The Shaders Learn About Trees

Hey all! This week has been so fun in the Shader home.  We have been learning all about trees, and let me tell you, the kids have learned SO much! The Mother Goose Time curriculum had so many fun ideas and art projects and centered around learning about the tree. I supplemented the lessons with a few of my own ideas, art projects, and books from teaching elementary school throughout the years.  And the children were able to connect what they learned with a previous trip to see General Sherman, the largest tree on earth!

On day one we learned about roots. I decided to grow a couple of the black beans the MGT sent to us in a plastic bag. I wasn't sure it would work, but it totally did! The kids were able to observe the roots coming out in the following days. If you were really ambitious, you could have your children keep a little journal about what the roots/leaves look like everyday.

Our black beans growing in the plastic bag

On the day we learned about leaves, I had the children do a "leaf rub" art project. It's so simple! We gathered a few leaves from our backyard and were able to really enjoy learning about the veins in the leaves once they could clearly see them.

There was also a really fun activity organized by MGT for the children to put the leaves on a sheet or parachute and shake it to make the "leaves" fall. They had so much fun and practiced their colors as they picked them up. You could also write letters on your "leaves" and have the children practice their letter names and sounds as they pick them up. Such a great activity!

Here are some photos of our General Sherman trip we took a couple weeks ago! The kids had a great time on the hike and we were so glad we went... However in full discloser, not much learning happened when we were there! The children got car sick on the curvy drive up and vomited all over. That's why Hope is in a swimsuit top and 12 month pants in all of these pictures! By the time we got there, Mama was over it. Not much teaching happened there, but a couple weeks later the tree unit came along! I was able to show them photos and remind them of our visit. They were able to learn even though the trip did not go as planned.

A great book to read during this unit, was an Usborne book I've had for a while. "Secrets of the Apple Tree" is a "shine-a-light" book and has hidden pictures only revealed with a flashlight. The kids LOVE this book and learn more about creatures that live in and around a tree, along with the seasons of a tree. Such a cute book.

Whenever I can, I try to coordinate what the kids are watching on TV with what we are learning throughout the week. This week I found a really cute and short Berenstain Bears video about planting seeds and how to be patient, two themes for this month! I also found a great Cat in the Hat video on Maple Trees and how they grow.

That's all for this week! I never feel like this blog gets the attention it deserves, but I am so happy to be documenting our learning this year! I am so thankful to Mother Goose Time for giving us this opportunity.