Week 5 & 6 – “Fruits and Vegetables” theme

by Tanya | posted on October 11, 2013 | 0 Comments

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

This is a great theme to do in the fall when many families harvest foods from gardens and grocery stores have lots of local produce for sale. Learning about fruits and vegetables can help promote healthy eating habits as well!

Introduction to the theme

We started with real fruits and vegetables. we learnt their names. Children had chance to touch, smell and distinguish the difference between skins, size etc. Later on we added pictures, puzzles and cards.

Practical life

Washing vegetables and fruits.

Spooning.

Cutting banana

Tweezing

Sensorial

1. Pink Tower.

Materials
– 10 pink wooden cubes ranging from 1cm3 to 10cm3.

Presentation 1

Building
– We show the child how to carry the cubes by gripping from above the top edges using your right thumb and index finger.

Developing Language
Large and Small
Big, bigger the bigger, small, smaller, the smallest.

Direct Purpose: Visual discrimination of dimensions.

Indirect Purpose:
– Refinement of voluntary movement by placing the cubes one on top of the other with one single movement of the hand.
While doing this movement, the child is refining visual-motor coordination and is called upon to concentrate.
– Preparation for mathematics. (Decimal system)

Control of Error
– The control of error lies within the child being able to discriminate dimensions.
– Visual Harmony

2. Brown Stairs.

Language
Thick and Thin
The positives, comparatives, and the superlatives

Direct Purpose: Visual discrimination of dimensions (thickness).

Indirect Purpose:
– Refinement of voluntary movement.
– Muscular education of grip.
– Preparation for mathematics.

Control of Error
The control of error lies within the child being able to discriminate the dimensions.

3. Cylinders.

Materials
4 blocks, each containing 10 cylinders with knobs, each cylinder fitting into its respective hole.

Language
Block 1: Thick and Thin
Block 2: Large and Small
Block 3: No language because no dimension is isolated
Block 4: Tall and Short. The positives, comparatives, and superlatives.

Direct Purpose:

Visual discrimination of dimensions.

Indirect Purpose:
– Preparation for writing; coordination of the fingers used to hold the pencil.
Refinement of voluntary movement. The child will be able to fit the cylinders with one precise movement.
– Preparation for mathematics.

Control of Errors
The control of error lies within the materials itself.