#212 Flower Power
After discussing
flowers with Rousso, Wimzie and Jonas decide to grow a flower
and seek Yaya's help. Yaya directs Wimzie to a seed she
gave her long ago; now is the right time for planting it.
Wimzie and Jonas plant the seed in Jonas' dirt and begin
the long process of waiting for the special "Tootlip" to
grow and bloom. A week or "seven sleeps" is patiently lived
out by Wimzie and Jonas. Meanwhile, Horace and Loulou see
how interested Wimzie and Jonas are and "plant" a pot too
(but they forget about a seed). The magical Tootlip blooms
with flowers that are whistles. Wimzie and Jonas begin to
fight over who owns it. Yaya calls "time-out" and helps
them problem solve how to share it; meanwhile the Tootlip
plant makes more whistles and everyone gets one.
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- Children will learn that you
have to wait for some things, like flowers to grow (and
birthdays and your own growing).
- Children will learn that sharing
a job is easier than sharing a thing but they can work out
both kinds of sharing.
- Children will learn that sometimes
things that don't look fun can be fun.
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Vocabulary: |
patient
time-out
wait
week |
Suggested Activities: |
| Before you view:
Wimzie and Jonas are going to grow a special flower. Watch to
see what it turns out to be. |
| While you view:
See suggestions in "How to use this guide" |
| After you view:
Go back to your pre-viewing activity and have the children respond
to the question. (Answer: They grew a "Tootlip" flower that
made little whistles for everyone to play with.) Talk about
what you have seen and take some time to discuss it. |
Extended Learning Activities |
Option 1: Growing Seeds (Teamwork
and Waiting Activity)
Materials required: Different seeds; apple and orange seeds,
beans, lentils, radishes, marigolds; containers, soil or sand |
| For
quick results, within a week, use beans or lentils. Soak them
in water overnight or for a few hours. Drain and let children
place a few seeds in a container of soil or sand, covering the
seeds lightly. Or place seeds in a plastic bag with a damp paper
towel. Keep the containers in a warm, light place. If they get
cold the seeds may rot. Check them each day. Mark off the days
on a calendar like Wimzie did. The seeds will sprout soon and
the sprouts can be eaten if beans or lentils. Radishes and marigolds
take longer; apples and oranges even longer. But experiment
with all sorts. |
Option 2: Sharing One Thing Among Several People (Problem Solving
Activity)
Material required: One big cookie, brownie, or pancake, or a
small package of some favorite treat such as little mints or
chocolates |
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Gather the children around and
tell them you have a problem for them to figure out: one thing
and several people who would like it. What shall we do? Discuss
their suggestions, letting them see if possible why some ideas
are more acceptable than others. They will probably come up
with a good plan. It might even be one where the biggest child
gets more because he needs more food, or the littlest child
gets more because she is the youngest. Children have a pretty
good sense of what is fair and will benefit by working out
the problem for their own group.
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Option 3: Waiting for Something Good to Happen (Time Awareness
Activity)
Material required: A calendar or a sheet of paper marked into
calendar squares, marker |
| If
you have a special event planned for the children or a holiday
is coming in a week or so, mark the calendar with today's date
and with the day of the special event or holiday. Count the
number of days to wait and each day let children mark off the
day that has passed and count the number of days or squares
until the special day. Talk about how long a week is ("seven
sleeps") and how long a day is. It takes several years to really
develop a conventional sense of time! |
Theme Related Books: |
Growing
Vegetable Soup, Lois Ehlert.
NY: Scholastic.
Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna, Nancy White Carlstrom.
NY: Scholastic.
A Busy Year, Leo Lionni. NY: Scholastic.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Joanne Titherington. NY: Scholastic.
From Seed to Pear, Ali Mitgutsch. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda,
1971.
Today is Monday, Eric Carle. NY: Scholastic. |
Notes |
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