Print four pictures such as the ones above, one for each season of the year. Talk with children about the order of the seasons in the year and read Four Seasons Make a Year written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by Megan Halsey.
Encourage children to mix up the pictures and then sequence them in order. They can start with any season as long as they go in order. This emphasizes the concepts of sequence and cycle.
Print three more pictures to represent each of the four seasons. Combined with the pictures from before this is twelve pictures in all, four for each season. Mix them up and encourage the children to sort them, putting all the spring pictures together in one group, all the fall pictures together in another group, and so forth.
For further practice, take one picture from each group and put it in the correct sequential order of the seasons. Repeat with the remaining pictures to create four sequences.
These can be used over and over to sequence seasons. You may even pull them out again in a few months when the season changes again. Covering the pictures with laminate sheeting will increase their durability.
Tomorrow
Does your child know about the months of the year? The months go in sequence, too, and seasons happen only in certain months of the year. Write or print the names of the months and the seasons on strips of paper.
Help children to put the season strips in order, then match a season picture to go with each strip. Help them read the names of the months. If anyone knows which season that month happens during, he or she can put the month strip under the season strip, forming a column for each season. Continue sorting all the months into their respective seasons.
Are the months in order? Do any of the children know what order they should go in? It's okay if they don't.
Listen to Macarena Months by Dr. Jean. Her brilliant educational music is available by CD as well as MP3. Repeat if desired.
Now encourage the children to try putting the months in order again. Surely they will know this time around as they hum Macarena Months while they sequence!
Next Time
The rich tale of How Mama Brought the Spring is finding its way into many of our lessons this week. This time it comes by way of a study in math and science as we cook "Mama's Cheese Blintzes".
The recipe for Blintzes is located on the last page of the story. Check to see if the book is available at your local library. The recipe is not simple, but it does allow enough measuring for everyone in the class to help.
Because the recipe is long, try creating a picto-recipe to help everyone follow along. Print out pictures of the ingredients and instruct children where they should go to create the recipe. You might use a poster board and glue to create the recipe. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to help the cooking process go smoothly.
This example is just for the wrapper portion of the recipe. I created this in PowerPoint. You could do the same, and allow the children to help you make it!
As teacher, parent, or caregiver your job is to be the kitchen manager. Instruct children in proper measuring techniques. Expect effort, but not perfection. Spills will happen! Assign ingredients to each children. Read the steps for the recipe one at a time. Encourage them to follow along as you cook. After an ingredient is added, the person who added it can cross it off the picto-recipe.
Try these tunes while you cook: Rockin' Robin, My Only Sunshine, Mother Goony Bird (Dr. Jean).
Enjoy the fruit of your labors!
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