Materials
Pictures of baby animals
Scissors
Tagboard
Glue stick
Laminate or clear contact paper
Felt
Rubber cement
Flannel board
Moo Moo, Brown Cow by Jakki Wood
Instructions
1. Select an area outside that has several trees, including both deciduous and
coniferous (evergreen) trees.
2. Visit the trees with the children in early September. Ask them to each pick a
tree to "adopt" and observe. Ask them to explore everything they can about
the trees, such as feeling the bark, examining the leaves or needles, looking
for seeds, pinecones, nuts, and so on. Ask them to compare leaves with
needles and note the differences.
3. Take a photo of each child next to his tree. (The children's clothing will
provide additional clues about what season it is.) As the deciduous trees
begin to show signs of change, take another photo and ask the children how
their trees look different. Take photos as the trees with leaves change color
and then lose leaves. Ask the children if the evergreen trees have changed. If
so, how?
4. Continue checking on the trees with the children throughout the year. Take
photos in the spring when the trees are budding and when they have all their
leaves in June.
5. Laminate the photos or cover them with clear contact paper and spread them
on a table. With the children, discuss the seasonal changes. This provides a
sequencing lesson based upon the children's own experience during the year.
More to do
Art: Show the children how to sponge paint the way trees look at different times
of the year.
Movement: Encourage the children to act out the changes a tree goes through
from season to season. They can be the bud unfolding, the leaves and branches
swaying in the wind, the leaves falling to the ground, and the tree "resting" in the
wintertime.
