Exploring Apples with Three-Year-Olds- A Developmentally Appropriate Thematic Topic

Exploring Apples with Three-Year-Olds- A Developmentally Appropriate Thematic Topic

Thematic Topics

Appropriateness of the Topic Apple

The Apple topic is appropriate for the three-year-old children for assorted reasons. Firstly, the topic is fun and engaging for the learners. Using an Apple theme for learning purposes captures the interests of the children. The apples are not only colorful but also tasty. Children get to appease various senses as they interact with the fruit. They make meaningful connections with their natural environments in the process of learning. This creates more knowledge for the children.

Secondly, traveling to the orchards is fun for the learners. They get the time and opportunity to gain experience in a natural and open environment. While at the orchards, children interact with farmers, workers, and processors. These interactions provide a different viewpoint regarding different activities that people participate in. For instance, children begin to understand that a teacher, a driver, and a farmer conduct various activities. As they begin to compare the distinct roles of each person in different positions’ conduct, they also create perceptions regarding these roles. In most cases, three-year-olds will be interacting with farmers for the first time in these apple orchards. They now start to differentiate the distinct roles that each person plays in society. One can hear them say that when they are unwell, they visit the doctor/dentist. Such specific statements demonstrate the learning that an Apple theme causes.

Thirdly, children learn about assorted colors and sizes. Apples come in varied sizes and colors; some are small, while others are large, and there are red, yellow, and green apples. At the orchards, there are assorted colors such as green, yellow, brown, or orange. These colors represent different things in an orchard (Shaunna, 2021). For instance, the leaves and grass are green; the soil is brown; the dry leaves can be brown, yellow, or orange. The children’s presence on the farm allows them to interact with new things, including tools used for farming activities. Each of these elements also has different textures. The variety of things on the farm grows the child’s cognitive and thinking abilities.

Fourthly, the children learn the process that apples go through before they get to the table. While at the orchards, children learn about the growth of apples, tending, and harvesting. When they move to the packing facilities, they learn that apples are washed, selected, dried, waxed, and packed for distribution. At this point, they understand that apples go through a process before they get to the supermarket where their parents buy them from. They also learn about other products that are obtained from apples. For instance, apple cider is obtained from squeezed, pasteurized, and fermented apples. Apple juice is also made from apples (Vij, 2021). The children begin to learn about the various products that they encounter in the home environment.

Fifthly, the children also learn the various foods that can be made using apples. For instance, they can identify apple pies, which they may have tasted at home. Once they have learned all these, children can role-play in the classroom setting. They can create orchards using various materials and pretend to be farmers. They can also use play dough to make apple figures in the class with their colleagues. For counting, they can use fake apples to conduct mathematical activities. Thus, the Apple theme is ideal for teaching different concepts to three-year-olds.

Fly Topic for 8-year-olds

The fly topic is ideal for 8-year-olds because it teaches them about insects. Firstly, children understand the insect and their different attributes. They also learn about the various creatures that are categorized as insects due to their attributes. For instance, insects have three body sections: head, thorax, and abdomen. Insects do not have bones, have six legs, and compound eyes. Children learn about the distinct parts of an insect’s body. These include the compound eyes, wings, antennas, and legs. They also learn that compound eyes enable insects to view things differently than human eyes do. These attributes allow the children to identify other insects, including grasshoppers and ladybugs. They understand the concept of classification, which allows the grouping of animals into distinct categories.

Secondly, the 8-year-olds can understand the fly’s habitat and life cycle. The process of learning about flies allows the learners to brainstorm on the various places where they can find the insects. For instance, the children can explore the environment and identify that grasshoppers are found on vegetation while mosquitoes can be found in stagnant water. Others can be found under the ground, such as termites and ants, or in nests for wasps and bees (Insect Investigations for PreK-2, 2021). This theme opens the children’s minds about insects in general. They also understand the life cycle stages that an insect goes through before gaining the learned body form. For instance, a fly starts as a larvae, becomes a maggot, and finally becomes a fly.

Thirdly children learn about different elements that may attract insects, such as flies. For instance, flies tend to be attracted to garbage and other types of dirt. Ants may gather in places where sugar is spilled. Bees tend to follow scents and flowers. Children begin to understand the various things that insects eat to survive. Mosquitoes suck blood, ladybirds feed on aphids, bees rely on nectar from flowers to make honey, and grasshoppers eat vegetation. Children also understand that some insects can lead to diseases. For instance, flies could carry disease-causing microorganisms, which can cause illnesses if one consumes food that has encountered the insect. From this element, they understand the importance of cooking food, boiling water, washing fruits and vegetables, and covering these items to avoid contact with flies. Furthermore, they begin to understand the need for cleanliness to avoid attracting such insects.

Finally, learners can identify insects in printed images by looking at the various attributes. They can also identify them at home and list a few when asked to. The fly topic acts as an excellent avenue for sensitizing children about hygiene practices, hand cleaning, and sanitation. They start to conceptualize some of the sources of illnesses. For instance, mosquitoes are found in bushy areas with stagnant water and can cause diseases such as malaria, which can be fatal. It is through this process that the topic of creatures is gradually built upon in higher grades. At this stage, the learners can easily explain the foods obtained from insects, such as honey (TheSchoolRun, 2021). In addition, their curiosity leads them to ask whether insects are consumed as food. Such questions allow further exploration of the topic to provide more accurate and enlightening information to the learners.

References

Insect Investigations for PreK-2. (2021). Retrieved from Homeschool Hub: https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/early-elementary-insects-science-lesson/

Shaunna, E. (2021). Preschool Apple Theme Activities.

TheSchoolRun. (2021). Insects. Retrieved from TheSchoolRun: https://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/insects

Vij, K. (2021). Preschool Apple Theme Activities. Retrieved from https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/apple-theme-social-studies-lessons/

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Choose a thematic topic for a group of three-year-olds. In a two-page response, explain why the topic Apple was selected, and discuss how it is age-appropriate, individually appropriate, and sociocultural appropriate for these children. Give specifics

Choose a thematic topic for a group of 8-year-old children. In a two-page response, explain why you selected the topic of the life cycle of a fly, explain why you selected the topic, and discuss how it is age-appropriate, individually appropriate, and sociocultural appropriate for these children give specifics.