“We live on the earth. It is made up of three things: land, water and air.”
This lesson is a great introductory one for preschoolers. I used these “props” to begin the lesson:
Earth: The Blue Planet (Our Solar System)
Air Is All Around You (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
Materials:
- Three containers
- Water
- Blue Liquid Water Color (to color the water)
- Dirt
- A piece of brown, blue and white construction paper
- Cork or another kind of board to create your strips of water, land and air
- Concrete objects to place in each area
- A small basket for the small objects (most of our objects were from Safari Toobs)
Approach:
- I prepared the Land, Air, Water diagram ahead of time by gluing strips of blue, brown and white construction paper on a piece of cork board. I used Mod Podge to seal the paper and make it look a little shinier. Once that dried, I prepared the basket of objects and placed them next to the diagram and three jars that I filled with water (and a little blue liquid water color), land (dirt from our yard) and air.
- Carry the tray to the child (or children).
- Describe what is on the tray as they are: “This jar has dirt in it. This jar has water in it. This jar has air in it, we just cannot see it. This board has three areas: this blue area is water, this brown area is the land and this white are is the air.”
- The first presentation I began placing the objects on the appropriate strip and named each object as I placed it down : “Airplane. Tractor. Duck.” The next times the work is used by your child, allow him the opportunity to name and/or place the objects.
If you enjoyed this post, check out this Introductory Preschool Activity on Land Forms.
I hope that we inspired you today! Please leave a comment, I love hearing from you!
Marnie
I shared this post on:
Marnie Craycroft
Founder, Publisher, Writer & Editor at Carrots Are Orange, Inc.
Marnie began Carrots Are Orange in 2010 after the birth of her first son. Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori inspired homeschooling blog for parents and educators. She hails from Maine, a wonderfully down to earth place to grow up. Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999, currently living in Seattle with her husband and two young boys. She is pursuing Montessori certification.
Latest posts by Marnie Craycroft (see all)
- Summer Solstice Books for Kids - June 18, 2013
- What is Montessori? {Brown Stair} - June 17, 2013
- Weekend Reads - June 15, 2013
I love that you think of ways to teach very young kids about geography! No one really did that with my kids when they were little. Land, Air, Sea is so wonderful since it also engages all their senses.
PragmaticMom recently posted…A Teacher Turned Author Inspires Writing Seeds
Thanks for the book suggestions. We have done this presentation, but I would like to see if Wheels is interested in exploring it deeper.
I love the simplicity of it, when I think of how I was taught about the elements it strikes me as an enjoyable way of grasping the concept of land, sea & air. It seemed so much more difficult when I learnt it. It really is a beautiful way of getting the message across.
Great presentation, Marnie! I love it when land, air, and water is introduced with the jars. Thanks for linking up with Montessori Monday. I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page and added your link to my Land, Air, and Water post at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2011/11/21/montessori-monday-land-air-and-water/
Deb recently posted…Montessori Monday – Montessori-Inspired Christmas Playdough Activities
Thanks, Deb!
i’ve done this with Goblin. Its so fun. But we ended up needing a vendiagram because we decided that some things don’t “live’ in the air, or are amphibious.
The Monko recently posted…Day out with Granny
Yes! I love to watch their minds begin t think critically. We had a few objects straddling the lines. Love the vent diagram!
I like the presentation of this work. I also like the multiple corresponding objects to match.
I love the idea of a venn diagram used with this work. It is a great way to expand upon the idea and extend it to older kids.
Love the presentantion. Thank you for this post.
Thanks so much, I needed a simple but fun way to introduce geography. I just love your ideas!!
Thanks Natali! Preschoolers are ripe for this learning!
Great activity! I have to get together our land, air & water toys and set this up!
Lauren recently posted…A Pinteresting Party | 79