I
am so grateful to Taryn S. Young, Artistic Director for the "Theatre Company
for Children" in Richmond, Virginia for sending me her great ideas for this nursery
rhyme: I
am so grateful to Taryn S. Young, Artistic Director for the "Theatre Company
for Children" in Richmond, Virginia for sending me her great ideas for this nursery
rhyme:
Group Time: Place small pumpkins around your circle time area and call it the "Pumpkin Patch."
Language:
1.
Discuss the variety of homes we all live in (Peter lives in a "pumpkin shell"
home with his wife in the rhyme).
2. Name other
things that start with the "letter P" (pears, purple,
push-ups), identify "P" things around the room, or go outside to
the playground.
Focus on the color "orange" by mixing paints and dyeing pumpkin seeds
Pre-Math: Shapes Focus: Circle: Make pumpkin seed mosaics on paper circles, add a stem, and use them as a bulletin board border.
Gross Motor: Teach the grapevine movement (one leg crossing over the other as you move to the side). Call it the "Pumpkin Vine Dance."
From
Debbie Reynolds:
1. Growing Pumpkin Vines: We plant pumpkin seeds in dirt around the perimeter of a 2 gal size octagonal aquarium, against the sides so we can watch them grow. One side of the aquarium is covered with black paper so the sun is kept out. The seeds don't grow as well there and we try to figure out why (no sun, warmth, etc.). I take pictures of the seeds at various stages of growth and have them blown up. I then laminate them. (They make great posters.) We compare the growth at 1 day, 5 days, etc., up to the time the vines are out of the aquarium (they grow very quickly). One child is chosen each day to be the "Farmer of the Day" who waters, and measures the vines using yarn. We display the yarn pieces and compare lengths and talk about how the seeds grow more on some days than on others. We continually talk about what the seeds need to grow and if they are getting what they need. (We also talk about what we need to grow.) After a few weeks we have a great display! We talk about the roots, leaves, and the flowers -- that's what eventually would make the pumpkins. I bring in cans of pumpkin and we talk about what happens to get the pumpkin into the cans and how it is different from the stuff inside a fresh pumpkin. We make pumpkin muffins and pie and talk about the different textures and ingredients.
2. Pumpkin Fields (a "following directions" activity): First, we talk about how pumpkin vines have to grow from dirt, they grow in order and in rows. We discuss words such as "weeding, cultivation, and harvest." The children run small wheeled vehicles through green paint then onto brown construction paper (the dirt), creating "rows." These green rows become our vines. We dot pumpkins onto the vines using small brushes dipped in orange paint. We try to space them apart like we have seen in our pictures and books. We later hang them up with the words "Pumpkins grow from seeds, on vines, under leaves attached to roots. They grow in rows."
From
Stormie:
Although
I'm posting ideas below as often as I can, my very favorite activities for "Peter,
Peter, Pumpkin Eater" are in my "NURSERY RHYMES"
booklet (see the "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" section
of my website).
Pre-Math/Science:
*Weigh
small pumpkins and gourds with the children.
*Cut
pumpkin seeds in half and allow children to inspect them with magnifying glasses.
From
Stormie: Group Discussion: What would it be like to live in a shoe with lots of other children? What would be good about it? Bad?
Creative
Drama: Children take turns being the little old woman and her children.
A tall appliance box makes a good "shoe house" (I give more details in November's
Creative Drama Corner coming up). Provide paper cups for drinking pretend
broth before being kissed and sent to bed. (Print
names on the cups and remind children to use their own cups only -- review germs.)
Learning Center Play: Set Up a Shoe Store: Begin by helping the children name their store then make a sign to hang above it. If you don't have a creative drama center, how about setting up the shoe store in your Block Center? Props can include: Old adult shoes, sandals, and boots, small brushes, sponges, polishing cloths, "water" shoe polish (in applicator bottles), shoe boxes, shoe shine kits, and shoehorns. Children can sit on chairs and use blocks for foot rests while trying on shoes. The adult shoes can fit over the children's shoes, or at least require socks to be worn over bare feet before putting on old "used" shoes. Pretend play can be: Scrubbing canvas shoes, shining shoes, buying shoes, trying on shoes, and polishing shoes.
Art Center Activity: Shoe Collage: Children cut out magazine pictures of shoes that are tall and perhaps appropriate for "The Little Old Lady Who Lived In A Shoe." Glue the pictures on a paper shoe shape.
Math: Children match pairs of shoes (real ones or magazine pictures).
This is also a great rhyme to do during a unit on learning "left versus right."
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Reminder
from Stormie: If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom
ideas (each on a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you
can do so by ordering my "Activity Cards." Click here
to check them out.
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