Child Care 1
Sample Lesson Plan
Rocks and Soil
Theme: Rocks and Soil
Objectives: 1. Children will learn that rocks are pieces of stone.
2. Children will identify how rocks differ in size, shape, and texture.
3. Children will learn that a person who studies rocks and soil is called a
GEOLOGIST.
***Note: Ask parents to help their child select a small rock and send it with them
tomorrow.
Supplies needed for Free Play, Transitions and Circle Time:
Soil and rocks in sensory table
Rocks for children who forget one from home
Variety of different rocks for circle time to discuss
Side-walk chalk
Small margarine lids
1 juice can and lid covered with contact paper per child
Pebbles, sand, and rocks for music activity
Tape for securing juice lids
1 colored paper stone shape per child for four different learning centers
Large stone on table
ADDITIONAL supplies for each activity as listed with instructions
Free Play:
10-20 minutes
1. Excavating; Small rocks, soil, and shovels to dig with in the sensory
table.
2. Chalk Drawings; Chalk to draw on sidewalk. Chalk is made from a
rock called LIME (If weather is bad, use chalk on butcher paper).
3. Making fossils; (small margarine lids, small of play dough, rolling pins
and items to press into dough.
4. Outdoor Play; Play outside on pirate ship, bikes and outdoor
equipment. If weather is poor, play Hokey Pokey indoors.
Transition:
5 minutes
1. Sing song “Clean Up, Clean Up” while children clean up their free
play activity and come to circle time.
2. Finger Play: “Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed”
Circle Time: 10-15 minutes
1. Have the children show the rock they brought (if they don’t have one
let them choose one from the box). Talk about different kinds of
rocks. Show the children samples of the different rocks as you talk.
Let them look, touch, and handle the different rocks.
2. Tell the children that people who study rocks and stones are called
geologists. Have them say “ge-ol-o-gist”. Explain that geologists
learn all about how rocks are formed.
3. Play the game, “Geologist, Geologist, Who Has the Stone? Someone’s
Taken It for Their Own.” The Geologist has three tries to guess who
has the stone. If they guess right, the one with the stone is the
geologist. (Repeat until all children have a turn.)
Transition:
2 minutes
Have children choose a colored paper stone from the box and go to the
activity with the same color (blue, red, green, yellow). Rotate to the right.
Learning Centers: 40 minutes / Rotate to a new activity every 10 minutes.
(see individual supply lists and instructions)
1. Vigorous Volcano (Science)
2. Sand Painting (Art)
3. Snack-Pudding / dirt cups (Food)
4. R-Alphabet Activity (Alphabet)
Clean-Up Transition: 5 minutes
Clean-up music starts…Have children cleanup what they are doing and
move to the large art area to begin sand pictures.
Large Art Activity: 15-20 minutes
Sand and Dirt Shakers (see supply list and instructions)
Transition:
When cleanup music starts, have children move to the carpeted area.
Large Movement: 10 minutes
Move It and Shake It (see attached supply list and instructions…these
were made in Large Art)
Transition:
Have children line up at sink to wash hands for snack time. Have them
find a place to sit at the snack tables.
Snack Time: Dirt Pudding Cups (made during learning centers)
Transition:
Clean-up music starts. Have children shake their shakers to the music as
they put away things they’ve made during the learning centers.
Free Play/Parent Pick-up: Children may choose any previous free play activity
described earlier. Parents will pick up children during free play time.
***Dear Parents:
Tuesday, October 3rd we are going to learn about rocks and soil. Would you please
send
a small stone with your child so that he/she can participate in the activities we have
planned? Thank you for all your support and help. We appreciate all you do for us.
Sincerely,
Teachers,
Taunya, Susie, Camie, and Jan
Vigorous Volcano (Science)
1 large pie pan
1 plastic cup
1 ½ egg shell
Sand/dirt to cover cup and egg shell in the shape of a volcano
Red food coloring
Vinegar
Baking soda
Play dough
Tell the children about Volcanoes. A volcano is a special kind of mountain. It contains
hot molten rock (melted rock), steam, and gas which force their way to the earth’s
surface. When the pressure inside the volcano becomes too great, it erupts and lava pours
from the central vent in the volcano. Demonstrate this for the children: Place a plastic
drinking glass upside down on an aluminum pie plate. Use a piece of play dough to
attach an empty eggshell open side up to the bottom of the cup. Mound sand or soil
around the cup and eggshell to resemble a volcano. Fill the eggshell almost to the top
with vinegar. Add a drop of red food coloring. Slowly add ½ teaspoon baking soda. The
children may want to see this again!
Sand Painting (Art)
Tempra Paint with sand added for texture (red, yellow, and blue)
Paint Brushes
White Paper
Paint Shirts
Children will paint a picture of their choosing. We will talk about how sand gives the
paint texture.
Snack—Dirt Pudding Cups
Give each child the following:
2 chocolate cookies (cream filling removed)
½ cup pudding
1 gummy worm
1 small clear plastic cup
1 small zip-lock baggie
Plastic spoon
Have the children put the cookies in their baggy and use their hands to crunch the
cookies. Put half of the cookie crumbs in bottom of cup. Spoon in chocolate pudding
and sprinkle remaining crumbs on top. Push gummy worm in to make it look like it is
“living” in the soil. Save for eating later at snack time.
“R” Sand Pictures (Alphabet)
Copy of large R on white paper
Sand
Glue
Lunch tray
Child will spread glue on inside of R with their finger and sprinkle sand over the top.
Excess sand may be shaken off. Let picture dry.
Sand and Dirt Shakers (Art)
1 Juice can and lid for each child
Sand
Pebbles
Gravel
Colored contact paper
Tape or hot glue
Place a spoonful of rocks, gravel, pebbles in each can. Secure the lid with tape, hot glue,
etc. Decorate the outside of each shaker with contact paper. Have children experiment
making different types of sounds with their shakers. Play music with different types of
rhythm and have the children shake their shakers to the music.
Move It, Shake It (Large Movement)
Shakers made in Large Art time
CD Player
CD with fun music to dance to
Children will shake their Sand and Dirt Shakers as they dance to music.
Parent Learning Card
Today we talked about ROCKS and SOIL. We learned that a person who studies rocks
and soil is called a GEOLOGIST. We watched a volcano erupt, and earthworms crawl in
soil. We made the letter R with glue and sand. We made dirt pudding cups with worms
in them for snack and danced to different kinds of music.
Please reinforce the concepts learned today by looking at the soil and rocks in and around
your yard. Ask your child to tell you what they observe.