Preschool/KG
FromSocial and Emotional Well-Being,
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett
What to have
- living things (plants, a fish, an earthworm, a child)
- things not living or that have died (rocks, a plastic toy, a cloth doll, a stainless steel spoon, dead bugs)
- What’s Alive? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
What to do
Show children a display that includes living things and things that are not living or have died. Include at least one display item per child. Ask children if someone can explain what alive (or living) means. Clarify that when something is alive, it drinks, eats, grows, moves, and responds to what goes on around it. Read What’s Alive? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. Invite children to sort the items into living and not living groups. If they have trouble deciding,
help them by asking questions, for example, “Do you think it grows?” Point out
that the bug used to be alive and grew, but now it is no longer living. Let them know that we call it dead or deceased when something or someone was alive but is not alive any longer.
Why
To learn the qualities of living and non-living things. To learn about dying. Dead or deceased means when something or someone was alive but is not alive any longer.
For more activities check out
Social and Emotional Well-Being: A Whole Health Curriculum for Young Children
By Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett Copyright 1997 Preschool/KG