THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE THE PROJECT When the time comes for the natural resources to decrease our efforts should be directed towards their preservation. If we want to teach our children how to protect nature, we should help them understand the properties of the world around them . “The Earth is our little green house...� is a project which will enable children not only to feel the nature magic but will love it easier and will start searching closer encounter with it themselves. Children experience constant relation to
the four natural forces – Air, Water, Fire, Earth and do not hide their pleasure of encounter with them. Their power is especially interesting for the children.
After realizing the physical properties of air, water, soil, fire and the natural phenomena , the future inhabitants of planet Earth will be able to solve its complicated problems.
The Project we propose aims at teaching ecologic attitude towards the four natural elements . Through different activities we are going to provoke children curiosity , will push them towards experimenting and creating.
Objectives 1. To focus the attention of children towards knowing and protecting inanimate nature (air, water, fire, earth, natural phenomena) and to get them know the properties and their role as a decisive factor for animate nature existence. 2.To direct children towards animate nature protection and its position as a decisive factor for existence of the Planet and the human beings. 3. Sustaining real interest and necessity of nature protection and teaching a readiness for natural way of living. 4. Encouraging children in searching for information for different ways of waste recycling and realizing the necessity of reasonable utilization of natural resources 5. Teaching children to be European citizens , realizing that the care for nature in their native place is care for nature of all Europe. 6. Motivating teachers to enrich their methodological approach in completing the project objectives and to accustom children to ecologically conscious behavior .
7. Uniting the parents around the idea and the objects of the project in order to achieve sustainable effect even after the concrete project is over. 8. Attracting the social institutions representatives to accomplishing project objectives and to making the project results popular. 9. Improving the possibilities for utilization new communication and information technologies by the teachers and children alike. The core of the partnership will be ecological training of children ( getting acquainted to nature, developing a positive attitude to it, ways of protection and sound utilization of natural resources). Along with that we will provoke interest and desire in children to experiment and create. They should be searching for different ways to utilize natural materials or different types of wastes. Its up to the teachers to what extend the children will be interested in nature and whether they will have the correct ecologic attitude. The attitude of the grown ups to nature, animals, plants is important in the process of bringing up. Children will always notice how carefully do the grown
ups care of the animals, how much do they like the flowers and how carefully they look around and observe everything when trekking or walking along the fields. Therefore along with all the methods and events the personal example of the grown ups, their attitude to nature has an education effect as well. The experience in our work with children has proved that the natural aim of children to knowledge should be utilized. Knowledge is the basis of the bringing up and education work in the kindergarten. It helps achieving emotionally positive attitude towards nature, orientation in the word of animals and plants and presuppositions for purposeful life activity, laying foundations of ecological culture, observation and curiosity forming , stating emotionally sound practical investigating activity as a characteristics of children personality.
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UNIT.1 ―A TRIP OF A DROP‖- Methodology Methodology: Water is a familiar substance for kids in kindergarten.
teach physics, chemistry, life science, and earth science.
By means of the activities of playing, discoveries and experimentations, the children will be involved in a journey to explore of the element water, using the five senses. With the view they discover where the water is hidden, they discover the characteristics of transparency, with the touch, the transmitted sensations , with the smell and the play discover how the water assumes the taste and the smell, depending on what it contains.
Trough a dramatized tale the children will be involved in the exploration of the water cycle. Children will experiment how the water looks and moves in the environment and they’ll carry out a fantastic journey discovering which and how many forms the water takes on Earth.
made on the path of the water in the environment.
Trough artistic productions, plastics, painting and computer children represent (summarized) discoveries DROP: our new friend
Science activities with water can
Theme goals “WATER-THE LIVIVING POWER” Water is useful for: Cleaning Drinking Helping plants grow Providing a place for animals and plants to live Bodies of Water: Lake, river, stream, ocean, brook, puddle etc
Fun with water: Swimming, making bubbles, cooking, playing in a sprinkler, super soakers etc. Forms of water: Ice, snow, rain, hail, mist, vapor etc .
ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS about plants, animals and people, and aim conversation, the children disWet or Dry: cover that: the bodies of Cut some pictures from a living things are made up magazine, or show some pic- mostly of water. Intertures from a book, ask child e s tin g ph o to gr a ph s if the objects are wet or (feature animals and dry. plants living in water; Living things need water: Frogs and fish laying their young children why all plants, While singing simple songs, eggs in water; and land anianimals, and people need waobserving some photos, lis- mals using water to cool off ter to grow and survive. tening and developing stories and keep clean) show the
Group time
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
WATER
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ART Water Collage: Look in a magazine or newspaper for pictures of water, cut them out and let your child glue them onto a piece of paper for a collage.
Mixing Colored Water
Pictorial and graphic production : of exCarried out by mixing with periences and learning activities using difwater and food coloring, tem- ferent artistic techniques. pera paint etc.. different col- Mask of drop: ors for a lot of colorful ef- Print to colour paper mask patterns. fects . Paint on Wet Paper: Explain diffusion, the spreading of the paint on the paper,
MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS During this early education lesson plan the children will use the science skills of prediction and observation. Math, counting and graphing is encouraged as youngsters "record" their predictions and findings.
Condensation: Obtain two jars and their lids. Fill one jar with ice cold water and the other with room temperature water. Observe the results. Condensation occurs when the vapors in the air become cool enough to condense and form water droplets. Evaporation: Obtain two clear plastic glasses of the same size. Measure one cup of water and place in each cup. Mark the water level of each cup with a permanent marker. Place one in a sunny window and the other somewhere else STEAM in the room. Observe the glasses WATER of water over the nest couple of days. Ask the children where the water is going. Which is evaporating more quickly? Evaporation occurs when the particles of water become warm enough that they turn into vapors and leave the cup and escape into the air. Why did the water in the sun evaporate faster? Measuring water: Provide the children with a balance and containers that can hold water. Creating Ice: Place water in a plastic ice tray and place it in the freezer. Every half hour take it out to inspect the ice. Ask the children why it is changing? Then after it is frozen, set it in a cup and allow it to melt again. Thunderstorm: When it is raining, watch the rain. Talk
about the sounds that you hear during a rain storm. What are the signs that a storm is coming. Talk about storm safety!!! Measuring rainfall: On a rainy day, set out a container to measure the rainfall. Measure how much rain fell that day. Continue to measure the rain each day, and record for a few weeks. Ask your child to predict how much water will be collected. Ask at the beginning of the day and ask when it is raining. Did their answer change? Will it Absorb water?: Supply the children with pieces of material to test like pieces of cotton, plastic, wool, tin foil, etc. Supply the children with eye droppers and a cup of water. Which materials absorb water and which do not? You may also decide to do this experiment as described in sink or float (below)! Will it dissolve?: Fill five clear jars with water. Take five different substances, like sugar, cereal, salt, paper, things that will dissolve, and some that won't. Ask your child which will dissolve, and which will not. Test each item in the water.
next float and the last results. Hold up each item and ask the children to decide if they believe the item will sink or float in water. Record the number of children who voted sink under the sink column and the number who voted for float in the float column. If you have a smaller class you could record the names of the children instead to see who is a really good estimator. Then test the item in a tub of water and record the result in the results column. Then continue with the next item.
Will it Float or Sink?: Place a bunch of items on the floor. These items should be those that will be okay if they get wet, like blocks (plastic or wood) rubber toys, a pencil, a rock etc. Make a graph with four columns. List all the items in the first column, label the next column sink, the
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
WATER
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GAMES Glass and Water Music: Fill a couple of identical glass cups, at least four, with varying amounts of water. Tap the side of each glass with a metal spoon. Which is the highest sound and the lowest? How could we change the sound? Water Play
A dish tub filled with water can provide entertainment as well as a great learning experience. Ideas to add to water play: a drop of food coloring, turkey blasters, funnels, cups, dish soap, boats, plastic toys, brushes and sponges, ice, cold or warm water, baby dolls or play dishes to
wash, toddler safe balls, items that
The water cycle in nature At some stage the child will ask how clouds form rain. This is an extremely common question asked by young kids. In order to satisfy, his curiosity, explain to him about the water cycle in nature.
The learner :
discuss the water cycle.
important in relation to the water cycle.
identify key components of the demonstrate an understanding that water conservation is an act of water cycle. stewardship for the Earth. state why water conservation is
Water cycle activities: a miniature Materials Required
A large transparent bowl Plastic Wrapper A weight A smaller container (this should be smaller than the first bowl) A rubber band or piece of string
How to do it
Place the small container in the middle of the large bowl . Fill the bowl with little water, be careful not to spill into the small container inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrapper and fasten the plastic wrap around the rim of the bowl with your rubber band or string. Put a weight on top of the plastic wrap in the centre. This will help for our experiment. Now put your setup in the sunlight. Let the child observer the
setup now. After few hours, ask the child to observe. What is seen. You can see water in the small container . Ask your child to check the time and note down how long does it take for the water to evaporate and condense on the plastic wrapper. Where does the water go after it condenses on the plastic wrapper?
Explanation: The heat of the sun evaporated the water, which raised above and then condensed on the cool plastic wrapper and fell into the small container. This is a small replica of the water cycle that occurs every day on earth. When water is heated, it changes from a liquid to a gas. This gas is called water vapour, and the proces s is call ed ev ap or ation. When plants give off water vapour,
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
it is called transpiration. When water evaporates, it rises into the cooler air, collects, and forms clouds. Lessons extension: after-wards Children make : classroom posters, craft , activity chart, collage, memory card-game....
Learners will develop an understanding of the water cycle. They will then use some knowledge to create a tactile model of the water cycle and then relate these ideas to the importance of water conservation.
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A TRIP OF A DROP – inventing a story, dramatization, pictorial and graphic production
the calm sea. There are many charming wa- together they dance in the Drop is tired….. ter cycle stories for children. Our children have invented, It’s night ... Drop, it's time to go to sleep!
waves.
dramatized, sung ...this history A Day in the Life of a Drop of Water Drop is a little drop of water without smell, shape and color but she’s very pretty. She lives with her sisters in the sea but was bored.
But SUN, a "nice element", arrives, he woos the droplets, he leads them to heaven and marries them complete with veil . Drop and her sisters are embraced by Sun and they become very light…. they The sea cradles them, the reach the clouds. sea whispers a lullaby. Drop and her sisters finally Nooo …...Northern Wind, fall asleep. ―the Cold‖ , shakes and Drop, your trip for today is turns the clouds . finished but it will take back The chilled clouds cover Sun but…What's happening? The clouds become heavy and Drop and her sisters …….. HELP!!!
One day they decide to plunge in the great ocean where they make new friends: Jellyfish, Sardine, Dolphin, Red Fish and Hippocampus... Now everyone is happy and
tomorrow…
They're falling into the River. River dance …Drop with her sisters ... the water dance "Water Games"... River wets the ground and quench Little Flower, Cat and Three. The run of River finally ends into
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
WATER
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Water is life ! Teaching Earth Science with Water Goals: 
water is an essential resource for life.

define natural resources and give examples; generate ideas of ways to conserve, preserve and protect our natural resources.
Activities: Since water is the fundamental building block of life, children will analyze the different ways they use water, what measures they could take in order to conserve it and the problems that could arise when clean water is lacking in communities. The children visit a natural park lake (Lago Sassano) . The children see some images of the ecological disaster (lake and sea pollution ).
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
WATER
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UNIT.2 FIRE Methodology rhymes, movement activities, games, and interactive materials are included to make the learning process fun, educational, and empowering.
tips and loads of information about fire-fighters and the important work they do.
Methodology: Unit 2 –Fire, intro-
duce children to the benefits and dangers of fire. Fire is magical to children. It emits warmth and light and is used in many types of celebrations around the world. Through a story children explore the element of fire in its manifestations (heat, light, energy) and through the exploration and activities they discover where it is around us. Many wonderful books,
However, fire also has a scary side. It can be dangerous when it is misunderstood or used inappropriately. For these reasons, children need to learn at an early age that fire is not for play. They also need to learn how to protect themselves if they come into contact with fire. It also provides numerous child-friendly safety
Grisù, our new friend
Theme goals Bodies of fire: Sun, magma in the Earth, flame…. Fire is useful for:
adding light and heat, cooking plants and animals, clearing forests for planting, heating treat stone for making stone tools, burning clay for ce-
ramic objects... Discovery of fire: the controlled use of fire: an invention of the Early Stone Age Fun with fire: fire magic tricks (experiments), safety activities
(games, crafts).... Traditions and Legends Associated With Fire: Fire Myths (Prometheus), legends of native Americans, the purifying
and revitalizing power of fire in legends and traditions of Italy and of Apulia. Fire Prevention:
causes and types of fire, the potential dangers of fire, what to do in the event of a fire The Important Role Firefighters play in our community.
ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS Group time: Have students brainstorm "Fire". Conduct an open forum where they can share experiences, feelings, and/or ask questions: What is fire? While singing simple songs, ob-
serving some photos, listening and developing stories about plants, animals and people, and aim conversation, the children discover: -Bodies of fire, -Fire and Sun, are “The Positive Energy of the Cosmos” , - Discovery of fire: once man could warm himself in front of the flames and cook the flesh
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
of animals (previously he had eaten meat raw). fire bought light into the dark caves. -Importance of fire in our daily use,
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ART F I R E C o l l a g e : tempera, glue, paint (yellow, red, Look in a magazine or newspaper for orpictures of fire, cut them out and let your child glue them onto a piece of paper for a collage; FIRE Artistic works:
learning activities using different artistic techniques. Mask of fire: Print to colour paper mask patterns.
drawings, paintings and other with
ange...), gold glitter.. Pictorial and graphic production : of experiences and
MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS Through a story children explore the element of fire and through the exploration and activities they discover where it is around us. During this early education lesson plan the children will use the science skills of prediction and observation. Math, counting and graphing is encouraged as youngsters "record" their predictions and findings.
Note water vapour condensed on inside of jar.
Exploring fire with five senses:
Light a candle on a pie plate : Which common materials (Styrofoam, vinyl material, cotton material, newspaper, or cardboard), burns? Witch of them produce the worst smoke/air pollution when
(heat, light, energy) Fire needs oxygen to burn: Light two candles, cover one of the candles with the glass container. What will happen ? Wait to see which one burns out first. Put another candle on a pie plate and add 1/2 inch of water to pie p l a t e . Light candle, then put glass jar over candle. What will happen ? Candle extinguishes when oxygen i s c o n s u m e d . Water enters jar--use coloured water for best view.
Combustion or burning:
burn? Find out which object has more harmful elements, (ash and smoke) to the atmosphere when it is burnt.
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
Alcohol, oil...are flammable liquids...Making an Alcohol Lamp (or oil): Using the nail, punch a hole in the underside of the metal lid. Cut a piece of the cotton cloth (a handkerchief or small washcloth works well) about 7 cm (3 in) square and roll it into a tight roll. Or, cut a piece of cotton rope about 7 cm (3 in) long. Push the rope or rolled cloth up through the bottom of the lid so that about 1 cm (1/4 in) sticks out above the top of the lid. This is the wick. Next, fill the jar about ½ full of alcohol and screw the lid down onto the jar tightly. Pour about 1 cm (½ in) of water into the bottom of the pan, and place the jar and lid in the middle of the pie pan. Allow the alcohol to soak up into the rope or cloth. The alcohol lamp should light and burn with a pale blue flame. ...and put out fire with water.
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A STORY OF FIRE Read "The Story of Prometheus". Discuss the story with the class and ask children: 1.
Why is fire so important and what would life be like without it?
2.
Why would a hero like Prometheus endanger himself just to make life better for man?
3.
What is your definition of a hero?
4.
Prometheus thought that
to deny human kind the gift of fire was to deprive humans and keep man at the level of animals. Zeus believed that without fire the human was happy and would never go to war. Who was right? Why? Make a list of the positive things that can be done with fire and the negative things that can be done with fire (make a poster).
Don't Play With Fire! Teaching Safety Fire : some important things to discuss with children
Teach children that fire is dangerous, and can burn.
Tell small children to never touch or play with matches and lighters, and if they find any lying around, to tell their parents.
Practice the escape plan.
Teach your children that firefighters are there to help them.
Demonstrate for the children the "stop, drop and roll" method of putting fires out. If their clothing catches on fire, they need to know how to put it out .
Show how to crawl low on the ground beneath smoke. Practice crawling through the house, making sure to stay down low. Activity : art and
craft, colouring pages, song and story.
Firefighters at school Firemen visit schools where they discuss the do-and-don'ts of fire usage. In the event of a child's clothing catching fire, it's important that children and adults are aware of the "stopdrop-and roll" method. Instruct children that if clothing ever catches on fire, they should
immediately stop whatever they are doing, drop to the ground and begin to roll back and forth repeatedly and quickly to extinguish the flame. Emergency phone numbers need to in an easy-to-reach area, preferably on a wall near a phone.
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
FIRE
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UNIT. 3 AIR — Methodology when it’s in the form of wind, it can move leaves and blow your hair around).
Methodology: Air is all around us:, Air is everywhere. It cannot be seen, but it is all around us. Air is invisible. Air is a form of energy. This unit helps students discover that air is everywhere, that Air exists observing some of the things it does ( Air can fill a balloon, for example, and
Students use all of their senses to describe air (Can they see it? feel it? smell it? hear it? taste it? How do we know it's there? What evidence can they provide to support their descriptions of air?)
painting and computer children repr e s e n t (summarized) discoveries made on the path of the air in the environment.
Doing simple experiments the children will explore air pressure and the force of air. Trough artistic productions, plastics,
Theme goals Children know :
Air become polluted with We breath air, air is a gas, air Living things use air: emission of makes up the atmosphere. To breathe, plants use air to make gas: Children observe: food, birds use air for fly, seeds Industry, indiAir moves (wind); air can change are distributed by wind. vidual actions, temperature, can smell, can be Properties of air: transportation seen (water vapour, smoke); they Air is transparent, air is weight, . can feel when it moves (wind), air takes up space, air has volume The effects they can see air moves things and pressure , air is a gas. of air pollution. (storm); moving air makes weather; hot air rises (hot air balloon).
ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS Group time: Living or not living? Animal or plant? Solid liquid or gas? Cut some pictures from a magazine, or show some pictures from a book with living (animals, plants) and non living things (ice, stones, water, clouds, coins..) On a large sheet of paper draw a heading All sorts of things, and using a tree diagram format, divide the sheet into living and nonliv-
ing. Divide living into animals and plants. Divide nonliving into solids, liquids and gases: Put this sheet on the floor. Ask children to place their cards in one of the empty squares on the diagram where they think they belong.
ries: animals that fly and animals that do not fly.
Animals That Fly or Do Not Fly Cut pictures of animals from magazines and organized in two large sheets of white blank chart paper, animals into two different catego-
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
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ART Wind and Air – The Invisible Force of art…
the bubbles. When the bubbles pop remove the paper and leave to dry.
Bu bble Painting:
Blow Painting:
Mix together the paint and some washing up liquid in the tray. Add some water until it is runny enough to blow bubbles. The children use the drinking straw to blow into the paint to make bubbles.
Gently place the paper on top of
Water paint down a little to make it runny. Pour a couple of drops of paint on to paper, then children use a drinking straw to blow the paint in all directions. Keep adding more paint and blowing. Pictorial and graphic production : of experiences and learning activities using different artistic techniques.
Mask of air: Print to colour paper mask patterns.
MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS WHAT IS AIR? Teacher ask a series of questions to see what children know about air. Ask child if they think air is real. Wave hands around, can we feel air? How do we know it's there? Can we see it? Tell child we can "see" air, in a way. Blow up balloon. Why does the balloon get bigger? Open the end of the balloon near the child's face; s/he can feel the air, too.
Volume Experiment: 1. Take an empty, 2-litre soft drink bottle and lay it on its side. Hold it down firmly. 2. Have your child make a ball out of a small piece of paper. Make sure it is small enough to fit through the mouth of the bottle. 3. Hold a hair dryer so it blows directly into the mouth of the bot-
tle. Challenge your child to try and push the paper ball into the bottle using the air stream from the hair dryer. Much to your child’s surprise, the paper will not enter the bottle even when the flow of air points directly to the bottle’s opening! 4. Discuss what happened.
Pressure Experiment: 1. Take one end of the string and tie it to a tree or a p o s t . 2. Take the straw and thread it onto the other end of the string. 3. Tie the other end of string to the second tree or post. 4. Make sure that the string is t i g h t . 5. Move the straw to one end of t h e s t r i n g 6. Blow up the balloon and hold the opening so that the air does
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
n o t e s c a p e . 7. Place the mouth of the balloon so that it is pointing toward the closest tree or post. 8. Make sure that the balloon is parallel to the string/straw. Place two pieces of tape over the straw and balloon making sure that the balloon is attached securely. 9. Release the balloon. 10. Discuss what happened.
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GAMES: Air is fun! Creating simple ranges, pinwheel, kite, little flags is cheap and easy to make and the teacher can combine science with physical activity and fun! Children can discover with their “air-toys” that wind is air that moves over the earth's surface and movement of air is energy. Discuss the pros and cons of using wind energy. Pros would include the fact that wind is a renewable energy source and that wind energy creates no pollutants or radioactive by-products. Cons would include arguments made by some
that wind farms, areas where there are many wind turbines operating, are unsightly: giant pinwheels or wind turbines, up to 330 feet (100 meters), are used on wind farms to create clean energy.
Didascalia dell'immagine o della fotografia
Wind in Poem, Music and Paintings Read poem:
Ask the children:
Who Has Seen the Wind? By Christina Rossetti
How do these poems represent the idea that one needs to feel the wind or observe its' effects in order to know it is there?
Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you. But when the leaves hang trem- Explore the internet together bling, for windy images. The wind is passing through. Look for photographs showing the Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I. But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by.
wind at work and play. Find and display some paintings by such artists as Winslow Homer. On line you can view Van Gogh's depiction of a windy day. Bring on the music. Find some good storm music such as selections from “Scherazade” and the “Valkyries”. Encourage kids to paint or move to the music .
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
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Air is life ! Teaching Earth Science with Air Goals: Air become polluted with emission of gas: industry, individual actions, transportation . The effects of air pollution. Activities: Reading a story about air pollution to learn about things that cause air pollution and what we can do to keep the air clean.
Together think of ways that we can save air. “Why drive when WE can walk?! Walking, running, skipping are all much more fun than sitting in a boring un-cool car�
Clean air is vital to all life. One way to see if air has lots of oxygen in it is to look for signs of lichen growing on tree limbs. You can also keep an eye out for bird and insect life. Explain to children that cars, factories and the creating of electricity all put bad substances i n t o the air which a f fects health a n d nature.
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
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UNIT.4
EARTH: FLORA AND FAUNA
M e t h o d o l o g y : Kindergarten students have a natural curiosity for the world around them and this curiosity leads them to explore the world by observing and manipulating the objects and materials around them. They instinctively observe, sort, group, and order items in their environment. This tendency to observe and order leads inevitably to
the scientific inquiry process. Through the scientific process kindergarten students learn that living things grow, change, and interact with the environment and they investigate relationships in the natural world by using concrete, hands-on experments that utilize all five of their physical senses. Kindergarten learners are naturally inclined towards the learning
skills needed for the scientific process: thinking critically and independently, analyzing and questioning data, and creative thinking.
Theme goals Earth Materials: 1A. Properties of Earth Materials (Rock and Soil)
a. Demonstrate an understanding that plants need food, water, and gases to survive. b. Explain why (plants) need (light) energy.
a. Recognize that chunks of rocks come in many sizes and shapes, from boulders to grains of sand and even smaller.
1C. Plants and Their Habitats
b. Show that large things (such as some rocks) are made up of smaller pieces.
b. Describe different ecological systems on earth (in terms of the plants that live there).
c. Describe some physical properties of (rocks and soil).
c. Describe a familiar local environment (in terms of the plants that live there).
d. Group (rocks) based on observable characteristics (e.g., color, size, texture).
d. Give examples how one change in a system affects other parts of the system.. For example, changing the amount of sunlight in a terrarium( a system), which would affect the plants.
1B. Changes to the Earth and Its Materials a. Describe how change is something that happens to many things. b. Observe changes that are caused by water, snow, wind, and ice (e.g., cracks in rocks, soil washing away) c. Observe how animals and plants sometimes cause changes in their surroundings (e.g., plants covering soil, animals digging holes in earth)
Plants and Their Habitats 1A. Characteristics of Plants a. Describe characteristics of different living things (plants). b. Identify characteristics that help (plants) live in their environment.
a. Recognize that plants can only survive in environments in which their needs can be met.
attributes they really do not have. g. Describe ways in which individual (animals) of the same species are alike and different. 1B. Needs of Animals a. Demonstrate an understanding that animals need food, water, and gases to survive. b. Recognize that animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants (or even other animals) for shelter and nesting. c. Describe how almost all animals’ food can be traced back to plants.
1D. Plants’ Life Cycles
1C. Animals and Their Habitats
a. Explain, draw, or otherwise demonstrate the life cycle of a (plant) (e.g., from seed to flower).
a. Identify ways that organisms depend upon their environment.
b. Draw or describe ways in which a (plant) can change over its lifetime, sometimes in predictable ways.
b. Recognize that animals can only survive in environments in which their needs can be met.
Animals and Their Habitats 1A. Characteristics of Animals a. Describe characteristics of different living things (animals). b. Identify characteristics that help (animals) live in their environment.
c. Demonstrate that (plants) are made up of different parts.
c. Describe the ways some animals are alike in the way the look and in the things they do, and others are very different from one another.
d. Explore magnifying devices and how they allow one to see (plant parts) in more detail.
d. Demonstrate that (animals) are made up of different parts.
e. Design and describe a classification system for objects (such as leaves, seeds, or flowers).
e. Recognize that animals have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places.
1B. Needs of Plants
f. Recognize that stories sometimes give animals
c. Describe different ecological systems on earth (in terms of the animals that live there). d. Describe a familiar local environment (in terms of the animals that live there and the things that they need). 1D. Animals’ Life Cycles a. Explain, draw, or otherwise demonstrate the life cycle of an organism (animal). b. Draw or describe ways in which an (animal) can change over its lifetime, sometimes in predictable ways (e.g., butterfly, frog). c. Describe how animals closely resemble their parents.
ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS Group time... During a walk in the garden, children collect leaves, grains, stones, soil, herbs and make a collection of “Natural treasures” and make a herbarium with plants. Learning about trees can be spread over four seasons. This unit will allow the students to see how trees change and grow over four seasons. They will be so fascinated with the changes that occur in the trees from one season to another. Students can visit a wooded area and use all of their senses to describe
individual trees. Showing and reading some books, singing some songs about trees and answer:
Use some animal songs for teaching about mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, and pets.
Are all trees the same size? Are all trees the same shape. Do all trees grow fruit? Are there seeds in all fruit? Can you name the parts of a tree? What colour are the leaves in the spring? What colour are the leaves in the summer? What colour are the leaves in the fall? What colour are the leaves in the winter? How do a tree grow? Can you name some animals that live in trees? How do trees help us ?
Students visit a zoo or other animal containment facility. They observe, photograph, and record information about animals and their needs. They interview zoo personnel and record their responses.
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
Read a story about animal habitats. In this zoo animals lesson, students read books about zoo animals and their habitats. Students decide whether animals live in cold or hot habitats.
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ART Collage: Look in a magazine or newspaper for pictures of trees and plants, cut them out and let your child glue them onto a piece of paper for a collage.
ties using different artistic techniques. Mask of plants, flowers and animals: Print to colour paper mask patterns.
Pictorial and graphic production : of experiences and learning activi-
MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS Life Cycle of a Plant Children are notorious for their inquisitiveness on topics of natural science. This curiosity encourages them to learn and explore using hands-on methods that excite and captivate young minds. Learning about the life cycle of a plant in kindergarten is not only ageappropriate knowledge, but a perfect opportunity to get involved in a fun and memorable science less o n . The children will use the science skills of prediction and observation. Math, counting and graphing is encouraged as youngsters "record" their predictions and findings. Objectives:
Kindergarten children should learn the basics of plant life when studying the life cycle of a plant. Specifically, they should finish such a unit with the understanding that plants need certain conditions to survive, and be able to name sunlight, water and warmth as the essentials. They should also be able to describe orally or pictorially a simple plant life cycle, including seed, seedling, mature plant a n d r e s e e d i n g . Resources: Use books to supplement learning. There are several excellent books on the topic written for this age group. From
Seed
to
Plant—
Experiments: - Children can learn about both the needs of plants and see firsthand some of the phases in the life cycle of a plant by performing experiments. A common experiment focuses on what plants need to live. Place seeds in opposite environments and observe the results. Put seeds on wet paper towels, placing a few in a warm, sunny location and a few in the refrigerator. To ex-
periment with the effect of light, place some seeds in a sunny location and others in a dark cabinet or cupboard. As the seeds put in the proper places sprout and grow, children also see different parts of the life cycle. Planting: Nothing helps children learn like firsthand experience. Give each child a seed to plant in a cup. Place seeds on a windowsill, letting children care for their seeds and watch them grow. By now, children should understand the needs of their plants and know what to expect as they grow. Many teachers prefer quickly growing seeds, such as beans.
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
Tips It is during t h e study of the life cycle of a plant in kindergarten that most children are introduced to the different parts of a plant. As with the life cycle of plants, this is not an overly detailed lesson, but gives children the proper vocabulary to use when describing plants and their changes throughout the life cycle. Learning to identify and label the stem, leaves, roots, seed, branches and flowers should be expected. Concluding Activity Have children create small individual books or posters showing the different phases in the life cycle of a plant. Include one page each for planting the seed, the roots beginning to grow, the seedling poking above the ground, the plant growing larger and developing leaves, and the flower blooming. You may also want to include a page identifying parts of the plant and one more indicating the plant's needs. For further experiments you could compare the growth rates of different types of seeds or the effect of different conditions on their growth.
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Getting to know the trees, special friends them in the town." And so he did and Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
Learning about trees can be spread over four seasons. This unit will allow the students to see how trees change and grow over four seasons. They will be so fascinated with the changes that occur in the trees from one season to another. Students can visit a wooded area and use all of their senses to describe individual trees, showing and reading some books, singing some songs about trees, and answer: ORAL QUESTIONS: Are all trees the same size? Are all trees the same shape Do all trees grow fruit? Are there seeds in all fruit? Can you name the parts of a tree? What colour are the leaves in the spring? What colour are the leaves in the summer? What colour are the leaves in the fall? What colour are the leaves in the winter? How do a tree grow? Can you name some animals that live in trees? How do trees help us ? Read the poem “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come to play Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade Laughing all the summer’s hours away. And so they love, Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree, "I’m now a man and I must have a house that’s all my home." "I can’t give you a house" he said, "The forest is my house." "But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home" And so he did. Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad. And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes. "My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days." "I’ve nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down And build yourself a boat and sail away." And so he did and Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
Answer the following questions: 1. What are the parts of a tree mentioned in the poem? 2. What are the gifts that the boy/man got from the tree? 3. Write down some more parts of a tree. 4. Make a list of other products and uses of trees. 5. Why was the tree happy? 6. Did you like the poem? why?
And after years the boy came back, both of them were old. "I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift." "I’m nothing but an old stump now. I’m sorry but I’ve nothing more to give" "I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest," The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile. "Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that." "Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while." And so he did and Oh, the trees was happy. Oh, the tree was glad. ·
But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said, "Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I’ve found?" "I have no money," said the tree, "Just apples, twigs and leaves." "But you can take my apples, boy, and sell
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
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Science Activities - The Animal World All animals are living things.
There are different kind of ani-
Begin by discussing with the children about animals: Q: How do we All animals need food to survive. know that animals are living Questions: What do animals eat? things? A: They can breathe, they Why is food and water important? eat, they move, they sleep. Matching Game: Sorting Activity: Match up the right food item to the Sort card images of animals and animal. Discuss with the children other objects. what would happen if an animal eats the wrong food? Optional: Classify the animals by their groupings: Carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. All animals protect themselves. All animals grow become adults and have babies.
Questions: What do animals need to protect themselves from? What are some ways that animals protect themselves? Smell - Skunks Camoflagues - Lizards Hard Shell Turtle
Q: What would happen if animals did not have babies or if animals never died? You can use this opAnimals and Predators: portunity to discuss the circle of This is a great way to introduce life. children to the food chain. Using Matching Game: aniMatch the parent animal to the m a l card i m ages or t o y animals create the food chain from weakest to strongest.
baby animal and teach the children their proper names. (Cow Bull and a Animals live in different habitats. Calf) Animals live in a forest, a farm, the desert, a jungle and the ocean. Questions: Why can't a pig live in the desert? Why can't a monkey All animals can move around. live on the farm? Question: How do animals move Activity: Where should I live? around? Give the children drawings of difDramatic Play: ferent habitats and let them draw Call out the name of an animal and the right animals in each page. the children need to act out the movement of the animal and the sound it makes. Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
mals: * Insect and spider - insects have six legs, spiders have eight legs. * Birds - have feathers and wings. They can fly and walk * Fish - have fins and they can breathe under water. * Reptiles and amphibians - Reptiles such as lizards live in the desert. Amphibians such as frogs live near water. * Mammals - Have hair or fur. Their babies drink milk. Some have two legs some have four. Classifying Game: Help students search or paint and cut pictures of animals of cold
and hot lands, of forest, of water and domestic. Create some habitats posters tures.
and glue the pic-
Give the children pictures of animals and ask them to classify them to the right group: insects or spiders. Bird, fish. Reptile or amphibians and mammals.
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"On the Farm" Farm animal sounds are often some of the first things children learn about. Children are fascinated about cows, chickens, sheep and goats and are excited to see and touch them. You can foster your child's love of animals and teach him about agriculture and animal care through songs and hands-on activities.
sheets of paper and drawing materials or their favourite of the farm animal mini colouring pages. Sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" with the children, allowing them to take turns picking animal/sound combinations .
Before reading any stories, ask the children what they know about farms (what types of animals or crops, who has visited one, etc). Take notes on the white board or flip pages Read the classic farm story Revisit the white board. Ask the children what they can add to the information now that they've heard the story. Provide
the
children
with
blank
Pet Activities All children love animals. Creating lessons about pets for kindergarten students are fun and will be popular with students. Use the topic of pets to develop other skills such as language, social studies and math.
"The Perfect Pet"
Have the students talk about their pets or pets they would like to have if they do not have pets at home. Create a graph of the different kinds of pets that represent the class.
Pet Books
Print out a number of worksheets with images of common pets. The pages can focus on cats and kittens, dogs and puppies, horses, rats and even rabbits. Have the students colour a number of the pages and write a sentence about the animal on the page. The students should complete four or five different animals. Cut out the pictures and
sentences and glue them on construction paper. Bind the pictures pages together to create a "pet book" for the children.
Animal Movement Charades An activity to get little bodies moving is to play pet charades. Create a number of cards with pictures of a pets and the names of the animals beneath them. Have one student draw a card. Have the student whisper what the animal is into the teacher's ear. The student will then act like the animal while the class guesses. Once the correct answer has been given, have the entire class act like that animal for a moment. For extra giggles, add animals like elephants to the "pet" game.
and a cat. Ask the students which animal is larger. Follow that question by asking the class which animal needs more space. Have a number of pictures. Organize the animals on the board from smallest to largest. Ask the students if a horse could live in a dog house and if a dog could live in a horse pen. Then ask them why or why not.
―Love Your Pet‖ : the children draw pictures or make crafts of their favourite pets or animals.
Pet Math
Kindergarten math focuses on ideas like large and small. Use two pictures of different pets, such as a horse
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
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Teaching Earth Science: Let save Earth, let save trees and animals! 
Green Ideas
We try to be green in many ways in our classroom. Here are a few fun.ideas Plants : to decorate a clay pot and plants a plant, to talk to the students about the importance of planting and pres e r v i n g green. Planting a tree is a gr e a t thing to do for yourself and for the earth. Recycling paper: to create a paper recycling bin in the classroom in order to recycle paper. The children not only practice recycling but they also learn to reuse by going to that bin for paper when they need scraps of paper. Junk art: to ask parents to send in boxes, newspaper and other paper, paper rolls, plastic containers, packing material anything they have at home that we could use to make art. The students create sculptures with the materials and glue or tape. Then they paint them. Some also do paper mache. In the end we set up an area of the classroom as a museum to showcase all the sculptures.
Recycling Game: The goal of the game is to collect all the trash and place it in the correct recycling bin in a certain amount of time.  Endangered Animals Provide opportunities to observe animals directly in ponds, on farms
and in zoos. Have students document what animals they saw and put them into categories. Ask children to dictate what they think each animal needs to be happy and healthy. Show childrens films or watch DVDs or television programs from stations such as Animal Planet, the History Channel and Nickelodeon that feature programming about various endangered animals. Have
students discuss how the endangered animals and the animals they saw in ponds, on farms and at zoos wer e alike and di ffer e nt. Help children make collages that show what each endangered animal needs and where it lives. Ask them to discuss how they would help protect the animal's food source and habitat.
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
Present children with information about the needs of locallyendangered species -- that is, animals that are disappearing from a particular region. Choose a locallyendangered animal to study. Once students document its needs, discuss what can be done to help it survive.
Pet-day: Children celebrate the joys of making and having friends
honour our friends and the members of our families, including our pets. Children enjoy pets for many reasons. They like watching them, touching them, handling them, caring for them, and learning about them. Many different animals can become pets. Children will learn which animals will make good pets and that all pets need love, care, food, and shelter. Pets also introduce children to the life cycle in a relevant and meaningful way.
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The Earth is our little green house: a poem Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home Jonathan Anderson Our land is in trouble it needs your help, So are the oceans, the coral, the kelp. There must be a way for all to unite, To stop the earth from a disastrous fright. We can't leave this world a barren waste land, But luscious and fertile, as many creatures as there are sand. We're destroying our jungles, our forests our beaches, Taking away what is the earth's like billions of leaches. Few Natural Habitats are left on the globe, All are scattered like the beats of a strobe. We welcome you to an endangered land, To show you how animals dwindle like an hour glass's sand. Only you can help to save our earth, And hopefully, with care give it a rebirth.
dents that our Earth is in trouble, and it needs our help! Our air is being poisoned everyday by car fumes, our oceans polluted with toxic wastes, and our beauti-
our children.
ful rainforests are being destroyed. That's why the Earth needs all the friends it can get. And all of us can help make the Earth a better place to live for
This project learn us and our stu-
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE
WATER
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Contents THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1
UNIT.1 “A TRIP OF A DROP”- METHODOLOGY THEME GOALS “WATER-THE LIVIVING POWER” ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS /GROUP TIME
2
ART MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS
3
GAMES THE WATER CYCLE IN NATURE WATER CYCLE ACTIVITIES: A MINIATURE
4
A TRIP OF A DROP – INVENTING A STORY, DRAMATIZATION, PICTORIAL AND GRAPHIC PRODUCTION
5
WATER IS LIFE ! TEACHING EARTH SCIENCE WITH WATER
6
UNIT.2 FIRE METHODOLOGY THEME GOALS ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS /GROUP TIME:
7
ART MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS
8
STORY OF FIRE DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE! TEACHING SAFETY FIRE : SOME IMPORTANT THING TO DISCUSS WITH CHILDREN FIREFIGHTERS AT SCHOOL
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UNIT.3 AIR THEME GOALS ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS /GROUP TIME
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ART MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS
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GAMES: AIR IS FUN! WIND IN POEM, MUSIC AND PAINTINGS
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AIR IS LIFE ! TEACHING EARTH SCIENCE WITH AIR
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UNIT.4 “EARTH” METHODOLOGY THEME GOALS ACTIVITIES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS /GROUP TIME
14
ART MATH AND SCIENCE: SOME EXPERIMENTS
15
GETTING TO KNOW THE TREES, SPECIAL FRIENDS
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SCIENCE ACTIVITIES - THE ANIMAL WORLD
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"ON THE FARM" PET ACTIVITIES
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TEACHING EARTH SCIENCE: LET SAVE EARTH, LET SAVE TREES AND ANIMALS!
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THE EARTH IS OUR LITTLE GREEN HOUSE: A POEM CONTENTS
Manual teachers methodology: THE EARTH
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