I saw this book on Spring Equinox and was completely engaged with its context. I’m hoping you will find it a great resource for your classroom.
The Spring Equinox, by Ellen Jackson; explains how ancient people celebrated spring. They weren’t sure spring would come without a celebration, and they needed to plant their crops for food, so they did a celebration to the Gods asking for spring. This is a very interesting book about spring and other holidays that occur in spring.
One of my favorite sayings in the book is: The spring equinox is time of beauty- and it is also a time of balance. It is not quite summer yet, but not really winter anymore, either. It is a time when the world stands between two seasons. It is a time to walk in balance with nature and look to the future.
For Circle Time, discuss with your students why we need spring and the different fruits and vegetables that grow in spring. You can also talk about how the weather is different in spring in comparison to winter, and spring clothing. It would also be a great time to introduce the letter ‘Ss.’
Writing the letter Ss (small motor development and eye-hand coordination)
Give each student 2 Oreo cookies with the creme removed; have them use wooden hammers to crunch the cookies up, so that they look like soil when they are done. They can then use the soil to practice writing the letter Ss. Or to make their own spring picture.
Language /Introducing and reviewing colors
Bring in vegetables that can be grown in a garden and talk to your students about everything that the vegetables need to grow, and what happens when they don’t get what they need. Use the vegetables as a mid-day snack and review the color of each. Talk about the importance of water for plants and add how important water is for our bodies, implementing healthy bodies into your circle time discussion.
Science
Put a piece of broccoli in a plastic bag underneath a box, ask your students if they know what will happen to the broccoli once it has been removed from the ground, with no sunlight and water. Leave it there for a few days then bring it out to show the students what happened to the broccoli, but do not open the bag. Let the students feel and see the difference in a piece of fresh broccoli and the broccoli in the bag. Then reiterate the importance of spring, sunlight and water.
Math
Put silk flowers on your Math table of bright spring colors. And flower pots of the same color, have the students paint them ahead a time. Then have the students match the flowers to the pots.
Dramatic Play
Line boxes around your dramatic play area like potting pots; fill them with soil, sand or dirt. Have your students decorate them ahead a time. (Be sure to go over safety when planting and hand-washing) Provide silk flowers, plastic vegetables and fruit for planting. Be sure to provide spring fruits and vegetables. Add straw hats, coveralls, planting gloves for dress-up and shovels, and small racks for planting.
Hope you can add Spring Equinox to your spring discussions and apply some of the ideas from the book.
Check out my Facebook page throughout April for more Projects for spring and share some of yours.
https://www.facebook.com/darlatheteacher
