Hi Friends…

We have no school today, because it is Memorial Day. In this activity, you will be learning what Memorial Day is all about. Let’s have a parade to celebrate the day. : )

What is our theme? Memorial Day


What is the lesson (overall purpose)?  What is Memorial Day? 


MA Guidelines/Standards:
Music: sings expressively( uses soft and loud voice while singing). Plays instruments using different beats, tempos (parade: march).

Movement & Dance: Expresses themselves through movement and dance (moves to music at their own pace and style).

Visual Arts: Explores how color can convey mood and emotions. (how does red, white and blue make you feel?). Explore a variety of materials to create 2 and 3 dimensional artwork. (drums, flags, etc.). Use basic shapes to create artwork. Display artwork. 


Learning Outcomes: To learn about why Memorial Day. To decorate with red, white and blue. 



Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Book: Memorial Day Surprise: https://youtu.be/vJcKj4S7jZ8 
Factual Information: History of Memorial Day For Kids: https://youtu.be/Acj9VIYa4Tk 
Poppy Craft: https://youtu.be/xsyNb65k73Y 
Patriotic Sing Along: https://youtu.be/vPKp29Luryc, You’re a Grand Old Flag:https://youtu.be/rFV_tmTcU0Q
This Land Is Your Land: https://youtu.be/rRnHx3yVuf4 

Materials:Have your own parade

Bikes: decorate your bike 
*Red, white and blue streamers (or ribbon)
*Paper or Cardboard Stars (scissors, old cereal boxes, different types of paper, etc.)
*Markers, crayons, paint (red, white, blue)
*Tape or string (yarn, twine, ribbon, etc.)

Instruments: Make your own
*plastic eggs
*rice or sand
*old pot/pan/plastic flower pot, oatmeal container, plastic containers, sandpaper blocks, etc.
*wooden spoon

American Flag (or make your own using strips of paper. red/white, then a section of blue and some stars). glue, a stick or paper towel roll. Markers, crayons or paint. 

A phone/tablet/portable computer
Patriotic Hymn music

Activity (Procedure):
For this activity...you will be creating your own parade. 

1. Do you have a bike or something that you can ride on? Let’s decorate it. Attach colorful streamers (red, white, blue) to it with tape or ribbons. 
2. Instruments: Do you have instruments at your house? Do you have enough for everyone in your family to have one or 2? If not, let’s make some. Do you have a wooden spoon or big plastic spoon that you can use? Some different size containers (oatmeal cylinder, old pots and pans for clanking, plastic eggs (filled ½ way with sand or rice).
3. Music: We have learned some patriotic hymns this year (Yankee Doodle, You’re A Grand Old Flag, This Land Is Your Land, God Bless America, etc.). You can also find these songs on YouTube and by googling “Patriotic Hymns”. You can also learn from others in your family. 
4. Make your own flag: 

-Cut pieces of paper into strips (it can be newspaper, white paper, wrapping paper, paper bags, etc.). 
-Then color the strips of paper, red or white. Glue them onto your paper creating a pattern of red/white stripes. 
-At the top of your flag, glue a blue piece of paper (rectangle) and then make white stars using either a crayon or your finger dipped in white paint. 
-Let dry before attaching to a stick with a piece of tape or string. 

Activity Wrap Up:
Staging the parade: (bring your materials where you will be having the parade)
*Line up your bike(s)
*Bring outside your instruments
*Turn on the music
*Attach the flag to your bike, or prop it up somewhere along the parade route (or have someone else carry it). 

You can also march in the parade to the rhythm of the music. 

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)
Talk about other holidays that they know about and that you celebrate as a family. Talk about traditions that you have as a family and how did those traditions come about and why they are important that they continue in your family. 

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
Decorate your yard with flowers in remembrance of people/pets that you may have lost in your family. 

Visit a cemetery and place your flag on someone’s grave. (in remembrance of that person).
 
Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If you are unable to have your parade outside, you can also have your parade in the house. But, instead of riding your bike, you can just march in the parade with your instrument(s) that you made. 

Hi Friends…

Do all birds have the same type of feet? Yesterday we talked about camouflage, today we will be talking about the feet on the birds that we have studied this week. 

Why do birds have the type of feet that they have? webbed vs. toes & talons. 

For this lesson, you will need different types of footwear (shoes, slippers, high heels, flippers, boots, sneakers, flip flops/sandals, etc.)

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?  To learn about functional feet of birds.

Most seabirds have flexible webbed feet that help them be powerful swimmers or help propel them across the water to gain speed for takeoff. Some species have strong claws on their feet to help with fishing as well. 


MA Guidelines/Standards:
Observe and describe how natural habitats provide for the basic needs of plants and animals with respect to shelter, food, water, air, and light. Link to Living Things and Their Environment 2.8
■ visit locally accessible forests, ponds, seashores or nature museums to observe the characteristics that help birds and animals thrive in their natural habitat (e.g., claws for climbing and digging, fins or webbed feet for swimming; wings for flying, spines for protection).

Build body awareness, strength, and coordination through locomotion activities. Link to Growth and Development 1.1, 1.2

Use both sides of the body to strengthen bilateral coordination. Link to Physical Activity and Fitness 2.1


Learning Outcomes: After looking at birds feet, you will be able to know why the bird has the feet that it does. Does it spend a lot of time swimming in the water? running on the water's edge, or fishing with its talons. 

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
The Foot Book: https://youtu.be/L1TvPIzyu_c 
What If You Had Animal Feet: https://youtu.be/LGcTHoBRu3E 

Materials:
   different types of footwear (flippers, slippers, snow boots, cowboy/girl boots, high heels, flip flops, sandals, etc. )

Activity (Procedure):
Go outside (with a basket of different types of footwear) Preferably be on the grass or someplace soft.

Take 1 pair of footwear at a time, put them on your feet. 

Then with each pair of footwear, Carefully try to: 
*jump 3x (hold someone's hand for balance)
       *3 giant steps forward & then backwards
       *walk on your tippy toes
       *balance on 1 foot
       *walk on the heels of your feet

Try this through wet sand/dirt, grass, etc. Which pair of foot wear is the easiest to walk in with which shoes? 

Activity Wrap Up:
What footwear was it the easiest to perform the different movements in?

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)
Talk about different types of animals ...and their feet that they have. Why do you think they have the feet that they do? 

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
Trace your feet using a pencil or crayon on a piece of paper. Then trace the feet of other members of your family. Do you have the same feet? What is different? What is the same? 

Go outside: See if you can find any animal foot prints (or shoe prints). This is a lot of fun to do in wet sand at the beach. 

Observe outside or through the window: animals that are in your neighborhood. What kind of feet do they have. Even if you have family pets, look at their feet (gently). Do they have nails or sharp claws? Do they have pads on their feet? Are the bottom of their feet soft? Where do they walk or run? 

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If you don’t have lots of footwear at home, you can always make some using tissue boxes, cereal boxes, etc.

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Hi Friends,

Today, we are going to talk about Herring “gulls”. We are going to use loose materials from nature to create our own pictures. 

We will also be talking about water pollution and how it endangers animals. 

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?  To learn about animals that live on Cape Cod. 


MA Guidelines/Standards:
Language: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (taking turns in talking; listening to peers; waiting until someone is finished; asking questions and waiting for an answer. Participate actively in discussions, listen to the ideas of others, and ask and answer relevant questions. 1-2

Vocabulary: Engage in play experiences that involve naming and sorting common words into various classifications using general and specific language.

Earth Science: Compare and contrast natural materials such as water, rocks, soil, and living organisms using descriptive language. 


Learning Outcomes: To learn about (seagulls) gulls and also how you can help your family keep your neighborhood clean and healthy so that animals will be safe. 


Fun Facts about Herring Gulls: 
What do they look like: Adult herring gulls have slightly hooked bills marked with a red spot, gray backs, black wingtips, and white heads and under parts. In the winter, their heads have dark streaks. Young gulls, known as juveniles, are speckled brown. The legs of herring gulls, at any age, are pale pink.

Food & Water: Herring gulls are omnivores. They like to eat both plants and meat. Some of the foods that they like to eat are: fish, insects, eggs, crabs, mussels, sea urchins, small clams, zooplankton, trash, etc. Herring gulls drink both freshwater and saltwater. 

Life Span: Herring Gulls live for about 20 years in the wild. 

Nests: Herring gulls build their nests close to rocks, logs or bushes to protect it from predators. They typically will make their nests in soft soil or sand or short grass. The female will lay 3 eggs at a time. 

Herring gulls are active all year on Cape Cod. At one time they used to migrate during the winter. But, once people started feeding them, they have learned to eat from dumpsters and other man made places to get food throughout the year.

The word seagull is actually an informal way of referring to any of the species that are  gulls. ... the most familiar of our gulls is the large herring gull - the one most likely to steal your chips at the beach!

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Book (snippet): Oscar The Herring Gull (part of the book)
https://youtu.be/Qk1QODJvUKc 

A whale’s Tale: https://youtu.be/xFPoIU5iiYQ 

Water Pollution: https://youtu.be/Om42Lppkd9w 

Materials:
loose pieces from nature (rocks, twigs, leaves, etc.)

Activity (Procedure):
Take a walk in nature (your backyard, beach, woods, etc.). Gather different loose materials that you could use at your house (ie. acorns, pine-cones, feathers, twigs, leaves, driftwood, etc.).

What does a gull look like? (look at a picture of the Herring Gull). What shape is their body? wings? head? legs?

Create your own gull using loose pieces from nature.

Activity Wrap Up:
What did you make your gull out of? What shapes did you make (triangle, semi circle, rectangle, unique shapes, etc.). 

What else can you make using your loose pieces? Can you create a picture of yourself? 

Making Comparisons: Is your head the same size as a herring gull? Do you have wings or are they arms? Do your legs look the same? Do you have feathers? Do gulls have skin? etc.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)
After reading the snippet of Oscar The Herring Gull. Talk about why gulls shouldn’t eat paper and plastic. 

Watch: Whale Tale & Water Pollution videos (links above)

Why do you think gulls and other animals might eat plastic and paper? How can you keep plastic and paper off of the beach? Do you recycle at home?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
Neighborhood Clean Up (beach/hike): Bring a trash bag and a pair of rubber gloves with you. Pick up any trash that you see. 
Helping your family: Can you help to keep your house clean? How can you help your family at home or in the yard? 

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If you can’t get outside...Can you create a gull using recycled materials?

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