This book is part of a science series that delves into nature and habitats.  First you get a close up, can you see what it is?  Then you are shown the animal and given a little information.

Materials

• Animal head masks, squirrel, owl, raccoon, caterpillar, and bird
• Pine needle branches
• Parts of a tree or signs of life in a tree
• Props for Green Grass Grew All Around
• 10 straighter sticks of different lengths

Vocabulary

• Pounce (jump quickly upon)
• Bark (the skin of a tree)

Before Reading the Story

            Tell the children that today you want them to help tell a story before you read your story.  Ask the children to make themselves very small and round just like an acorn, or whatever other seed from a tree you want them to be.  Tell them that they are in the ground where it is warm and dark.  Soon it starts to rain and you begin to grow little roots that stretch down into the ground.  Now you are just a sapling or a tiny baby tree.  Each year you grow a little bit bigger and a little bit bigger until one day you are a great big tree that almost touches the sky.  You stretch out your branches as wide as you can because you are a strong and beautiful Oak tree.  One day a squirrel scampers up on you and it tickles so you wiggle with laughter.  One day a caterpillar begins to eat your leaves so you shake to get it off.  One day a bird comes and makes a nest in your branches and you gently rock it.  The wind blows through you and you slowly sway from side to side.  Sometimes when a storm comes you bend over and almost touch the ground but you do not break.  You are the home to many animals and you give the children on the playground shade when it is hot outside.  You look down and you smile because you are an Oak Tree and very important to the world.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Reading the Story

            Introduce the story and let the children guess what each object is in the tree.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

After Reading the Story

            Ask if anyone has a tree in their yard at home.  Let them share any tree stories they might like.  Tell the children that they did a good job at the rug today. 

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Discovery

            Look at the trees in your school yard; do you see any signs of animal life?  Bring in bark, branches, leaves eaten by bugs,  a birds nest, and any other interesting tree specimens you have to share with the children.  Encourage them to bring in more.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on past experiences. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

Music and Movement

            Teach the children the song The Green Grass Grew All Around.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkAOeIMypg8 This is an echo song.  The teacher sings it and the children sing the line back.  The chorus is sung by everyone all together.  Use the props to help the children recall the order. (This is a long song, are the children able to stay on task throughout)?

There was a hole                                     children repeat

In the middle of the ground                  children repeat   

The prettiest hole                                      repeat

That you ever did see                               repeat

And the green grass grew all around all around and the green grass grew all around.

And in that hole                                      repeat

There was a tree                                      repeat

The prettiest tree                                     repeat

That you ever did see                              repeat

Well, the tree in the hole and the hole in the ground and the green grass grew all around all around, and the green grass grew all around.

And on this tree                                      repeat

There was a branch                                  repeat

The prettiest branch                                 repeat

That you ever did see                               repeat

Well the branch on the tree and tree in the hole and the green grass grew all around all around and the green grass grew all around.

And on that branch                                 repeat

There was a nest                                      repeat

The prettiest nest                                     repeat

That you ever did see                              repeat

Well the nest on the branch and the branch on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the ground and the green grass grew all around all around and the green grass grew all around.

And in that nest                                      repeat

There was an egg                                    repeat

The prettiest egg                                     repeat   

That you ever did see                             repeat

The egg in the nest and the nest on the branch…..

And in the egg there was a bird….

Well the bird in the egg and the egg in the nest and the nest on the branch and the branch on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the ground and the green grass grew all around all around and the green grass grew all around!

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences.

Blocks

Bring in small branches to add to the block play today. Tell the children that your blocks are made from wood that comes from trees.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Art

            Bring in pine tree branches to use at the easel instead of paint brushes.  Use a rubber band or tape to hold together.  (Bring lots because they can not be easily cleaned).

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools; including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various technology.

Library and Writing

            Tree begins with the letter /T/.  Have the children help think of T words.  Give them paper to practice writing T’s. Make a list of all the /T/ words that your children were able to come up with and hang it on the wall.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds in words. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shape and sounds.

Sand and Water

            Put water into the table and add leaves.  Do they look the same dry and wet?  You can especially notice the color difference in the fall time when the leaves are changing color.  Do dried out leaves stay dried out in the water?  Do leaves float or sink?  Can you smell the leaves better when they are wet or dry? 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Dramatic Play

            Make masks for the children by stapling the animal heads to a sentence strip.  The children can pretend to be the animals and your dramatic center the tree house.

Creative Arts/. Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.

Math and Manipulatives

Put the 10 straight sticks in a pile and challenge the child to put them in order from shortest to longest. Have them then count the sticks, how many in all?

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size.

Outdoor Play

            If you have pine needles on your playground, help the children gather them up to make a giant nest (toy rakes work well but you can use your hands also).  They can be the birds.  The pinecones can be the eggs.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Transitions

Have the children recall animals and items that they saw in the story today or things they have really seen in a tree. (My Grandma has a tree with cherries in it, I have a swing in my tree).

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction books and poetry. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

Resources