Lesson Plans - Amazon Web Servicesaha-files.s3.amazonaws.com/63/1340/HSNM_FamCoop_LessonPlans2… · 2 The Story of Persephone and Demeter Appropriate Ages: 4-9 year olds Subject

2009

Lesson Plans The Humanist Society of New Mexico

Family Co-Op Childrens Sunday School

Compiled by Michelle Watson

Created by Jeff and Betsy Cornelius, Kristin and Jonathan

Cram, Melissa Goldman and April Wheeler, Adam and

Elizabeth Sefkow, and Jean-Paul and Michelle Watson

Revision 3

Table of Contents How Isis Gained More Power by Learning Ras Secret Name (Goldman/Wheeler) ....... 1

The Story of Persephone and Demeter (Goldman/Wheeler) ............................................. 2

Egyptian Creation Story (Cornelius) ....................................................................................... 3

What About Gods? (Cram) .................................................................................................... 5

Billy Goat Gracious ((Cram) .................................................................................................... 6

The Turtle and the Island Story (Watson) ............................................................................ 7

Truthfulness in Stories (Cram) ................................................................................................... 8

Myths, Legends, and Fables (Cram) ...................................................................................... 9

Winter Solstice Celebrations (Watson) ................................................................................. 13

Obvious Jokes (Watson) ........................................................................................................ 14

Telephone Game (Cram) ...................................................................................................... 15

Sneetches (Cornelius) ......................................................................................................... 16

The Lorax Lives (Sefkow) ......................................................................................................... 17

Scale Model Solar System (Goldman/Wheeler) .................................................................. 18

Arm Levitation (Cram) ............................................................................................................ 19

Camouflage Candy (Cornelious) ......................................................................................... 20

Animal Feeding (Watson) ...................................................................................................... 21

Darwins Natural Selection (Watson) .................................................................................... 22

Testing the pH Level Using a Purple Cabbage (Goldman/Wheeler) ............................... 23

Fizzy Foaming Mess (Watson) ................................................................................................ 24

Separating Curds and Whey (Watson) ................................................................................ 25

Quicksand (Cornelius) ............................................................................................................ 26

Microscope Magic (Cornelius) .............................................................................................. 27

Oil Race (Cram) ...................................................................................................................... 28

Geological Strata (Watson) ................................................................................................... 29

Deserts and their Animals (Sefkow) ....................................................................................... 30

Music (Cram) ............................................................................................................................ 31

Introduction

The Humanist Society of New Mexico launched its Family Cooperative childrens Sunday school program in

May of 2008. Our intention was to expose our children to different religious beliefs and teach them about

values, morals, critical thinking, and scientific methods. None of us had any experience in creating such a

program, and very few secular programs of this type exist. This booklet is intended for others to use as a

resource for Humanist educational programs. We hope you enjoy!

We met twice a month for approximately an hour. Our usual format was as follows:

begin with a story or an introduction discussion songs play break and snack science activity

The childrens parents rotated as the teachers, preparing the lessons and conducting the class. All parents

were encouraged to stay with their children to share in the learning and teaching and to help manage the

children, who were all under ten years old. We feel this is preferred to a drop off arrangement.

In the Plans you will see Complimentary Activities listed that tie together different concepts. These are given

in some detail on separate pages. Feel free to use whatever combination of content that you think will work

best for your group. Some of the lessons that are centered on a story may seem short; however, the lesson is

really in the story itself. Preparation times are provided as relative guides, but will actually vary depending on

the teachers pre-existing knowledge of the material. Rehearsals with your teaching partner or perhaps even

your own children prior to the group class are highly recommended.

The Family Co-Op and these lesson plans were made possible by the Humanist Society of New Mexico and by

the American Humanist Association (AHA). References to the curriculum areas and topics developed by the

AHA Kochhar Humanist Education Center are included in the left panel of each lesson plan, Curriculum

Resources for the Life Span. Additional resources on those topics can be found at http://www.american

humanist.org/ What_We_Do/Education_Center/HELP.

Director of Classes: Ron Herman, 505-292-4375, [email protected].

Dedication

This Lesson Plan is dedicated to Dale McGowan, who conducted a seminar for our group on March 22, 2008,

to kickoff this program. Dale is a former college professor and novelist who wrote several articles for Parenting

Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion. As editor of that book, he compiled writings

from Richard Dawkins, Dan Barker, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Penn Jillette, Margaret Downy, and other noted

Humanist authors. He has recently co-authored another book, Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for

Parenting Beyond Belief. Dale inspired, guided, and encouraged the new members of the HSNM Family Co-

Op.

Published by the Humanist Society of New Mexico, Albuquerque, May, 2009.

Reproduction is permitted for educational purposes,

but please let us know that you are using these Plans,

so that we can provide updates and coordination.

mailto:[email protected]

1

How Isis Gained More Power

by Learning Ras Secret Name

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Mythology (Egyptian)

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15-25 minutes

Setting:

Story telling arrangement,

kids on the floor on

carpet squares, teacher

on a chair in front of

them. (Carpet stores will

often donate square

samples to schools.)

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

8.2, Understanding Other

Cultures

Objectives:

Since many religions of to-

day are based on ancient

religions, learn about the

early Egyptian gods.

Materials:

Images of Egyptian gods

taken from reproductions of

ancient art.

Background:

The Lesson:

Tell story, adapted from

http://www.egyptianmyths.n

et/mythre.htm

Wrap up and other

References:

Refer to Egyptian Creation

Story in these lesson plans.

Complimentary

Activities:

(Select from those below.)

http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythre.htm

2

The Story of Persephone and Demeter

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Mythology (Greek)

Seasons

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.2 Nature; 8.2,

Understanding Other

Cultures

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Learn about the Greeks

explanation for the seasons.

Materials:

Images of Persephone,

Demeter, and Hades (taken

from ancient images and

DAulaires mythology),

pomegranate (optional, but

great, because many kids

havent seen one before)

Background:

The Lesson:

Tell story, adapted from

DAulaires Book of Greek

Myths

Wrap up and other

References:

Good fall activity, can be

paired with other cultures

stories of the seasons.

3

Egyptian Creation Story

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Mythology (Egyptian)

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

10-15 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.2 Nature; 8.2

Understanding Other

Cultures,

mouth.

Part 3: Read the story of Ra,

which explains how the earth

came to be.

Ra was the first to be he

gives birth to himself from the

waters called Nun. I am

alone and so he began to

create other beings. Ra

created Shu, the goddess of

air, and Tefnut, the god of

water, from his spit. Shu and

Tefnute created two more

beings, Geb, the god of the

earth and Nut, the sky god-

dess.

Ra sent out his eye to keep

watch over his children, the

lesser gods. While his eye

was gone, he created a new

golden eye as a replace-

ment. He was so pleased

with his children that he cried

tears of joy. When his tears

fell from his golden eye upon

the ground, they became

human beings.

His first eye traveled back to

him and was angry to find

that it had been replaced by

a golden eye. So Ra took

back his old eye and placed

it in the middle of his head to

become the sun. From his

other eye, he created plants

and animals.

Each day, Ra traveled across

the sky to light up the world.

And at night he passed

(Continued next page)

Objectives:

Learn about creation stories

the early Egyptian gods.

Materials:

Puppets easily made from brown lunch

bags or more com-

plex if you desire. Pic-

tures can be used as

another option.

The story of Ra and the Dragon

Background:

The Lesson:

Part 1: Define and discuss

creation myths. Definition: A

story people make to

explain how the world

began and/or why things

are the way they are today.

Talk about how long ago

people didnt have science

or scientists to explain the

unknowns. The sun and its

movements were particu-

larly puzzling.

Part 2: Find Egypt on a map

or globe and explain that

some people think that

Egyptian stories are the

oldest. No one can be sure

of this, however, since there

was no written language in

ancient times, and stories

were passed by word of

4

Egyptian Creation Story, Continued

beneath the world, which

was a dark and terrible

place and guarded by a

terrible dragon named

Apep.

Each night, Ra and Apep

would fight, and each

morning Ra defeated Apep

so that he could rise once

more to travel across the sky

and light up the world.

Finally, the lesser gods

banded together and

defeated the dragon for

good. Ra celebrated and

cried, The dragon is the one

fallen! He cannot see! A

curse is upon him I have

swallowed his bones, and his

bones are not. His skin is not.

His children are not. He is

fallen and overthrown!

Now, Ra could travel the

world, even the underneath

world, and shine his light all

over the world.

Wrap up and other

References:

Refer to other Egyptian

mythology.

5

What About Gods?

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Religion

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

10 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

2.1 Rational, Scientific

and Reflective Thinking;


Cultures

is a personal choice to

decide what works best for

you.

Wrap up and other

References:

Complimentary

Activities:

Any science experiment.

(See below.)

Objectives:

Introduce how religion and

science answer some of the

same questions.

Materials:

What about Gods By Chris

Brockman

Background:

Heres a way to get minds

thinking about the differ-

ences between science and

religion. The book provides a

perspective about gods

being invented by people to

explain where the world

came from before scientific

explanations were discov-

ered.

The Lesson:

Read story about gods and

science from the book What

About Gods? Depending on

the age of the children the

first five pages up to: we no

longer need gods to explain

how things happen..we

call this thinking, measuring,

and testing science.

Discuss how science and

religion both exist to answer

questions about life. Talk

about how the author of the

book believes in science as

the best way to understand

our world, but that there

might be other ways, too. It

6

Billy Goat Gracious

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Folklore

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

10 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

2.1 Rational, Scientific,


5.1 Social Action to Meet

human Needs

Objectives:

Students will learn about

cooperation.

Materials:

"The Three Billy Goats Gra-

cious"; a retelling of "The

Three Billy Goats Gruff," writ-

ten by Teaching Tolerance

Director Jennifer Holladay,

puts a cooperative twist on

the traditional Norwegian

tale by Jennifer Holladay.

Available online:

http://www.tolerance.org/te

ach/magazine/features.jsp?

cid=947

Background:

This version of the story

teaches cooperation,

conflict resolution, and

problem solving, an impor-

tant difference from the

original Billy Goat Gruff.

The Lesson:

Read the story.

Wrap up and other

References:

Complimentary

Activities:

Arm Levitation

http://www.tolerance.org/teach/magazine/features.jsp?cid=947

7

The Turtle and the Island Story

Objectives:

Learn about different ways

people explained natural

occurrences before the

scientific method was used.

Materials:

Globe to show location of Papua

New Guinea

The Turtle and the Island: A folktale from

Papua New Guinea

by Barbara Ker Wilson

Background:

Folklore of various cultures

teaches us about other parts

of the world and what they

value.

The Lesson:

Read the story about how

the island was created and

how people came to inhabit

it.

Wrap up and other

References:

Discuss why this story could

or could not be factual.

Also discuss why the people

of the island may have

created this folktale.

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Folklore

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

20 minutes

Setting:


kids on the floor on carpet

squares, teacher on a

chair in front of them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:




Cultures

Complimentary

Activities:

Animal Feeding (see

below)

8

Truthfulness in Stories

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Literacy, Beliefs

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

10-15 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

2.1 Rational Scientific and

Reflective Thinking

didnt happen.) What does

non-fiction mean? (It really

happened.)

Read the story of Mitchel is

Moving (or other animated

dinosaur book).

Discuss the story, ask if they

think this story is fact or fiction

and why. Is it true that dino-

saurs existed? Is there any-

thing about the story that

tells you its not a true story?

Its true that dinosaurs existed

but dinosaurs didnt live in

houses so we know its fiction.

Paleontologists, scientists who

study dinosaurs, know that

dinosaurs didnt live in the

kind of houses people live in,

they lived in the wild, out in

the open in nature, roamed

the earth.

Wrap up and other

References:

Why would someone write or

tell a story that is not true?

(To scare people into acting

a certain way, to entertain,

to get people to think or to

act, to educate people)

How can you tell if something

is true or not?

Complimentary

Activities:

Telephone Game, Myths,

Legends, and Fable.

Objectives:

To promote critical thinking

about whether a story is true

or untrue, completely or

partly real or mythical,

through the telling of a story.

Materials:

Mitchel is Moving by

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

(This story was chosen since

some of our members were

moving. Any story where the

animals have human char-

acteristics could be used.

Background:

Stories are told for different

reasons: to teach a lesson or

about history, to frighten, to

control, to entertain, to

cause people to think, to

act. Historically, some stories

were created to explain

what people did not yet

know until science provided

an explanation. This lesson

encourages questioning

about what makes a story

true or false.

The Lesson:

What is a story? A story is a

written or told narrative,

either true or false (in prose

or verse, designed to inter-

est, amuse, or instruct the

hearer or reader)

What does fiction mean? (It

9

Myths, Legends, and Fables

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Folklore, Beliefs

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

10-15 minutes

Setting:

Story telling

arrangement, kids on

the floor on carpet

squares, teacher on a

chair in front of them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:



3.0 Secular Values and

Virtues (Humility,

Courage, Responsibility

for Our Actions)

Objectives:

To teach the difference

between myths, legends,

fables and folk tales.

Materials:

Aesops Fable( or The Turtle

and the Hare)

Background:

Myths, legends and fables are

old stories written for adults and

children. Folk or fairy tales

were written specially for chil-

dren.

The Lesson:

Explain what myths, legends,

and fables followed by reading

The Tortoise and the Hare.

Part 1:

Myths are made up stories that

try to explain how our world

works and how we should treat

each other. The stories are

usually set in times long ago,

before history as we know it

was written. Myths sometimes

made people feel they had

the answers to questions such

as How did our world come to

be? or Why do tornadoes

happen?. In other myths,

characters called gods or

super-beings used their pow-

ers to make events happen o

adventures of these gods,

goddesses, men and women.

These myths described the big

things that happened to

people and the choices they

made. They might be about

triumph (achieving some-

thing), tragedy (losing some-

thing), honor (doing the right

thing), being brave even

when you are frightened, or

being foolish and making

mistakes. Around the world,

myths were shared by groups

of people and became part

of their culture. Storytellers

have passed the stories on

from generation to genera-

tion. Some myths are told in

many cultures, but with varia-

tions in the events or charac-

ters. Most cultures, tribes or

groups of people have their

version of how our world

came to be. Myth comes

from the Greek word

mythos which means word

of mouth.

Part 2:

Legends are also stories that

have been made up and are

about people and their

actions or deeds. These peo-

ple lived in more recent times

and are mentioned in history.

The stories are told for a pur-

pose and are based on facts,

but they are not completely

true.

Either the person never really

did what the story says, or the

historical events were

changed. The purpose was to


10

Myths, Legends, and Fables, Continued

make the story more interest-

ing or convincing, or to

teach a lesson, like knowing

right from wrong.

Part 3: A fable is another

type of story, also passed

down from generation to

generation and told to

teach a lesson about some-

thing. Fables are about

animals that can talk and

act like people, or plants or

forces of nature like thunder

or wind. The plants may be

able to move and also talk

and the natural forces cause

things to happen in the story

because of their strength.

The most famous fables were

written by a man called

Aesop who wrote more than

600.

Part 4: Read The Tortoise

and the Hare. (Here is a

version retold by writer

Oban. A hare is a rabbit.)

One morning, Hare hopped

down to the lake, to rest in

the warm sunshine. Other

animals were already there.

Fox was lying on the rocks,

cleaning her soft sandy

coat, and Tortoise was

munching the sweet grass

near the waters edge. Hare

stopped and watched them

for a while. Soon Fox

yawned and drifted off to

sleep, but Tortoise carried on

waddling around slowly, her

little pink tongue pulling in

each mouthful of grass. Hare

flicked his long ears and

hopped over to her. Tortoise

stopped chewing, and

stared up at him.

You look funny when you

eat, laughed Hare. Your

feet are short and stumpy,

and you move so slowly. No

wonder you spend so much

time eating it takes you

forever to get enough grass.

Tortoise just stared at him,

and then started chewing

again. Hare was annoyed.

He wanted everyone to talk

to him. He drummed one of

his big feet on the ground.

Im the fastest animal, he

shouted. When I run at full

speed, no-one can beat

me. He looked across at

Fox, who was awake again

and watching carefully. I

challenge anyone to a

race, said Hare, flicking his

ears proudly.

No one answered. Then

Tortoise swallowed her

mouthful of grass. I accept,

she said. Even if you are as

fast as the wind, I can still

beat you in a race.

Hare laughed loudly. I

accept the challenge, he

said. Tortoise suggested that

Fox should choose when they

would race, where they


http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/oban.htm

11


remembering the race, he

leaped up and hopped off

again. In the distance he saw

Fox and the other animals

gathered near the fallen tree

finish point. Good. Theyre

waiting to cheer me when I

win, he laughed as he ran.

Then he saw Tortoise on a

grassy mound right next to

the tree. Fox was talking to

her. Hare bounded up as

quickly as he could. He

couldnt believe he had lost.

Fox nodded to him and

asked everyone to be quiet.

Then he congratulated Tor-

toise on winning the race.

Tortoise was tired, and drifted

off to sleep.

Some of the other animals

crowded round Hare to ask

him what happened. He

should have won, shouldnt

he? His legs were much

longer than tortoises and

hed won other races in the

past. Hare was angry with

himself and felt very silly.

The End

Wrap up and other

References:

What is the moral of this

story? (Slow but steady wins

the race)

When you take it easy

because you think you have

an advantage over some-

one, you may be surprised.

would start and the finish

point. Fox thought it was all

very amusing, and sug-

gested the day after

tomorrow as race day.

When the time came, the

Hare and the Tortoise lined

up at the flat rock, which

was Foxs designated start-

ing point. He told them they

should go round the edge of

the lake and the first one

past the old fallen tree

would be declared the

winner.

The race began. Hare

bounded off at top speed

and soon rounded a bend

and was out of sight. Tortoise

moved at a slow, steady

pace never stopping to

rest or eat. Running by the

side of the lake, Hare felt the

warm sun on his back and

slowed a little. Then he

stopped. Umm, he said,

stretching. Itll take Tortoise

forever to catch up. Ive got

time for a nap. And he

burrowed into the grass and

dozed off.

Tortoise plodded and shuf-

fled on, round the bend,

past the sleeping Hare and

on towards the finish point.

By now the sun was low over

the lake and evening was

coming.

Hare stirred as he felt the

temperature drop, then

12


Complimentary

Activities:

Truthfulness in Stories, Tele-

phone Game

13

Winter Solstice Celebrations

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Holidays, Religion

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15-25 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


Cultures

Part 3: Discuss how people

decide which holidays to

celebrate and which one(s)

would you choose.

Wrap up and other

References:

Endless websites have

descriptions of holidays,

especially these:

http://www.religioustoleranc

e.org/winter_solstice.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Winter_solstice

Eyewitness Books: Religion

by Myrtle Langley

December Idea Book by

Teachers Friend, a Scholastic

Company

Complimentary

Activities:

This activity is intended to be

a regular December activity.

Different holidays can be

chosen each year or

discussed at a different level.

Objectives:

Learn how others celebrate

the winter holidays and how

different religions celebrate

the Winter Solstice.

Materials:

Background:

During different parts of the

year some secular kids have

a hard time understanding

the meaning of different

holidays. Explaining and

discussing these holidays

can unravel the mystery.

The Lesson:

Part 1: Have each child

explain what holiday(s) their

family celebrates and what

it means to them.

Part 2: Pick 4-5 holidays that

are celebrated during the

winter time. Do some basic

research about their origins,

how they are commonly

practiced today, why peo-

ple celebrate them.

Below is a partial list of holi-

days to consider:

Hanukah, Christmas, St.

Lucia, Druid, Celtic Midwin-

ter, Perchta ritual, Soyal,

Kwanzaa, Festivus.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

14

Obvious Jokes

Objectives:

Use jokes to teach thinking

skills.

Materials:

Joke books if desired.

Background:

Sometimes the most obvious

answers are not the first ones

to come to mind. Using

jokes is a great way to make

this apparent.

The Lesson:

The following quiz consists of

four questions that tell you

whether or not you are

qualified to be a professional

thinker.

The questions are not that

difficult. You just need to

think logically.

1. How do you put a giraffe

into a clothes closet? The

correct answer is: Open the

closet, put in the giraffe and

close the door. This question

suggests that sometimes we

can be right with an obvious

uncomplicated answer.

2. How do you put an ele-

phant into a closet? Incor-

rect answer: Open the

closet, put in the elephant

and shut the door. Correct

answer: Open the door, take

out the giraffe, put in

the elephant and close the

door. This question tests your

Appropriate Ages:

4 to adult

Subject Areas:

Critical Thinking

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

5 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


Reflective Thinking

awareness of assumptions

are we starting where we left

off with the giraffe, or before

that? Did we ask about

clothes in the closet when

we started?

3. The Lion King is hosting an

animal conference. All the

animals attend except one.

Which animal does not

attend? Correct answer: The

elephant. The elephant is in

the closet! This tests if you are

capable of comprehensive

thinking (assumptions again).

OK, if you did not answer the

last three questions correctly,

this one may be your last

chance to test your qualifica-

tions to be a professional.

4. There is a river filled with

crocodiles. How do you cross

it? Correct Answer: Send

them all to the animal con-

ference, then simply swim

through it. This question tests

your reasoning ability and

provides a good example of

reasoning from first principles.

Wrap up and other

References:

Refrigerator in original story

replaced with closet to dis-

courage kids from playing in

abandoned refrigerators.

15

Telephone Game

Objectives:

Show that listening skill are

critical but can be difficult.

Materials:

3-4 short sentence that are

printed on note cards

Background:

Even when we try to listen

carefully, what we hear is

not always what was said. It

is important to not always

believe everything that you

hear.

The Lesson:

Play the timeless game of

telephone by having one

person whisper a short sen-

tence to the person next to

them. They have to repeat

the same sentence or

phrase to the next person,

and so on, until everyone

has heard it. The last person

says out loud what they

have heard. The original

saying is then read. Notice

they are rarely even close to

the same. You can do it

multiple times with the

phrases getting longer each

time.

Example phrases: You are

fantastic.

This morning I ate oatmeal

with brown sugar.

Appropriate Ages:

4 to adult

Subject Areas:

Communication

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

5 -10 minutes

Setting:

Everyone (parents

included) sit on the floor

in a circle.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


Reflective Thinking

Another version of this game

creates a story. Have the first

person start by saying out

loud It was a dark and

stormy night.. Have each

person repeat what was said

before them (without correc-

tions) and add a little more.

Repeat until everyone has

completed the story.

Wrap up and other

References:

Discuss how it is easy to mis-

understand others, and that

what we hear in the news

and other sources is also

often misunderstood.

Complimentary

Activities:

Truthfulness in Stories, Myths,

Legends, and Fables

16

Sneetches

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Human Rights

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

40-50 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

7.2 Civil Rights; 7.4 Equal

Opportunity

are mixed together so that

cooperation is required.

Next, have everyone traipse

through the star on or star

off machine so those with-

out stars will now have stars

and those who previously

had stars will have none.

Snack time! The people with

stars will get to eat their

snack first.

Story time! Read Sneetches

by Dr. Seuss and discuss

issues of tolerance and diver-

sity and how the preferential

treatment for those with stars

made the kids feel. Optional:

briefly discuss Martin Luther

King Jr. or other civil rights

leaders.

Complimentary

Activities:

Camouflage Candy (and

have the star group choose

their candy first.

Good January Activity in

celebration of Martin Luther

King, Jr. Day.

Wrap up and other

References:

Make sure the kids recognize

this lesson was done to teach

about inequality; not to show

them that they arent equal.

Objectives:

Learn about differences and

similarities.

Materials:

Yellow t-shirts

Green felt stars and safety pins

The Sneetches by Dr. Suess

Puzzle pieces to two different puzzles

mixed together

The Lesson:

When everyone (adults and

kids) arrives, hand out yellow

shirts (or have everyone

wear one to the meeting).

Half of the group will be

given green stars to put on

the front of their shirts.

Include some small activity

(such as Camouflage

Candy) to show preferential

treatment is given to the

star group. This will provide

a background that you can

discuss later.

For the next part, partici-

pants in the star group will

be given puzzle pieces and

see if they can work

together to solve the puzzle.

Participants without stars will

be given puzzle pieces to do

the same. The puzzle pieces

of the two different puzzles

17

The Lorax Lives

Objectives:

Learn about environmental

issues and how people can

cause them.

Materials:

The Lorax by Dr. Suess

Background:

Dr. Suess was an early

environmentalist and many

of his stories still ring true

today. Relating to story to

current environmental issues

is highly encouraged.

The Lesson:

Read the story and discuss

key areas as the story is told.

Wrap up and other

References:

Refer to current events with

trees and animals in your

area.

Complimentary

Activities:

Planting ivies or other plants.

Creating trufala trees (craft).

Appropriate Ages:

5-10 year olds

Subject Areas:

Environmental Issues

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

25-30 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.3 Impacts of

Technology & the Chal-

lenges of the Future; 5.1

Social Action to Meet

Human Needs

18

Scale Model Solar System

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Astronomy

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

10-15 minutes

Setting:

Large open floor space.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.2 Nature

Wrap up and other

References:

There are many versions of

this that came be found

online. Our measurements

came from Science Wizardry

for Kids by Margaret Kenda

and Phyllis S. Williams

Complimentary

Activities:

Sing Twinkle, twinkle, little

star, I know what you really

are from

http://www.canteach.ca/el

ementary/songspoems34.ht

ml

Objectives:

Give children a sense of the

proportion of the universe

Materials:

Tape measure

Paper planets to scale with the largest

about 12 inches in

diameter

Background:

The Lesson:

Extend tape measure on

floor to the scale of the

distance between the

planets with the farthest

about 25 feet from the

sun. Have children take

turns putting down the

paper planets at the points

indicated by your scale.

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems34.html

19

Arm Levitation

Appropriate Ages:

5-10 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Beliefs

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

10 minutes

Setting:



carpet squares, two

teachers in the front.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


Reflective Thinking

pushing against them with

the back of your hands for 20

seconds, then step away?

One at a time, have the kids

stand between the boards

and do that. Encourage

them to push as hard as they

can, so the effect is better.

As each child steps away

and relaxes their hands at

their side, their arms should

rise by themselves without

any effort.

Ask the kids if they know how

and why this happens. Even-

tually tell them that the entire

time they pressed their hands

against the boards, their

brain was sending signals to

their muscles to raise their

arms. A signal was sent long

enough that there was ten-

sion on their muscles. When

their arms were relaxed,

there was still some tension in

the muscles, so their arms

began to rise.

Wrap up and other

References:

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Students will receive an

understanding of the differ-

ences between science and

belief in superstition through

scientific experiment. Stu-

dents will also learn about

cooperation.

Materials:

2 boards, such as 2x4s,

about 5 feet long

Background:

This provides a great oppor-

tunity to teach that there

are scientific explanations

for experiences that seem

like magic. This experience

is not caused by some

supernatural force, rather a

fairly simple, natural reason.

The Lesson:

This activity takes coopera-

tion, (just like the Billy goats

gracious cooperated with

each other to get to the

other side of the river to the

grass so they could eat).

Have two adults firmly hold

the boards resting vertically

on the floor (secured with a

foot) on both sides of the

student (for bigger kids a

door frame works better).

Ask the kids what would

happen if you stood

between these boards,

20

Camouflage Candy

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Biology, Natural

Selection

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

10 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.1 Evolution; 4.2 Nature

Complimentary

Activities:

Sneetches (and have the

star bellies choose the candy

first).

Wrap up and other

References:

(Optional) Discuss the

Peppered moths and their

ability to camouflage.

Demonstrate with black,

white, and gray photos of

the moths on trees.

Objectives:

Learn about how food can

easily camouflage and why

that matters in nature.

Materials:

Tray of M&Ms and candy corns (Skittles

would work also)

The Lesson:

Mix candy corns and regular

colored M&Ms on a cookie

sheet. To demonstrate artifi-

cial/natural selection, pass

around a tray of candy to

each person. Each person

will be asked to take two

M&Ms and to record the

color they take.

After everyone has chosen

their M&Ms, look at what is

left and discuss why some of

the colors seemed to be

camouflaged by the candy

corns. You should that find

very few chose the colors

that matched the colors of

the candy corns, because

they were camouflaged

among them. Discuss why

this is important (for survival)

in nature.

21

Animal Feeding

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Biology

Duration:

Prep Time:

40 minutes

Activity Time:

10-20 minutes

Setting:

Depends on the

animal(s), but generally a

circle around a table

works well.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Observe animal feeding

patterns

Materials:

Animal(s) such as frogs, toads, fish, or

other easily

transportable animal.

Food for the animals

Background:

The Lesson:

Explain what food you are

feeding the animal. Discuss

what their diet is in the wild.

If you have more than one

animal discuss why they are

different sizes, is one a better

hunter? Can one see

better? Is one the alpha?

Are they different sexes?

Who would survive the best

in nature?

Wrap up and other

References:

Talk about what animals

everyone owns and how

they eat.

22

Darwins Natural Selection

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Biology

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

20-30 minutes

Setting:

At tables with or without

chairs.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.1 Evolution

certain finches have different

beak sizes and shapes based

on what type of food is

available to them.

Part 2: Give each child 10

nickels and 10 pennies.

Explain that the nickels are

the boys and they want to

attract a girl to have kids of

their own. But when one of

the red ones has a kid, it is

usually red and more attrac-

tive to the girls. Replace one

nickel with two pennies. At

the same time remove the

pennies and a of the

nickels due to predators.

More pennies get eaten

because they are easier to

spot.

On the next generation the

penny gets to have four

pretty kids but the nickels

only get to have one. The

red reproduces more

because it is attracting the

strongest girls. Again, elimi-

nate the pennies and of

the nickels to feed the

predators (round up if neces-

sary). Continue to show how

soon the pennies are now

selected as the preferred

attractive trait.

Wrap up and other

References:

Darwin and Evolution for

Kids by Kristan Lawson

Objectives:

Introduce concepts of evo-

lution while celebrating

Darwins birthday (Feb. 12th)

Materials:

The Young Scientist Book of Evolution by

Baraba Cork and

Lynn Bresler

Two bags of seeds (sunflower seeds, bird

seed or popcorn)

Tools of different types such as wire cutters,

wire stripper, blunt-

end pliers, sharp-end

pliers, clothes pin,

vise-pliers, long-

handled vise, needle-

nosed pliers, tongs,

tweezers

40 pennies, 10 nickels per student

Background:

The Lesson:

Part 1: Give everyone a

small plate of seeds and

have them choose a tool.

Give them 30-60 seconds to

see how many seeds they

can pick up. Have them

switch tools and do it again.

After several rotations they

should begin to understand

what works best.

Show them Darwins finches

pictures and discuss why

23

Testing pH Level

Using a Purple Cabbage

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Chemistry

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15 minutes

Setting:

Tables with or without

chairs, plenty of room to

move.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.0 Science

find a better explanation.

The Lesson:

Explain the scientific method

and ask for examples (a

friend tells us there is a mon-

ster in our closet).

Experiments: Cover work

area and pass out filter

paper. Have children take

turns with different liquids.

For each one, child puts a

couple drops of household

liquid on the filter paper and

then drops indicator on top.

Have child make observa-

tions about the colors they

turn and what this means.

Wrap up and other

References:

Ties in well with other discus-

sions of acids and bases,

especially any experiments

with baking soda and vine-

gar.

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Learn how an indicator

chemical works to identify

an acid or a base. Brief

introduction to the scientific

method.

Materials:

Purple cabbage indicator

(prepared according to

directions in Science Wiz-

ardry for Kids by Margaret

Kenda and Phyllis S. Wil-

liams), various liquids from

around the house (prefera-

bly food grade for younger

children; also dissolve salt

and sugar in water for test-

ing), filter paper (coffee

filters will work), eyedroppers

or straws

Background:

The scientific method is a

learning process that most of

us use in our daily lives. Just

about everything starts with

a question, then we propose

an explanation, then we

devise some kind of test for

it. If the explanation is not

proven wrong by the test, it

remains a good explanation.

This must be repeated until

we are confident that we

cannot find a way to dis-

prove our explanation, or we

24

Fizzy Foaming Mess

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Chemistry

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15-25 minutes

Setting:

Tables, preferably not on

carpet.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.0 Science

explanations for this fizzing,

like the Egyptians did for

creation, or we could study

science to help us get ideas.

After they have realized

there is a chemical reaction

that occurs with some start

explaining about acids and

bases. See if they can

explain why vinegar has a

stronger reaction than the

lemon juice. Encourage

them to use the flour for a

thicker but slower reaction.

They will get crazy at the end

with things over-flowing. You

will need to refill their vinegar

and possible baking soda

containers.

Note that all materials can

be dumped in the sink for

cleanup, since they are

natural pipe cleaners.

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Learn about chemical reac-

tions of acids and bases

Materials:

Trays with multiple sections

Or cookie sheets with edges and several

small bowls for each

child

Vinegar

Lemon juice

Baking soda

Flour

Eye droppers

Spoons

Towels or napkins for cleanup

Background:

The Lesson:

Give each child a tray full of

the materials. Dont tell

them what they are or what

they will do if mixed. Instruct

them to add drops of the

liquids to the different pow-

ders. Let them play with

them for about 5 minutes.

Wrap up and other

References:

Refer back to Egyptian crea-

tion story. We could use our

imagination to propose

25

Separating Curds and Whey

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Chemistry

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15-25 minutes

Setting:


chairs.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.0 Science

over the sink. Let the mixture

cool for about 10 minutes.

Once it is cooled, it should

feel like dough or rubber. Let

the kids play with a gob of it.

If they take it home and

leave it out overnight, it will

become hard like plastic.

Wrap up and other

References:

Smelling Science by Shar

Levine and Leslie Johnstone

While the mixture is cooling,

that is a good time to have a

quick snack.

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Learn that milk is made of

different components (a

solid and a liquid) that can

be separated.

Materials:

Microwave

Whole milk

Vinegar

Coffee filters

Microwave safe bowl

Stir stick

Measuring cups and spoons

Background:

The Lesson:

Have the kids recite Little

Miss Muffet. Do any of

them know what curds and

whey are?

Have kids help measure and

pour 1 cups whole milk

into the bowl. Add 4 tea-

spoons of white vinegar.

Yes, it will smell. Microwave

the mixture for 1 minute.

Remove the bowl (it may be

hot!). Let the kids take turns

stirring the mixture until it

turns into a solid. The solid

part is the curd, and the

liquid is the whey.

Place the coffee filter in a

funnel or strainer. Pour the

mixture into it while holding it

26

Quicksand

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Chemistry

Duration:

Prep Time:

40 minutes

Activity Time:

10-15 minutes

Setting:


chairs.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.0 Science

Wrap up and other

References:

Adapted from Pop Bottle

Science

http://www.amazon.com/Po

p-Bottle-Science-Lynn-

Brunelle/dp/B000K3KB1A/ref=

sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid

=1241462185&sr=8-1

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Discuss the similarities and

differences between solids,

liquids and gases and how

we observe them

Materials:

Cornstarch

Water (optionally col-ored with food color-

ing)

One small container like Gladware for

each child

Background:

The Lesson:

Combine cornstarch and

water in the containers at a

ratio of 16 oz cornstarch to 1

& cups water. This must

be mixed together very

slowly; having one adult per

child would be helpful. After

it is mixed, let the kids play

with it and examine it. If

they push their hand through

it slowly, it will act like a liq-

uid; but if they try to go too

fast or hit it rapidly, it will act

as a solid.

http://www.amazon.com/Pop-Bottle-Science-Lynn-Brunelle/dp/B000K3KB1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241462185&sr=8-1

27

Microscope Magic

Appropriate Ages:

5-10 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Chemistry

Duration:

Prep Time:

40 minutes

Activity Time:

10-15 minutes

Setting:


chairs.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

2.1 Rational, Scientific


4.0 Science

needle and make a blood

swath on an empty slide.

Even with a low power

microscope you should be

able to observe human

blood cells. Another option is

to use a cotton swab to

capture cells from the inside

of your mouth for observa-

tion.

Wrap up and other

References:

Discuss why it is useful to

examine things more com-

pletely.

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Discuss observations that

can only be made with a

microscope and discuss

what a microscope does.

Materials:

Microscope

Pre-made slides

Sugar

Salt

Sterilized needle (optional)

Background:

Scientific study often involves

looking beyond what the

eye can see by itself. Using

tools such as microscopes

allows us to understand

more about our world.

The Lesson:

Introduce the microscope to

the kids and explain what it

does. Look at a few pre-

pared slides so that they can

see how it works. Next, look

at sugar and salt out from

under the microscope and

notice how they look the

same. Next, put them under

the microscope and observe

the differences in crystal

structure.

Finally, if someone is brave

enough, prick someones

finger with a sterilized sewing

28

Oil Race

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Chemistry

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

10 minutes

Setting:

Tables with chairs,

preferably on a tile floor

for cleanup

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.0 Science

Wrap up and other

References:

Complimentary

Activities:

Objectives:

Study the viscosity

(thickness) of liquids by

having an oil race.

Materials:

various types of oils such as vegetable oil,

coconut oil, grape

seed oil, mineral oil

(baby oil)

small bottles w droppers

wax paper

cookie sheets, on an inclined plane (prop

up against a wall or

on a pillow or stack of

books)

Background:

The Lesson:

Place four (or more)

different oils on the table in

small bottles with droppers.

Place the waxed paper over

the cookie sheet. Have

each kid place a drop of oil

at the top of the waxed

paper at the same time.

Which oil goes the fastest,

slowest? Why? Compare

the thickness of each oil.

Introduce the vocabulary of

viscosity and which oil is

more viscous.

29

Geological Strata

Appropriate Ages:

4-10 year olds

Subject Areas:

Science, Geology

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15 minutes

Setting:

Tables with chairs,

preferably on a tile floor

for cleanup

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


cup before you begin. Tape

or glue dental floss to the

center of the object. After

the strata model is complete,

gently pull the dental floss to

upset the layers of strata. This

demonstrates the motion of

a fault line, mountain

formation, or volcano.

Wrap up and other

References:

Adapted from Darwin and

Evolution for Kids by Kristan

Lawson

Complimentary

Activities:

Darwins Natural Selection

Objectives:

Demonstrate how different

layers of the earth are

formed

Materials:

1 Glass jar (and lids) or clear plastic cup

one per child

Several different soils such as dirt,

sand, flour, sugar,

brown sugar, crushed

leaves, small rocks,

anything else you can

think of

Background:

The Lesson:

Give everyone a plastic cup

or jar. Tell them to add a

little bit of each soil, alter-

nating colors if possible.

They do not need to be

even as the wind and water

did not deposit dirt evenly as

the earth was formed.

Variations:

1. Insert a dog bone or other

item to represent a fossil.

Compare different strata

models and where the fossils

are. Which one is older?

2. Place a small piece of

cardboard, button, or plastic

wheel on the bottom of the

30

Deserts and their Animals

Appropriate Ages:

4 to adult

Subject Areas:

Science, Nature

Duration:

Prep Time:

1 hour

Activity Time:

15 minutes plus as

long as they can

hike!

Setting:

Trail head and hiking path

Curriculum for the

Life Span:


has pointy, sharp

spines?

pinon tree Why dont the leaves fall off in

the winter?

black widow spider Why does the spider

have red on its belly?

coyote Why is it tan? roadrunner Why

does it have long

legs?

mountain lion Why is it tan and have a long

tail?

lizard Why can a liz-ard throw its tail?

cholla cactus Why do you think it has

pointy, sharp spines?

yucca Why do you think the flower grows

so tall?

Part 3: Go on a nature walk.

Have students recognize

plants and animals they see

on the walk with the ones we

discussed beforehand. If

they see plants and animals

that we have not discussed,

have students identify fea-

tures of it and why it may

have developed in that

manner.

Wrap up and other

References:

Objectives:

Get to know (high) deserts

and the animals that live in

them, discuss different spe-

cies adaptations to the

desert

Materials:

Book Desert by Daniel

Moreton. Pictures of various

plant and animal species

found in the region.

Background:

This lesson is specific to the

desert southwest but can

easily be modified for any

nature walk.

The Lesson:

Part 1: Read the book

Desert discuss the pictures

in the book: compare and

contrast the pictures of simi-

lar things (ex: How are these

cacti different/alike?) At the

end of the book, discuss why

there are no big tall trees in

the desert (because big

trees need lots of water, and

there is only a little water in

the desert).

Part 2: Look at pictures of

things that students might

see in the high desert.

Discuss the adaptations of

each one:

prickly pear cactus Why do you think it

31

Music

Appropriate Ages:

4-9 year olds

Subject Areas:

Music

Duration:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Activity Time:

10 minutes

Setting:





them.

Curriculum for the

Life Span:

4.1 Evolution

See o-ppo-sa-ble thumbs,

See how we can still work,

Work so we can have

peace.

It is EV-O-LU-TION.

Song 2:

CROCODILE SONG words

by Kristin Cram, based on a

folk song called Song of the

Wind, music included at the

end of this section.

Evolution Version:

Once there was a crocodile

who used to be a fish,

used to be a fish,

Till he grew some legs and

lungs, and lots of great big

scary teeth.

Till he grew some legs and

lungs and lots of great big

teeth.

Animated Version:

Once there was a crocodile

who snapped at all he saw,

(make big crocodile mouth

with arms or small one with

hands and make it snap as

you say snap!)

snapped at all he saw,

(snap)

Till he snapped a rock, and

got a tooth ache in his jaw-

ha-ha.

Till he snapped a rock, and

got a tooth ache in his jaw.


Objectives:

To have everyone partici-

pate in singing songs with

fun lyrics and lessons.

Materials:

Large paper chart on easel with lyrics

iPod songs (optional)

guitar or piano (optional)

printouts of lyrics

Background:

These songs are simple, but

having someone with some

musical background is

helpful.

The Lesson:

Song 1:

MONKEY SONG 4 pitches

with the rhythm quick quick

quick quick long long (4

eighth notes, 2 quarter

notes. Every line is on one

pitch, moving up by 3 whole

steps and a half step (such

as A, B, C# , D) with each

line, The 4th pitch is

repeated, then sing back

down each pitch with each

line of words.

See the hairy monkey,

Learning to stand upright,

Learning to use tools and

Talking to each other.

32

Music, Continued

Spoken- "Then came the

litterbugs- but they were

dancing!!!

Instead of polluting the

ocean which hurts the fish,

instead of trashing the earth,

they were helping to clean it

up! And dancing while they

cleaned!!!

This made everyone SO

happy they all danced a

dance called the jitterbug

and were never litterbugs

again.

The moral of the story is:

"We can work together to

take care of our planet - and

be jitterbugs instead of

litterbugs!"

Song 5:

Introduce songs by saying

who wrote or performed

them originally. Then sing,

play, or listen to songs that

provoke discussion about

their meaning.

Recommended songs:

This Land is Your Land by

Arlo Guthrie on sharing and

protecting our lands.

Song 6: Stars from

http://www.amazon.com/Po

p-Bottle-Science-Lynn-

Brunelle/dp/B000K3KB1A/ref=

sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid

=1241462185&sr=8-1


Song 3:

HSNM FAMILY CO-OP

GREETING SONG

(Sing to the tune of Twinkle

Twinkle Little Star)

I am happy u have come,

I hope we'll have lots of fun.

We r happy to ask u,

Many questions or a few.

Squeeze 3 times for

"ques-tion-ig"

Asking, thinking, and

learning.

Song 4:

LITTLE SEAGUL LU LU"

(to the tune of Little Bunny

Foo Foo/Down by the

Station)

Little Seagul Lu Lu swooping

in the ocean,

Swooping up the fish and

takn em home for lunch.

Spoken- "Then came the

litterbugs, and they said:

Little Seagul Lu Lu, we mess

up the ocean

When you need healthy fish

you'll

Find they are yucky now

Spoken- "You litterbugs bug

our earth, hurt our ocean.

We can clean up the ocean

and have a healthy world if

you stop being litter bugs!!!!"

Little Seagul Lu Lu swooping

in the ocean

Swooping up the fish and

taking them home for lunch.

http://www.amazon.com/Pop-Bottle-Science-Lynn-Brunelle/dp/B000K3KB1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241462185&sr=8-1

33

Music, Continued

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

I know what you really are:

Giant ball of glowing gas,

One of billions in a mass!


Oh, how big you really are!

Twinkle, twinkle, giant star,

Larger than the Earth by far!

Since your distance is a lot,

You look like a tiny dot.

Twinkle, twinkle, giant star,

Very bright, yet very far!

Stars are twinkling, every

one,

Some are bigger than the

sun!

Just a twinkle in the sky,

Just because you're oh, so

high!


Oh, how big you really are!

Words by Meish Goldish

Wrap up and other

References:

Complimentary

Activities:

Music at every lesson is

recommended.

34

Music, Continued

References:

Documents

Lesson Plans - Amazon Web Servicesaha-files.s3.amazonaws.com/63/1340/HSNM_FamCoop_LessonPlans2… · 2 The Story of Persephone and Demeter Appropriate Ages: 4-9 year olds Subject