Then we read Mortimer's First Garden by Karma Wilson. In the story, little Mortimer mouse learns to trust God as he plants his very last sunflower seed. The kids got to see how one little seed grows into a big, tall plant, and then how it produces many more seeds.
We also looked at the parts of a plant, and talked about what happens when a seed grows. I showed the kids some pictures from our Usborne Science Activities Book. We talked about what plants need in order to grow, and about how seeds produce roots and shoots when they start to grow.
We then planted some of our own seeds to see if we could make them sprout. I gave each student a clear plastic cup, some paper towels, and 3 bean seeds (they sprout quickly). The kids crumpled up the towels and placed them in the cup. Then they added water and "planted" their seeds between the towel and the cup so we could watch the seeds germinate. They did great following directions!
I also wanted to do a little art lesson today. I showed the kids the first piece of art pictured in My Very First Art Book (it's another Usborne title).
We talked about doodles and about how they can be turned into beautiful pieces of art. Then they got to make their own doodles. The girls were definitely more excited about this one than the boys!
Next we did some cutting practice. I gave each child a piece of paper with two shapes and they had to use their scissors to cut the shapes out all by themselves. This caused a LOT of frustration...but they ALL stuck with it and cut out their shapes! This is a hard skill...and I know I personally need to give Addison more opportunities to practice.
Nice work, Jack!
Eisley has come a LONG way this year with her cutting skills!
And after a bit of a battle and a meltdown or two, Addison decided to stick with it, and she cut both her shapes out too. Nice work kiddos!
At school on Thursday, we went through our Bible story, song, and verse again, and we read The Curious Garden to get us ready to talk about our seeds.
The kids all decided that plants and flowers make a place much more beautiful to look at. And with that, we decided it was a good time to check and see if there were any changes with the seeds we planted.
The kids noticed right away that they looked different, and we talked about what we saw as we looked inside the cups. We also compared our seeds to the pictures in the science book we read on Monday.
Next we did another garden-related experiment. I gave each child a white carnation flower and a cup of water. The kids put some food coloring in the cup and then placed the flower inside. We talked again about what plants need to grow, and I explained that the stem of a flower is like a straw. In a couple days, the flower should begin to change colors because it's drinking the colored water through it's straw. I'm not sure they believed me, but sure enough, it worked! I saw Annabelle a couple days later and she was excited to report that her flower was turning GREEN!
Eisley is hoping her bloom will turn pink!
We also talked more about the letter X, and we did a little writing practice.
Next we did a little activity to practice making a pattern. Each child was given a strip of paper with a pattern on it (the pattern used vegggies). And they were given a blank strip of paper with the pattern pieces missing. I put all the veggies in the center of the table and they had to choose which veggies they needed to duplicate their pattern. They did quite well with this one.
And to wrap up the day, we played "Button Button" which was a TOTAL hit. If you're not sure how to play, you can find our how right HERE. This is one we will definitely have to play again. They LOVED it!
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