Local Environment - Grade One
Written By Rachael Freed
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.” (Psalm 24: 1-2 NIV)
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the
heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every
creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)
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Goals of the British Columbia Education Plan
Our curriculum team is excited to bring you a summarized version of the new BCEd
plan core goals (competencies), strategies and content. As we develop the kits we will
be personalizing the content to suit your students’ need and interests. Big ideas and
concepts will be the focus as well as curricular threads, inquiry learning (discovering
how to ask the right questions based on who, how and why things occur, as opposed to
what things occur), technology integration, and collaboration. First Peoples content will
include the natural history/culture of our province and encourage our God given
diversity. The kits are designed to help you gain a greater understanding of the
following:
Biblical Worldview:
We believe that every child in our school needs to hear the voice of God interwoven into
all of their curriculum. Therefore we will be striving to make sure that this goal is an
overarching strategy.
Communication Competency:
Involves imparting and exchanging information, experiences and ideas, to explore the
world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital
media.
Thinking Competency:
Encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual
development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subjectspecific concepts (ideas that interest them) and content, (topics that need to be covered
to increase knowledge, and transform them into a new understanding to increase
knowledge), and transform them into a new understanding. This includes specific
thinking skills as well as how students are allowed to learn, make mistakes and grow
from failure. Encompassed in this thinking is the ability to feel safe and comfortable so
that students can explore their surroundings.
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Creative Thinking Competency:
Involves the ability to generate new ideas and concepts that have value to the individual
or others, and then develop these ideas and concepts from thought to reality. It requires
a curiosity and a wondering reflection about God’s creation, with a desire to make
something new and different from what they have read, seen or observed.
Critical Thinking Competency:
Encompasses a set of abilities that students use to examine their own thinking and that
of others, and process information they receive through observation, experience, and
various forms of communication.
Social Responsibility:
Involves the ability and disposition to consider the interdependence of people with each
other and the natural environment; to contribute positively to one’s family, community,
society, and the environment; to resolve problems peacefully; to empathize with others
and appreciate their perspectives; and to create and maintain healthy relationships.
Personal and Social Competency:
Is the set of abilities that relate to students' identity in the world, both as individuals and
as members of their community and society.
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Learning Strategies
In response to the goals set out by the BC Ministry of Education, HCOS has made it a
priority to make use of the following learning strategies throughout our unit studies and
courses.
Biblical Worldview: Biblical worldview refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs
through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts
with it. Individuals with a biblical worldview believe their primary reason for existence is
to love and serve God. A Biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God.
When you believe the Bible is true, then you allow it to be the foundation of your life. We
believe that every student at HCOS needs to develop a worldview based on their
Biblical thinking and beliefs.
Inquiry-Based Learning/Mindset: Students with an inquiry mindset have a God-given
curiosity; a desire to dream big, constantly challenge themselves, and a desire to
research more for increased understanding and clarity. Students who actively inquire
will scan their environments, generate good questions, try new approaches, observe
and collect evidence, synthesize the information, draw conclusions, and generate new
questions from their research.
Maker Education: The Maker Education Initiative’s mission is to create more
opportunities for all young people to develop confidence, creativity, and interest in
science, technology, engineering, math, art, and learning as a whole through making.
This may be through STEAM – science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
The “maker mindset” includes learning to use your imagination to make connections,
use intuition, persist through difficult circumstances in learning, collaborate with other
team members and community, and become disciplined learners. Maker education
often involves an interdisciplinary approach, teaching science, math and art together.
Here is an example. To learn more go to this page.
First Peoples Content: First Peoples content has been interwoven into every grade in
the new BCEd plan. Aboriginal content is for all learners of all ages, and includes a
healthy diversity of approaches. From learning about cultural traditions and schooling
injustice, creative ways of storytelling, and good stewardship of land and resources, we
can gather rich learning from the traditions of the people groups indigenous to BC. As
Christians we can draw many similarities from their holistic thinking, and share how our
beliefs and traditions might be similar or different.
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HCOS Subscriptions
HCOS families have access to a wide variety of wonderful subscriptions which can be
used to enhance student learning. Several of these subscriptions are used throughout
the unit. Each year, a document containing the usernames and passwords for each
subscription is sent to families. If you have not received this document please contact
your child’s teacher.
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Big Ideas
“Big ideas are statements that are central to one’s understanding in an area of learning.
A big idea is broad and abstract.” (CT) Big ideas represent the overarching theme of
each unit. They contain references to the content and key questions students will be
investigating throughout the unit. Big ideas are often cross-curricular in nature. Similar
themes can be found in many different subject areas within each grade-level.
Social Studies
● We shape the local environment and the local environment shapes who we are
and how we live.
● Our rights, roles and responsibilities are important for building strong
communities.
● Healthy communities recognize and respect the diversity of individuals and care
for the local environment.
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Curricular Competencies
“Competency represents the combined skills, processes, behaviours and habits of mind
that learners use to make sense of the world.” (CT)
Social Studies
● Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to: ask questions; gather,
interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions
● Explain the significance of personal or local events, objects, people, and places
● Ask questions, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the content and
features of different types of sources
● Sequence objects, images, and events, and distinguish between what has
changed and what has stayed the same
● Recognize the causes and consequences of events, decisions, and
developments in their lives
● Acknowledge different perspectives on people, places, issues, and events in their
lives
● Identify fair and unfair aspects of events, decisions, and actions in their lives and
consider appropriate courses of action (ethical judgment)
Language Arts
● Use play and other creative means to discover foundational concepts of print,
oral, and visual texts.
● Begin to use language to identify, create, and express ideas, feelings, opinions,
and preferences.
● Use age-appropriate reading, listening, and viewing behaviours and strategies to
make meaning from texts
● Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, as appropriate, to develop
understanding of self, identity, and community
● Use personal experience and knowledge to connect to text and make meaning
● Recognize the importance of story in personal, family, and community identity
● Create stories and other age-appropriate texts to deepen awareness of self,
family, and community
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Content and Key Questions
Content refers to the topics that will be investigated throughout the unit. The key
questions serve as a guide as you and your child explore the content. Throughout this
unit the key questions will be the starting point for learning.
Social Studies
● Content: Relationship between community and its environment.
● Content: Roles, Rights and Responsibilities of the Local Community.
● Content: Natural and Human-made features of the local environment.
○ Key Question: How does your community depend on the local
environment?
○ Key Question: What effects do the activities in your local community have
on the environment?
○ Key Question: How does a rural environment differ from an urban
environment?
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How to Use This Kit
The Ministry of Education is in the final stages of overhauling curriculum, learning
strategies, and learning goals for students in the Province of British Columbia. This kit is
designed with those goals in mind. On the next several pages you will discover the
content that serves as the “bulk” of this kit. Rather than being divided by day, the unit
plan uses the key questions detailed on page 8 to breakdown content, activities, and
experiences.
Each key question will have books to read from the HCS Overdrive E-Library, (if you do
not have your client code & pin, please contact Shandra Wiebe at
[email protected] ), videos to watch, and activities to share with your child. You
will not be required to complete all activities listed under each key question, instead, you
will be able to choose activities which most appeal to you and your child. Each key
question featured in the unit will include recommendations on how many activities to
complete in order to fully address the curriculum content and competencies. Finally,
each activity will have icons (shown on pages 2 and 3) showing which goals of the
BCEd Plan the activity addresses.
**You are encouraged to choose varied activities to ensure all goals are being
addressed. In order to fully meet the goals of this kit, it is important to read 10-14
of the recommended books, and watch 6-8 videos.**
Reading and discussing/watching and discussing the books and videos listed in this unit
will consistently address the following goals of the BCEd Plan:
It is our hope that our redesigned format will allow for flexibility, individual preference,
and student-centered learning. When selecting activities to complete with your child we
recommend selecting a variety of activities to ensure that you touch on each BCEd Plan
goal throughout the unit. Most activities are designed to address multiple goals.
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Unit Guide
How does your community depend on the local environment?
Books to Read and Talk About (If the link does not open properly, login to the
HCS Overdrive e-library and type the title into the search bar. It is highly
recommended that you take the time to read each of the five books listed below.):
Life in a Forestry Community by Lizann Flatt
Things to think about: What is forestry? What benefits does forestry have? What
could be the harm in cutting down too many trees? What are some of the things created
out of wood? Why do we use wood for house building? Walk through your house and
find everything that is made from wood. How would our lives be different if we didn’t use
wood for building? In Canada, a lot of wood (lumber) is sold to other countries, what
would happen if other countries stopped buying Canadian lumber? How does forestry
help communities?
Life in a Mining Community by Natalie Hyde
Things to think about: What is mining? What benefits does mining have? What sort of
metals and minerals are miners looking for? Can mining harm the earth? Walk through
your house and find as many different metal objects as you can. How would our lives be
different if we didn’t use metals? When mines run out of metals or minerals, they are
closed, what happens to the people who work in those places? How does mining help
communities?
Life in a Fishing Community by Helene Boudreau
Things to think about: What is fishing? What benefits does fishing have? What kinds
of fishing do you know about? What are fish used for? What could happen if we caught
too many fish? How does fishing help communities?
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Life on the Farm by Teddy Borth
Things to think about: What is farming? Have you ever visited a farm? What are the
benefits of farming? What would happen if there were no farms? What sorts of things
grow on farms? How do farms help communities?
A Little Boy Catches a Whale by Judith Perron
Things to think about: How does the boy’s community depend on their environment?
How do they use plants and animals? What would happen if those plants and animals
were sick or hurt?
Videos to Watch and Talk About:
Geography: Exploring Communities (Learn 360)
Our Busy Farm (Learn 360)
This is Daniel Cook at the Farm (Learn 360)
Fishing (Learn 360)
This is Daniel Cook Fishing (Learn 360)
This is Emily Yeung Ice Fishing (Learn 360)
Activities (Select 4-6):
Blogging: Read The Bay School Blogger by Nan Walker from the HCS Overdrive ELibrary together. Talk about blogging, what is a blog? Who writes blogs? What sort of
information do you share on a blog? After reading the book together, visit this article to
learn about creating a free learning blog for your child. A blog allows students to publish
writing, post pictures of completed projects, and share information with family, friends,
and teachers in a protected environment. Using a blog can be a wonderful means of
creating a digital portfolio that your child can use throughout their grade-school years.
Initially, your child will need assistance with learning how to use the site and share
information. In time, your child will be able to post work on their blog without assistance.
Throughout the unit, many activities your child completes can be recorded on their blog
as a record of learning.
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Geocaching Activity: Try geocaching as a family! Geocaching is a wonderful way to
explore your local community, and get fresh air and exercise at the same time.
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a GPS or
mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called
"geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world. To learn more about geocaching, and
get started, visit the British Columbia Geocaching Association webpage or the
Geocaching.com. Document your geocaching adventures on your child’s blog.
Community Industry Interview Activity: How do people in your community make use
of the local environment? You may live in a fishing community, a farming community, an
urban community, a logging community, an oil community, a mining community, or in a
community with a mix of industries. Which industries are important in your community?
How can you learn more about them? Do you know anyone who works in these
important industries? If you know someone working in local industry, arrange for your
child to interview them for their blog. Consider using the following questions (and create
your own):
● How long have you done this job?
● What do you like best about your job?
● What is something difficult about your job?
● Did you have to go to university to get your job?
● What do you do each day?
● When you were my age, what job did you think you would have when you grew
up?
● Does your job impact the environment?
● How do you find ways to protect the environment when doing your job?
● How is your job important to our community?
● How can you use your job to bring glory to God?
Weather Documenter Activity: Local weather has a big impact on a community. What
type of weather do you experience in your community? Take time each day throughout
the unit to document the weather using the 1-month weather calendar from Enchanted
Learning. How does the weather in your community affect people? How does the
weather in your community affect animals? The landscape?
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Field Trip Idea: Spend time throughout the unit exploring trails in your area. Many
communities in British Columbia have beautiful walking trails. Spending time observing
nature is an important part of this unit. Consider bringing a camera for your child to
document their discoveries with? Document your community exploration on your child’s
blog or create a photographic timeline using Popplet. Thank God for His beautiful
creation.
Canada Lapbook (Language Arts Connections): Create the free Canada lapbook
from Homeschool Share to learn more about Canada, Canada’s geography, and
Canadian industries.
Pond Explorers: Ponds are fascinating places, and they are often teeming with life!
Visit a local freshwater pond. Take scoops of water and pour them into a tray. Spend
time looking in the tray to see what might be swimming in the water. Using a magnifying
glass can be fun! Use plastic spoons to scoop up water bugs and other insects, peek at
them through a magnifying glass. If you have access to a microscope, consider bringing
home a small container of pond water and making slides using one or two drops of
water. Your child will be amazed by everything they see! See if you can identify any of
the pond creatures you find using this sheet.
Woodland Crafts: Make a woodland creature mask for acting out stories and playing
games. What creatures live in the woods? Have you ever seen any of these animals?
What makes the woods a good home? What would happen if the woods were
completely gone? Where would these animals live?
Woodland Creatures Literacy Connections: Print and create the Forest Animals
book.
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Make a Journey Stick: A journey stick is a memento of a nature walk; you create your
journey stick by collecting and attaching things that you find on your walk. This might
include leaves, twigs, flowers, feathers or anything else natural. Follow the instructions
here to create your own journey stick for use on your next nature walk. What would your
community be like without plants? How can we celebrate God’s creation? What is your
favourite part of God’s world?
Create Wild Art: Follow the instructions here to create beautiful forest faces in your
community. Wild art involves using materials found in the natural environment. You will
need clay-heavy mud or air-dry natural clay (make it as unobtrusive to the environment
as possible), leaves, moss, small sticks, stones, acorns, trees or rocks. Take photos of
your forest faces and document the activity on your child’s blog (see above – Blogging).
Nature Stones Activity: For this activity you will need terracotta clay and a variety of
nature objects (leaves, small pine cones, flowers, objects with interesting textures). Roll
the terracotta clay into small ovals (adult palm sized), make them as smooth as
possible--your child may need help with this. Then, gently press your collected nature
objects into the clay shapes to make an impression. Allow your nature stones to air dry,
or follow the instructions on the clay package to bake them. When you are finished,
consider fixing magnets to the back of your nature stones.
Field Trip Idea: Go on a fishing trip to the ocean, lake, pond, or river.
Ocean Crafts: Make jellyfish suncatchers. You will need colourful tissue paper, black
construction paper, scissors, contact paper, and ribbon.
Found Object Bugs & Masks: Use nature objects you find on the ground to create
bugs and masks for playtime.
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Building Activity: Use scraps of wood and other natural materials to build a house for
small toys to play in outside.
Field Trip/Cooking Activity: Shop for groceries at a local farmer’s market, work
together to prepare a dinner using foods grown in your local community. How can
buying foods that are grown in your area be helpful?
Cooking Activity: First Peoples from the West Coast of Canada have depended on
salmon as an important part of their lives. Salmon are also a critical part of British
Columbia’s ecosystem. First Peoples groups love gathering together to celebrate.
Celebrations often involve food! Try one of these delicious barbecued salmon recipes
(Canadian Aboriginal Peoples Campfire BBQ Salmon Wet'Suwet'en Style or “The Only”
Barbecue Salmon Recipe). Consider inviting friends over to share your meal.
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What effects do the activities in your local community have on the
environment?
Books to Read and Talk About (If the link does not open properly, login to the
HCS Overdrive e-library and type the title into the search bar.):
The Clean Team by Anna Prokos
Things to think about: Why is it important to keep our planet clean? What would
happen if everyone littered? What would happen if everyone polluted our water? What
are some of the other ways humans sometimes hurt our planet? What are some ways
you can help care for the world God created for us? Consider taking a field trip to a local
recycling centre to observe the work that goes on there.
Look Where We Live by Scot Ritchie
Things to think about: What is special about your community? What kind of
community do you live in? How does your community depend on the environment?
One Well by Rochelle Strauss
Things to think about: What did you learn about water? Why is water so important?
What happens if water is polluted? What happens if there is a drought and water dries
up? Did you know that all of the water that is on earth right now has always been there?
What happens do our bodies without water? What happens to animals without water?
What happens to plants without water? How can we help to keep water clean? How can
we avoid wasting water?
Our Big Home: An Earth Poem by Linda Glaser
Things to think about: Where on earth is your community located? Read the Genesis
account of creation, isn’t it amazing that God create such a perfect planet for us to live
on? What makes earth a special community? How can we help to keep planet earth
healthy?
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Videos to Watch and Talk About:
How Can We Take Care of the Environment? (Learn 360)
Explore the Ocean with Captain Jon (Learn 360)
This is Emily Yeung Planting a Tree (Learn 360)
Pollution Solutions (Learn 360)
Pollution 101 (Learn 360)
Pond Pollution (Learn 360)
Reduce Waste: Recycle and Compost (Learn 360)
Race for Renewable Energy (Learn 360)
Keeping Earth Healthy (Learn 360)
Activities (Select 4-6):
Streamkeepers Service Activity: Read The Clean Team from the HCS Overdrive elibrary. Brainstorm ways in which you can help keep your community clean. Join a local
chapter of Streamkeepers and occasionally participate in activities to help keep local
waterways clean and healthy.
Field Trip Idea: Visit a local river. Spend time playing in the water, exploring vegetation,
looking for wildlife, and discussing what makes the river environment unique. How can
we protect rivers? Why are rivers important? What would happen if all the rivers dried
up? How does the river help our community? Document your community exploration on
your child’s blog.
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Rainforest in a Jar: Follow the instructions here to create a rainforest in a jar and
observe the effects of the water cycle. For this fun project you will need rocks, potting
soil, plants (mosses, ferns, African violets etc.), and a jar or container.
Water Pollution Experiment: Can you undo water pollution? For this experiment you
will need a grabbed a bucket of clean water, some household trash (banana peels,
coffee grounds, cans, bits of paper etc.) vegetable oil (to represent toxic oil spills),
tongs, and a strainer. Add the trash and oil to your water. After your water is yucky and
dirty, use tongs and strainers to try and remove all of the pollution. How much of the
pollution can you remove? What is most difficult to remove? Why is it important to
protect our water? What would happen to people if all of our water was as dirty as the
water in the bucket? What would happen to plants and animals? What would happen to
our planet? Watch Water Pollution from Learn 360. How does God care for His
creation? How do you think He wants us to care for the world?
Build an Ecosystem: Follow the instructions here to build your own miniature
ecosystem. This is a truly functioning ecosystem which will take care of itself without
outside interference! This is also a fairly involved activity that will require significant
assistance from adults. However, the end results are well worth it. For this project you
will need 3 empty and clear 2-liter bottles, clear packing tape, aquarium gravel (or fine,
rinsed pea gravel), water, de-chlorinator (optional), rubber band, a 4-inch square piece
of netting, soil, mustard, rye or alfalfa seeds, fish, snails or other aquatic life, elodea or
other aquarium plants, duckweed, crickets, pill bugs or earthworms, a couple dead
leaves or small sticks. What happens if one part of your ecosystem gets sick? What sort
of things could make an ecosystem sick?
Create a Compost Bin: Create your own compost bin. For this activity you will need a
plastic Rubbermaid container (large), and a power drill.
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Mini-Greenhouse Project: Create a mini greenhouse using recycled materials. For this
project you will need 10 oz. empty salad container, washed by hand, 6 empty yogurt
cups per salad container, washed, hammer and 1 nail, soil, vegetable seeds.
Ecosystem Notes (Language Arts Connections): Create a Teachers Pay Teachers
account and download the free Changes in our Ecosystem mini-books to learn more
about natural resources.
Field Trip Idea: Contact your local water treatment facility and see if you can arrange a
tour. This can be a gross, but very eye-opening experience!
Plant a Tree: Trees are the lungs of our planet. Trees clean our air and provide shelter
for living things. Without trees, our planet would become very sick. Many logging
companies have a practice of planting one tree for every tree that they cut down. But, in
some parts of the world this is not standard practice. Consider planting a special tree in
your yard. Care for it and watch it grow alongside your child. You can read about
planting trees here.
Garbage Clean-Up Crew: Gather together with other families and use tongs, gloves,
and garbage bags to clean up garbage around your neighborhood or elsewhere in your
community. You will probably be surprised by how much garbage you collect.
Earthworm Lapbook (Language Arts Connections): Learn more about these
fascinating creatures by creating the earthworm lapbook. If you have a garden, consider
purchasing extra earthworms to help keep your garden healthy.
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Bible Activity: Read Genesis Chapter 1 together. Talk about God’s creation of the
earth. What does God say about His creation? What are your favourite parts of God’s
creation? What does God mean when He says that human beings have dominion over
creation? Do you think that God wants us to care for the things He created? In what
ways? How does God care for us? How does God care for earth and everything in it?
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How does a rural environment differ from an urban environment?
Books to Read and Talk About (If the link does not open properly, login to the
HCS Overdrive e-library and type the title into the search bar.):
Places in my Community by Bobbie Kalman
Things to think about: What are your favourite places in your community? What other
types of communities have you visited? Which of the places shown in the book are also
in your community?
Summer in the City by Marie-Louise Gay
Things to think about: Do you live in a city? Have you ever visited a city? What did it
look like? What did it sound like? What did it smell like? How are cities different from
small towns? How are cities similar to small towns? What do people in cities do for
work?
Mapping a City by Jen Green
How to Use This Book: This book contains wonderful information and several hands
on activities to explore mapping. Select one or two mapping activities in the book to
complete.
City on a Hill by Mark Hall
How to Use This Book: This is a lovely faith-based book designed to help “kids learn
and celebrate their role in the diversity of the body of Christ.” How can we serve God in
our communities? In the wider world? How can we serve others?
Big City Bees by Maggie De Vries
Things to think about: Why are bees important? What would happen if there were no
bees? Have you ever seen bees in the city? In the country? In your garden?
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The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Things to think about: How does the community where the Little House lives change
over time? What kind of community is the Little House in at the beginning of the book?
At the end of the book? Consider creating The Little House lapbook from Homeschool
Share as a language arts connection.
Follow that Map by Scot Ritchie
Things to think about: What are maps? Why are maps important? How do people
make maps? Can you make a map? Experiment with creating simple maps (your child’s
bedroom, your house to a friend’s house, your house to a local playground etc.) Have
fun completing the mapping activities in the book. Use Google maps to locate your
home, switch between map view and satellite view, in some areas you may even be
able to find a street view of your home!
Henry’s Map by David Elliot
Things to think about: What happens to Henry in the story? How does he use his
map? Have you ever followed a map? Where is a place that you would like to visit? Use
Google Maps to chart a course from your house to this place.
Videos to Watch and Talk About:
The City (Learn 360)
The Suburbs (Learn 360)
The Suburbs-People (Learn 360)
The Country-People (Learn 360)
The City-People (Learn 360)
The Country-Nature (Learn 360)
All About Neighborhoods (Learn 360)
Let’s Explore: Around the Farm (Discovery Education)
City, Suburb and Rural Communities (Discovery Education)
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Activities (Select 2-4):
Native Plants Activity: Select a location in your garden where you will grow plants that
are native to your area. Use the Native Plants Database to select your local area, and
find information about trees, shrubs, wildflowers, ferns, vines and groundcovers.
Encourage your child to care for their garden. Take photos and document the gardens
growth on your child’s blog (see above – Blogging).
Field Trip Idea: Visit a local farm. Spend time talking to the people who work there
about the important jobs they do. How do farms benefit a community? Could farm's
function without the people who work on them?
Technology Time: Watch a video about different types of communities from School
Media. Once you have finished watching the video, click on “interactives” to try building
your own virtual community. Is it a lot of work to plan and build a community? How old is
the community that you live in? Do you think it took a long time to build your
community? Is your community urban, suburban, or rural?
Diorama Building: Throughout the unit you will be learning about different types of
communities, urban, rural, and suburban. Discuss which type of community you live in.
Consider taking a walk around your community to observe its specific features (for
example, a rural community might have farmland, barns, dirt roads, animals in field
etc.). Then, build a diorama showing either an urban, rural, or suburban community.
You will need a large shoebox or sturdy cardboard, extra cardboard, small boxes or
juice cartons, small toys, construction paper, paint, markers, crayons, rulers, scissors,
found items etc. Encourage your child to use their imagination while building, offer
assistance only when it is truly needed. Encourage your child to work on the diorama
over several days.
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Urban, Suburban or Rural Writing: What sort of community do you live in? Use the
Storybird app to write a story about a child living in an urban, suburban, or rural
community. What do they do each day? What kinds of chores do they have? What
places do they like to explore in their community? What adventures do they have?
Paint Chip City Art: Create beautiful city skyline artwork using paint chips.
Urban, Suburban, and Rural Triorama: Have fun creating a triorama showcasing an
urban, rural, and suburban community. Begin by folding your triorama by following the
instructions here. Use paper and other materials to create a scene on each side of your
triorama. One side should feature an urban community, one side should feature a rural
community, and one side should feature a suburban community. Use paper, paint chips,
toy figures, and other household items to create your triorama. Photographs of ideas
can be found here. Encourage your child to complete as much of the work on their own
as is possible. This is an opportunity for them to use their knowledge and imagination.
Salt Dough Maps: Follow the instructions here to create a 3D salt dough map of your
country. The children in the blog post use other countries, but the instructions will
enable you to create Canada as well.
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Bibliography
Exploring Pond Life with Kids - Kids Activities Blog. (2013). Retrieved February 24,
2016, from http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/45856/pond-life
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