This week we explored the desert! As a group we read books, sang songs, looked at photos and watched video clips to learn about desert animals and the saguaro pronounced [suh--wahr-oh] cactus. We examined the barrel cactus and the prickly pear cactus as well!
It was fun to examine a real snake skin using a magnifying glass to examine the skin of a real lizard. We also looked at a real barrel cactus. We were very careful not to touch it! The hippos practiced using nice words, working together and taking turns during dramatic play with our desert props (magnifying glasses, flashlight, pretend bug spray, sealed sunscreen, view finder). We went on a desert hunt and marked off what we found from the desert! The room was filled with many explorers!! (goals: fine motor, matching, respectful behavior, taking turns, observing)
During group time we made a cactus garden with cucumbers and toothpicks. The cucumber was the saguaro cactus and the toothpicks were the spines. Each child took turns sticking the spines into the cactus. The cactus garden was not complete until we added the desert animals (coyote, jackrabbit, bobcat, snake, lizard, scorpion, tarantula, etc.) During center time we made rattlesnakes with beads and a bell, painted a cactus and put spines on it (rice), played with sand slime, made desert pictures with sandpaper, painted a cactus using our fingers on sand paper, looked through a view finder at animals in the desert, used tongs to collect lizards in the sand in our sensory table, began making a silhouette, sequenced pictures of the growth of the saguaro cactus, practiced rhyming words in our stories and answered questions about our stories. We also showed the students the amount of rainfall in the desert compared to the amount of rainfall in St. Louis using a tape measure and ruler. In addition, we signed in to what our favorite cactus was which was the saguaro. Thursday, we discussed and showed pictures of adobe homes and learned about rattlesnakes. We built adobe homes using blocks and Lincoln logs and pretended to be rattlesnakes in gym class. (goals: sensory, fine motor, safe behaviors, counting and recognizing numbers, participating as a member of a group, following 2 step directions, answering questions about our books, sequencing, rhyming, making decisions independently, comparing numbers)
Some activities we did not have time to do and will complete them this Monday as we finish up our desert unit. During journal time we will answer the question, "What would you take on your trip to the desert?" We will also roll dice and place that many spines (toothpicks) into the saguaro cactus (green noodle). In addition, we will count dots on a pot and match it with the number on the saguaro cactus, finish our silhouette of our cactus, make a cactus with playdoh and toothpicks and practice positional concepts using lizards.
Our letter this week was letter X and our second steps lesson focused on calming down, stating the problem and solving the problem using a respectful, assertive voice.
In the gym, we put bells on our ankles with velcro and laid on our stomachs on scooters to pretend to be rattlesnakes. We practiced being different desert animals as well. (goal: gross motor) We also learned a song about the saguaro cactus. It is the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot". Here are the words.
"I'm a Saguaro cactus, prickly and tall,
Here is my trunk and here are my arms.
When you're in the desert you see me stand,
But please don't touch me with your hand.
OUCH!"
Next Week-On Monday we will be wrapping up the desert unit and Tuesday we will begin ROBOTS!
Books We Read
Why Are Deserts So Dry?
Cactus Hotel
There Was A Coyote Who Swallowed A Flea
Youtube video "Spelling with Animals in the Desert"
Youtube video "Sonoran Desert"
Youtube video "Sonoran Desert -Virtual Field Trip
Questions to Ask Your Child
1. What are the prickly things called on a cactus? (spines)
2. What did you pretend to be during gym class with bells on your feet? (rattlesnakes)
3. Is the desert hot or cold? What is the weather like at night? (cooler)
4. What animals live in the desert? ( jackrabbit, coyote, javelina, bobcat, owl, rattlesnakes, lizards)
5. Which cactus do you like? (the barrel, prickly pear or the saguaro)
6. Is the saguaro cactus with lots of arms, young or old? (old)
7. What is a cactus hotel? (animals make holes in the saguaro cactus and we called it a cactus hotel because the animals live there, then leave, then other animals move in)
8. Where do the desert animals go during the day because the desert is so hot? (holes underground)
9. Does it rain a lot in the desert? (no)
10. Who was bit by a scorpion? (Ms. Ginny's mother, but she was ok)
4/ 7 Tuesday- Profession Development -No School
4/13 and 4/15-parent teacher conferences
