Category: ECCE

Age Group: 4 + students Theme/Topic: Changing World, Changing Me Curriculum Area: Mathematics and Creative Arts Name of Activity:    Shape Me Out Previous Knowledge: The students can identify various shapes such as circle, square, rectangle, oval, triangle, pentagon, hexagon. Materials: Youtube videos; computer/tablet/phone; small box/plastic bag; 3’ cutout shapes – hexagon, oval, squares; shredded paper/ stripes of paper; worksheet #1; worksheet #2; glue; rubber band; plasticine; craft sticks. Strands:    Intellectual Empowerment, Wellness, Aesthetic Expression LEARNING OUTCOMES Children will be given opportunities to: Cognitive:  observe and visualize how shapes can change to make other shapes by taking certain actions.   Affective:  participate in learning activity by listening activity, following instructions to change the shapes, making comments, responding to questions appropriately and enjoying the activity.   Psychomotor:   develop gross and fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination by using their fingers and hands to pull rubber bands, to stretch rubber bands, to roll plasticine, to pick up craft sticks and push them into the plasticine to see how shapes change from one to another. PREPARATION BEFORE LESSON The teacher will get the two videos from on youtube and put them on pause for awaiting the beginning of the lessons  –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc1Z6X6YphU   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdzzE20zQC8 The teacher will use Bristol board and cut out 5 inches shapes –  circles, triangle, square, heart, rectangle, hexagon. The teacher will get a small box with many small shredded paper or stripes of paper and put the objects (a small ball, a book, a phone, and more items) into a box and mix them up. The teacher will take out various colours of plasticine from the pack and place them on the table. The teacher will cut several craft sticks into three pieces each and place them on the table next to the plasticine. The teacher will prepare worksheet with a drawing of a truck divided into small shapes as squares, hexagons and ovals from Bristol board or construction paper to fit into the shapes on the drawing to make the truck (for example, please look at diagram labelled worksheet #1). The teacher will prepare another follow up worksheet with a drawing of flowers to play the “roll and over” game as shown in the diagram labelled as worksheet # 2). ACTIVITY/PROCEDURE The teacher will show the students two videos of a shape song.  She will ask the students what shapes they saw in the videos. The teacher will tell the students that she has a nice guessing game for them to play. The teacher will explain to the students about the guessing game – their eyes must remain closed and they put their hand into the box and put out an object, feel it and tell what shape it has.  This is done until all the objects in the box is finished – just about four or five objects. The teacher will hold up the Bristol board circle and ask the students if they think this shape can change. The teacher will hold up a rubber band and ask the students what it is.  She will then place a rubber band on the table in front of each student.   ASSESSMENT:  The teacher will give the students a worksheet with the drawing of a truck, small shapes (hexagons, squares, ovals) and glue.  She will instruct them to make the truck using the diagram of the truck and the shapes they are given.   FOLLOW UP/EXTENSION:  Roll and over game – this game is very similar to the worksheet assessment given however in this game a dice is rolled and the number the dice shows the student will cover a part on the worksheet with that number. Change Me Up – this is another lesson activity where students will learn about how numbers change as they increase by one. Drawing Art – students can follow videos on YouTube on how to use shapes to make complete drawings of objects. Worksheets WORKSHEET 1 WORKSHEET 2

Age Group:   3 & 4-year-old. Theme/Topic: Changing My World, Changing Me! Curriculum Area: Language and Literacy Name of Activity: My, My, What a Big World Previous Knowledge: Children are familiar now with the word ‘landforms’ Materials: Internet or pre-recorded video; Television or projector, computer key-board; small pieces of chipped paper; peas, cut-out of the word ‘river’ large letter r Strands: Effective Communication, Intellectual Empowerment, and Citizenship LEARNING OUTCOMES Children will be given opportunities to: Cognitive Develop their language and literacy skills through the use of new vocabulary about landforms. They will develop also active listening skills. Affective Show concern and/or appreciation for their world Psychomotor Assemble words/ names of landform (river) to see that reading is from left to right (this is for 4+ children). Make an outline of the letter r for river (this is for the 3-year-olds only) ACTIVITY/PROCEDURE Step 1: Show children a globe or picture of the world. Ask them to identify the object or picture. Let them know that it is a globe that shows all the places r countries of the world they live in. Step 2: find on the globe their own country: Trinidad and Tobago. Step 3: Let them know that Trinidad and Tobago have landforms such as rivers and sea. Step 4: Ask: Have you ever seen a river? A river is a body of water that has land on both sides and it is narrow. River water is not salty like the sea(beach) water. River water is fresh (have children repeat this word). Step 5:  Trinidad and Tobago have rivers. In Tobago there are: Courland River, Castara River, Coffee River and Bloody Bay River (Have children repeat the names of these rivers and show them pictures of each either on projector/ internet).  Step 6: We have been saying ‘river’ for a while now. What letter is for ‘river’? Have children show the letter r either on their alphabet chart or on the computer keyboard. Sing: Can you make the letter sounds, we can show you how? What letter shall we learn? Let’s find out now. Let’s learn about the letter Rr This is the capital R, this is the lowercase r, Now you know that the letter looks like, let’s make the letter Rr sound r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r letter Rr! (find the letter r song here: https://youtu.be/gUSJeivdEH8) Step 4: Can you think of anything else you know with letter r sound? Write children’s responses as this would help them to develop their pre-reading skills and too, they will see spoken words in print form. Step 5: Now set up a ‘river’ by placing a large letter r on the ground and play a game with children ‘In the River, on the bank’. Every time children jump in the river; they must say the sound and name of the letter. Step 6: Have the word r-i-v-e-r cut out like this on cards for the children. They are to look at the teacher’s word river and mimic it with the letters on the card. Step 7:  Give older children the word to assemble. Smaller children are to get the letter r printed on a sheet of paper for them to outline. ASSESSMENT: Children will assemble the word river and they will point to all the ‘r’s they see in the word river. They will be asked to repeat the initial sound. Younger children will say the name and sound of the letter as they make an outline of the letter with small pieces of paper/peas.

Age Group:   3 & 4-year-old. Theme/Topic: Changing My World, Changing Me! Curriculum Area: Language and Literacy Name of Activity: Name that Landform Previous Knowledge: Children are familiar with water and land, but will now learn of the word ‘landform’ Materials: Alphabet chart, phone/Tablet; computer keyboard; cut green paper (cut very small to resemble grass), clear plastic bag (this is to represent the water), flour-doh mixed with brown food colouring to make it look like mud; or brown playdoh and glue Strands: Effective Communication, Intellectual Empowerment, and Citizenship LEARNING OUTCOMES Children will be given opportunities to: Cognitive Discover what landforms are and develop their vocabulary (lake, lagoon) and phonetic skills. Also, they will learn how to discuss similar and differences using their critical thinking skills. Affective Show willingness to learn the new concept by participating in the lesson and respond to questions appropriately in the activity, and make choices. Psychomotor Demonstrate their understanding by colouring or making a lake/lagoon.   ACTIVITY/PROCEDURE Step 1: Show children pictures of a lake and a lagoon and ask them to identify each. Step 2: Show children a short video clip here https://youtu.be/mw9YIFoDzww then discuss what they have seen. Step 3: What beginning sound do you hear when you say the word ‘landform’? Step 4: Sing: Do you know your letter sounds, we can show you how? What letter shall we learn? Let’s find out now. Let’s learn about the letter l This is the capital L, this is the lowercase l, Now you know that the letter looks like, let’s make the letter l sound l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l letter Ll! (find the l song here: https://youtu.be/qEXMoeYe47c) Step 4: Today you will learn about landforms that has the letter l. Can you think of a landform with the letter l? Step 5: Show children again the pictures of the lake and lagoon that was shown to them at the beginning and now have them try to tell about the pictures in their own words. Step 6: Explain to them what a lagoon and what is a lake. Have them talk about the similarities and differences of the two.Lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast. LakeA lake is a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides. Really huge lakes are often called seas. Step 7: Do you know where in Tobago we could find a lagoon? Tobago has a lagoon in Bon Accord? You could take a Crown Point bus or taxi that will take you to  the Bon Accord Lagoon In Trinidad there are lakes: La Brea lake and the Pitch Lake. (Here children could) be shown videos of the lakes and lagoon in their own country) Step 8:  Go on a virtual trip to these places with children. Step 9: Give children materials: Green paper, clear plastic bag, flour-dough; or brown playdough and glue. Have them choose which of the two landforms they prefer to make. Then have them make the landform with the letter l. ASSESSMENT: Say the sound for lagoon and lake. Also, they would be asked to point/touch the letter l on the alphabet chart or on the phone or computer keyboard.

Toddlerhood is all about exploration! When children are young and still new to the world, everything is an adventure. Farmers’ markets with colorful fruits, restaurants with new smells and tastes—even your own backyard is full of things for toddlers to learn and explore. One of the best ways to encourage this exploration of the world is by taking your toddler on walks to new places. In Little Walks, Big Adventures, Erin Buhr provides 52 fun ideas for walks with your child—one for every week of the year. Each new place has fun activities you can do with your child to help them learn. Below are a couple simple places to which you and your child can walk together. Neighborhood Walk The easiest place to explore by foot is your neighborhood. Though familiar, your neighborhood is full of interesting things that can grab a child’s attention. While walking with your toddler, she might find fallen leaves to pick up and examine, or see a butterfly land on a tree for the first time. Pay attention to what your child notices and talk to her about it. Activity: Try making a book about what you see while on your walk! You and your child can extend the learning experience from the walk to your home, and later review all the exciting things he found during your exploration. You can add to it every time you walk around the neighborhood. What to Do: Take photos of your walk—especially the parts that interest your toddler Print the photos Make a book by gluing the photos t index cards or card stock Label each page using a marker For durability, cover each page with clear contact paper Use a hole punch and rings or yarn to bind the pages of the book   Grocery Store Walk Even adults can get excited about the grocery store. Imagine how much more exciting it is for a toddler. Grocery stores offer children a great opportunity to learn about food, counting, money, colors, the senses—almost anything! Plan a special trip to the store where your child helps you pick out ingredients for a treat you can cook together. Activity: The produce section is one of the best places to engage your toddler. The fruits are always brightly colored and are unpackaged so that you can touch them. Fruit are also very useful in teaching how to count. What to Do: Encourage your toddler to help you count a certain number of berries while you make a fruit salad. Counting is an early math skill that engages toddlers’ cognition Count out one apple for each person at lunch or two crackers at snack time

Getting young children interested in healthy eating is no easy task! When compared to junk food or sugary snacks, fruits and vegetables aren’t very attractive choices to kids. But, healthy cooking activities for kids are a wonderful way to interest your little ones in healthy eating and bring some fun experiential learning into your kitchen. Involving kids in preparing meals, grocery shopping, and even planning meals helps them to understand what goes into buying, planning, and prepping the meals they’re eating. Giving your child a voice in what they eat and a peek into what goes into a meal, allows you to encourage healthy eating choices and is the perfect opportunity to share the importance of healthy eating with your child. The Budding Chef, by Kate Kuhn¸ is full of easy cooking activities for kids that will have your children interested in where their food comes from and how to make it, in no time! Here are some easy recipes and cooking activities you can try with your children today.   Smiley Eggs Makes 1 Serving Allow your child to take matters into his own hands with this simple yet hearty breakfast. With delicious protein from sunny-side up eggs, this recipe will put a smile on the toast and on your child’s face. Ingredients: 1 egg* Bread slice Butter (optional) Sausage link *Safety Note: Eggs that are not thoroughly cooked may pose a health risk. Cooking eggs to a temperature of at least 160°F destroys bacteria such as Salmonella. Sunny-side up and over-easy eggs often do not reach this temperature. Tools: Bowl Frying pan Plastic knife Toaster What to Do: Cook the sausage links on the stove for 10-15 minutes on medium heat (adult only). Flip them occasionally to ensure they are cooked thoroughly. Remove from heat. Help your child crack an egg into a bowl and transfer the egg from the bowl to a frying pan. Place the frying pan onto the stove (adult only) and set it to medium heat. As the egg cooks sunny side up, allow the sausage to cool and then cut the link into small slices. Have your child put a slice of bread into the toaster and toast it lightly. If you wish to use butter, give your child a plastic knife and encourage him to spread butter on the toast. Now it’s time to assemble the smiley eggs! Take the piece of toast and put the sunny-side-up egg on the toast to create a smile. Add two slice sausage pieces to the bread to create eyes. Say good morning to your smiley face and then dig in!   Pita Pocket Chicken Salad Makes 2-4 Servings Turn lunch into a healthy, hands-on activity. Pita offers a healthier choice than white bread, and the chicken salad gives your child much-needed protein to keep him going throughout the day. Ingredients: 2 cups cubed chicken ¾ cup sliced celery 1 tablespoon minced onions 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 2 teaspoons lemon juice Baby carrots Cherry tomatoes, cut in half Dip Lettuce, shredded Pita pockets Tools: Mixing bowl and spoon Small bowls What to Do: Mix the chicken, mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, and onion together until your child approves of the taste. Place the tomatoes and lettuce in separate bowls. Encourage your child to fill the pita pockets with his choice of ingredients. Serve the pita sandwich with baby carrots and dip.   Homemade Applesauce A favorite among many children, applesauce can be paired with a main course for dinner or served as a snack to add a healthy and mouth-watering dish to your child’s diet. Ingredients: 4 apples ½ cup corn syrup ¼ cup lemon juice 1 tablespoon sugar ¼ teaspoon salt Tools: Apple corer Apple stickers (optional) Blender Mason jar Newspaper Plastic knife Vegetable peeler What to Do: Help your child spread newspaper over the work table. Give your child a jar to hold the applesauce when it’s ready. She can decorate the jar with apple stickers. Allow your child to help you peel, core, and slice the apples into pieces. This is a challenging task- talk about the right way to use a peeler, show your child how to push the apple through the corer safely, and be sure to do the bulk of the slicing yourself. Your child can use a plastic knife to further chop what you’ve sliced. Combine the chopped apples, corn syrup, lemon juice, sugar, and salt into a blender. Help your child blend the ingredients until smooth. Transfer the applesauce to the mason jar and refrigerate. Enjoy your own homemade applesauce or give it to someone special as a gift!

Look around your kitchen. Did you ever realize it’s a sensory playground for the developing brain? Whether it’s measuring ingredients while baking, noticing the changing temperatures of food while cooking, creating food structures, or exploring the different colors, textures and smells of different foods, many rich learning opportunities exist in the kitchen. Who knew you could teach engineering basics with food, right in your kitchen! Try this activity that helps young children develop their art, science, engineering, and fine motor skills. But first, head to the kitchen and grab these simple supplies: Toothpicks Peas (or beans or chickpeas, as pictured—whatever you have onhand!) Paper plates Download the Complete Activity! Your child may be out of school right now. But, that’s no reason to overlook the incredible learning opportunities that exist beneath your own roof. Now is a great time to get creative! Find more fun activities to try in The GIANT Encyclopedia of Science Activities for Children 3 to 6.

For your Art & Craft activity, try decorating Eggs for Easter with your parents’ supervision.