BEACH DAY
GRADE LEVEL(S) Pre-K
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Children will discuss ways to have fun at the beach using their imagination and basic toys.
EDUCATION STANDARDS
Pre-K Learning Foundations
MATERIALS NEEDED
Books of outdoor stories, photos showing outdoor play spaces, beach toys (shovels, buckets, umbrellas, floppy hats, shades, etc.), sensory table with sand, shells and water, tide pool type animals or shells, photos of the Santa Monica Pier, the beach, ocean and tide pools. Be sure to send home a letter a few days before the lesson notifying parents about Beach Day. Optional: cooler chest with water, fruit snacks, cheese sticks; beach chairs and spray bottles with water to stay cool.
MOTIVATION
Motivation the Day Before:
· Tell children that the next day will be Beach Day (a pretend beach outside on the playground).
· Children can wear bathing suits to school that day.
o Ask children what else they will need for the beach?
Motivation the Day of:
o Read the book No Dogs Allowed, by Sonia Manzano
DIRECT INSTRUCTION
Direct Instruction (before going to “the beach”):
· Show photos to children as part of vocabulary building and critical thinking
o Show children various photos as indicated above in Materials Needed
§ What can you play here?
§ What do you need to play?
§ Who would you invite to play with you? Can you play here alone?
o As you show the photos, develop vocabulary with tide pool, beach, fish, umbrella, castle, etc.
Beach Day:
No direct instruction needed.
Teacher preparation includes setting up the environment for “the Beach” and setting up the sensory table for “the Tide Pool”.
· Turn the outside area into a beach
o Sandbox with water and sand-castle tools and access to water
o Beach blankets
o Beach balls
o Floppy hats, sun glasses
o Sensory Table – Tide Pool
Extending the theme:
· Imagination activities:
o Motivation + Direct Instruction – read Book
§ Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold (a girl imagines flying from her roof top in the city, her “tar beach”)
· Ask children to talk about where they would go if they could fly and why?
§ Sand Sister, by Amanda White (a girl at the beach imagines a friend when she doesn’t have anyone to play with)
· Ask children to talk about what it might feel like to play at the beach alone
· Discuss if you think that the little girl will enjoy being a big sister and why?
§ How I Became A Pirate, by Melinda Long (a boy building sand castles is carried off by pirates)
· Ask children to talk about what they think the best part of being a pirate would be.
§ Recordando a Abuela - Remembering Grandma,, Teresa Armas (a girl remembers the things she did with her grandma following her grandma’s death)
· Ask children the things they enjoy doing the most with their grandma/grandpa/uncle/aunt/parent/big brother
o Alternative Direct Instruction
§ Ask children to think of a story (perhaps during circle time) beginning at the beach and then going on a pretend adventure.
· Teacher may need to present a “story starter.”
§ Take dictation as children take turns adding to the story (perhaps on flip chart or butcher paper).
§ Ask students to draw pictures about the story that they wrote and then create a student-made book.
ACCOMMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS
When developing vocabulary during Direct Instruction, have students draw pictures of sea stars, fish, umbrellas, etc. or color pictures of these items.
Have students participate in a sensory activity regarding the beach and discuss –
Temperature (water-cold, sun-hot)
Texture (Who likes how sand feels?)
Sounds (listen to air blowing through shells)
Smells (the ocean, sunscreen, etc.)
This can be done during/after reading beach stories so that students have a better understanding of what the beach is like.
If possible, take a field trip to the beach.
ASSESSMENT/WRAP UP
· At the end-of-the-day circle time ask the children to take turns telling their favorite part of “Beach Day”
· Optional: Teacher can choose to write down the children’s thoughts and post.
· Optional: Take pictures of the children and create a Beach Day Bulletin Board.
Bonus
Parent Activity:
Parents can benefit from this lesson as well. You might choose to ask the following questions as a “homework” assignment for parents or as part of parent meeting ice breaker activity. The goal would be to encourage parents to engage with their children in active lifestyle choices for better health.
· Questions:
o Think back to your best childhood memories. Thank back as far as you can. (If part of a parent meeting, say – Share with someone sitting beside you.) Then answer the following questions:
§ Were your best childhood memories of time spent indoors or out of doors?
§ Were they solitary or social in nature?
§ Were the activities adult directed or child/peer directed?
§ Were there lots of rules or few rules?
§ Were they high in technology or low in technology?
o How are your best childhood memories the same and different from the experiences that you provide for your own child?
§ Does your child experience frequent outdoor play time (don’t rely on school to provide all their outdoor activities!)
· Parks
· Hiking
· The beach/Pier
§ Does your child experience frequent social experiences with peers?
· Play groups
· Family Gatherings
· Neighborhood children
§ Does your child have opportunities to learn self-control and to internalize a value system?
· Take turns
· Make rules
· Make appropriate choices
· Win and lose with good sportsmanship
· Express frustration in an appropriate manner
§ Does your child spend a majority of free time away from technology and engaged in positive relationships with family and friends?
· Children crave the human relationship with parents and peers far more than they crave technology (TV, video games, computers). When we deprive them of relationship time and substitute technology instead, they acquire the need for technology at the expense of their relationship-building skills development.
Identify something that you will do as a family to support active lifestyles and outdoor time.
o Make it a routine – try for once a week, whether it’s a few minutes to ride bikes together or regular weekend trips to the park or beach.
o Make it consistent – choose a time and day and stick to it.
You will find that your children will be more active, healthier, more empowered, make better choices. You will find that you have more opportunities to learn about their friends, their feelings and anxieties and their joys. By doing these things, you will establish communication patterns that will serve the entire family well for years to come.