Materials
2 large, empty suitcases
various clothing items appropriate for very hot and very cold climates
Instructions
1. Talk with the children about how the seasons change and how with each
passing season they can see how nature changes form. Explain to the children
how they too grow with the year!
2. Have the children roll up their sleeves and put on smocks.
3. Paint each child's forearm from the elbow to the fingertips with brown paint
and stamp it four times on a sheet of paper. These painted arms will be the
tree trunks. (Alternatively, have the children put their arms down on the sheets
of paper and paint four loose outlines each around their forearms and open
hands.)
4. Wash the children's arms carefully.
5. After the children's arms are clean, set out the other colors of fingerpaint and
invite the children to dip their fingertips into the paint and start decorating
their four different trees, making one for each season.
6. Talk with the children as they work, asking them about their different trees
and about the way they are painting their trees.
7. Let the paintings dry. Help the children sign their names next to their four
trees, and then hang them in seasonal groups on the walls.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Can the children describe the differences in a tree through the various
seasons?
l Are the children able to decorate their trees according to the seasons?
