When compiling your Pre-K lesson plans this year, why not include blueberries in the mix? After all, the tasty fruit may be used to teach many things. For example, you could use it as part of a unit on the letter “B”, the color blue, the number four, healthy eating or farm-to-table initiatives. With that said, here’s a quick look at a few lesson plan ideas that you could use:
There are other spelling words that you could use during the unit along with the obvious (i.e. blue, berry and blueberry). They are “fruit”, “bush”, “pick”, “garden” and “bear.” You could also throw in the Spanish word for blueberry (el arandano) to give your students’ studies a touch of diversity. The Education website has a “Blueberry in Spanish” worksheet that you may find useful in that regard.
Color Recognition
Once the children are familiar with the spelling words, you may want to talk about the color blue. I’d suggest starting off with the “Primary Colors: Blue” handout. It is available on the Education website. It could be paired with the “Blue Coloring Book”, the “Fabulous Fruit Book: Banana, Blueberry” and the “Blue Worksheet.” All three are posted on the Enchanted Learning website and include blueberries. The Twisty Noodle website has similar worksheets that you could use too. Worksheets to look for are “Things that are Blue”, “Trace the Letter B”, “My Blue Book” and “Happy Blueberry Popsicle Day.
Shape Recognition
I’d also suggest talking about circles. The Education website has a lot of different circle worksheets that would be suitable for Pre-K students. One of them is titled “Super Shapes: Circles.” It includes a tracer, color and sorting component. When the kids are finished with the worksheet, you could have them draw and cut circle shapes out of blue cardstock. Then they could paste the circles on a drawing of a blueberry bush and count out loud in the process. The same website contains a “Shape Up: Basic Shapes for Kindergarteners” that could be used afterward. It is designed to have the children count and record various shapes, including circles.
Counting and Math Concepts
Speaking of counting, you may want to continue the lesson with a math segment. The Education website has a “Berry Picking” handout that could be used for such an activity. The worksheet features blueberry muffins. Thus, you could use it to launch into an extension activity. For example, you could have the children count miniature blueberry muffins or real blueberries right before lunch. Later, they could eat the berries and muffins as an extra snack.
Geography
While we are on the subject of blueberry muffins, you could include a geography lesson into your plans as well. That’s because they are considered Georgia’s state muffin. As such, you could post a map of the United States on your classroom’s bulletin board and use blue push pins to mark the location of Georgia. Of course there are other states where blueberries are grown. Thus, you could point those out too.
Art
Next, you may want to introduce blueberries into your students’ art activities. One of the best ways to do that is to let them paint with blueberries. The Ag in the Classroom website has a handout titled “Berry Water Colors” that will explain how to make the paint. It is quite simple really and the kids should get a kick out of working with it.
You could also opt to have the kids practice basket weaving with a potholder kit or strips of brown construction paper. You can typically purchase the potholder weaving kits through stores like Uncommon Goods.
Songs and Action Rhymes
There are songs and action rhymes that you could add to your lesson plan too. Among them are “The Blueberry Bush”, “Blueberry Pancakes”, “The Color Hop” and “All Kinds of Bears.” You could give the children bear masks, farmer’s hats or chef’s hats to wear while they sing and act out the rhymes.
Science
Lastly, you could incorporate blueberries into a science lesson as well. For starters, you could talk about how blueberries grow. Based on my experience, you could pair that discussion with Gail Gibbons’ “The Berry Book” and perhaps a trip to a blueberry farm.
Another option would be to try and grow blueberries from seeds in the classroom. There are instructions for doing so posted on the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension Services’ website. Just be warned, it isn’t easy or quick. The kids could record their blueberry seed’s progress on the “How Does Your Dirt Baby Grow” bookmarks available through the Oregon Ag in the Classroom’s website.
Source: Personal Experience
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