Lesson-Plan-At-A-Glance

Erin Lyon, Director of Education: Introduction

Abbe Blackwell, Lead Infant Teacher, Lauren McLellan, Assistant Infant Teacher

Juniper classroom, 6 weeks to 15 months.

In the winter teachers at Little Green Tree House will spend a good amount of time teaching the children about the cold weather and exploring all the different aspects of winter time with them.   Winter is also a great time for families to continue this learning and exploration at home.  While most may think that when the chill of winter sets in it is no longer a good time to go outside when actually it could be the best time! Living in a city like Chicago with parks that are often over crowded and a lake front path that is so busy in the summer it borders on dangerous with all the quick moving cyclists and runners, what better time than the winter when you have things practically all to yourself?  For one thing, there aren't as many people on the path and very few bicyclists to disrupt you. This means you and your family have an opportunity to enjoy relative solitude on a path that would normally be abuzz with human chatter in mid-summer. There aren't any insects, at least not those that fly. This is good news for children afraid of bees and mosquitoes. The added solitude and quiet doesn't mean people don't use the lake front path at all-they do, and fortunately that makes it easier to find the trails in the snow. The city also does a good job of plowing and de-icing the path as well to make it even better for you to use. 

 It isn't a big deal to stay comfortable and safe on icy or snowy paths, either. Aside from dressing in layers to stay warm, being equipped with either snowshoes or YakTrax to prevent slipping and falling can alleviate some of the hazards of winter adventures. With a layer of snow on the ground to play in, there is nothing better than running around with your little one to work up a good sweat!

The Importance of Time Spent in Nature

Exposing children to nature is important no matter what time of year it is. Our modern society makes it much-too-easy to make excuses and stay home when it's cold outside: there's always something to watch on T.V., or a friend to "chat" with on Facebook. But staying cooped up in winter only adds to the normal blues we get from less sunshine and less time outside exercising. As a matter of fact, there have been many studies that show spending time outside in nature can have both emotional and physical benefits.

The physical benefits of doing things outdoors such as hiking or walking are improved circulation, overall fitness and necessary, natural doses of vitamin D from brief exposure to sunlight. Among the emotional benefits are alleviation of stress and mild depression.

Winter Wonderland

Dates Lesson will be Taught: November 29 - December 31

Goal for this Lesson:  This lesson we will be exploring things winter related - including cool temperatures, falling snow, and snowflakes. The children will be learning about the clothes they wear in the winter and what they are going to see outside during the month of December.

Room Modifications

Snowflakes and snowmen will be put up in the classroom for the children to see.  Also, we will be making a mobile containing the clothes that you might wear in the winter.

Sensory Activities

Snowflake bottles : The children are going to assist teachers in tearing up white pieces of construction paper.  We are then going to be putting the torn up pieces into empty water bottles.  We may also put in water and/or glitter for added effect Whipping Cream Snow : Beforehand, whipping cream will be made in the kitchen by our lovely food prep.  Children will be able to sit at the table (with clothes off ) and touch the whipping cream as if it is snow. 

Fine Motor Activities

Feeling Snow: Weather permitting, teachers will bring snow inside for the children to feel with their hands and/or feet.  If for some odd reason it does not snow in the month of December we will use ice cubes instead J.

Gross Motor Activities

Freeze Dance Game: Teachers will play music that the children can groove to.  Teachers will show children that when the music stops that they stop dancing.  Teachers will assist children in dancing and show them how to "freeze".  For our non-mobile babies, they will lay on a blanket by the radio and teachers will help them move their arms and legs, and "freeze" when the music stops.

Music

Winter Time Poem : (to the tune of London Bridges)

                        Icy fingers, icy toes

                        Bright red cheeks and bright red nose

                        Watch the snowflakes as they fall

                        Try so hard to catch them all.

                        Build a snowman way up high,

                        See if he can touch the sky.

                        Snow forts, snowballs, angels too,

                        In the snow, so white and new.

Snowflake Dance: (to the tune of Are You Sleeping?)

                        Dance like snowflakes, dance like snowflakes

                        In the air, in the air

                        Whirling, twirling snowflakes, whirling twirling                                                                  snowflakes

                        Here and there, here and there.

Art

Snowflake Art: We will be making snowflakes with baby handprints.  If some babies are too young to spread their fingers out then we will use the front part of their footprint.  The teachers will then sprinkle glitter on the flakes and display them on the bulletin board. 

Snow in the Night: Each child will be given a piece of black construction papers and a piece of white chalk.  The children will be encouraged to draw on the black construction paper. 

Cognitive Development

While conducting the feeling snow activity teachers will help the children hide objects in the snow to practice object permanence, the idea that just because you can't see something does not mean it isn't there.  The children will help hide the object and then enjoy retrieving it from the snow.

Language/Literacy

We are going to be reading a number of books during our winter lesson.  Some will include:

Under my Hood I Have a Hat, by Karla Kuskin

Hello, Snow, by Hope Vestergaard

The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats

This article is inspired from one of our teachers, Ms. Meghan R from the Cherry Classroom. Meghan approached me one day asking about a living versus artificial Christmas tree from an eco-friendly stand point. Her significant-other had strong convictions for an artificial tree but Meghan though initially was sold also had doubts. So she did a little more research. This got me thinking... the Christmas tree debate will end this article but I thought I would research a few other religious holidays just to get an idea of what others might use as symbols for their holiday traditions and suggest how one could consider eco-friendly options.  

The Holidays I researched (please, do not be offended if I did not research your religion of choice) all seem to have similar themes of tradition: candles, special food items, and toys for children. 

Hanukkah (December 1 - 9, 2010) Jewish Holiday: Festival of Lights: Menorah Candles to Dreidels

Bodhi Day (December 8, 2010) Buddhist holiday: Day of remembrance and meditation, Candles performing kind acts towards other beings

Christmas (December 25, 2010) both Christians and non-Christians holiday, Christmas trees to toys and everything in-between.

Kwanzaa (December 26, 2010) African-American and Pan-Africian holiday: First Fruits of the Harvest, candles to food

Makar Sankranti - Hindu Holiday (January 14, 2011) harvest season, rice and kites

Candles "Whether there's 16 of them topping a birthday cake, two tapers gracing the dining room table, or a handful of votives providing fig-scented ambiance around the house, candles can light up your life in more ways than one. But besides casting that gentle flicker, candles can also emit carcinogens and neurotoxins. Eco-friendly candles made from palm oil, beeswax, and soy ensure you clean-burning illumination that's also longer-lasting and petroleum-free." http://www.greenyour.com/lifestyle/events/birthday-party/tips/choose-eco-friendly-candles 

Lights "LEDs are brighter, longer lasting, and much more energy efficient when compared to incandescent bulbs. It's no wonder they are the latest craze."  http://ezinearticles.com/?LED-Lights-Versus-Incandescent-Lights&id=3665454  Put them on a timer and save even more energy!

Special Games and Toys  Consider buying a keepsake of the special game or toy - one that can be passed down from generation to generation instead of a disposable, breakable type. The less the price the less the value and most likely has PBA, Phthalate and/or lead which are all harmful to children.

Food  We all have our own favorite recipes and traditions. Try going organic or buy ingredients from a local farm. You may be surprised you may just have created your new "Favorite" recipe!

Ok now for Christmas Trees - Artificial versus real or not at all in brief. You have to decide what is best for your lifestyle and I will tell you my personal decision and Meghan's.

Not so green Cut Christmas trees & fake Christmas trees from http://www.greenoptions.com/For a long time there's been a debate about which is better, fake trees which don't require you to cut down a tree or cut trees which don't require non-renewable resources. Neither is a great green choice, although if you weigh the pros and cons real cut trees come out a little bit ahead. Artificial trees are worse for the environment than cutting a real live tree down because they're made from mainly non-renewable plastics. Some artificial Christmas trees even contain PVC. The toxins and other nasty chemicals needed to create artificial trees, plus the pollution made while creating them make them a bad green decision. Many fake trees are

Greener Living Christmas trees

Living Christmas trees are live potted trees that you can later plant in your yard or in a community garden. You can reuse your living tree to celebrate for a few years if you get a fairly small one to start with. This is a fairly green choice so far as Christmas trees go. The downside is you'll need to care for your tree - but tha's not too hard.. If you're interested, check out a guide on how to find a living Christmas tree no matter where you live.

Greenest No tree and other alternatives

You don't need a tree to celebrate the Christmas season. Instead try one of these alternatives...

You can have a wreath made from found branches and other goodies or buy an organic wreath, organic holiday flowers, or other organic greenery to brighten up the house.

You can make a Christmas tree out of recycled paper - even a 3-dimensional tree.

The debate can go and on but for my Eco-Friendly life-style I have a 7' narrow artificial Christmas Tree which was my father's. I love this tree for so many reasons but most all it has special memories for me. It has been reused for over 15 years now. It does not take water.  I only see it on the weekends from Thanksgiving until I decide to take it down in February. I take the ornaments off after the 1st of the year and just enjoy it with the lights for another month or so because we think it is pretty. We only turn the lights on when we are home and in the living room.

We do have local tree farms around us so the emissions, fuel and such would not be too bad every year and most likely would be carbon neutral but we would have to truck it to a mulcher in the spring to make compost out of it or throw it in the woods.... It would also cost us about $100 a year. For us a live tree just wouldn't work. It would drop its needles before the first weekend as we wouldn't be able to water it every day. I am not the type of person to forgo the tradition of having a tree. I remember one of my favorite trees from when I was three!  And to be honest the other options just aren't appealing to me. I have a tree with special memories which was handed down for free and I plan on using it for many more years to come.

Meghan decided on a potted tree after her research. She too loves the tradition of having a tree but wants to be responsible. She doesn't have a car so she is trying to decide where to buy one. Hopefully, she will be able to buy one locally which she and her significant other can carry home together. But, if local doesn't work she is in the process of researching a tree she can order. The company will have to be responsible and provide a near neutral carbon foot print for the transportation of the tree. Once she gets the tree she plans on decorating it with her own crafted ornaments and decorations. She is quite talented in this department! Once spring comes she will need to take care of it until it can be planted in the ground. She is going to sell it back to me. I have a lovely lot of woods that needs a new tree as a few lightning storms have done some damage. For me it seems like a win, win and eco-friendly choices that fit two lifestyles.