Sunflowers

In Preschool Pretend & Play this week, we talked about sunflowers- big, round and yellow like the sun.


We started with our "10" action rhyme which we will do each program to concentrate on the number 10:
Apples Everywhere

Apples in the orchard (hold arms out like tree)
Apples on the ground (bend to ground)
Apples in my basket (hold one arm like holding a basket)
Apples all around (turn)

Apples in my cider (drink)
Apples in my pie (eat)
Apples everywhere
My, oh my, oh my!

Ten red apples grow on a tree
Five for you and five for me (show 5 and 5)
Help me shake the tree just so (shake body)
And count the apples as they grow
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

(Apple cutouts and words to rhyme were sent home so parents could do at home)

We read Sunflower House by Eve Bunting, This is the Sunflower by Lola Schaefer, Sunflower by Miela Ford and A Sunflower's Life by Nancy Dickmann.

We did another little action rhyme called I'm a Little Sunflower:
I'm a little sunflower
I'm so small.
Soil, sun, and water
Make me tall.

When I get all grown up
You will see,
That I'm as big
As I can be!

I gave each family a cup of sunflowers seeds for a little math and science activity. The seeds went really well with the book, A Sunflower's Life. Then the parents and children counted seeds on a sunflower mat. The parent put a certain number of seeds on the flower mat and the child counted the seeds. They also could taste the seeds if they wished!

Our activity song for this session is The Penguin Song by Carole Peterson off her Stinky Cake cd
http://www.macaronisoup.com/Songs/December2006.htm

Families were able to take home a sunflower craft and three little sunflower books to color and use. (Pictures will be up soon!)

Checkout this site for more sunflower fun:
http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/SunflowerPrintables.htm