Unit on Plants
Goals: For the child to recognize the key term when they see it; for the child to know that plants grow.
Activities
Putting a flower in the ground. As simple as it sounds. We planted a flower I picked up at Lowe's.
Planting a plant from seeds. Again, I got a kit at Lowe's. Charlie was surprisingly interested in this activity. He wanted to see and taste every aspect of it.
Leaf Journal. I laminated our leaves because of Charlie's love of tasting. If your child is less oral--or just more likely to listen--then you could easily do this on paper or index cards.
Plant Sensory Activity I collected a bunch of leaves, flowers, twigs, grass, weeds, and even a gum ball and put them out for Charlie to explore. He was unimpressed, but I consider it a victory since he didn't throw them on the floor. Since he was kind of passive, I sat down and made some piles of flowers and leaves and brushed some of them on his hands for sensory input. Be careful if you do this--check and make sure you're not bringing in any bugs and remember that flowers can trigger seasonal allergies.
Flower Sandwiches Sandwich+cookie cutter=learning reinforcement. Also, fun to eat.
Plant Observation I don't have a picture for this, but basically, you observe your plants growing. I bought a cactus at Lowe's, put it in the windowsill and that baby has been taking off!
A Book We Enjoyed
The Dandelion Seed by Joseph P. Anthony, illustrations by Cris Arbo. A little grown-up (Amazon says ages 4-8), but a beautiful story about a dandelion seed, it's journey, and how it eventually becomes a dandelion. Fit in with this unit perfectly, and the illustrations are great.
