Materials
large map of North America
world globe (if available)
outline drawing of North America's countries on 8" x 10" paper
Instructions
1. Talk with the children about plants. Ask the children if their families
have plants growing in their homes.
2. Read the children one or more books about the life cycle of a plant
(see list to the left).
3. After reading and discussing the book, have the children spread out so
they have room to move.
4. Ask the children to imagine they are all seeds, lying dormant in the
ground in winter. Have the children curl up in balls on the ground.
5. Now have the children imagine the rain is falling all around them in
spring. Have them drum their hands on the ground to make the sound
of the rain falling.
6. Ask the children to imagine the sun is coming out, warming them up.
Have them rise up slowly like growing plants.
7. Tell the children to imagine it is summer, time for plants to start
blooming. Invite the children to open up their arms like flowers
blooming in the sun.
8. After a short while, tell the children it is becoming fall. Cold winds are
starting to blow. Have the children make the noise of the cold wind,
and have them sway like plants in the wind.
9. Tell the children it is now becoming winter, and the plant is becoming
dormant. Have the children shrink back down into a ball on the
ground.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Do the children participate in the activity?
l Can the children move their bodies as instructed?
