A Pirate's Quest Water Mural Activity
Our class has been studying the earth and
its elements this month, and so far, I have been focusing on water.
Last week we learned about the water cycle and why water is important
for all life on earth. We sang a new song to the tune of "The Wheels on
the Bus," and pretended we were water droplets moving around the
classroom. This week we were lucky enough to have a brilliantly
written and illustrated book to use as a springboard to delve into how
moving water connects us on earth.
From the moment I mentioned the
words "pirate" and "quest," the children were giddy with anticipation trying to
imitate their best pirate voices. " Argh!!" We embarked on our journey
with the book, A Pirate's Quest and immediately the children
were engrossed by the illustrations, as they are not only beautiful but
a realistic depiction of plants and animals living from the lakes to
the sea. We followed the pirate on his quest in the book, and I
listened as they made predictions about where the missing peg leg might
be. Some were surprised, some knew right away, but all were excited
that the pirate found his leg by the sea!
We then made our own mural of
"moving water" complete with the printable materials that you provided
on your website. We drew, colored, cut out, and placed our animals in
their appropriate habitat on our mural. The children absolutely loved
this activity; they were working together peacefully, cooperating as a
group and helping one another. The activity was not only
developmentally appropriate for my children but it was FUN! We all
tapped in to our inner pirate, including myself, and travelled on this
journey like the water on the earth. Next week, we will culminate our
unit on water with the short film, A Riddle in a Bottle, for which I can
hardly wait.
As a teacher of young children, I work hard trying to find
developmentally appropriate activities for my kindergartners. Laura,
Rob, I admire your work. Teaching children is my passion and it
is clear that you guys do your homework. Thanks so much for this
addition to education. Take care. I look forward to the next one!
--Suzanne Bendick, Teacher at Sourdough Montessori School
