When planning a lesson, the first thing you think of is probably not lunch time. However, children can learn so many important things from thinking about where each item in their lunch box came from.
Lesson Ideas :
* Brainstorm a list of favorite foods. In small groups, children choose a food and research (using provided resources) the process that it goes through before it gets in their lunchbox. Children can make a flow chart of the process. Examples: Bread:
Apple:
Clementine:
Chocolate Chips (Chocolate Chip Cookie):
Tomatoes:
Cheese:
* Farm Web: Ask children where they think different foods come from. After a short discussion, have the children sort the laminated cards, as a class, to create a farm web.
This lesson is from Maine Agriculture in the Classroom-Find this lesson and other resources here:
Although endangered species are less common for young children to learn about, it is important for children to be aware of the diverse organisms that we share the Earth with. Additionally, it is important for children to recognize the problems that species face while trying to survive. Before teaching children about endangered species and the causes of it (ex. habitat loss), it is important that they understand the basics. What is a species? What do different species need to survive? What is a habitat?, etc. This video would be helpful to introduce some of these concepts:
Activities: *Habitat Mats: Introduce habitats by having children sort animals by where they live. As they do this talk about what different animals might need to survive. Encourage children to think about similarities and differences of different habitats.
*Hey! Get Off My Train: Read the book Hey! Get Off My Train by John Burningham. Have a discussion about endangered species and brainstorm a list of them. Each child will select an endangered species to research, using the materials provided and make a campaign poster. The children will present their poster in attempts to receive a spot on the train.
*Endangered Species Musical Chairs: This is a typical game of musical chairs with a twist! Children are all assigned an animal. Once each child has an animal card, ensure that there is a pair of each. Label on of the chairs as the extinction chair and another chair as the reproduction chair. If an animal ends up in the extinction chair, they are out of the game unless their partner gets the reproduction chair, allowing them to come back.
Books:
Technology:
*Make an interactive bulletin board to help children and families learn about different habitats together.
