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Ideas for the Seasons
The following are seasonal
ideas from teachers who have attended OAITC Curriculum Reviews. If
you would like to share an idea, please email me.
Autumn
- Have students try several different kinds of
squash, using all five of their senses. (Science P & I)
- Provide
several vegetables, and have students guess whether they will sink,
float or bounce. (Science P & I)
- Dry fruits in a dehydrator, and
discuss food preservation. Compare the size, volume and weight of
fruits before and after drying. (Science P & I, Math: Measuring)
- Discuss
why some foods grow underground and some above? Have students sort
some common fruits and vegetables according to the part of the plant.
(Life Science, Math: Sorting)
- Use crushed leaves and grass to make
works of art showing texture, form, line and shape. (Art)
- Have students
photograph a tree for several weeks as the colors change for a time-lapse
diagram. (Art)
- Have students arrange their own still life works of
art with fall items. Photograph the arrangements, and present them
in a PowerPoint during a fall harvest meal. (Art)
- Have students dry
and paint gourds to make musical instruments and gourd bird houses.
(Art)
- Paint with wheat. Roll squash in paint to make designs. Boil
vegetables and herbs to make dyes. (Art)
Winter
- Explore
static electricity by rubbing silk, wool and cotton on balloons.
Examine these materials under a microscope. Why does wool keep
us warm? (Related lesson: “Fleece
as White as Snow”) (Science P & I, Physical Science)
- The
pecan harvest is in November. If possible, find someone with a
pecan tree who is willing to let your students gather pecans. Pecans
are like fingerprints and snowflakes. No two have the same pattern.
(Related lessons: Pecan
Fingerprints, A
Tough Nut to Crack)
(Social Studies)
- Experiment with pine cones. Have students examine
dry pine cones, and then place them in water to see how they change.
(Science P&I)
Make bird feeders from pine cones. (Art)
- Have students research
how farmers provide shelter for their animals in the wintertime?
What other chores do farmers have in the winter months? Invite
a farmer to class or get a Farm
Pen Pal to find
out. (Social Studies: Careers;
Life Science)
- How do we feed ourselves in the winter months, when
fruits and vegetables cannot grow? Have students research food
storage (Related lesson: Food
for Keeps).
Homework assignment: Take a trip to the grocery store, and look
for country of origin labels showing the origins of fresh fruits
and vegetables during the winter months. Find these locations on
a map, and discuss opposite seasons in opposite hemispheres. (Geography)
(Related lesson: How to
Pick the Best)
- Recycle Christmas cards. Glue cards with winter
scenes to large pieces of paper, and have students extend the scenes.
(Art)
- Use dried flowers and other dried materials to make paper.
(Related lesson: Making
Paper)
(Art)
Spring
- Eggs symbolize the new life that comes with spring.
Dye hard-boiled eggs using natural dyes like dandelion flowers and
onion skins. (Art) Plant rye grass in baskets to hold the eggs. Use
washed eggshells for planting grass or radish. Place in an egg carton.
(Life Science) Have students design contraptions that will keep an
egg from breaking when it is dropped from the roof. (Physical Science)
(Related lesson: The
Shape of Things)
- Start
a compost pile with or without worms. Discuss the purpose of fertilizers
and the difference between organic and inorganic. (Related lesson: Mighty
Earth Movers)
(Life Science, Earth Science)
- Discuss the different types of plants (vine, bush,
tuber). Early in the spring, cut budding branches from bushes or
trees that flower. Smash the ends of the branches and place them
in water. Have students journal their observations of the branches,
from buds to flowers to leaf. Discuss the purpose of this cycle.
(Life Science, Writing)
- Have students cut up a potato and plant the
eyes in a bucket of potting soil. (Life Science)
- Use small bags of
potting soil for planting. Poke holes in the bag, water and plant
seeds right in the holes. (Life Science)
- Measure the perimeter of
a planting bed, and have students calculate the area. Have students
plan their own gardens. (Related lesson: Garden
Grid) (Life Science, Measuring, Number Sense)
- Have students research
and discuss Daylight Saving Time. Have students write papers in which
they argue the pros and cons. (Social Studies, Writing)
- Have students
bring quart-size bags of soil from home to explore the different
soil types. Invite someone from the county
Extension office to explain soil types and the purpose of soil
testing. Have students plant seeds in different types of soil.
(Related lesson: Dirty
Pictures) (Earth Science, Life Science)
- Start vegetable seedlings in egg cartons for planting outdoors
or flower seedlings to give for Mother's Day. (Related lesson: Germination
Observations)
Summer
Fun with Watermelon
- Find
the diameter, weight, radius, and circumference of a watermelon.
(Measuring)
- Provide one watermelon for each group of students. Have each group
examine its watermelon carefully and write down or draw observations.
Then place all the watermelons together and have each group locate its own
watermelon. (Science P&I)
- Have students sort some different
varieties of watermelon by size, feel, color, texture,
taste etc. (Sorting)
- Have students estimate the number of
seeds in a watermelon, then save and count them. (Number Sense)
- Have
a watermelon relay. Teams of students stand in a row and pass the
watermelon from one to the other. (Movement, Teamwork)
- Will it float?
Why? Floating/sinking. Why do things float? (Science P&I, Physical
Science)
- Graph which variety of watermelon students like best. (Data
Analysis)
- Weigh watermelons and students. Estimate: Do students
weigh more or less than watermelons? How many watermelons would
it take to weigh as much as an average student (or vice versa)? (Measuring)
Watermelon lessons: Working Watermelon; Melon Meiosis
Other summer activities
- Start a fall garden with cool weather
plants like spinach, beets, and greens. (Life Science)
- Discuss temperature.
Why is it hot in the summer and cold in the winter? Chart temperatures
for a week, and compare with other parts of the country. (Earth Science)
- Have
students figure out how many days are in summer? What are the summer
months? (Earth Science)
OAITC
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