Up, Down and Around

     Our focus for the past two weeks has been on planting, growing and gardens. The book we focused on was Up, Down and Around by Katherine Ayres. The book offers a look at the direction different garden plants grow as well as an introduction to the garden plants. We had an opportunity to eat different vegetables and fruits over the past two weeks and really look at those that are the root of the plant (potato, carrot) as well as those that are the flower or fruit (tomato, cucumber). We also looked at some garden helpers like earthworms, butterflies, bees and lady bugs by exploring the job they do. The apple tree was in full bloom during this time and we were fortunate to see a large number of Cedar Waxwings. We even had the opportunity to get close to one that stayed a little longer on the ground.

     Our table activities for the unit included the following games. These print outs were found at Making Learning Fun.

     Other activities included painting with vegetables, printing with dandelions, creating garden stones and making grass seed caterpillars.

 

 

 

 

     For our look at the root system and how water is transported through the plant, we explored the root system of the dandelion and then watched the food coloring and water travel through celery. This look was followed by an art activity found on Pinterest. We also walked around our neighborhood to look at all of the plants and flowers that were growing and talked about their colors and the different uses for the plants.

 

 

 

     Our sensory activities included bubbles, playing with oats and planting. We completed an activity with sunflower seeds and planted our own in the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

     The light table activities included coloring on the light table and creating with stones, gems and other items.

 

 

     Some of the games we played this week included our Cootie and Don't Break the Ice games along with fun with hula hoops and an egg carton version of Mancala created by my daughter.

 

 

 

     Dramatic play activities not photographed included playing grocery store, community and experiencing a "fashionista flash mob" with the dress-up clothes. We also simulated the growth of a pant by starting out as a seed on the ground, becoming a shoot and rising to our feet as our plant grew. Other highlights of our week included new supplies in our personal pencil boxes, building with Legos and smelly sticker art.

 

 

 

 

 

     I will leave you with a video we enjoyed from The Learning Station during our look at plants and how they grow. Next week, we are exploring items in motion due to the Carnival rides that will be in town. Have a great week!