Saturday, April 20, 2024

Teaching Children about America's National Monuments: A One Week Unit Of Study

Teaching children about America's national monuments helps them appreciate American history and provides a foundation for them to build a sense of belonging and patriotism.  

Teaching Children about America's National Monuments:  A One Week Unit Of Study
Teaching Children about America's National Monuments:  A One Week Unit Of Study

Teaching Children About America's National Monuments

Day One:  Introduction to National Monuments

Lesson:

Start this unit on national monuments by discussing with your students what national monuments are.  Show your kids photos of national monuments.  This week, we will learn about the Statute of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Grand Canyon.  Be sure to include photos of those monuments, but feel free to show them many others.

Story Time:

Read the following book to your students.

USA Landmarks for Kids
USA Landmarks for Kids is available here.


Activity:

You will need:
Printer paper or pre-printed copies of national monument coloring pages.

Provide your students with coloring sheets featuring various national monuments.  Include the four monuments we will be looking at more closely this week, but you can include others.

National Monuments Coloring Pages
National Monuments Coloring Pages are available here.

Day Two:  The Statute of Liberty

The Statute of Liberty
America's National Monuments:  The Statute of Liberty

Lesson:

In 1886, he people of France gifted the Statute of Liberty to the people of the United States as a tribute to the friendship between the two countries.  It became a national monument in 1924, a symbol of American freedom.  It stands about 300 feet tall from the ground to the tip of the torch.

That statute of liberty hasn't always looked green.  It is made of copper so it originally looked more like a shiny new penny.  A process called "oxidation" happens when an element, like copper, combines with oxygen.  Oxidation caused the outside of the statute to develop a brown coating called Tenorite.  The Tenorite and oxidized copper combined with the sulfuric acid in the air creating the green color we see today.

Informational Resources About The Statute of Liberty

The National Parks Service offers a free educational curriculum on their website.  The curriculum materials are divided by grade level.

Allow your students to watch this video about The Statute of Liberty

Statute of Liberty Worksheets

Kids Connect offers 6 free worksheets about the Statute of Liberty. You can save the images to your device. Then, print them out to use with your students.

Children's Books about the Statute of Liberty

Why is the Statute of Liberty Green?
"Why is the Statute of Liberty Green?" is available here.

Otto's Tales:  Let's Visit the Statute of Liberty
"Otto's Tales:  Let's Visit the Statute of Liberty" is available here.

My Little Golden Book About The Statute of Liberty
"My Little Golden Book About The Statute of Liberty" is available here.

The Statute of Liberty (Pull Ahead Books - American Symbols)
"The Statute of Liberty (Pull Ahead Books - American Symbols)" is available here.

Activity:

You will need:

Activity:  Your students will color a landscape scene including the Statute of Liberty.  Then, they will cut out the Statute of Liberty and glue it as instructed on the website, 10 Minutes of Quality Time, to create a 3D model of the statute.  In order to print out their example, you might have to become a member.  If you don't want to do that, you can draw a similar one for your students.

Day Three:  Mount Rushmore


Lesson:

Discuss the history of Mount Rushmore with your students.  Tell them the faces on the monument are four former presidents.  Discuss with them several key facts about each president. 

Allow your students to watch the following video.



Story Time:

Where is Mount Rushmore?
Where is Mount Rushmore is available here.

Otto's Tales:  Let's Visit Mount Rushmore
Otto's Tales:  Let's Visit Mount Rushmore is available here.

Activity:

Using playdough, instruct your students to craft their own mountains.  Using a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny, tell them to press the faces of the four presidents into their playdough mountains.  Check to see that they are pressing the faces in the correct order. 

Day Four:  The Lincoln Memorial


Lesson:

The Lincoln Memorial was constructed so that we will never forget Abraham Lincoln and the great things he did for our country.

Go here for a detailed historical accounts of the monuments of the National Mall.

Allow your students to watch the following video about The Lincoln Memorial.


Story Time:
What is Inside the Lincoln Memorial
What is Inside the Lincoln Memorial is available here.

Activity:

Download this Abraham Lincoln mini-booklet.  Print out enough copies for all of your students.  Instruct your students to cut out the pages, staple them in order, and read them often.

Day Five:  The Washington Monument


Lesson:

The Washington Monument is a tall building in Washington, DC that honors our first president, George Washington.

The Time Line for the Construction of The Washington Monument

1783:  The Continental Congress first raised the idea of constructing a monument to honor George Washington.  

1833:  After many years of delay, The Washington National Monument Society was founded.

A man named Robert Mills designed a plan for a 600 foot tall obelisk, a tall thin pillar with a pyramid at the top.

1848:  Construction of the Washington Monument began.

Various problems including the Civil War and a lack of adequate money delayed the construction.

1876:  The Construction of the monument was resumed by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Due to the passing of so much time, they couldn't match the colors shades of the stones, so the monument is three different shades from the bottom to the top.

1884:  The capstone was placed on top to the monument.  It was finally finished.

1885:  102 years after the Continental Congress first proposed the idea of a monument to honor President Washington, it was dedicated by President Chester Arthur.

Allow your students to watch the following video.


Key Facts About George Washington:

President Washington was born on February 22, 1732.

We don't know much about his childhood, but we know that his mother passed away when he was only eleven years old.  Washington's older brother helped raise him.

In his 20s, Washington fought with Great Britain in the French and Indian War.  When the war was over, he returned to Virginia where he worked as a farmer.

George Washington was elected to the Virginia legislature when he was only 26 years old.

He married Martha Custis in 1759.  Martha was a widow with two children.

Washington served as one of Virginia's representatives in the First and Second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775.

When Thomas Jefferson with the help of the Second Continental Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, George Washington was chosen to lead the new free states in the American Revolution.  

Later on, the states chose representatives to elect a president.  George Washington won their vote.


Activity:

The National Parks Service offers a "Build Your Own Monument" craft complete with a PDF download and instructions here.

Conclusion:   Virtual Tours


Visit the Statute of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, The Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument via virtual tours at the following links.






We hope students, teachers, and parents enjoy a week of exploring three of America's most valued national monuments.  We hope your students, through discussion, hands-on activities, crafts, and virtual tours develop an appreciation for these monuments and all they represent.

Check out my newly released eBook, American's National Monuments:  A One Week Unit of Study for Kids


Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly

Everything You Need to Teach the Life Cycle of the Butterfly
Everything You Need to Teach the Life Cycle of the Butterfly


Spring is a great time to study butterflies.  Butterflies are pretty, and most children (and adults) love to watch them flutter around.  Warmer spring weather means getting outside to enjoy everything that makes spring so awesome - sunshine, birds, blue skies, boat rides on the lake, hiking trails, riding bikes, and watching butterflies.  Somewhere around April, we begin to see caterpillars crawling around outside.  Some children might not understand that caterpillars become butterflies.  Spring is an excellent time to teach children the butterfly's life cycle.

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly

Adult butterflies lay eggs on plant leaves in the spring, summer, and fall.  After the butterfly lays its eggs, it takes about four days for the eggs to hatch into caterpillars.  The plant leaves become food for the hatching caterpillars.   The caterpillars will crawl around and eat plant leaves for about two weeks.  Then, they are ready to spin a chrysalis, also called a pupa or a cocoon.  The chrysalis is a protective covering for the changing caterpillar.  In the wild, a caterpillar will crawl off the plant leaves to find a place to spin its chrysalis so it won't be seen by a predator, an animal that might eat the caterpillar inside while it is inside its chrysalis.  Suppose you are watching the life cycle of a butterfly in your home.  In that case, you might watch through a netted caterpillar habitat like this one.

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly Mesh Caterpillar Habitat
This mesh caterpillar habitat is available here.

Inside the netted habitat, the caterpillar climbs to the top when it is ready to spin its chrysalis. When it reaches the top, it spins a wad of silk. The caterpillar hangs upside down from the wad of silk for about 18 hours before spinning the chrysalis. The caterpillar spends about ten days inside the chrysalis. Then, a beautiful butterfly emerges.

Here is a short video explaining the changes that occur during the butterfly's life cycle.

 

You'll want to gather various materials to teach children the butterfly's life cycle successfully. 

Materials Needed to Teach the Life Cycle of the Butterfly


I highly suggest the mesh habitat above.  I've used this several times and the kids have always loved it!

As a token of my appreciation for being part of my email list, I'm offering you a FREE Butterfly Life Cycle Journal. This interactive tool will not only reinforce the facts you teach about the butterfly life cycle but also inspire your students or children to explore the world of butterflies. It's a perfect companion to the mesh habitat, should you decide to get one. Don't miss out, get your free journal by signing up for email updates here.

Get a free Butterfly Life Cycle Journal when you sign up for email updates!
Take me to my free Butterfly Life Cycle Journal


I have printable activities in my Etsy shop for only $5.00.  You can print out as many copies as you need for your classroom or homeschool, but please refrain from sharing with others in physical or digital forms.  Please note the copyright information on the copyright page in the file.  If you use an activity from my Etsy shop, please direct others outside of your classroom or homeschool back to my Etsy listings so that they can purchase their own copies.

If you want a complete week-long butterfly life cycle unit, I've got you covered.  I've done most of the work for you.   The Life Cycle of the Butterfly: A One Week Unit of Study for Kids is new in my Amazon author store.  In this unit, you will find an overall objective for the week, daily objectives, daily lesson ideas, and plans, links to sites where you can learn all about the subjects you will cover, daily activities, and links for gathering all the needed supplies.  My butterfly week-long unit and other publications are here on my Amazon Author Page.  You might want to check out my Butterfly Coloring Book while you're there.

More Suggestions for Your Study on The Life Cycle of the Butterfly


The Life Cycle of the Butterfly Activity Packet 1
The Life Cycle of the Butterfly Activity Packet 1 is available here.



Here are a few books for teaching this unit.


The Life Cycles of Butterflies - a book.
The Life Cycles of Butterflies is available here.

A Butterfly's Life Cycle, Book
A Butterfly's Life Cycle is available here.

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly, Book
The Life Cycle of a Butterfly is available here.


Here are several hands-on manipulatives and toys for teaching the life cycle of the butterfly.


Butterfly Life Cycle Toy Kit
This Butterfly Life Cycle Toy Kit is available here.

Insect Caterpillar to Butterfly Kit, 
Ladybug, Bee, Tadpole to Frog Kit 
Life Cycle Toys for Kids, 
Preschool Learning Activities for Age 3 4 5 6 7 8
Montessori Life Cycle Learning Education Toy
This learning toy kit is available here.

I love this poster visual that shows the life cycles of the butterfly, the frog, the chicken, the fish, the turtle, the apple, the pea plant, and the dragonfly.

Butterfly Life Cycle Poster
This life cycle poster is available here.

More Fun Butterfly Books for Kids


The Very Hungry Caterpillar 50th Anniversary Edition
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is available here.

Little Caterpillar
Little Caterpillar is available here.

Ten Wriggly, Wiggly Caterpillars
Ten Wriggly, Wiggly Caterpillars is available here.

How Does a Caterpillar Change
How Does a Caterpillar Change is available here.

My, Oh My - A Butterfly!
My, Oh My - A Butterfly! is available here.

Tracking Butterfly Migration

The Mystery of the Monarchs:
How Kids, Teachers, and Butterfly Fans Helped Fred and Norah Urquhart Track the Great Monarch Migration

The Mystery of the Monarchs
The Mystery of the Monarchs is available here.


Craft Supplies for Butterfly Themed Activities


Construction Paper
Construction Paper is available here.

Crayola Markers
This set of Crayola Markers is available here.

Glue Bundle - Liquid Glue and Glue Sticks
This glue bundle is available here.

Fiskars Scissors
These Fiskars Scissors are available here.

Studying the Anatomy of a Butterfly

Magnifying Glasses for Kids
These magnifying glasses are available here.


Butterfly:  External Parts Book
This Butterfly:  External Parts Book is available here.

Modeling Clay
This Air Dry Modeling Clay is available here.

Finger Paint
This finger paint is available here.

Now you should have all you need to teach your kids all about the Life Cycle of the Butterfly.  Your kids are sure to love this study and they'll want to get outside to check it all out in real life!  That's the best part!

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Go live life abundantly,

Tina

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