My September post is a lively movement activity that celebrates autumn. The sunflower is one of my favorite flowers, and it provides the inspiration for this poem/riddle and a movement exploration.
THE SUNFLOWER
A Dance Activity for Young Children
To begin the activity, read the poem* below out loud, and ask the children to try to guess the answer.
Prepare:Children start this activity curled up on the floor and then respond with movement as you call out each line. Give them plenty of time between each prompt so that they can fulfill their movement ideas.
Optional: Quiet instrumental music in the background.
Begin the activity:
I’m a tiny, tiny seed.
A child planted me on a warm spring day.
I’m tucked down deep in the dark, rich soil.
Now it’s time to begin to grow.
I gently push against the sides of the seed shell.
I begin to sprout and reach through the soil.
Now I can see the blue summer sky.
I feel the warm sun and the cool rain.
I’m growing taller every day.
I’m starting to become a flower.
My petals surround my face like little flames.
I open my bright golden face to the sun.
I follow the sun as it moves through the sky each day.
All summer, bees and butterflies come to drink my nectar.
My heavy sunflower head begins to droop and nod.
Fall is here and my leaves are fading.
Birds like to eat my seeds.
The morning frost causes me to droop even more.
Winter is coming and I slowly fall to the ground.
The cold wind blows.
My seeds scatter.
Snowflakes fall and cover the seeds.
I wait until springtime to sprout again.
Expand the Activity:
Use this same format for dancing about other types of plants, and other nature themes, such as the metamorphosis of a tadpole to a frog, and a caterpillar to a butterfly.
Hi! It's Carolyn from Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together. I am JUST about to start my new school year with my new class, tomorrow. I'm so excited to make this a rich, rewarding year of love and learning for each of my new students.
This year, our school is incorporating STEM as one of our special areas. I'm so excited that our school values all that STEM involves.
Over the years, STEM has evolved from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, to STEAM, which also includes Art, and now STREAM to include Reading as well. I think this evolution has occurred because educators realize the importance of student learning through integrated subject areas. Remember Thematic Learning and Unit Studies? They worked!
The best learning isn't done by serving children chopped up bits of unrelated information. Children learn best with intentional teaching for active, playful, challenging learning that integrates subject areas like Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math, with the 21st century skills of cooperation, collaboration, communication, and creativity.
Dr. Jean and I have had so much fun making thematic packets that include practice for all of these skills. She has a page on her website this month that explains that it looks like playing but...
And the "but" part of that statement is the meat of the learning. And, OH, what they learn!
We have just completed another packet perfect for the beginning of the year all about Colors.
The packet includes a Color Prezi- that's great for introducing and reinforcing lessons, 20 QR codes for color stories and the science of colors, 21 writing prompts to go with color stories, and lesson plans for lots of STREAM activities. Finally, the packet includes two of Dr. Jean's songs about colors!
I made the QR codes into books for the children for the beginning of the year. These QR Code Books are perfect for our listening center. The kids LOVE the stories.
We also have writing prompts for each of the stories in the packet to go with the QR code, for an extension activity! Or for later in the year when your students are more ready to write. The prompts also have the QR code on them, so the kids can take the story home with them and listen any time they want!
Go Away Big Green Monster is always one of my favorite books to share in the beginning of the year. The first time I read the story, I use it as a listening activity. The children listen to the monster's description and draw as I read- without seeing the pictures. It's very telling- and lots of fun!
Then, I read the story (usually over and over and over) on the rug so they can see the pictures. Finally, the children share and show the monster they drew.
The great thing about this share is that there is always at least one fabulous part of each drawing- the big yellow eyes or the long bluish, greenish nose... It's a great way to have the children start noticing good things about each other's work.
Here is the video that is on the QR code that the kids LOVE!
If you'd like a copy of this writing prompt, just click the picture below. The prompt also has the QR code on it so the children can take the story home with them.
The first two full weeks of school are our "Color Weeks." Each day the children wear a specific color, and I take a picture of us all dressed in our color. We make a Colorful Class book and a Crazy Colorful Class book with silly pictures.
I also put these up beside our door in the hall or in our classroom as color word anchor charts.
The packet includes book covers and color word pages for these books.
When we study green, I also love to use Little Blue and Little Yellow, by Leo Lionni. It's a great introduction to color mixing. Here's an example of one of our activities in the Color Packet that I use when we learn about green. The activities are all set up this way, and have book suggestions to go with them.
I start off my year with this Colors Packet and ideas from I am a Scientist. These packets are a great introduction to science for children, because they LOVE the activities- and therefore begin school LOVING science. Win! Win!
Here is a list of all we included. It's a great variety of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities.
The Shoe Classification activity is fun for any time of the year- and a great way to help your students understand that scientists observe, classify, hypothesize, test, and conclude. This activity is a perfect way to explain and reinforce those vocabulary words, too. This is one of the first activities I do with the kids as we talk about sorting and classifying.
The children learned how important sorting and classifying is in a fun way. Start with a simple attribute to sort by, then get progressively more tricky! Then, choose a student to sort by an attribute. They love it!
fluorescent yellow on the sneaker
laces/ no laces!
tied/ untied
It's interesting to see which traits are tricky and which aren't. They get really fast at the game quickly. And they love to see how fast they can solve the mystery!
Scientist of the Week is another winner. My children cannot wait for their week. You can make as much or as little of this as you want. I try to have my Scientist of the Week have a chance to lead a discussion (ask questions), choose videos, and make some decisions so he/she feels special. It's simple for me, but huge for them!
The Prezi has the videos that are on the QR codes, too, so I used the Prezi to teach and the QR codes as a center to reinforce the concepts. I zoom in on either the "I am a Scientist" or "The Scientific Method" slide and leave it up on the Smart TV for science so the kids see it as a huge poster. Those slides are also both anchor charts included in the packet. I print them both for each student to put in their own Science Journals.
I hope you found some fun STEM/STEAM/STREAM activities to do in your classroom. There is nothing like hands-on learning for children.
Have a wonderful school year!
Today that little girl is a 22-year-old professional musician, educator, producer, and published author. Her name is Sam Feldman. Sam's first published book is a co-write of The Flood, the first book of the new children's series Sam the Ant, heralded as this generation's Winnie the Pooh. Her next adventure is... Co-writing this month's blog! Hello, everyone! I'm Sam! Special thanks to my incredible father for having me on as guest-writer!
The Sam the Ant series is entirely in both English and Spanish, allowing reader and child alike to expand their knowledge of languages.
My father and I have had an amazing time growing and creating together as co-authors, as father and daughter, and now as colleagues. So what led to the creation of the Sam the Ant characters, books, and brand?
Curiosity is at the foundation of these children's books and the basis for how my father and I live our lives.
Today's blog is about how we can improve the way we engage young readers, from PreK through elementary school. Certainly, my father's background as an educator, artist, author, public speaker, and inventor comes into play. We're going to share with you five ideas and strategies that will improve how you connect with young readers, and we'll be highlighting our new book as well as the unique, free resources that come with it. The five areas are:
Reading vs Storytelling
Questions vs Interruptions
Adversity
Diversity
Perspective
Bonus! Free Resources you can use right now to build critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and perspective.
______________________________________________________ But hang on! What is the literary world saying about this book? Here's one review from literary expert, Dallas Miller, of Killing The Grizzly and Splice Pictures in Los Angeles.
Dallas Miller, Co-Founder of Killing the Grizzly Literary Agency
I am thoroughly impressed with the amount of work that Sam and Enrique have put into amassing this collection. Much like the best stories, the best teaching tools are those that come from real experiences. And the real life, father-daughter connection inherent to this work is certain to resonate with both students and teachers alike. I have no doubt that this series with it's easily accessible protagonists and expansive world will quickly become a favorite.
Storytelling led by Enrique Feldman at Make Way for Books in Tucson, Arizona. Storytelling includes getting everyone involved in a story with their minds... AND their bodies!
We all want our children to be fantastic readers, and while letter shapes, sounds, and other technical areas are of great importance, there are other areas that greatly increase the chances of any young child in becoming great readers and learners. The primary area I am referring to is "creating a desire to read." Reading to a child is a great start! It is one step on the path to becoming a storyteller for and with your child! One organization which we have the great honor of partnering with is Make Way for Books. They are fantastic at reaching out to our community.
Scroll down and click on the parent guide!
Opening Day for Sam the Ant at Barnes & Noble, July 9, 2016. Enrique leads two young boys and a group of children and adults with his Interactive Brainwave Games to improve focus before storytelling.
But hold up! What are educators saying about this book? Here's a review from Jess W. Gibson, Ph.D. (author, developmental psychologist, and educator in Long Beach, California).
Jess W. Gibson, Ph.D, Author, Developmental Psychologist and Educator
Sam the Ant is a fantastic adventure that helps children develop their creative and critical questioning skills while teaching growth values such as acceptance, curiosity, and intellectual exploration... this series will become a classic learning tool, where children
can't wait to become engaged in their own exploration
Enrique leading a storytelling session while listening to the ideas of
children, embracing their ideas, and weaving
them into the experience.
Children are naturally curious. They are natural researchers and explorers, and some of the most brilliant adults learn from children and find ways to remain curious, even in old age! With this in mind, consider the following idea:
When a child "interrupts" an adult who is reading or storytelling, is it possible that this "interruption" is in fact an opportunity to find
out what the child is noticing about the story? Could these "interruptions" be an example of a child expressing what they are enjoying and learning from the story? My father has been storytelling with young children since 2000, and I have had the invaluable privilege of learning from him that when a child adds their voice into any session, it is usually a golden moment; a moment when we can connect them even more deeply to the story and to their own learning,
and elevate their desire to learn.
In case you didn't scroll down earlier, here is an example of the parent guide that we include at the end of each book! This one shares ideas about how to transform reading into storytelling, and how to engage a child's questions as moments to build language and thinking.
But wait! What are parents saying about this book? Enjoy this review from father, Simon Smart, of Tucson, Arizona.
Simon Smart, Founder of Warrior Protocol and Father
I read Sam the Ant - The Flood to my 5 year old son. He often gets distracted while we read together, but this book seemed to draw him in and capture his imagination - I think it’s the pacing of the story and the character. He loved the twist at the end. I really appreciated how the book gave me ideas on how to dig deeper into the content with him to create a discussion about the story, and he loved that part as much as the story himself. I’ve noticed that many kids books are trash…Sam the Ant is the opposite - a well put together story designed to deepen and broaden the mind of a
Sam the Ant is keeping very good company at the enchanted Toy Store, Mildred and Mildred, at La Encantada Mall in Tucson, Arizona
3. ADVERSITY
When the river is wide, how do we cross?
What should the ants Sam and Sandy do?
Should they dive in? Why?
A page from Sam the Ant - The Flood
What would happen to young learners if all adults took the time to ask these kinds of questions? Open-ended questions are key if we are to develop a future generation of creative and innovative citizens; a generation of DaVincis and Galileos, if you will. When we created the Sam the Ant series, we thought about how we all encounter adversity in our lives. An important idea we considered was how crucial it is to be willing to work through adversity, rather than giving up or running away. The following three images are from the first book, Sam the Ant - The Flood. While not in chronological order, they each represent adversity which Sam the Ant and Sandy the Ant have to face. Storytelling can be more than a language-building experience. It can be a life-building experience.
Whether you are reading in English, Spanish, or both, we encourage you to ask children interesting questions whenever you can. Even on pages of the book that have no guided bubble-thought questions, feel free to ask your child if they have any questions. For example, on the above and below images, you could start with a simple question and increase the level of question each time you read it (because we all know we read their favorite books more than once! Just ask me, a 22-year-old, how many times I've read the Harry Potter series...the answer is...no one will ever know)
What are the ants traveling on? Why?
Which way are they traveling?
Where do you think the ants are headed?
Are they going with the current or against it?
What is a current?
What might happen next?
What does happen next?
What made the leaf go into the air?
What possible solutions exist for Sam and Sandy?
"It's not the thing...it's how we do the thing," is one of my favorite quotes. We live in a world that is obsessed with content, and while I like content and understand that great content is very important, the way we deliver it is potentially the most transformational part of any content. How anyone shares an idea; how a teacher delivers a lesson plan; how an artist connects with their audience; how a chef treats the food they are preparing. The how is where self-inspiration can seep into the mind of the learner and ignite both curiosity and transformation...from "I can"...to "I am."
Take a good look at the image above. If you were reading this to someone, what kinds of questions might they ask? What kinds of questions might you ask? Here are some that my father and I have asked. We ask these questions over time, allowing plenty of time, even days or more, in between questions. How many questions and how often we ask depends on how the learner responds.
What are the ants thinking?
Where did their leaf boat go?
What is the large grey object? What is it doing?
Which way is the shadow flying?
Where are the ants? Are they on an island? A peninsula?
But hold the onions! What are elementary educators saying about this book? This review is from Maria Marin, Director of Elementary and K-8 schools in the Tucson Unified School District. Maria is also a 25-year veteran educator and proud mother of two.
Maria Marin, Director of Elementary
Schools and K-8 Schools, TUSD
Sam The Ant “The Flood” is a sweet celebration of friendship and adventure! The artistic and soulful Feldman Father/Daughter author team shroud fear, and brilliantly illuminate the plot with curiosity, hope, and possibilities! The story line reminds us that open-minded and courageous actions can overcome adversity! This book is a must-read and deserves a permanent place in the library of everyone who believes that we are greater together than all alone!
The word "diversity" is used a lot by adults, but how often do we take the time to introduce this word to our children? Furthermore, how can we do so in authentic and playful ways? We considered this while writing Sam the Ant and we believe we have created a number of opportunities for diversity to be discussed in context of the story. Personally, for both of us, having encountered diversity in many ways throughout our lives has made us far stronger, smarter, and resilient individuals. We have traveled and experienced other cultures, including their foods! #yum We have experienced many ways of thinking, and learned that by embracing diversity as a whole, we are able to find common ground. Common ground allows us not only to converse, but to collaborate with others. It allows us to build community, both in a larger sense and a smaller sense; the kind of community one builds with one classroom of children, or even simply one child.
An image of Sam and Sandy, both ants, but also different in many ways.
Drag the dragonfly. When Sam and Sandy first see Drag, the differences frighten them. What do they do when confronted with something so different from themselves?
Here is an example of the learning guide that we include at the end of each book! This one shares ideas about how to introduce adversity and diversity when storytelling.
But STOP! Hammer time! What are early childhood educators saying about this book? Here's a review from educator Gina Villarreal, from Outer Limits preschool in Tucson, Arizona.
Gina Villarreal, early childhood educator
Outer Limits Preschool
Quality books are gold to a preschool teacher, and this story is gold! Sam the ant is with his friend when it starts raining. The rain turns into a storm, and Sam finds himself in trouble and faced with a choice: trust the helping hand of the strange-looking creature or not? This story has adventure, encourages problem solving and perspective taking, and has a humorous ending. As a teacher and parent, I appreciate the questions at the bottom of the pages and the learning guides at the end of the book. It's also bilingual! I can see myself using this book in the classroom throughout the year to learn about diversity and kindness.
________________________________________________
5. PERSPECTIVE
The learned ability to seek out new perspectives in life is one of the essential skill sets we need as human beings if we are to live a happy life and have a positive impact on our community. Perspective building breeds things like compassion and empathy, and one other byproduct is a deeper sense of gratefulness. In writing this book, we chose to intentionally create moments where perspective was either very obvious or could be found out!
Enjoy this next image and think about what kinds of perspective-based questions you could ask a young learner? One that we usually ask is "Why is the rain drop so big?" The responses from 4- and 5-year-olds vary from "I don't know" to "because the ant is small."
During this story and those to come you will get to know Sam the Ant's good friend, Sandy the Ant. Together they work through adversity by embracing diversity. Additionally, they each bring their own perspective to many situations. To assist the adult reader we have included bubble-thought questions on some pages. These questions each relate to adversity, diversity, and/or perspective.
There is one page we are purposely not including in this blog, because it is the big perspective twist at the end of book. I shall reveal no clues other than to say: every time I watch my father sharing the book in one of his sessions, and every time I reach this page while reading to my young friends at the Sahuarita Food Bank, children and adults all respond with wonder, joy, and laughter!
But stop! Hey! What's that sound? What are early childhood music educators saying about this book? This review is by Alice Pringle, a music educator who just released a stellar children's album. Alice has worked with young children for over 40 years!
Artist and Early Childhood Educator, Alice Pringle
Real Music at www.alicepringle.com
Sam the Ant is quite a curious creature. Sam, along with good friend Sandy, has an adventure of the ‘watery’ kind. As they face challenge after challenge, Sam and Sandy meet insects that they have never before encountered who offer to help them. Time and again they overcome their initial fear and accept help from someone who is different than they are and in the process discover a whole new community of friends.
This book offers the reader the chance to engage the listener with questions that relate to his/her own life experience. The illustrations are delightful and add expressive backdrops for Sam’s story. Having the option to read it in either English or Spanish is another big plus.
This book would make a wonderful addition to any bookshelf whether in schools or in homes. I look forward to the further adventures of SAM THE ANT!
As part of the Sam the Ant journey, we are currently creating humorous, poignant, and meaningful Sam the Ant Origin videos and ANTventures! Both can be used with young learners to build critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and innovative thinking. For the first 8 origin videos we encourage you to listen to the questions Sam the Ant asks and use those as a starting point for conversations with your children. From video 9 onward, when the drama really kicks in, we have begun to include questions at the end of each video to act as a guide.
We have 8 of 30 videos completed and ready for you and your children! A new video is released every week. Each video is 15-30 seconds long and includes:
an original soundtrack
original voiceovers of Sam the Ant & other characters
a storyline that engages young and old
To receive this free family friendly video series:
We have 3 of an indefinite number of these completed. Each video is between 30 seconds and 2 minutes in length. Each video focuses on the concept of embracing multiple perspectives, and can help you introduce this idea to children.
To receive this free family friendly video series:
Click below to view "Snapchat Takeover"
Click on the "Subscribe" button that is embedded in the video.
You can either watch these videos in order or out of order.
You and your child can add samdantofficial on Snapchat to follow along with Sam the Ant's daily adventures, all from the perspective of an ant!
To all the the adoring fans *wink* who have come out to support us at our book signing and storytelling events:
Our illustrator (right), Abe Mendoza and two of his friends at our Barnes & Noble release event!
Enrique Feldman (right) joined by Mime, Actor and Director Rick Wamer just before the first reading of Sam the Ant!
Elsa Bonilla (left), Sam Feldman (center), and Enrique Feldman (right) at the opening of Sam the Ant!
Marie Sierra, Pianist on tour in China with the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, 2013
Wife to Enrique and Father to Sam
To Nick Feldman, my brilliant and statuesque baby brother, for his love and support; for using his imagination to play and explore with our dad and me back when we first started to create Sam the Ant; for lighting up every room he enters and unconditionally loving and caring for every human being he encounters; for bravely boycotting the Arizona Merit High School Exam and instead using that time to write an incredible poem about the value of true, authentic learning. I love you more than anything, Baby Brudder.
Nick Feldman (left) and Sam Feldman (right) at a family celebration, May 2016
To Enrique Feldman Sr. and Vicky Feldman, living examples of persistence and unconditional love.
To Dr. Carroll Rinehart for being a mentor to my dad, Enrique, since 2003; for changing the balance of questions and statements, forever. For helping my father reveal his own purpose to himself... Carroll, your legacy is secure.
I've had so much fun guest-writing this month's blog. I'd like to say thank you again to my fellowSam the Ant creators, Enrique Feldman and Abe Mendoza!! Have courage and be kind, Sam
Sam Feldman
Abe Mendoza
Enrique Feldman
Thanks for reading and keep asking yourself and the children in your life questions that allow room for thought!
