The earth

Trees

Plant a tree - you can get seedlings from a local nursery (usually for free)
or get a small evergreen and plant
- we did this every year at Christmas time with my fours/kinders.

Make leaf prints - put a leaf on some newspaper, cover with a light coat of
paint, then make a print with a
light-colored piece of construction paper. You can see the "veins" in the
leaf - good when discussing how a
tree gets water.

Make iron-leaf prints (the kind with melted crayons).

Some Tree Books we've enjoyed are:
The Kapok Tree
The Giving Tree
A Tree Can Be (from Scholastic)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Another fun idea is to adopt a tree around your school. You measure it now,
and at the end of the school year. Students can decorate the tree with
popcorn strings, and bird feeders made from empty orange shells. It helps
give the students a sense of ownership and belonging. You can evolve other
activities from this... taking care of our earth, cleaning our
playground,etc. Have fun! Jeanne:)

I built a fabulous, long lasting tree in my room. The trunk is of carpet
rolls. I taped 3 together and wrapped them in brown paper. I staped several,
LONG strand of yarn at the top. I strung these with paper rolls -
Christmas wrap, toilet paper, paper towel, etc. I spray painted them brown
first. So now I have a trunk with several limbs branching off. For the
leaves I hung brown yarn from the ceiling with leaves on the end.
I also draped some across the limbs. The entire room was then under a great
big tree. I was really neat. I left it up for 3 years and it was still in
great shape. I only took it down because I changed schools and
haven't had the energy to re-do it yet!

Plants

Seeds/Plants Unit

Literature:
Little Brown Seeds (AIMS- Primarily Plants)
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jasper’s Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
Growing Colors by Bruce McMillan
Vegetable Garden by Douglas Florian
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Inch by Inch by David Mallet
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Dandelion by Barrie Watts
Bean and Plant by Christine Back
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
What Food is This? by Rosemarie Haush
The Seed Song by Judy Saksie
I’m a Seed by Jean Marzollo
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole

Literature Activities/Lessons
*Little Brown Seeds- Poem+ little books
Introduce poem/chant in pocket chart. Go over several times.
Intro little books and ‘read’ together in circle on rug.
Children color little books @ seats.
Consider doing Bulletin Board togo w/-see photos in binder.
*The Carrot Seed
Read Big book version to class.
Follow-up activity( class book-carrot shaped).

*Jack and the Beanstalk
Read Jack and the Beanstalk to class. Also read Jasper’s Beanstalk- compare
and contrast.
*Math Activity:
Jack and the Beanstalk paper- kids color beanstalk/Jack and then roll dice 5
times. They count out number
of beans and glue on stalk. Then they add total amount.

*Planting a Rainbow
Read to class and discuss.
*Math/Art Activity:
Garden Graph- Students choose colored circles and paste on 12x18 white
construction paper. Circles form
the centers of the flowers in their ‘garden’. They draw and color the
petals, stems, background etc. Then
they complete the graph “How many flowers of each color?” and paste on back
of paper.

*The Tiny Seed
Read to class and discuss.
*Math Investigation*
Seed sorting/graphing- Each child has a snack size baggie filled with
peanuts, lima beans, pinto beans and
pumpkin seeds. They will empty and sort on seed sorting sheet. Results will
then be graphed. Baggies go
home with students to ‘eat and plant!’

Other Math/Science Investigations
*Sunflower
Sunflower Lesson- Introduce the sunflower using info from the AG Experience.
Estimate circumference using string-make a real graph of student’s
strings(too short, too long, just right).
Count the Seeds- have each student estimate # of seeds in sunflower. Remove
seeds for counting. Count
out groups of 10. Use sunflower counting grid or little cups. Another option
is to give each student baggie
of sunflower seeds to sort/count onto sunflower counting grid @ their seats.
Sunflower Planter- Plant seeds in styro cups.
*Cotton Investigation
Discuss how cotton grows, using info from AG Experience. Give each student
their own cotton boll. Have
students feel cotton and discuss different parts. Spin lint into thread with
fingers. Remove seeds, etc.
Follow- up Activities as listed on Kindergarten Cotton lesson plan.

Centers
1. Sunflower Windsock- Kids cut triangles around edge of yellow paper
plate(or they can paint white plate
yellow). Green streamers cut from tissue or crepe paper are glued to bottom
of plate. Yarn threaded
through 2 holes on top and tied for hanger. Poem, I’m a Little Sunflower,
pasted on back.

2. Bird Feeder(tie-in with Earth Day)- Kids spread peanut butter on toilet
paper roll(recycling) and then
roll in birdseed. Yarn holder attached to top.

3. Planting bean plants- kids will plant their own bean plants in little
cups. Activity sheet: parts of a plant.

4. Vegetable Investigation- kids examine slices of vegetables under
magnifying glass and record
observations in booklet.

Related Activities
* Planting in our plot in the schoolgarden.
*Painting flowers for our Kinder-Garden on easels.
*Earth Day Activities
*Related songs/music/movement
Homework
*Take cotton boll home and be able to explain different parts and how they
are used. Count +graph seeds
from cotton boll.
*List 5 ways their family recycles(Earth Day tie-in)
*Plant activity sheet

Plant ideas from Internet

books:
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Flowers, Fruits, Seeds by Jerome Wexler
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
The Flower Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallota
The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePoala
Sunflower by Miela Ford
 

ACTIVITIES:

1. List products that come from plants.
2. Teach the children the three things plants need to grow: water, sun,
food.
3. Make tissue paper flowers.

4. Plant seeds . Graph their growth. Measure using a ruler, unifix cubes or
another nonstandard unit of
measurement.
5. Sort seeds.
6. Soak lima beans overnight in water. (First, examine the size of the beans
with your class and predict
what will happen if you soak them, etc...). Split the lima bean to see the
parts of a seed.
7. Read, then act out The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus.
8. Make "dirt" (a snack!) using chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, crushed oreos
and gummy worms. There is
no "wrong" way to make this. (I use three boxes of pudding and one tub of
Cool Whip. After making the
pudding, I mix some of the pudding with cool whip to create a light brown
muddy color. The children layer
the light colored "mud," the darker colored "mud" and the crushed oreos in
clear plastic cups. They top
each cup with a gummy worm.
9. See what happens when you put a white carnation in a vase filled with
colored water.
10. Put a celery stalk in a glass with colored water.
11. Put a good sized sweet potato in a glass of water (1/2 in, 1/2 out - Use
toothpicks stuck into side of
the potato to help it balance on the edge of the glass.). Observe it each
day. In 1-2 weeks you should see
some interesting changes

I'm wondering if you might start out by having the kids bring in fruits and
veggies and cutting them open to see what kinds of seeds are inside. You
might make a chart of your discoveries. I made a poster board
garden that I think was fairly interesting. I put some ground across the
bottom of a blue poster board and cut holes in the ground (paper bags from
the grocery store) with clear contact paper across the holes to
make peak a boo windows. I then made some plants with their roots and made
them out of strong poster board. The children then deposit the plants in the
ground with the windows. We then discover which part
grows under and which part grows on top. It is especially interesting
because some of the edible plants have the part you eat growing under the
ground. EG. carrot. I'm sure you have done this before, but, the
children could plant a lima bean in a clear plastic bag with some moist
cotton next to it and hang in the windows. You can watch the root grow. I
like to plant grass seed.....It's kind of fun to plant the grass seed
in styrafoam cups that the children make faces on. Then when the grass seed
grows, it looks like green hair. We also planted real grass in our spring
baskets that held our eggs from the egg hunt.
>
How about Tom Hunter's Seed In The Ground.
You can easily incorporate signs or movement with his song.

If you've got the sun and if you've got the rain, you can plant a little
seed in the old back lane. You rake and you hoe and you keep the weeds down
You might find... might might find A root growing out from the seed in the
ground.

2) ...you might find a stem growing out from the root from the seed in the
ground.

3) ...you might find a flower growing out from the stem from the root from
the seed in the ground.

4) ....you might find a seed growing out from the flower from the stem from
the root from the seed in the
ground.
Ann

>BOOKS
>Everything Grows--a Raffi Book
>How Things Grow--a little Golden book
>I'm a Seed
>
>SONG and FINGERPLAYS
>
>Flower Garden (Tune of: Farmer in the Dell)
>The farmer plants the seeds,
>The farmer plants the seeds.
>Hi ho the derry-o
>The farmer plants the seeds.
>
> *The rain begins to fall
> *The sun begins to shine
> *The plants begin to grow
> *The buds all open up
> *The flowers are here at last!
>
>Plants (Tune of: Farmer in the Dell)
>The plants are growing roots,
>The plants are growing roots.
>With soil and rain and sunny days,
>The plants are growing roots.
>
> *The plants are growing leaves
> *The plants are growing tall
>
>The Plant (An action rhyme)
>
>Little seed in the ground below (Form small ball with body)
>Felt the warmth of the warm sun's glow (Rub arms with hands)
>Heard the raindrops pitter patter (Cup ears with hands)
>Wondered why the birds did chatter. (Put finger at temple and pretend to
ponder)
>
>So the seed began to grow (Pretend to grow)
>And poked its head up very slow (Lift head in exaggerated fashion)
>What it saw was such a sight (Rub eyes)
>The plant was in a garden bright (Form sun with arms above head)
>
>Mary Had a Little Plant (Tune of: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
>Mary had a little plant,
>Little plant,
>Little plant.
>Mary had a little plant,
>Its leaves began to show.
>
>And twice a week she'd water it,
>Water it,
>Water it.
>And twice a week she'd water it,
>The plant was sure to grow.
>
>She sat it in the sun each day,
>Sun each day,
>Sun each day.
>She sat it in the sun each day,
>Hoping it would bloom.
>
>Little Mary smiled one day,
>Smiled one day,
>Smiled one day.
>Little Mary smiled one day,
>When finally it did bloom.
>

>Up Pops the Flower (Tune of: Pop! Goes the Weasel)
>We plant some seeds in the dirt.
>The rain falls in a shower.
>The sun comes out, and what do you know?
>Up! Pops a flower!

My Garden
This is my garden. I'll rake it with care.
And then some flower seeds I'll plant there.
The sun will shine,
And rain will fall,
And my garden will blossom and grow straight and tall.

A Spike of Green
When I went out the sun was hot,
It shone upon my flower pot,
And there I saw a spike of green,
That no one else had ever seen!

On other days the things I see,
Are mostly old-except for me.
But this green spike so new and small,
Had never yet been seen at all!

My Garden
I dig, dig, dig,
And I plant some seeds.
I rake, rake, rake,
And I pull some weeks.
I wait and watch
And soon I know
My garden sprouts
And starts to grow.

Eight Tiny Seeds
Eight tiny seeds all in a row
Covered with earth begin to grow.
One peeks out: "It's cold out here."
Two peeks out: "But the weather is clear"
Three peeks out: "I want to grow."
Four peeks out: "It's spring you know"
Five peeks out: "It's still too cold."
Six peeks out: "Spring's not old."
Seven peeks out: "What did you say?"
Eight peeks out: "I think we'll stay."

Here is a song about green plants
(three blind mice)

Three main things, three main things,
Green plants need, green plants need.
For plants to grow, for plants to thrive,
In order to keep green plants alive
What does it take so they'll survive?
Three main things!

Plants need sun, plants need sun.
That's number one, plants need sun.
For plants to grow, for plants tothrive,
In order to keep green plants alive,
What does it take so they'll survive?
Plants need sun.

Plants need air, plants need air.
Be aware, plants need air
For plants to grow, for plants to thrive,
In oreder to keep green plants alive,
What does it take so they'll survive?
Plants need air!

Plants need water, plants need water.
'Specially when it's hotter, plants need water.
For plants to grow, for plants tho thrive,
In order to keep green plants alive,
What does it take so they'll survivie?
Plants need water!

From Thematic Poems, songs and fingerplays.... Scholastic books.

Poems
The Planting song but doesn't give piggy back song. :(

I dig, dig, dig,
I plant some seeds,
I rake, rake, rake.
I pull some weeds,
I watch and wait,
And soon I know:
My _________ sprouts,
My_________grows.

create matching pairs of flower, fruit, or vegetable cards to fill in the
blanks

Planting a Rainbow
Mom and ____ plant a rainbow. (child's name)
It will soon be spring, you know.
They will plant _____ seeds.
And watch them grow!

Creat word cards for the blank spaces

Flowers
The sun will shine.
The rain will fall.
And ______ flowers
Will grow up tall.

Create word cards of color words to fill in the blank space
 

The Seed

Dig a little hole,
Plant a littleseed,
Pour a little water,
Pull a little weed.
Chase a little bug,
Heigh-ho there he goes.
Give a little sunshine,
Let it grow, grow, grow.

The children act out each line

Little Seed

I plant a little seed
In the dark, dark ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round,
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow,
Up come the litle seed-
grow, grow, grow.

Stories... Growing Vegetable Soup
Over in the Meadow
Very Hungry Caterpillar
Carrot Seed
Jack and the Beanstalk
Planting a Rainbow.... create tissue flowers. put flowers in a cone shape
container.

Grow seeds in dirt, moist paper towel, damp sponge ... predict which grows
first
Thematic Units for Kdg. by Kristin Schlosser

I thought this one is cute..

Flowers
one little flower popped its head up from the ground,
it was all alone, and it slowly looked around.
Then the sun started shining
And a gentle wind blew,
And now in the flower bed
There were two.
Two littleflowers just starting to grow
The sun kept shining
And it rained some more,
And soon blooming were flowers three and four.
Time went by, and flower one looked around,
And flowers were everywhere, covering the ground.
This is kind of an edible craft. I saw it in a current Woman's Day (or some
such) magazine. It's really cute!
Bake chocolate cupcakes in paper muffin cups. Do not ice (or you could ice
with chocolate frosting ??)
Make simple paper tulips or whatever kinds of flowers from construction
paper and cutout. Cut leaves
from construction paper. Glue flower and leaves onto a craft stick. Stick
flower into the center of the
muffin, add crushed oreos around the bottom of the craft stick for dirt and
if you want, insert half of a
gummy worm coming out of the "ground".
Sunflower Windsock:
Use dessert-size yellow plates (or kids can paint). Have kids cut "triangle
bites" all around plate and glue
real sunflower seeds in the middle. Attach green crepe or tissue paper
streamers on the bottom, punch 2
holes in top for a yarn hanger. Kids can paste following poem on the back of
their sunflower windsock.
These look so cute hanging up in the classroom! Jenni/k/Ca
Poem:
I'm A Little Sunflower

I'm a little sunflower,
I'm so small.
Soil, sun and water
Make me tall.
When I get all grown-up,
You will see,
That I'm as big as I can be!

by Lucia Kemp Henry
Trace children's hands on brightly colored construction paper. Cut out.
Staple/glue or tape the pinky finger
to the thumb of the cut-out causing the handprint to make a circular design.
Attach to a stem and this
makes a pretty little flower. We've used these with white paper to make
Easter lillies too.

We have made hyacinth pictures.
On a piece of light blue construction paper I draw three dots. (the children
then draw three 'stems' down
the paper.) We make popcorn and glue this on for the flower part. I precut
leaves to glue on. We glue
Easter grass on the bottom. When I have put them out in the hall I always
get a lot of positive comments!
Amanda prek/pa

Go for a walk outside. The children can pick different weeds, grass,
wildflowers, etc. Then the children can
make a collage with their findings. If you want, you can have the students
do a language experience
activity with this by having them dictate stories about their walk and what
they saw.

Plant a Seed- Wet 2 paper towels and fit them around the inside of a jar.
Put a few uncooked peas or lima
beans between the paper and the glass. Keep the jar in a warm place. Do not
let the paper towels dry out.
The seeds will sprout. Watch what happens. Plant them outside when
necessary.

Carrot Top Garden- Take a shallow dish and fill it with potting soil. Get
the soild very wet but drain off the
extra water. Cut off the tops of carrots. Carrots that have a little green
at the top will work best. You will
want about four or five carrot tops (Use the rest for snack). Press the
carrot tops into the soil with the cut
part down. Place the dish in a sunny window. Check it daily and add water.
Watch the carrot tops sprout!

Sorting Seeds- Bring in seeds from a variety of plants. The children can
feel the different seeds. Have the
children group the seeds according to shape, size, color, texture, etc.

How about the old celery stalk in red (food coloring) water and one in clear
water? It teaches the children
how plants drink. Have them make a before and after journal of their celery
stalk.

How about planting popcorn kernels in baby food jars? First put some toliet
paper or tissue in the jar
(enough to fill it nicely). Then put in the popcorn so that it can be seen
from the outside. Get the toliet
paper wet but not too wet. see who's sprouts first, who's grows the tallest,
who's sprouts the most etc.
Marsha

Rainforests/Jungle
*Terrariums are easy to make from plastic soda or water bottles. Have
everyone bring a bottle with the
label off. Cut bottle in half. Put pebbles and potting soil in the bottom
half. Plant some small plants and
water it sparingly. Use the top half with the cap on as the lid. Cut 4 1"
places on the cut edge of the lid so
as to allow it to fit over the bottom planted part. The plants will then
water thenselves from condensation
on the inside of the bottle. They last a long time without care. You add a
ceramic rainforest animal.
*Make newspaper trees by taking 3 sheets of newspaper and roll them up
overlapping as you go. Tape the
bottom. Cut about 4 or 6 slashes 1/3 of the way down the top. Gently pull up
on one of the inside "leaves"
and then you have a paper tree.
*Get a book on indigenous people of the rainforest and face paint the
children to look like the tribal
people. Then string beads for tribal necklaces.
*Make rainforest collages from rainforest products------coffee, sugar, tea.
* Our class is working on "The Jungle". Yesterday we decorated our toilet
paper binoculars and went on a
Safari. I hid animals all over and we pretended to put on our backpacks,
hats etc. Then we stopped in the
middle cause it was so hot and had a pretend drink of water and put on our
sunscreen.
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
Rainforest Nature Search by Sterry and Robinson
Exotic Rainforests by Anita Ganeri
Here Is the Tropical Rain Forest by Madeleine Dunphy
At Home in the Rainforest by Diane Willow
How Green Are You? by David Bellamy
*If you decorate the room to look like a rainforest, you could use some
steam vaporizers. This will enable
the children to understand more about the type of weather that is found in
the rainforest.
*draw and color a picture of a rainforest. As they finished, they dictated a
few words to me about their
pictures. I compiled the papers into a classbook. I'm using it as my
pre-assessment of their "rainforestness"
. Tomorrow, I'll be talking to the children about the four levels of a
rainforest.
The emergent level is the top level of the rainforest. The canopy is the
next layer where monkeys, apes and
exotic plants live. The canopy is like living under a big green umbrella.
The understory is the next layer. It
is the home of bats, frogs, butterflies and many other animals. Finally is
the forest floor. It's dark on the
rainforest floor because the trees keep most of the light out.
*As a class activity, the children will be dipping their palms in green
paint to make palm prints covering
several large sheets of paper. Once dry, these will serve as a background
for our class rainforest. As we
learn about the rainforest we will add food, plants, and animals to our
mural.
*In an effort to visually inspire students about the animals of the
rainforest,students will construct a variety
of simple puppets. The butterfly can be made out of paper cut into a
butterfly shape Fold paper in 1/2 &
cut out shape.On the fold staple a straw for the child to hold.
* The frogs can be made by cutting out simple frog shapes & gluing a stick
or staple a straw to the frog.
The toucans can be done like the frogs using a bird shape.You might try
cutting 2 beaks & using 2 brass
brads so that that can move.
* THREE TALKING TOUCANS
THREE TALKING TOUCANS SITTING IN A TREE
THE FIRST ONE TURNED & SQUAWKED AT ME!
THREE LIITTLE TOUCANS SITTING IN A ROW
THE SECOND ONE SAID"I FLAP MY WINGS,WATCH ME GO!"
THREE LITTLE TOUCANS SITTING SIDE BY SIDE
THE THIRD ONE SAID"MY BRIGHT BEAK,I OPEN WIDE!"
THREE FROLICKING RED EYED TREE FROGS
THREE LITTLE FROGS SITTING IN A TREE
THE FIRST ONE TURNED & JUMPED TOWARDS ME!
THREE LITTLE LITTLE FROGS HOPPING ALL ABOUT
THE SECOND ONE SAID "AT NIGHT'S WHEN I COME OUT!"
THREE LITTLE FROGS LEAPING TREE TO TREE
THE THIRD ONE SAID"HEY,WAIT FOR ME!
THE MIGHTY MORPHO BUTTERFLIES
THREE MORPHO BUTTERFLIES GLIDING THROUGH THE TREES
THE FIRST ONE SWOOPED TO TAKE A LOOK AT ME!
THREE MORPHO BUTTERFLIES SITTING ON A LEAF
THE SECOND ONE WAS TRYING TO EAT SOMETHING SWEET!
THREE MORPHO BUTTERFLIES FLITTING ALL ABOUT
THE THIRD ONE LANDED ON MY SNOUT!
My kids love to act out the these verses.I pick 3 children & as I read they
do what the verse states.I will
continue until all the children have had a turn.This works well w/any verse
that has a numerals in it.
*We did a frog's day today and my kids really loved a craft that we made
(definately a craft not an art
project but fun). We took corks and colored them green with crayon. Then we
took a green pipe cleaner
and wrapped it around the cork, twisted it, then bent the long ends into
frog shaped legs. A string that had
been tied to the pipe cleaner can be used to pull the floatable frog through
water. Sheesh, such a simple
thing and the kids played with them all day! I'm sure they were in some
bathtubs tonight.
http//haskell.cs.yale.edu/sjl/froggy/origami/origami.html
)
 

*Jungle Animal Centerpiece (Edible) Pick an apple that will stand up by
itself nicely. Cut the apple in
half, horizontally. Place the two cut ends in a little lemon juice, to
retard browning). Cut a plastic straw
into 3 equal pieces. Pick 3 jungle animals from a pkg. of animal crackers.
Place the straws into the bottom
half of an apple evenly. Attach each animal cracker with a dot of peanut
butter. Press top half of apple into
bottom half of apple. Instant animal carousel.
* I also change my room into a jungle for the unit. I put up pictures of
jungle animals around the room, the
house centre is changed into a library with books about jungle animals. I
also hang leaves (cut out of large
green construction paper) and vines (large green construction paper cut out
in a spiral pattern) from the
ceiling. From the vines I hang construction paper monkeys and bananas. I
usually do this after the children
leave so when they come in the next day they find their room has turned into
a jungle. To go along with
this I read the book, "Where the Wild Things Are".
* After taking about what animals live in the jungle, I ask the children to
draw and cut out three or more
animals that live in the jungle. We make binoculars out of toilet paper
rolls. When the children are not
there, I tape the pictures out in the hall and then we go out on a safari.
The children are to find the pictures
that belong to them.
*Animal Cracker Art is a great project and requires very little prep time.
Supplies needed:
* Light blue Construction paper
* Animal Crackers
* Glue
* Crayons or markers (Crayons work better)
Give each child a sheet of light blue construction paper and let them create
a scene for their animal
crackers to appear in. (They have a much easier time if you prepare an
example for them to look at). After
each child has completed their scene just glue the animal crackers to their
picture. This is a great project
for the children to do,and we finished off the box of Animal Crackers when
we completed the project.
*TAKE A WALK IN THE RAINFOREST
There are four levels of the rainforest.Let's take a walk & see.
The Emergent Level of the rainforest is the tops of the tallest trees.
Vultures,Mosquitoes,flying Geckos
Glide on skin from head to toe
Harpy eagles almost four feet tall
Look around 'cause that's not all
There are four levels of the rainforest.Let's take a walk & see.
If we could bend way back & look up high,we'd see the Canopy.
Fruit Bats,Toucans Parakeets too
And Howler Monkeys,to name a few
It looks like broccoli we would say
From the window of a plane on a sunny day
There a four levels of the rainforest.Let's take a walk & see.
Look straight up,we will find what's called the Understory.
Bromeliads and orchids are called Epiphytes
They grow without soil at different heights
Butterflies,Tree Frogs,& hummingbirds
Are some of the sounds that can be heard
There is one more level of the rainforest.We've reached the number four.
The lowest level of the rainforest is simply called the Floor.
Clay and sand & fallen leaves
Mold & fungus,buttressed roots of trees
Insects,Millipedes,crocodile
Anacondas & natives who love to smile.
At the four levels of the rainforest ...let's take a walk & see.
There are four levels of the rainforest.Name them now with me.
Emergent Layer & canopy
Are one & two.Let's go for three.
The Understory,don't forget number four
The lowest level,the forest Floor.
*Little froggy (tune: I'm a little teapot)
See the little froggy
Swimming in the pool
The water's great-
It's nice and cool
when he gets all cleaned up
Out he'll hop
Squeeky clean
>From bottom to top.
See the little froggy
On the lily pad
Trying to catch flies
She's getting sad.
When she catches one,
She'll gobble it up
Back in the water
She'll go kerplop!
*Baby Frogs
Ribbit Ribbit said mama frog
Sitting on a great big log
"Where are my babies, where can they be?
Then out of the pond jumped one, two and three.
(Hold up three fingers , one at a time)
She was happy as could be,
But where were the other? She couldn't see.
So, "Ribbit, ribbit," she called again.
The out they jumped---4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10.
(hold up remaining fingers one at a time)
* Five little freckled frogs setting on a speckled log (5 fingers on bent
arm)
Eating the MOST delicious bugs, yum, yum! (pick bugs out of air, rub tummy)
One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool, (finger hops in pool)
Then there were four freckled frogs!
Continue with four frogs, then three, and so on.
Then there were NO freckled frogs!
* For our wall/bulletin board we did a zoo train. I cut out the engine and
about 20 cars. The kids found
zoo animal picture, cut them out and glued them onto the cars. We also
labeled each of the cars with the
animal names.
* A collage from animal crackers
*A giraffe shape orange paper, and sponge paint it with black paint to make
spots
* Cookie cutter and sponges of zoo animals - printing
*manipulatives - small zoo animals (goodie bag stuffers) and strawberry
basket cages for sorting
* block center - sent a note home to send in zoo type stuffed animals and we
built a zoo from lg cardboard
blocks
*dramatics - added "vet" supplies to dramatics center
*outdoors/gross motor - set up an obsticle course, make binoculars from TP
tubes, hang up laminated pics
of wild/zoo animals around the course, and go on a safari!
*Circle - Goin' on a Lion Hunt
*Fluffy Birds Glue 2 popsicle sticks together to form a cross. Glue real
colored or paper feathers onto the
cross leaving the top for a head. Glue paper head on top OR use markers as
eyes & beak.
* Zany Zebras Give each child a construction paper picture of a zebra with
no stripes, mane, or tail. Use a
fine brush or Q-tip & have them make stripes with black tempera paint. When
paint dries, glue strips of
florecent paper on neck & tail. Have the kids fringe paper.
 

I started writing these a couple of days ago....LOL.....I dont know if
anyone is still interested in more ideas, but here they are. :)

I just got a book with a lot of earth day center ideas....I dont know if
anyone has already written these or not. So many great ideas come through,
its hard for me to keep up. :) I havent done any of these......

Reading and Language Development Center---

Caring for the Earth Lotto game:

Materials needed: scissors, construction paper, markers, glue, reproducible
pictures of: clouds, rain, smoke and fire, sun, watter, trees, paper,
aluminum cans, glass bottles, animals, flowers, and plastic bottles, put
into a lotto game 3 pictures wide, 4 pictures long, pictures labeled.

During this activity the children will be identifying many common things,
some which are manufactured, others which are natural. Before preparing the
materials, decide how the children will complete the lotto game. If the
children are matching pictures, make two photocopies of the lotto game.
However, if the children are ready to match labeled pictures with words,
provide a lotto board that only shows words. For playing cards, copy just
the pictures. Color the pictures as desired and set the materials in the
center. After the children are familiar with the pictures shown on the
playing cards, invite them to play the game by matching the picture card in
the corresponding space on the board. If appropriate, ask the children to
place all pictures of items that are manufactured in one group and to talk
about these items.

Variation: To give children opportunities to work with new vocabulary
words, write the new words on a poster board, leaving extra space for the
pictures that children clip from nature magazines. The pictures on the
lotto board may be used to start the list.

Thinking about the earth:

Record the following poem on a tape:

"When quiet feelings come to me,
I sit as still as still can be.
I think about trees or a pretty tune,
Or storybook time, or a big, full moon.
I think about darkenss covering the town,
Or twinkling stars as Im lying down.
I think about wings on a butterfly,
Or clouds moving gently across the sky.
I think about leaves, or a nest in the tree,
And all of these bring quiet feelings to me.
Louise Binder Scott

Make a large copy of the poem, and have the children point to the words as
they listen to the tape. If desired, laminate the poem, and have children
circle specific words or letters.

Our beautiful oceans and rain forests:

Materials: books about the rain forest and ocean, magazine pictures, tapes
of nature sounds, cassette player.

Have children listen to music (sounds) whild looking at books or pictures,
or tape stories about the ocean, etc. You could also have the children draw
pictures of what they "see" when they just listen to the music, and display
in the center.

Who litters? Not me!: (Much like the junkosaurus)

Materials: brown lunch bags, craft items, markers, glue, construction paper
scraps, scissors, books about recycling, recyclable items (plastic caps,
soda can tabs, newspapers)

Have children make puppets out of recyclables, and encourage them to put on
a puppet show, or do dramatic play with the puppets, about caring for the
earth by recycling and not littering.

Telling Earthwise stories:

Provide pictures about people cleaning up trash, recycling, pollution, etc.
Have children talk about the pictures and make up stories about the people
in the pictures.

Writing center activities:

My favorite place in Nature:

Nature magazines, newspapers, rubber stamps, stamp pad, construction paper,
scissors, glue, markers or colored pencils

Have children look through magazines and choose a favorite place. Cut out
and glue to construction paper. Make a fancy border with stamps, and have
them cut out letters to name their picture or write (dictate) short sentence
that tells why that is their favorite place.

Rain Forest Crunch

Shredded coconut, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, cupcake liners, spoons,
crayons, paper, scissors, glue, construction paper

MAKE SURE NO ONE IS ALLERGIC! Put all items in small containers. Write
(add pictures as necessary) the following recipe on a large piece of paper:

Take a paper cup and spoon.
Place 1 spoonful of coconut in the cup.
Add 1 spoonful of nuts
Add 1 spoonful of chocolate chips
Mix together
Eat and enjoy

Have the children make and eat, then draw a picture of what they ate and
describe how it tasted.

Stampin" out Garbage

Alphabet rubber stamps, stamp pad, OR plastic lowercase letters, tempera
paint, paper towels, paper

Have children stamp out words about recycling, cleaning up our community,
preventing pollution. Make cards with the words ahead of time, or let them
use invented spelling. Reuse brown paper grocery bags cut into squares to
demonstrate recycling, if you want.

Cooperative Environmental posters

Cut apart brown paper grocery bags, and have them make posters to encourage
others to recycle, not litter, etc.

Math Center Activities

The Cash is in the Trash

24 pictures of aluminum cans: 4 pic with 0 cans, 4 with 2, four with 3, four
with 4, and four with 5, 40 pennies (play or real)

Invite children to "collect" aluminum cans. Stack cards in a pile and turn
them face down. Each child draws a card and collects the corresponding
number of pennies-one penny per can. The game ends when each child has
collected 20 pennies, but no more. If the last card drawn shows too many
cans, place the card on the discard pile and draw another card.

Collect and Count

milk jug caps (different colors), soda bottle caps, 10 plastic frosting
containers or margarine containers with lids, permanent markers

Label the containers with pre-determined numbers, and have the children
count out the caps according to the number on the container.

Variation: If the containers are identical, you could have them weigh milk
caps vs. the same number of soda caps, etc.

Tubes 'n' Measurement

Toilet paper tubs, wrapping tubes, paper towel tubes, index cards, pencil,
paint.

Have the children sort the tubes. Use the tubes to measure distances or
items in the room. Paint the tubes bright colors. Use the index cards to
go on a Measure Treasure Hunt. Give clues on the cards about where to find
specific objects that are ____ tubes long. Find an object that is longer
than two wrapping paper tubes, etc.

Pickin' and Packin' Cartons.

Different sized paper milk cartons, large cardboard box.

Wash the cartons with soap and water, completely dry, then staple tops back
together. Encourage children to figure out what is the fewest number of
cartons that can fit in the box and what is the greatest number of cartons.

Patterns of caps:

Milk jug caps (different colors) two egg cartons

Cut top flaps off of milk cartons and staple together so that there are 2
rows of 12 cavities. Have the children practice patterning; making their
own or following pre-made ones.

Science Center Activites:

Separate, sort, and Recycle:

Have children "recycle" pictures of trash by placing the pictures in the
correct container. If you have room, you could provide real recyclables and
bins.

Nature's Carpet Cleaners

Materials: earthworms, large clear plastic storage containers or ice cream
pails with lids, soil (humus), grown dwelling insects (ants and beetles),
tiny pieces of food scraps, magnifying glass, two soil samples, small clear
plastic jars, water, craft sticks or tongue depressors, soup spoon

Collect some garden soil that has plenty of compost or humus material from a
gardener. The compost material helps retain moisture in the soil as well as
providing added nutrients for the plants. Place the soil along with earth
worms and small beetles in a large clear plastic storage container that has
a cover. Also collect some soil that contains mostly sand or clay particles
and a slight amount of humus material. Encourage the children to
investigate what earthworms and beetles eat and h ow they are needed by
plants. Have the children compare the two soil samples by observing them
through magnifying glasses and also by testing them. To test the soil, have
the children place several spoonfuls of each soil in a plastic jar. Add
water and fill the jars to over half full. Secure the lid on each jar and
shake them. Watch how the different materials in the soil separate and
settle to the bottom of the jar. It may take more than 30 minutes for the
water to clear.

Mixed up with oil and water

Vegatable oil, medicine cups, water, food coloring, toothpicks, paper
towels, pictures of oil spills, dropper bottle, waxed paper, trays

Discover what happens when oil is spilled on water. Fill a cup half way
with oil. Drop two drops of food coloring on the oil, move them around with
the toothpick. Talk about how the coloring and oil dont mix. Then add a
couple of drops of water. Talk about how the coloring and water mix, but
not the oil. Stir the oil and water, talk about how the water breaks up but
does not mix, and later moves to form one drop again. Fill a cup half way
with water, pour some oil on top, and talk about how the oil floats.
Discover that oil does not evaporate. Drop water on one paper towel, drop
oil on another, place paper towels on waxed paper, and allow to dry. Discuss.

Our interesting earth:

water, rocks, bark, bugs, potting soil, seeds fossils, shells, sand, various
soil samples, twigs, tree branch cut across (observe tree rings) magnifying
lenses, styrofoam trays, moss, lichens, bucket balance

Place the items on styrofoam trays and allow children to examine with a
magnifying glass. Have children weigh samples of items.

Plant a seed, grow a tree

tree seedlings, water in bucket, books about trees, tree seeds, plant
containers, magnifying lenses, water, water sprayer

Children "adopt" trees and learn about caring for them. Put the materials
for the children to use for planting trees in small containers. Use a
sprayer to moisten the soil. Invite the children to examine the larger tree
seedlings to find parts of three. When the children are finished examining
the seedlings, plant them as a class project

Read The Earth and I by Frank Asch. Children complete the phrase "The Earth
and I...

Read Recycle by Gail Gibbons. Sing to the tune of "The More We Get
Together" the song "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
Recycle, recycle,
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
And keep our world clean.

Please keep our world clean,
And growing, and green,
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
And keep our world clean.

Read This Is Our Earth. Discuss the tons of recyclable trash that enters
landfills each year. Ask the students: why do you think we recycle? Show
the students various objects that can be recycled (tin can, aluminum can,
newspaper, two liter plastic bottle, etc. and display a balance scale.
Tell the students that they will guess how many blocks it takes to balance
each of these items. Ask for estimates and record. Then have them count
the blocks as you place them in the balance. Discuss estimates and actual
counts. Check for reasonableness of estimates.

Read The Rain Forest Counts! Give children unifix cubes and let them count
forward to 20 and backward from 20 as in book.

Read Hey! Get Off Our Train by John Birmingham. Children name endangered
animals from the story, draw them, and suggest ways to save the animals.

Prepare small bag of nature snacks for each child. (raisins, peanuts,
sunflower seeds, popcorn) Students sort snacks, record amounts, and create
paterns with food from the earth.

Write a letter to the Earth.

Write a letter to the people of the Earth encouraging them to take care of
it.

Write a poem about Earth. April is also Poetry Month.
Brainstorm nouns about the earth and put with a verb ending in ing.
Birds singing
Grass growing
Sun shining
Flowers blooming
Bees buzzing
We love the earth!
 

You might want to read book Recycling by Gail Gibbons. Then I
> actually bring in things from my recycling box and we talk
> about things that can be recycled at home. I send home
> directions put out by my town too. It's amazing how many
> children tell me that they don't recycle at home. Other books
> on subject are:
> Just A Dream - Chris Van Allsburg
> The Lorax - Dr. Suess
> The Earth and I Are Friends - Frank Asch
> Clifford's Spring Clean-Up - Norman Bridwell
> Litterbugs Come In Every Size - Smaridge
> Compost! - Glaser
> There are others but these are the ones I'm familiar with.
> Trash (sung to "London Bridge")
>
> Trash is blowing all around,
> All around, all around,
> Trash is blowing all around
> All around the town.
>
> Let's get busy and pick it up,
> Pick it up, pick it up.
> Let's get busy and pick it up,
> All around the town.
>
> Get a trash bag and put it in,
> Put it in, put it in.
> Get a trash bag and put it in,
> All around the town.
Watch The Lorax on video. Have kids write in journal as many
> forms of pollution as they can spot. Encourage them to give
> opinion on what happened.
Earth Day
Earth Day gives us a time to discuss the importance of saving the Earth's natural resources. Below are some ideas and great links to help you teach why Earth Day is so important, and why it came to be.
Literature
The Earth is Painted Green by Barbara Brenner
Forest by Ron Hirschi
A tree Can be by Judy Nayer
The Wump World by Bill Peet
The Earth and I by Frank Asch
Mother Earth by Nancy Luenn
Recycle! by Gail Gibbons
Where Does the Garbage Go? by Paul Showers
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Poetry
Working on Trash by Meish Goldish (sung to I've been working on the Railroad)
We've been working on recycling
All the trash we can.
We've been working on recycling,
It's a very simple plan.
Separate your glass a paper,
Separate you plastic and tin.
Take the trash you've recycled
To your Recycling bin!
We've been working on reducing
All the trash we can.
We've been working on reducing,
It's a very simple plan.
Don't go wasting any products,
Use just exactly what you need.
Don't buy things in extra wrapping,
Reduce and you'll succeed.
We've been working on reusing
All the trash we can.
We've been working on reusing,
It's a very simple plan.
If it's a paper bag your using,
Don't use it once, use it twice!
Give old clothes and toys to some one,
To reuse them would be nice!
Recycling by Meish Goldish (sung to Ten in a bed)
A can in the bin
And another went in.
Recycle! Recycle!
We all recycled and added a can.
There were two in the bin and another went in.
Recycle! Recycle!
Continue to you get to five...
Activities
1. Recycle paper bags by making paper bag vests, to make a math lesson have the children decorate their vests by painting a pattern on it!
2. Have children bring in recycled things from their home for 1 week and graph the "trash" Give the children a challenge. To bring in their stuff again and see if they can reduce.
3. For a bulletin board make a large earth have each student trace their hands and write one thing they can do on it to save the Earth. Put the hands around the Earth and write "The Future of our Earth is in Our Hands"
4. If possible plant a tree or small outdoor garden with your class.
5. Bring in recycled things to make various art projects out of and have a Recycled Are Show.
6. Have each child make a quilt square on paper. Make an Earth Day quilt. You could also scan each picture and print in out on fusible web (available at most office stores) and make an actual earth day quilt by ironing it onto fabric!
7. Use a brown paper bag and some news parer to make a model Earth. Stuff the bag with the paper and close with a twist tie. Paint the Earth blue and then when that dries you can either use printable land forms or have the kids use a globe and paint their own.
8. Dirt Cups (taken from the Jell-O Kids' Cooking Fun Book)
Ingredients
2 cups of cold milk
1 package (4 serving size) JELL-O Instant Pudding (chocolate flavor)
3 1/2 cups (8 ounce container) COOL WHIP whipped topping, thawed
1 package (16 ounces) chocolate sandwich cookies (like OREOS) (crush them into tiny pieces in a plastic bag)
Gummy worms or insects
Equipment:
Measuring cup
Medium mixing bowl
Wire whisk
Rubber scraper or large spoon
Measuring spoons
8-10 paper or plastic cups (8 ounce size)
Pour the milk into the mixing bowl and add the pudding mix. Beat with the wire whisk until well blended (about two minutes). Let pudding stand for five minutes. Stir whipped topping and 1/2 of the crushed cookies into the pudding (very gently) with rubber scraper until mixture is all the same color. Place about 1 tablespoon of the remaining crushed cookies into the bottom of each cup.
Fill cups about 3/4 full with pudding mixture. Top each cup with the rest of the crushed cookies. Add gummy worms and insects to decorate. Put cups into the refrigerator for about one hour to chill them--and enjoy!
9. Brainstorm a list of things you and your class can do to save the Earth
10. Have the children write and present earth day plays
11. Make a recycled material mobile from a hanger, string and various recycled things.
12. Have an Earth Friendly Picnic. Tell each parent to pack a brown bag lunch that is earth friendly. Things like fruit, etc. You supply cloth napkins. After you are finished collect the brown paper bags and make puppets from them. While on your picnic have a race to see who can pick up 3 pieces of trash first.
My Favorite Links
Dino Pals
EPA Earth Day Page
Eco Kids Club
A great list of online Ecology Games
The Lorax Earth Day Games
Kid's Domain Earth Day activites, printable pages, etc.
Earth Day Network

"He's Got the Whole
World in His Hands". It is sung to the same tune but we made
up our own words. It goes like this;
Verse 1 - We've got the whole world in our hands
Verse 2 - We've got clean water for the fish
Verse 3 - We've got clean air in our hands
Verse 4 - We've got no garbage on the ground
Verse 5 - We've got the whole world in our hands
Each verse just repeats itself 4 times. We are singing it
with actions for our Earth day assembly. Good Luck!
Story:
The earth is getting filled up
with the things we throw away
and it's getting hard to handle
all the waste we add each day
You can help to solve the problem
Here is something you can do
Learn all about recycling
using trash to make things new
You can save your old aluminum
Y ou can save your cans of tin
Just wash them out with water
for the metal recycling bins
(All join in for refrain)
You can save your old newspapers
Tie them up with cord and string
AT THE PAPER RECYCLING CENTER
THEY'LL MAKE CARDS AND BOOKS AND THINGS
(refrain)
You can save your jars and bottles
Sort out green and clear and brown
There's a glass recycling center
on the other side of town.
(refrain)
You can save your plastic bottles.
Just don't add them to the trash.
Find out if your grocery store
will turn them into cash!
(refrain)
The peelings from your vegetables
will help your plants grow big.
Put them in a compost pile
or in a hole you dig.
(refrain)
You can really save most anything,
to use another way.
A box can be a place for toys,
or a stage for your next play!
(refrain)
So now that you know all about
this plan that can't be beat.
Tell your friends and tell your neighbors.
Keep this whole world nice and neat!
(story by JoAnne Nelson Pictures in book by Clovis Martin)

"When quiet feelings come to me,
I sit as still as still can be.
I think about trees or a pretty tune,
Or storybook time, or a big, full moon.
I think about darkness covering the town,
Or twinkling stars as Im lying down.
I think about wings on a butterfly,
Or clouds moving gently across the sky.
I think about leaves, or a nest in the tree,
And all of these bring quiet feelings to me.
Louise Binder Scott
Trash is blowing all around,
> All around, all around,
> Trash is blowing all around
> All around the town.
>
> Let's get busy and pick it up,
> Pick it up, pick it up.
> Let's get busy and pick it up,
> All around the town.
>
> Get a trash bag and put it in,
> Put it in, put it in.
> Get a trash bag and put it in,
> All around the town.
Story:
The earth is getting filled up
with the things we throw away
and it's getting hard to handle
all the waste we add each day
You can help to solve the problem
Here is something you can do
Learn all about recycling
using trash to make things new
You can save your old aluminum
Y ou can save your cans of tin
Just wash them out with water
for the metal recycling bins
(All join in for refrain)
You can save your old newspapers
Tie them up with cord and string
AT THE PAPER RECYCLING CENTER
THEY'LL MAKE CARDS AND BOOKS AND THINGS
(refrain)
You can save your jars and bottles
Sort out green and clear and brown
There's a glass recycling center
on the other side of town.
(refrain)
You can save your plastic bottles.
Just don't add them to the trash.
Find out if your grocery store
will turn them into cash!
(refrain)
The peelings from your vegetables
will help your plants grow big.
Put them in a compost pile
or in a hole you dig.
(refrain)
You can really save most anything,
to use another way.
A box can be a place for toys,
or a stage for your next play!
(refrain)
So now that you know all about
this plan that can't be beat.
Tell your friends and tell your neighbors.
Keep this whole world nice and neat!
(story by JoAnne Nelson Pictures in book by Clovis Martin)
"He's Got the Whole
World in His Hands". It is sung to the same tune but we made
up our own words. It goes like this;
Verse 1 - We've got the whole world in our hands
Verse 2 - We've got clean water for the fish
Verse 3 - We've got clean air in our hands
Verse 4 - We've got no garbage on the ground
Verse 5 - We've got the whole world in our hands
Each verse just repeats itself 4 times. We are singing it
with actions for our Earth day assembly. Good Luck!
I found these song at the following link.
This site may help too:
 
:) COLLEEN G.
THE EARTH added 7-14-98
Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "Skip to My Lou"
Chorus:
We'll clean up the Earth till it shines like new,
Clean up the Earth till it shines like new,
Clean up the Earth till it shines like new,
That's what we'll do, my darlings.

Cans on the highway someone threw!
Cans on the highway someone threw!
Bottles and cans some litterbug threw!
What should we do, my darlings?
Collect them and recycle them.
Bag them up and take them in.
Tell the factory: "Use 'em again!"
That's what we'll do, my darlings.
(Repeat chorus.)
Plastic trash from the things we use,
Plastic trash from the things we use,
Lasting trash. Got the plastic blues!
What should we do, my darlings?
Think things through before you shop.
Don't buy plastic bags and cups.
Reuse the plastic things we've got.
That's what we'll do, my darlings.
(Repeat chorus.)
Air pollution, yuck, p.u.!
Air pollution, yuck, p.u.!
Air pollution in our skies of blue.
What should we do, my darlings?
Clean the chimneys, clean the flues.
Don't be wasteful, mind what we use.
Turn down the heat and burn less fuel.
Oh, That's what we'll do, my darlings.
(Repeat chorus.)
Oil in our rivers and oceans, too,
Oil in our rivers and oceans, too,
Killing the fish, it's sad but true.
What should we do, my darlings?
Remind the grownup people who
Spill the oil, "It's our world, too.
We clean up our messes, how 'bout you?"
That's what we'll do, my darlings.
(Repeat chorus.) The End.

IT'S A HAPPY EARTH DAY PARTY added 7-14-98
Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain"
Chorus:
It's a happy Earth Day party, you all come.
It's a happy Earth Day party, you all come.
We will celebrate our planet;
We will change our wasteful habits.
It's a happy Earth Day party, you all come.
(You all come.)
We will walk instead of riding, you all come.
We will walk instead of riding, you all come.
We will walk instead of riding,
We'll save gas 'cause no one's driving
To the happy Earth Day party, you all come.
We will plant a tree together, you all come.
We will plant a tree together, you all come.
We will plant a tree together,
So the air we breathe is better
At our happy Earth Day party, you all come.
(Repeat chorus.)
We will pick up cans and bottles, you all come.
We will pick up cans and bottles, you all come.
We will pick up cans and bottles,
I'm sure we'll collect a lot,
Then we'll recycle what we've got. Oh, you all come.
We'll sing, "Save all living creatures," you all come.
We'll sing, "Save all living creatures," you all come.
We'll sing, "Save all living creatures,
Save the whales, the birds, and trees."
We'll have a happy Earth Day party, you all come!
(Repeat chorus.) The End