The Desert

Did you know that cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti?  Succulents are plants adapted to desert climates that store water in their leaves, stems, and roots.  Create a cactus and succulent garden.  Visit a plant store, nursery, or website and purchase several different kinds of cactus and succulent plants.    Use directions from an online gardening site to properly set up your container garden for your desert plants. Talk to your child about caring for the plants and allow them to help you. Ask your child, how are these desert plants different from other plants?  Do they look different?  Do they have different needs?  What is their native climate?  Source:  www.preschoolexpress.com/theme_station02/aug02_desert.shtml

Photo:  www.givingplants.com

Reading Skills:
The Desert Is Theirs by Byrd Baylor 

Cactus Hotel by Brenda Guiberson 

Way Out in the Desert by Jennifer Ward and T. J. Marsh  

Fine Motor Skills:

Create a desert scene collage.  Offer your child kid-friendly scissors, glue, sand paper (for sand dunes), green construction paper (for cacti), brightly colored waded up tissue paper squares (for desert flowers), and crayons.  Source:  http://www.ehow.com/list_6510993_preschool-art-activities-desert-theme.html#ixzz1mfXHx0Zl

Photo:  www.artinnaturephotography.com/photo.php?id=24

Gross Motor Skills:
Watch the following video with your child featuring a desert snake and a gecko.  http://youtu.be/Bc-665zhxQQ.  Observe how the snake moves.  Afterward, hold a snake race.  Have your child slither on the floor like a snake from one mark to another. Source:  http://www.123child.com/UBB/showthread.php?3580-Desert-Animals-preschool-lesson-plans

Photo:  www.bwbtours.com

Science Experiment:
Create an oasis in the desert.  An oasis is a fertile spot in a desert where water is found.  This project is based on the process of condensation.  It appears to create water from nothing (which is, of course, not the case).  You'll need an aquarium or terrarium, sand, clear plastic wrap, lid from a jelly jar, and some small plants.  

Photo:  http://noamberg.com/blog/2011/05/greenery-under-glass/

Instructions:
(1) Put sand in the aquarium or terrarium to the minimum depth of 5 cm.
(2) Hollow out a depression in the sand.  Place the jar lid upside down in the center of the depression.  Place the plants around the lid on the sand.
(3) Lay clear plastic wrap over the jar lid, and hold in place with sand or pebbles around the edges.
(4) Put just enough sand or a pebble in the very center of the plastic to make it sag slightly. To speed up the process, place a light bulb over the aquarium or terrarium to warm the sand and plastic, as the sun might.
(5) Water from the plants will form on the underside of the plastic by evaporation (from the plants and residual moisture in the sand) and condensation. If the plastic sags enough, the moisture will run to the center of the plastic and drip into the lid.
Source:  www.teachnet.com/lesson/science/earth/waterdesert.html

Photo:  www.ehow.com

Snack:

Serve up some cucumber cactus with sand!  Have your child assist you in making this food art. For this activity you need a cucumber, uncooked spaghetti, graham crackers, a plastic bag and a bowl. Put the graham crackers into a plastic bag and have your child crush them until the crackers look like sand. Empty the graham crackers into the bowl. Cut the cucumber in half and have your child stick the cucumber with broken pieces of spaghetti. The cucumber represents the cactus, and spaghetti serves as the cactus spines.  Place the cucumber into the bowl, burying the cut end of the cucumber into the graham cracker sand. The cucumber should be able to stand up straight.  Slice up the other half of the cucumber and serve to your child with whole graham crackers.  Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8279242_desert-theme-toddler-activities.htm

Photo:  www.busybeekidscrafts.com

The Moon

Take a rocket to the moon!  Build a rocket ship out of a refrigerator box.  If a large box is unavailable you can improvise by draping a dark blanket over two dining room chairs set facing away from each other about three feet apart.  Put glow sticks, flashlights, and an old keyboard or video game controller in the rocket for additional fun.  Have your child climb inside their rocket ship and read to them from the following book suggestions.  Follow this link for instructions on building a rocket ship out of a box:  http://www.education.com/activity/article/build-rocket-ship/   

Photo:  www.bunchfamily.ca

Reading Skills:

On the Moon by Anna Milbourne

Long Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant and Mark Siegel

The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons

Berenstain Bears on the Moon by Stan and Jan Berenstain 

Gross Motor Skills:

Take a moon walk!  The moon's gravitational pull is much less than that of the Earth.  A person's weight on the moon is roughly 1/6 of their weight on Earth.  You can calculate your child's exact moon weight by multiplying their Earth weight by 0.165.  Moon shoes will help your child imagine what it feels like to walk on the moon.  To make moon shoes,  simply secure car washing sponges(or 2 layers of large kitchen sponges) to the bottom of your child's feet (socks on) with rubber bands.  Have them strut their stuff around the house in their new shoes.

Photo:  http://piseco.homeschooljournal.net/category/arts-crafts/page/4/

"Astronauts must be in top physical condition to endure the rigors of space
travel. Get your space ace trainee in shape with [the following out-of-this-world workout suggestions to do in your moon shoes from http://www.hummingbirded.com/space.html.]:
* Solar System Stretch--Reach to the sky; then stretch arms out wide.
* Rocket Ship Run-in-Place--Warm up and get ready to take off!
* Galactic Gallop--Gallop all around the galaxy [the living room].
* Lunar Leaps--Jump as far as you can.
* Trainee Toe Touches--Touch your toes ten times."

Science Experiment:  
This project helps kids to understand how craters are formed. Pour flour into a baking dish and flatten so that it is the depth of approximately one inch.  Cover the flour with a thin layer of cocoa powder.  Have your child drop "meteorites" (e.g., small rocks, ball bearings, marbles, etc.) of varying weights and sizes into the flour. Point out some observations about the impact (i.e., the size and depth of the craters) that those objects make in the flour. Explain that the "landscape" created in the flour is similar to that of the moon's surface.  Source:  http://www.ehow.com/info_12140426_science-projects-kids-craters.html

Photo:  Kevin Kelley/Stone/Getty Images

Math skills:
Make two copies of the below worksheet.  Using one copy as a stencil, cut out the phases of the moon from grey construction paper.  Cut out a yellow sun and a green or blue Earth.  Ask your child to glue these cut out shapes in the correct locations on the worksheet.  Talk about the names of the different phases of the moon as you go.  Please note that unfortunately this worksheet does not utilize conventional scientific labels for the lunar phases.  Please take the time to relabel the "third quarter" phases as "gibbous".  Also, specify whether or not the crescent, half, and gibbous phases are waxing (growing) or waning (shrinking).  For your reference, a scientifically-labeled diagram of the lunar phases is included below the worksheet.  

PDF:  http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/learning-moon-phases/

Illustration by Sheri Ansel, www.exploringnature.org

You may also want to utilize lunar phase sequencing cards from http://www.firstschoolyears.com/science/solar/solar.htm.  Work with your child to help them put the cards in the appropriate order.   

Fine Motor Skills:

Have your child color the below picture.  Then attach a picture of your child's face in the circle of the helmet.  

Template link:  http://www.dltk-kids.com/t_template.asp?t=http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/space/images/bspacesuit.gif 

Snack:
Present your child with an edible illustration of the phases of the moon.  Using oreo cookies, open the sandwiches and utilize the side of the cookie that the icing sticks to.  Cut away part of the icing so that it makes the shape of the gibbous, half (first and third quarter), crescent, and new moon phases.   

Photo:  http://mrsandreaparson.blogspot.com

The Sun

On a sunny day put on some shades and sunscreen and go outdoors with your child to make solar-powered pictures using sunlight.  Have your child collect flat objects from your yard like leaves, flowers, blades of grass, etc.  In a location with dim lighting, place a sheet of light-sensitive paper in a frame holder (should be included with your paper kit) and have your child arrange their objects on the sheet of paper.  Set in the bright sun.  Place a piece of clear acrylic or a glass baking dish over the arrangement to hold everything in place.  Allow to sit in the sun for 3 to 5 minutes.  Follow the development instructions included with your light-sensitive paper.  This usually involves soaking the paper in water for about a minute.  Hang to dry and enjoy the beautiful white on blue print that your child made.  Source: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/sun-activities3.htm

Photo:  http://www.dickblick.com/products/nature-print-paper

Gross Motor Skills:

While your child's light-sensitive artwork is sitting in the sun, take turns with your child tracing one another's shadow with chalk on your driveway. Do this at least two other times during the day.  Observe how your shadows change through out the day and how the sun moves through the sky.  Talk to your child about how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and provides light and heat to the earth.    

Photo:  http://tinkerlab.com

Fine Motor Skills:

Create sun catchers.  You'll need:  clear contact paper, colored tissue paper squares, yarn or ribbon, scissors, and a hole punch.  Cut a sheet of clear contact paper into the shape of your choice.  Peel the backing off of the contact paper and lay on the table with the sticky side up.  You may want to include a frame so that the contact paper is easier to handle.  The rim of a paper plate works well for this purpose.  Have your child stick pieces of bright tissue paper squares all over their contact paper. When your child is done, punch a hole in the contact paper and attach a piece of yarn or ribbon through the hole.  Hang the sun catcher from your ceiling or a window.  Source:  http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/summer/art.htm

Photo:  www.freekidscrafts.com

Reading Skills:
While your child is crafting away, read a couple of books on the sun from the following suggestions:
Energy from the Sun by Allan Fowler

John Denver's Sunshine on My Shoulders by Christopher Canyon

Shine, Sun! by Carol Greene

Sun Song by Jean Marzollo

Math Skills:
The sun is a star – the closest star to earth. Draw a grid (3 columns by 4 rows) on a sheet of paper.  Write one number (between 1 - 12) in each section of the grid.  Give your child tiny star stickers and ask them to practice counting by sticking the correct number of stars into the section of the paper to match the specified number.  Source:  http://typeaparent.com/sun-themed-preschool-unit-study.html

Photo:  www.carnivalsource.com

Science Experiment:
Compare the sun to the shade.  Take six paper bowls and place a cube of butter in each of the first two, a few ice cubes in the next two, and some crayons in the last two. Set one bowl with each item in hot sun. Set the other three bowls in the shade.  Ask your child to hypothesize which set will melt first.  Check back about 5 minutes later to observe what is happening.  Source: http://stepbystepcc.com/science.html

Snack:
Serve sun tea and sun-dried raisins.  Explain that the warmth of the sun heats the water and steeps the tea.

Photo:  http://kitchensimplicity.com