South America Unit Study

This study isn't completely done, but I'm posting it anyway since I probably won't finish planning it.



Map of SA
to color

I had a hard time finding
coloring pages of the animals, so I'm just going to buy a rainforest
coloring book.

Anaconda
Piranha
Peccary
Sloths
Parrot
Macaw
- coloring
page
Jaguar


Science
Terrariums


Terrariums are easy to make from plastic soda or water bottles. Have

everyone bring a bottle with the label off. Cut bottle in half. Put

pebbles and potting soil in the bottom half. Plant some small plants

and water it sparingly. Use the top half with the cap on as the lid.

Cut 4 1" places on the cut edge of the lid so as to allow it to fit

over the bottom planted part. The plants will then water themselves

from condensation on the inside of the bottle. They last a long time

without care. You add a ceramic rainforest animal.



learn about rainforest products - sugar, coffee, etc

go in the bathroom and run the shower on hot....sit in the
steam for a few minutes, to get the feel of the rainforest.

learn about the 4 levels: The

emergent level is the top level of the rainforest. The canopy is the

next layer where monkeys, apes and exotic plants live. The canopy is

like living under a big green umbrella. The understory is the next

layer. It is the home of bats, frogs, butterflies and many other

animals. Finally is the forest floor. It's dark on the rainforest
floor

because the trees keep most of the light out.

water
cycle

Math
find or draw
a snake pattern on different colors of paper. You

can also laminate the pieces so that you can use a dry erase marker
and

change the letters to spell new words, instead of making all new

pieces. This

pattern can be used to review just about anything you happen to be

studying. Children will love this activity because they can get down
on

the floor and move around while making a great big
snake.You

can also use this snake for anything that your child is studying that

has an order such as numbers, letters, books of the Bible, counting by

certain numbers, alphabetizing, etc.


Crafts
Rainforest
Mural


As a class activity, the children will be dipping their palms in green

paint to make palm prints covering several large sheets of paper. Once

dry, these will serve as a background for your class rainforest. As
you

learn about the rainforest add food, plants, and animals to your
mural.

Snake
Sock 

white tube
sock

markers

craft
eyes

super
glue

red felt (approx
3" x 1")

Allow

the child to decorate the white tube sock snake with the markers.

Supervise the child as they cut a snake tongue from the red felt.
Super

glue craft eyes to "top" of toe end of snake. Super glue tongue where

the sock will naturally fit in the child's hand (think puppet).

Play. 

Make

binoculars with toilet paper rolls - decorate, punch holes in, and tie

together with yarn.  Tape up pictures of animals/birds, and go
for

a walk, looking for animals in the rainforest.

Parrot
craft
Sloth
craft
rain forest mobile


Food/Cooking
Buy different food found in the
rainforest: bananas, star fruit, coconut, chocolate, papaya, papaya,
bananas, mangos, etc.

Misc.
Tribal
Faces


Get a book on indigenous people of the rainforest and face paint the

children to look like the tribal people. Then string beads for tribal

necklaces.

Have students cut out animals and glue
them in the proper layer.

go on a smell hunt with food items
from the rainforest

Do 1,2,3,4,5
Fish nursery rhyme.  
Learn about right and left hands


anteater maze
worksheet

Rainforest
Links
more
links

October Unit Studies

Australia Unit Study
Fall Unit Study
South America Unit Study
Farm Unit Study

Australia 5 Day Plan
Fall 5 Day Plan
South America 5 Day Plan
Farm 5 Day Plan

Australia 5 Day Plan

Do coloring sheets all week,
using different art methods

Monday
Math
Money Flashcards
Buried
Treasure
Science
Air activities
Crafts
Lesson 1 art curriculum
Sandpaper prints
Misc.
Look up
Australia on Google Earth
Color map

Tuesday
Math
Money
Flashcards
Coin Rubbings
Science
Straw
Glider
Crafts
Lesson 2 art
curriculum
Puzzle prints
Misc.
Paint
flag

Wednesday
Math
File Folder
Games
Crafts
Map collage
Food/Cooking
Anzac Biscuits
Science
talk about ecosystems of Australia

Thursday
Math
Money
Flashcards
Coin Patterns
Science
Materials
Crafts
Jumping Kangaroo

Friday
Math
File Folder
Games
sorting and sizing
Crafts
Boomerang
Koala Craft

Food/Cooking
Pavlova

Farm 5 Day Plan

Do animal flashcards and coloring sheets all
week
Monday

Science
Animal
Match
Math
Eggs are
Hatching
Crafts
Little Boy
Blue
Paper Plate
Pig
Misc.

Little Boy Blue little
book

Tuesday
Science
Make
Butter
Math

Worksheets
Crafts
Little Bo Peep
Mobile
Misc.

Little Bo Peep little
book

Wednesday
Science
Dairy
Products
Math

Worksheets
Crafts
3 Pigs Houses
Muddy
Pig
Misc.

Animal 3-in-a-row



Thursday
Math

Worksheets
Crafts
Sponge Paint Farm, Sheep,
Cow
Food/Cooking
Bake
Bread
Misc.

Do patterns with 3-in-a-row
cards

Friday
Science
Animal
Sort
Math

Worksheets
Crafts
Farm
Mobile
Food/Cooking

Milkshakes

Fall 5 Day Plan

To get some more fun crafts for fall,
I did a swap with a few other women.  We picked out a few
crafts from Oriental
Trading Company,

and then we each got a few of each craft - that way we weren't each

stuck with 12 of the same craft.  So the kids will be doing
those,

too. 

Monday
Math
Leaf
Graph
Number
Matching
Science
Planting Acorns
Crafts
Scarecrow Fun
Scarecrow Art
Food/Cooking
Pumpkin Pudding
Misc.
Fall Book

Tuesday
Math
Leaf
Match
Science
Fall Sensory Box
Crafts
Apple Wreaths
Apple
Printing
Food/Cooking
Apple
Pancakes
Misc.
Fall Book


Wednesday
Math
Acorn
Numbers
Science
Open and Closed Pinecone
Crafts
Pinecone
Squirrel
Corn Cob painting
Food/Cooking
Leaf Sugar
Cookies
Misc.
Fall Book


Thursday
Math
Apple
Puzzles
Science
talk about
hibernation
Fall Smells
Crafts
Tissue Paper Pumpkin
Food/Cooking
Leaf
Piles
Misc.
Fall Book
Apple Hide
and Seek

Friday
Math
More or
Less
Pumpkin Patch
book
Science
Fall Smells
Crafts
Scented/Pumpkin Playdough
Food/Cooking
Leaf
Toast
Misc.
Fall Book

Australia Unit Study

Australia 5 Day Plan

Animals to Study:
Tasmanian Devil - Coloring Sheet (convert to b/w)
Koala - Coloring Sheet
Kangaroo - Coloring Sheet
Platypus - Coloring Sheet
Sugar Glider - Coloring Sheet (convert to b/w)
Bandicoot - coloring sheet (convert to b/w)
Frilly-Necked Lizard - coloring sheet (convert to b/w)
Goanna
Geography
Look up Australia on Google Earth
Color map of Australia
Paint the flag
Math
work on money
Buried Treasure: Bury coins in a bowl of rice or sand. Have her find specific coins.
Coin Rubbing:
Hot-glue several coins onto index cards.  Lay thin paper on top
and clip it with clothespins to hold the paper it place. Use the flat
side of a crayon to rub over the paper and make an impression of the
coins.
Patterns: Make patterns with coins. For example, heads, tails, heads, tails; or, penny, nickel, penny, nickel.
work on recognizing and writing numbers 1-20
sorting and sizing with koala craft

Science
air/gliding activities

Fill a bowl with water.  Place a cup in it, open side down. 
Tip the edge up and watch what happens.  Talk about the air
bubbles and the air leaving the cup, letting water in.   Blow
up a balloon.  Talk about air from our lungs; slowly let the air
out of the balloon and feel it.  Blow up a balloon and let go of
it - watch it fly around.

Straw Glider

What You Need

1. Straw
2. Construction paper
3. Scissors
4. Tape
5. Pencil
6. Ruler
   

What You Do

1. First,
   lay a piece of construction paper down on your table. With your ruler,
   measure and mark with your pencil a strip that is 1 inch wide and 8
   inches long. Then carefully cut out this strip.
   
2. With
   your ruler and pencil, measure and mark a second strip of paper that is
   1/2 inch wide and 6 inches long. Cut this strip out of the paper.
   
3. Take the longer strip and form a circle or loop. Tape the two ends together.
   
4. Take the shorter strip of paper and form a circle or loop. Tape the two ends together.
   
5. Put the longer strip on one end of your straw. Tape it in place.
   
6. Put the shorter strip on the other end of your straw. Tape it in place.
   
7. Try
   sailing or flying your straw glider. Try sailing it with the smaller
   loop at the front; try sailing it with the bigger loop at the front.
   What happens?
   
8. You might try adding
   some more loops or wings to the straw. Or try making a glider with two
   straws taped together. Or try twisting paper strips to see if that
   makes a difference.

The paper rings or loops are like wings. The air pressure that is on
top and below the loops create what we call "lift." This lift makes it
possible for the object or straw glider to sail in the air.

Australia is the leading producer of wool.
Gather clothes made of different material such as wool, rayon/silk,
cotton, etc.  Compare textures and weight.  Do an experiment
with the clothes. "Which material will dry the fastest?
Soak each piece of material in water.
Place the wet pieces on a tray and place the tray in the sun.
Check them periodically and record the order in which the different materials dried.

Talk about the different ecosystems/habitats in Australia.

Cooking/Food

Pavlova
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
3 drops vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
pinch of salt
Passion fruit pulp, fruit salad, or strawberries
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until frothy.
3. Gradually beat in sugar a little at a time.
 4. Continue beating until stiff and sugar is dissolved. Beat in vanilla.
5. Cover a cookie sheet with brown paper. Draw a 9" circle and spread meringue
evenly within the lines. Make a slight hollow, in the center for filling.
6. Bake 1 hour.
7. Turn off heat and let dry at least 2 hours.
8. When ready to serve, whip cream until thick, fold in fruit and fill center of pavlova.

Anzac Biscuits
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup white flour (sifted)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shredded coconut
4 oz. butter or margarine
2 tblsp light-colored pancake syrup, molasses, or treacle
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tblsp boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar, and coconut.
3. Combine butter/margarine with syrup in sauce pan; stir over low heat until
melted and thoroughly blended.
4. Mix baking soda with boiling water and add to butter and syrup mixture.
5. Stir liquid mixture into dry ingredients until batter is formed.
6. Place teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart to
allow for spreading.
7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
8. Place biscuits on rack to cool.

Crafts
Jumping Kangaroo
Australia map collage
Cut a boomerang shape out of cardboard, let them paint it.
Puzzle prints (from kinderart.com)

What You Need:

• old puzzle pieces
• white glue
• cereal box cardboard
• safety scissors
• paint or printmaking ink
• paintbrush or printmaking brayer (or roller)
• Printmaking 101 (click here)
• Basic printmaking supply list (see below)
• Printing with a brayer instructions (see below)
• A word about paper (see below)
• construction paper

What You Do:

1. Read through Printmaking 101 and Printmaking 102
2. Talk about printmaking and how when you make a print, you can make several of the same image.
3. Cut a piece of cereal box down to a nice size (about 6" x 8")
4. Take
   several puzzle pieces and arrange them on the cereal box cardboard. The
   pieces can be arranged to create a picture, or they can just be laid
   down in a random pattern.
5. Once you are happy with the way the pieces look, glue them down and let the glue dry for an hour or so.
6. If
   you have a printmaking brayer, follow the directions below for printing
   with a brayer. If you don't have a printmaking brayer, use a paintbrush
   to cover the puzzle pieces with paint (or ink).
7. Lay a sheet of paper on top of the painted puzzle pieces and rub gently with the palm of your hand.
8. Remove the paper and sign the print and add the numbers 1/4
9. Do
   3 more prints so you have four all together. The second print should
   have the numbers 2/4; the third soul have the numbers 3/4 and the
   fourth should have the number 4/4 (of course you can do more than four,
   but then you have to number accordingly)

Do lesson 1 and 2 from the art curriculum
Koala Craft
Sandpaper Prints (mock aboriginal cave drawings)
Use crayons to draw and color a design on sandpaper, pressing
hard.  Color in as much as possible.  Place the sandpaper
colored side down onto white construction paper.  Place both
pieces of paper in between two pieces of newspaper.  Press the
newspaper with a hot iron.  Let cool and then remove the
newspaper.  Peel the sandpaper off of the white paper.  The
print is now on the white paper.

Music
listen to some opera (Sydney Opera House)
The rough guide to Australian Aboriginal music CD
Books to Read
In search of the real Tasmanian devil / by James Preller J 599.2 P
Australia J 994
Into wild Australia / John Woodward J590
The aboriginal peoples of Australia / Anne Bartlett J 305.89915 BAR
Coco's surprise / written by Karen van Holst Pellekaan E H
Koalas / by Gail Saunders-Smith E S
The koala : the bear that's not a bear / Diana Star Helmer J 599.25 H
platypus 599.29
Wombat & Bandicoot : best of friends :three stories / by Kerry Argent. E A
Bush walkabout. Lowe, Beulah. J 398.2 P
Island ancestors Oceanic art from the Masco Collection Allen Wardwell 709.011099 W
Misc.
World of the koala [videorecording]
Kangaroos faces in the mob / [videorecording]
Good Links:
Australian Animals -since this isn't an 'official' site, I would double check all the facts they have on there.
Australian Theme links
Rainforest Australia  (I didn't know they had one)
Arthur's Australian Clipart
22 Australian Activities/Lessons
Australia at San Diego Zoo - includes video clips of animals

Farm Unit Study

Farm 5 Day Plan

Science

Make butter with real cream.
Taste a variety of dairy products.

Animal Sort
Have their barn set out (or a picture of a barn) and have their safari
mat set out (or a picture of a safari area).   Gather all
their plastic animals into one pile, and have them separate the animals
between safari and farm, putting the animals in their correct homes.

Animal Match
Print
out images of animals, cut in half, and have them match them up. 
To make it harder, cut into a couple of pieces.  Arthur's Clipart Images

Math

Eggs Are Hatching - activity in a reproducible math book I have
Farm Animal Shadow Matching worksheet
make farm animal pattern worksheets
dot to dot worksheets 1 2
maze worksheets 1 2
more/less worksheet

Crafts

Little Boy Blue shape craft  hay
* Ask and help child to identify the shapes   Talk about the different shades of blue.
*  Encourage child to glue the template pieces to the body outline template.
*  When Little Boy Blue is assembled cut around and then glue
Little Boy Blue to "sleep" over the hay mat template (suggest to color
the mat in different shades of yellow & brown).  You can also
have the children glue some real hay, or cut-up raffia, construction
paper in a coordinating color to the hay mat first and then glue Little
Boy Blue on top (beige, brown).
* There is a small marking on the
hay mat marking to use a hole punch to insert a piece of yarn, string
or raffia to hang as a decoration.

Little Bo Peep Mobile

Muddy Pig
Cut out a pig out of construction paper and have children fingerpaint the pig with chocolate pudding.

Cow Prints
Cut
sponges into chunks. Pour black paint into shallow dishes. Paint cow
spots on large sheets of paper. Later after the paint dries you can cut
the paper into the shape of a cow if so desired.

Paper Plate Pig Craft

Sponge Print Farm

Obtain sponges shaped as cows, pigs, farm houses, fences, clouds, etc.
Have your child dip the sponges into paint and press on a piece of
paper to create a farm scene.

Paint with tractors - run through paint, and then onto paper to make tracks.

Three Pigs House
What You Need: Paper, Twigs, Spaghetti or straw, Glue, Paint
What You Do: Let
your children create the three little pigs houses by using red paper
(bricks), spaghetti (straw), and small twigs (sticks). 

Sponge Painted Black Sheep

Print
the sheep template onto heavy construction paper. Dip a sponge in black
paint and sponge paint the sheep's black wool. Let dry.  Cut out
and glue onto a popsicle stick for a puppet.

Farm Mobile

Food/Cooking

Cow Milk Shakes
Blend the following together: Milk, Ice Cream, Chocolate Syrup
Bake bread

Misc.
Play with animal flashcards - matching mothers to babies

Farm Animals coloring sheets
Farm coloring sheet
animal coloring sheets
good coloring sheets

With
the coloring sheets, have them use a variety of art mediums to color -
different paints, pastels, colored pencils, chalks, etc.

Do Little Boy Blue and Little Bo-Peep little books
Animal 3-in-a-row
both from Early Childhood Units for Nursery Rhymes
Books
I've discovered the Bobbie Kalman books are great.

The Usborne book of tractors / Caroline Young J 629.225 Y
All about farm animals / Brenda Cook J 636.01 C
Hooray for sheep farming! / Bobbie Kalman J 636.3145 KAL
Hooray for orchards! / Bobbie Kalman J 634 K
Life on a cattle farm / by Judy Wolfman J 636.222 WOL
Life on a crop farm / by Judy Wolfman J 630 WOL
Life on a pig farm / by Judy Wolfman J 636.4 WOL
Richard Scarry's On the farm
Little Red Hen
Pioneer projects / Bobbie Kalman J 745.5 K
Pioneer life from A to Z / created by Bobbie Kalman J 973 K
Pioneer farm cooking / by Mary Gunderson : J 641.5973 G
Pioneer farm : living on a farm in the 1880s ; by Megan O'Hara J 630 0
Nursery Rhymes
Baa Baa Black Sheep - coloring pages
Little Bo Peep (read Jesus and lost sheep - compare) - coloring sheets
Little Boy Blue
3 Little Pigs - coloring pages

Fall Unit Study

Fall 5 Day Plan

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater - make little book, do coloring sheets.  Talk about different kinds of houses.

Scarecrow Coloring Sheet
Squirrel Coloring Sheet 1 2

Books to Read
Autumn : an alphabet acrostic / by Steven Schnur E S
Autumn : signs of the season around North America / by Mary Pat Finnegan J 508.2
Raking leaves with Max / Hanne Turk E T
Where do all the birds go? / Tracey Lewis E L
Rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks / by Mel Boring J 559.32 B
Homes / Margaret C. Hall  J 643.1 HAL
Right at home / by Jennifer Waters J 392.3 WAT
Smell J612.86

Math
More or Less game

Number Matching

Take 20 paper plates, write number on each of them.  Get a bunch
of leaves (foam or paper) and they have to place the correct number of
leaves on each plate.

Make apple puzzles....cut a paper apple into a puzzle shape - put back together.  Apple Template

Acorn Numbers Worksheets

Leaf Graph
Go on a nature walk and collect leaves.  
Have them count the number of leaves they collected from each type of
tree, and graph the results. After doing leaf graph, make a placemat
with the leaves and contact paper.

Leaf Sticker Match 
Place two identical leaf stickers on one index card. One on the left
side and one on the right. Then cut the card in half in a puzzle shape.
Follow with all the stickers. Then set out the cards and ask the child
to pick out one, then find it's match. Next, place the cards together.

Pumpkin Patch printable book

Science

Planting Acorns
Collect acorns  on a fall nature walk. Place the acorns in a damp
paper towel and place in a sunny place. Keep the towels damp over the
next few days. Watch the acorns sprout.  Observe the acorns with a
magnifying lens. Place the acorns in potting soil in individual cups.

Fall Sensory Box

Materials:
Leaves, acorns, pine cones, nuts, apples, and other things found on
nature walk.  You'll need a box the children can fit their hands
into without seeing inside.  Put the objects in the box. 
Have them take turns feeling inside the box.  Ask them to describe
what he or she feels and what they think it is. 

Talk about what animals do during Fall in order to prepare for the upcoming winter weather.

Open and Closed Pinecone
Place
a pinecone in a plastic bag and add a small amount of water to the
bag.  Let set for 24 hours.  The next morning, the pinecone
will be closed.  Take the pinecone out and place it in the
sun.  After it dries, it will open back up.

Fall Smells
Go on a smell walk outside.  Smell leaves, trees, etc.
Place some objects in a box.   With her eyes closed, have her pick up and object and try to identify it by its smell.
Soak a cotton ball in a scent.  Hide it in the house.  Have her walk around and try to find it by sniffing.
Make fall potpourri on the stove - cloves, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla

Crafts

Draw a tree, cut an apple in half and dip in paint, stamp on tree. Cut
the apples the day before you will use them for printing. Also, it is
helpful to put the paint on a piece of paper towel in a tray. It
becomes more like a stamp pad and the apples print better.

Dried Apple Wreaths. 
Cut a wreath shape from cardboard. Glue dried apples rings around the
wreath overlapping them. Gather some dried flowers & leaves to fill
in the wreath. Add a bow at the top if you like.

Scarecrow Fun
Cut shirt and pants shapes out of fabric and face shapes out of
construction paper. Let the children glue the shapes on pieces of
construction paper to make scarecrows. Have the children draw on facial
features on the scarecrow. Set out 1-inch pieces of straw, and have the
glue the straw pieces around the edges of the scarecrow.

Scarecrow Art
Supply precut squares, circles, rectangles and pieces of straw or hay
along with some glue and large sized paper.  Let them make their
own scarecrows.

Corn Cob Printing
Allow your child to use a dried corn cob as a brush or roll the cob in paint and onto a piece of paper.

Scented Playdough

4 c. flour,  1 c. salt, 1.5 c water, fall scents (cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, etc).  Could also add glitter to the dough.  Mix
all together and knead.   Make fall shapes - pumpkins, leaves,
etc.  Bake in a 300 oven until hard.  Paint, seal with clear
sealant (I use Future floor polish).

Pumpkin Playdough
Need: 5  cups Flour, 2 Cups Salt, 8 teaspoons Cream of Tartar , 3
Cup Oil, 1 Container Pumpkin Pie Spice, Orange Food Coloring (2 parts
yellow, 1 part red) , 4 Cups Water
 Mix all of the
ingredients together. Cook and stir over medium heat until all lumps
appear. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.

Tissue Paper Pumpkin
Take a handful of poly-fil fiber and smash around in hands until shaped
like a ball.  Lay a orange piece of tissue paper on the table, put
ball of fiber fill in center and pull edges up around it. tie off with
what is handy for you.  Trim to a nice stem length, take a green
pipe cleaner and twist around and shape like vines.  You can also
add some  curling ribbon for a prettier look.  Let the
children cut out jack o lanter features from black construction paper,
and glue on.

Pinecone Squirrel

Food/Cooking
Baked Apples
Apple Pancakes
Sugar Cookies with fall cookie cutters

Easy Pumpkin Pudding

Materials and Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla pudding for each child 
2 tsp. Libby's easy pumpkin pie mix per child
A bowl for each child
A spoon for each child

Description:
Help them measure and place one cup of vanilla pudding in their
individual bowls. Next, measure out 2 tsp. pie mix with each child.
Have them mix the vanilla pudding and the pie mix together for a
seasonal and yummy treat.

Leaf Piles
The recipe is 6 cups cornflakes, 1 cup
karo sryup, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter.  In a microwave
melt the karo, sugar, and peanut butter together.  Pour over the
cornflakes and place them in piles.  Let them cool and dry a
little.

Popcorn Balls

Leaf Toast
Use
leaf cookie cutters with white bread to make leaf shapes. Put on cookie
sheet and toast in oven for short time. Give the children strawberry
and apricot jam to spread on their leaves so they turn into fall colors.

Misc.

Apple Hide and Seek
Have them hide their eyes while you "hide" an apple in the room. (It
should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the apple,
and then let them hide the apple.

Apple Hide and Seek
Play the game the same as above, except really hide the Apple. Then
tell them whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the
Apple.   Let her hide the apple and have me find it, and she
says hot or cold. 

Visit Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Patch

lots of printable Fall Books