Who Will Dance with Me? To teach children about diversity, being different, and accepting others. Social Studies: 53. Diversity
Materials: Butcher Paper, Colored Pencils, Crayons, Markers, Hand Mirrors
Age Group: 4-5 years old
Beginning: Read "Who Will Dance with Me?" by Emily Mckeon
Earlier: Given a basic head and shoulders, have the children look at their features in the mirror and at them to their portrait.
Middle: Students will draw a self portrait keeping in mind what makes them different or unique.
Later: Have the students draw each other, describe their favorite detail about their friend.
End: The activity ends when the portraits are drawn, students share what makes them unique, the activity is cleaned, and portraits are hung around the room.
Community Helpers Children recognize that people have different roles and functions in the community. Social Studies: 54. Community Roles
Materials: Little People from the Blocks area, Butcher Paper, Marker
Age Group: 4-5 years old
Beginning: Read "My Community" by Bobbi Kalman
Earlier: Have the children dress as the community helpers from the dramatic play area and discuss the jobs they do.
Middle: Using the butcher paper and marker, make a chart of which community role the children want to be when they grow up.
Later: Discuss with the children what each role entails, what they do? how they help? and how does what they do help us?
End: The lesson ends when the students no longer show interest with a five minute warning.
Follow-up Ideas: The students can match the picture of the tools to the community helper who uses them. Also the children can make their own community helper hats i.e. construction worker and fire fighter.
Landmark Hunt Identify landmarks and recognize their surroundings. Social Studies: 56. Geography
Materials: Blocks, Legos, Natural Logs, Duplos, Journals, and Pencils
Age Group: 4-5 years old
Beginning: Take a nature walk and/or "scavenger hunt" hunting for landmarks around the area. (playground, boulder, tree).
Earlier: Use building toys to create a landmark.
Middle: Discuss how they can help tell someone where we are, how to get somewhere, or remember where we have gone. Draw a landmark from their ride into school.
Later: Create a map of their ride to school from home and include any landmarks and building in between.
End: The lesson ends when the materials are cleaned up and everyone has had a turn to talk and share.
Follow-up Ideas: Write in journals about landmarks or buildings they've seen while traveling. Create a map of the classroom for someone who would need to navigate around the room.