Growing gardens! What’s crawling underneath your garden?

“Each time we teach a child something, we keep him from inventing it himself. On the other hand, that which we allow him to discover for himself, will remain with him visible…for the rest of his life.” – John Piaget

Welcome, to “Growing Gardens” week where CAP Kids will be exploring what is growing & living under the garden’s grounds: like wiggling worms and colonies of ants. Worms are very important to the health of the soil: they convert organic material into nutrients that plants can absorb; they loosen the soil, which makes it easier for the roots to grow and the air and water to circulate in the soil; they increase the soil’s water retention capability; they bring the mineral and other nutrients that are located deep in the soil to the top layer, where they can be absorbed by the plants. Ants are amazing: they create homes with many chambers, have very strong legs, they have a great sense of smell, strong jaws, and they are well organized.

Housekeeping:

1.Creative Arts Summer Camp with Ms. Erin and Ms. Christie is filling up. Get registered. Choose between any 8 or more days of camp. Enroll for all 16 days and receive $25 off tuition. Call: 888-300-7898 to get registered.
2.It is time to register for Summer 50/60 minute Creative Arts classes. Classes run from June 11 – August 20. Sugar Kids (1-3 years) 11:15 & 3:00, Soaring Kids (3-4 years), Super Kids (5-7 years). Call: 888-300-7898 to get registered.
3.We are collecting art supplies for The Primary Children’s Hospital throughout the entire month of May! Thank you, for all of your support in gathering: glue, coloring books, and crayons for the children admitted to Primary Children’s Hospital.
4.Mark May 17th on your calendar for Open Dance/Bounce from 10 am – 1 pm. $5 drop-in. Bounce House, tunnels, balls, balance beam, barres, etc. Snacks available for purchase, outside snacks allowed inside.
Lesson Detail:

Song & Instruments (enhances language development):

The Ants Go Marching On with marching drums:

The Ants go marching one by one,

Hurrah, hurrah!

The Ants go marching one by one,

Hurrah, hurrah!

The Ants go marching one by one,

The little one stops to suck his thumb.

And they all go marching down

To the ground

To get out of the rain.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Creative Movement (exploring concepts and the elements of time, space, and energy through natural body movements): CAP Kids will explore “Growing Gardens” through wiggling their bodies to the poem “Worms” by Jackie Silberg.

Worms, Worms,

Worms crawling in the ground.

Worms, worms,

Worms crawling all around.

Fat worms, thin worms,

Wiggling, wiggling.

Short worms, long worms,

Squiggling, squiggling.

Worms, worms,

Worms crawling in the ground.

Worms, worms,

Worms crawling all around.

If I was a wiggle, wiggle worm

I would wiggle like this!

Group Activity: Dance With Me! CAP Kids will get creative with the words to The Ants Go Marching On by replacing the action (marching) with an action of their own. Each CAP Kid will have an opportunity to shine in front of their peers demonstrating their action while the rest imitate it. This is a great risk-taking and confidence building experience.

Soaring Kids Creative Drama (exploring concepts through the mind, voice, and body - early improvisation activity): Make your puppet come to life. Each Soaring Kid will be given a plain sock (aka: worm) to make come alive. They will be encouraged to creatively make it move, talk, or sing! It is up to them to use their imagination to make their worm entertain their classmates.

Super Kids Creative Drama (exploring concepts through the mind, voice, and body - early improvisation activity): Create a Story with the Talking Insect. Each Super Kid will sit in a circle. One student will hold the insect, the one holding the insect is the story-teller. The story-teller starts telling a story about the insect. After, a few sentences, the storyteller passes the insect to someone else. The new storyteller continues the story where the last left off. The insect will continue to be passed around until each student has had a turn to participate in this early improve story-telling activity.

Creative Visual Art (exploring materials to create a unique piece of visual art. no examples are shown. the emphasis is on the process, rather than the final product. children are encouraged to be creative and organize the materials in their own creative way):

Sugar Kids: Brushed Chalk- Sugar Kids will be provided with different colors of chalk, tissue paper, scissors, and construction paper. They will explore chalk’s unusual quality of being powdery and its ability to blur, bend, and smudge. By brushing the chalk with cotton balls, the students will be able to enjoy mixing, softening, and blurring their medium.

Soaring/Super Kids: Painted Chalk- Soaring/Super Kids will be provided with colored chalk, white tempura, and dark-colored construction paper. The students will explore the markings chalk makes after being dipped in white tempura paint. They will be encouraged to make designs their own designs on the dark construction paper. They will be delighted as they see their colorful art designs be outlined by white paint.

Story-time:

The Imaginary Garden By: Andrew Larsen

The Surprise Garden By: Zoe Hall

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet By: Laurence Anholt

There’s a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm’s Story By: Gary Larson

All Creative Arts lesson plans created and taught by Erin Hendrix, Director of CAP for Kids