Originally Posted by terrivh:
i love her blog..like the binder idea. my next question...lets say for example i am doing apples...how do i make sure i am hitting all the areas i need to that kids need to know. math, reading , science..etc...
There are no books out there that i can find.
I don't pick generic themes, but rather observe the children to find what they are currently interested in and what their emerging skill are and then build the curriculum around that. Also, the environment, and the materials within the environment, play a huge role in AS the curriculum. But, lets' take apples....
I would buy REAL apples, a wide variety and start there. Place them in a bowl on the cneter of the writing table, along with colored pencils (same as the apples) and paper, and allow the children to draw. Then using the same apples, you could cut and taste...make a graph with "I tried" " I LIked" "I didn't like" Graph the children's answers, there's your math. More math, cut up the apples, use a a recipe and make applesauce.
Read books about apples. Visit an apple orchard. Learn how apple trees grow. Let the children plant apple seeds and make a chart to see how many days til' they sprout. Hang a ruler by the seedling and measure it's weekly growth. Al of theses incorporate math, science, literacy, emergent writing, art, etc.
Good luck!