Goal and Purpose of an Identification Album:

You will identify different kinds of flowers. After collecting and describing each flower in terms of number of blooms and stems, you will paste (or glue) each flower onto a sheet of paper. Name each flower by its kind – as in Daffodil, Rose, Hydrangea, or any flowers common to your environment. You will also want to point out the differences in characteristics among the Flower kinds. For simple learning purposes, the number of selected flowers will be limited to three (3) kinds.

Educational Benefits:

As the identification process unravels in this simple activity, your child engages in several learning steps: Decision making that will involve choosing and selecting; Organizing information and data; Cultivating the ability to examine first-hand information; Distinguishing characteristics that will positively characterize a particular species; and Developing all the basic learning needs of young learners in terms of color, counting, labeling, reading, and writing.And, of course, the major goal of this activity is to participate in the act of “Identifying,” which is accomplished through all of the above learning steps.

To “Identify” or to engage in “Identification” is one of the cornerstones of science.

What you will Need:

• 3 to 5 different kinds of flowers
• 6 Sheets of plain papers
• Hole puncher
• String or yarn
• Glue
• Marking pen
• 2 flat boxes

How to Begin:

• Identify and decide onthe kinds of flowers you want to study.
• Collect three (3) different kinds of flowers.
• Collect two (2) of each kind of flower.
• Open up two flat boxes for keeping the flowers. Label them Box1 and Box 2.
  Place the three (3) different kinds of flowers in each of the two boxes you have laid out on the table.
• Assemble the tools and materials necessary to perform the activity.
• Choose a work location. Kitchen table or similar tables work perfectly.
• Lay out all materials on the table.
• Design a spreadsheet to report information that you acquire.

Notes for Expansion:

You may want to extend the number of different kinds of flowers to accommodate the age and interest of your child or children.

Definitions:

Daffodil Science: This is a term I have coined to embody very simple science experiments that will involve flowers, other kinds of plants, and soil related issues.

Blossom is interchangeable with the word “Flower,” although a flower may contain several blossoms.

Petals refer to the individual leaves that surround the reproductive part of a flower. Usually, petals are the smooth, separate parts around the center of a single blossom.

Identify refers to the act of making known; to categorize; to specifically relate one piece of knowledge to another.

PARENTING FOR EDUCATION

By Vivian Owens

Age group: 5 Years Old and Up

ONE-TO-ONE CORRESPONDENCE

As You Wrap Gifts

What You Will Need:

• 6 boxes, each wrapped in a different color paper, i.e. red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple
• 6 ribbons of colors matching the box colors
• 6 blank paper tags
• Transparent tape
• 1 black marker

How To Begin:

• Prepare 6 small boxes by wrapping each in a different color paper. Allow your child to help you wrap the boxes.
• Spread out the boxes on a table
• Spread out the ribbons in front of the matching color box
• Lay out the 6 paper tags beside the ribbons

Educational Benifits:

This activity allows you to engage your child in one-to-one correspondence,counting, writing, and matching. It teaches the child to recognize when specific similar relationships exist between objects.

Definition:

One-to-One Correspondence: “A sense of numbers” skill that involves the act of counting each object in a set just once– counting and associating a number with each object. Touching and matching.

PARENTING FOR EDUCATION

By Vivian Owens

Age group: 2 years old and up

Group the Patterns

What You Will Need:

20 or more 4-inch squares of different colors with different patterns

How to begin:

You must purchase different pieces of cloth and cut four to ten squaresfrom each piece of fabric.

Educational benefit:

This activity teaches simple decision-making, observational skills, immediate recognition skills,arithmetic thinking, sequencing, and all manner of grouping necessary for a range of subject matter.

PARENTING FOR EDUCATION

By Vivian Owens

Age group: 4years old and up

LET ROCKS TALK

How do children learn words?

Some words are learned through hearing. Early in their development, children listen to the sounds around them and pick up words and language.

Children learn some words from their parents, as parents teach them to repeat selected words.

For reading purposes, children learn words by looking at the words, hearing the sounds of the words, spelling the words, and writing the words. Given time, they will say the words and pronounce the words correctly.

Look at the activity below and try to carry out the activity with your child.