww Water can

35. Xx fix

36. Yy yard

37. Zz zoom

38. Make a Spring Shower • Talk to students about what rain sounds like, and discuss the fact that rain sounds different, depending on how hard it is falling. Explain to students that even in one storm, the rain might start off very light and then end up coming down much, much harder…before tapering off again. Show students how they can make different sounds with their own fingers, mouths, hands, and feet to represent the various levels of rain. Play a modified game of “Follow the Leader” by having them follow you through the following steps of a spring rain shower: • Snapping their fingers (if they can) • Making clicking sounds with their tongues • Clapping their hands softly • Clapping their hands loudly • Banging on their desks with their hands • Stamping their feet on the floor • Have them go through the steps from 1 to 6, and then back from 5 down to 1 again. Then congratulate them for making their own rain shower! • You can add other activities to this preschool lesson plan for spring, such as some of these egg crafts.

39. Circle Time – Watering Seeds • When we think of spring, we often picture plants and flowers beginning to bloom after the long winter. Talk to children about how a seed grows. Make sure they understand that first you plant it underground, then you water it, and then it turns into a plant or a tree. Discuss the different things that a seed might turn into, from an apple tree to a rose. Encourage children to think of the type of plant that they would like to become if they were a seed. • Then tell the children that they will all be seeds planted underground. Have them all crouch down pretending to be tiny seeds. Then walk around the circle with a watering can to sprinkle them with water, and pretend to be the sun shining on them so that they can grow. Then tap each one of them, in a random order, and have them slowly grow up out of the ground and announce to the rest of the class which plant they are. • You can build on the circle time activity to help children practice putting various events in order. Divide a paper into six square sections and photocopy enough for the class. In each box, have children draw a different stage of a seed’s life. In the first box, they might draw seeds; in the second one, a seed planted underground; in the third one, a seed growing roots; in the fourth one, a seed beginning to sprout; in the fifth one, a small tree; and in the sixth one, a full-grown tree. You can model this process for them on the board. Then help them cut the squares apart and let them practice putting the squares into the correct order.

40. Science Activity Planting Beans • If you have a sensory table in the classroom, science instruction for this preschool spring unit should center around it. Fill it with potting soil and plastic shovels. (You may wish to include other gardening tools as well.) Let students play with the dirt for a little while, and then give them each a few beans to “plant” in the dirt. Do this activity right before a weekend, and encourage students to water their beans before they leave the classroom. Leave the cover off of the sensory table for the weekend, and when you come back, the students will be surprised to find that their beans have sprouted! • If you don’t have a sensory table, you can help students make their own hairy-head plants instead. Just fill stockings with potting soil and tie their bottoms shut. Place each stocking in a plastic bowl and wet the soil. Then give each child a handful of grass seeds to sprinkle on top of the stockings. Within a few days, grass will start growing out of the stocking heads. • Spend some time revisiting the conversation you had about growing seeds during circle time, to connect the learning.

41. Social Studies Activity • Groundhog Day • Ground Hog's Day is a holiday that seems to hail the coming of spring. Ask children to share what they know about Groundhog Day. Discuss the fact that although Groundhog day is in February, some people believe that it can help predict when spring is coming. If you taught about Groundhog Day earlier, students will enjoy this review. You can help them pretend to be The Ground Hog by hiding under a large blanket and then peaking out.

42. Math Activity • Counting Spring Objects • Go on a nature walk with students, and encourage them to collect objects in nature, especially those that have to do with spring. They might collect blades of grass, wildflowers, pieces of bark, or small pebbles. When they come back, give each of them a photocopied piece of paper with the numbers one through ten written on it. Help students pile the correct number of objects onto each number and glue them on. (You may want to have a selection of additional objects in case children did not collect enough on the nature walk.) • Although, if weather in your area does not permit a nature walk, consider sorting and counting different types of seeds, photos of different kinds of birds or even the heads of silk spring flowers.

43. CrAft Activity • Make a Bird’s Nest • After you go on a nature walk, you can encourage the children to make their own bird’s nests. Give each child a coffee filter and show them how to glue sticks, leaves, and other natural objects to it. Explain that this is how birds make their nests. If you’d like, you can help them make eggs out of play dough or other materials and put them in the nests for a fun end to this preschool spring unit. You can also try the spring craft for preschoolers in this article.

44. A Planting Song • Introducing the idea of growing seeds to preschoolers can open up whole new worlds to them. Before teaching them this song, you may want to consider planting a seed with them and letting them water it every day. Watching you plant in the garden can also be a way to help them understand this concept. Once you’re sure that they understand that seeds grow into plants, teach them this song. For infants and younger toddlers, you may need to help them do the movements with their own hands. • “I’m a Little Seed” (To the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”) • I’m a little seed. I’m small and round. [Curl right forefinger and thumb into the shape of a small circle.] • Plant me deep into the ground. [Cup left hand, and mime poking the seed down into it.] • Give me sun and water, and you know, [Use right hand to “spray” water on the cupped hand by opening suddenly.] • Before you know it, up I’ll grow! [Push right hand up through cupped left hand, then open right hand so it looks like a sprouting plant.]

45. A Rain Song • This is the perfect song for a rainy day with your preschooler. Face her towards the window in a bouncy seat , and talk to her about what you see. Explain that the rain is falling down from the sky, and that it comes from clouds. If you hear thunder, shout out “thunder!” while smiling to reassure your child. Then teach her this original rain song using the chant "Open Them, Shut Them." Feel free to make up your own tune as well. • Drizzle, drizzle, drizzle, drizzle, [Flutter your fingers with your palms facing downwards.] • Drizzle like the rain.Pitter patter, pitter patter, [Clap your hands against your thighs if you’re sitting, or lightly pat your baby’s tummy with your hands.] • It’s coming down again._________________ • Thunder, thunder, I hear thunder [Clap your hands loudly, or clap your child’s hands together.] • What a scary sound! [Cover your ears with your hands.] • All the rain up in the sky [Raise your child’s hands up high above her head.] • Falls down upon the ground. [Bring your child’s hands down suddenly.] • These songs about spring for infant and toddlers may end in laughter, but make sure to follow the child’s cues! If the child is squirming or fussing, start another activity and try the song again a different time.

46. Paper Bowl Bumble Bee • Making paper bowl bumble bees is a creative craft that opens the door to teaching preschoolers that bees are important insects that pollinate plants, produce honey, and emerge in the spring. • Materials: yellow paper bowls, black paint, black construction paper, wax paper, scissors, double-sided tape, paint brushes • Preparation: Cut the wax paper into ovals and the black paper into triangles. • Instructions: Give a paper bowl, two wax paper ovals, and a black triangle to each preschooler. Use the black paint to paint black bumble bee stripes and a face on the yellow bowl. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly. Then attach the wax paper ovals with the tape to the top of the bowl to form wings and the paper triangle to the back underside of the bowl to form a stinger. Use the finished bumble bees as props while singing a variation on the song "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee." • Lyrics: I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee / Won't my mommy be so proud of me / I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee / To pollinate all the flowers for me

47. Paper Plate Flower Head Wreath • Making flower head wreaths is a fun spring craft that reminds preschoolers about the flowers that will soon bloom. • Materials: green paper plates, colored tissue paper, scissors, glue • Preparation: four slits through the center of the paper plate about and inch from the edge. (See image for cutting pattern.) Fold the resulting triangles up. Cut the tissue paper into small squares about two inches in height and width. • Instructions: Pass out a precut paper plate to each preschooler. Crinkle and glue tissue paper squares onto the points of the triangles to create flowers. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly before placing the hat on the head.

48. Resources • www.elcivics.com • http://www.all4parties.co.uk/images_tropical_fun/sun_inf_lg.jpg • lbs5z@virginia.edu • www.first-school.ws › Themes › Science › Seasons • www.brighteducation.com • www.1234child.com