Earth Day on April 22nd is right around the corner, and this year, the theme is ‘Trees for the Earth.’ Are you planning on incorporating this into your curriculum?
Intentional thinking within an emergent curriculum is important. But what is Intentional teaching? This happens when Early Years Practitioners have a learning focus in mind such as Earth Day, use strategies to support children’s learning, then monitor and adjust their interactions with children based on observation of the learning that is taking place.
With Earth Day in mind there are many different learning opportunities, whether your group may consider doing science-based investigations, thematic reading or creative arts projects.
To help Early Years Practitioners brainstorm some ways to incorporate Earth Day into the curriculum, we’ve compiled some suggestions to start your discussion about Earth Day.
– Creating homes for wildlife (have a look at our Enhancing Outdoor play booklet on LCCC website for ideas on creating a bug hotel)
– Providing food for wildlife (look back at our previous blog – Recycling in your Early Years Service to create a simple bird feeder)
– Planting trees, flowers and vegetables
– Art – bark rubbing/art palette
– Outdoor classroom or work to develop a wildlife/forest garden
Remember to use recycled materials to create any of the opportunities above.
If this area is of interest to you and the children in you preschool why not consider participating in the Green Preschools Ireland Programme. Further details are on their website http://www.greenpreschoolsireland.org/ or contact Longford County Council, Environment Officer – Gary Brady on 043 3346231.
