For this lesson you will need:
Q words written on slips of paper
Cut outs of body parts
Pen/Marker
Large Glass Bowl
Small objects (See ‘Activity’ below)
Piece of paper
Paper towel tubes (or paper) One for each child.
Items to decorate paper towel tubes (pom poms, stickers, beads, etc.)
Glue
Crackers
Various toppings for crackers (jam, cheese, chocolate chips, pickles, etc.)
Books: How Things Work (A Child’s First Library of Learning)
What Stinks? By Marilyn Singer
Welcome Song: (To tune of Old MacDonald):
Welcome, welcome everyone
So glad that you are here.
Today we’re gonna have some fun
So let’s give out a cheer
Woo hoo!!
Clap clap clap clap
Slap(legs) slap slap slap
Clap clap clap let’s go! (when you shout “let’s go!”, do a group high five in the center
Question of the Day: N/A today…as there will be plenty of questions later in the lesson
Number of the Day ‘17’: Draw and cut out the 17 body parts listed below.
Head
Eye (x2)
Ear (x2)
Nose
Eyebrow (x2)
Freckle
Lips
Hair
Neck
Torso
Arm w/hand attached (x2)
Legs (x2)
Hide body parts around the room (before preschool). Display the number 17 on a piece of paper. Have children search for the 17 body parts and place them in a line on the floor. Count the body parts aloud before having children put them together to form a body. Congratulate them on a counting job well done.
Have children work together to count out 17 of a designated object (coins, pom poms, candies, etc.) and have them place the objects in the counting jar. Remind them of the reward they will get when the counting jar is full!
Letter of the Day ‘Q’: Ask children if they have a friend that they like to do everything with.
“I bet you didn’t know that letters can have friends too!”
Display the letter Q.
“The letter Q is a little different than the rest of the letters because it never likes to be alone. The letter Q almost ALWAYS has to have its best friend, the letter ‘U’ by its side. Without the U standing next to it, a Q doesn’t have much of a sound. But when Q and U are together it makes a nice, strong ‘Kwa’ sound. Can you make this sound with me?”
Have them repeat the Qu sound with you.
Write the following words on slips of paper (before preschool), fold them up and put them on the floor in front of you: Quail, Quake, Quack, Queen, Quarter, Quick and Quest. Allow each child to pick a word.
Each time a word is chosen, read it aloud and take a moment to explain its meaning. Point out that in each of these words, the letter 'u' is standing next to the Q.
Demonstrate how to write the letter Qq and allow children to practice in their writing notebooks. Teach the ASL sign for the letter Q as well as the signs for Quiet and Question.
Introduction of topic: Ask each child a different question from the following list:
Where do you live?
What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
Why do you eat breakfast?
What would happen if you didn’t eat breakfast.?
What would happen if you didn’t wear a coat outside when it was snowing?
Have you ever had an “owie”? Why can’t you see the ‘owie’ that used to be t here?
“Do you ever have questions for your moms and dads? Asking questions is a wonderful way to learn about the world around us. When we ask questions, it shows that our brains are thinking, and that we love to learn."
"We ask questions to get to know people; to find out where they come from and what kind of things they like to do.
"We ask questions to find out how to get to where we want to go.
"We ask questions to help us understand how things work.
"We ask questions to help us understand why things happen.
"There are many many things to learn about, which means there are many many questions to ask. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"
Allow each child to ask a question if they wish.
Activity: “There is something I have been wondering about, so here is a question I have for you: Which things sink in water, and Which things float? Do any of you have any ideas? (you may need to explain what ‘sink’ and ‘float’ mean.) The only way for us to really know the answer to this question , is to do a little experiment. An experiment is a way of trying something out, in order to find answers to our questions."
Gather children around a table. Fill a big glass bowl with water and place it in the middle of the table. Tell children you are going to find a few (small) objects from around the house to put into this bowl of water and test them to see if they will sink to the bottom, or float on top. Have children help gather a few items, and then make a list of the items on a piece of paper. Draw 2 boxes next to each item on the list (one for the hypothesis, and one for the actual result)
Have children take turns choosing one item from the table. Have them guess whether it will sink or float. If they guess that it will sink have them write an ‘S’ in the first box by the item on the list. If they guess that it will float, have them write the letter ‘F’ in the box. Then have them drop the object into the bowl and observe what happens.
Record the results! If the object sinks, write an ‘S’ in the second box next to the item on the list. If it floats, write an ‘F’. At the end of the experiment, have the children count how many times they guessed correctly.
Explain that if you hadn’t asked the question, we probably never would have known which objects sink in water and which ones float. Now we know.
Emphasize that ALL questions are good questions.
Story: How Things Work (A Child’s First Library of Learning) This is not a story, but a book written in more of a question/answer format. Some of the Answers are a bit complex for little minds, but some of them will work great in this lesson.
What Stinks? By Marilyn Singer
Or read "Questions for Mommy" found at the end of this lesson.
Craft: Provide markers, glue, beads, and anything else you have in your craft box for children to decorate their own telescopes (paper towel tubes). Explain that people created telescopes to help answer some of their questions about space. They wanted to know what the stars really looked like, and where all of the planets were located. Tell them they will use their telescopes later tonight when it’s dark, to see the stars.
Snack: Place a few Crackers on each plate and a few choices of toppings in the middle of the table (jam, pickles, chocolate chips, salsa, and cheese) Ask: “How do you think a pickle cracker would taste?” Explain that you all are going to do an experiment to see which one of the toppings tastes the best with the crackers. Enjoy!
Service: Explain that questions can be used to help people as well.
Have each child ask the person sitting next to them “Can I clear your plate for you?” and then bring it to the sink.
Good bye song: To the tune of “If You’re Happy and you Know it”
If you’ve learned a lot today, clap your hands (clap clap)
Here’s the letter of the day (sign the letter Q), clap your hands (clap clap)
Oh, we’ve had a lot of fun,
Now our preschool time is done (tap index finger to wrist)
See you next time (wave) and we’ll do it all again! (Clap clap.)
Here are some questions my girls have asked me over the years...
Mommy, why do we toot?
We toot so we always have something to laugh about…and to help us be more thankful for the good smells in life.
Mommy, why do I have a belly button?
Belly buttons are for collecting fuzzies and for giving daddies something really cute to tickle
Mommy, why do we sometimes have bad dreams?
If we only had good dreams all of the time, some little girls would never get out of bed!
And sometimes Mamas just need another reason to give their little girls extra long hugs and extra big kisses.
Mommy, why do we get snow in the winter time?
We get snow so we can see how big our feet have grown each year,
…and so we have something to throw at Daddies!
Mommy, why do flowers have so many different colors?
So we can wake up to a beautiful rainbow every morning without having to wait for the rain
and, of course, so little girls can decorate their hair.
Mommy why do you kiss my cheeks so much?
Because your cheeks are as smooth as silk, and as soft as pillows…. And sometimes they smell like yummy peanut butter and jelly.
Now I have a question for you.
Why don’t you give those little dancing feet a break,
Close those beautiful curious eyes,
And rest that busy busy mind of yours until the morning?
(But only after one last yummy peanut butter and jelly kiss!)
