Preschool Adventure Box: BFIAR The Carrot Seed

I have just a few more Before Five in a Row titles to row in order to finish the curriculum.  I am starting to realise I am a little pedantic about finishing things.  It bugs me if I don’t.  So even though these last few books don’t spark my imagination as much as I would like, I’m still rather doggedly continuing until the bitter end.  That’s a bit melodramatic but I’m struggling with my interest levels.  I mean there are limited, interesting activities one can do with a carrot.  Anyway, here is my best shot.  We finished rowing the Carrot Seed this week, having done a few carroty activities over the summer.  Yes, enthusiastic I am not.

Theme: Carrots

  • Read alouds and go along books

     

  • Factual Books

   

  • Morning Play dough

I used the tub of brown (soil), orange (carrot) and green (carrot top) and gave them one of our cooking plant pots to plant some carrots in should they want to:

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  • Sensory Tray

I made a sensory tray using mini carrots with tops, plant pots, trays, earth and lots of tools.  Here is the tray ready to go:

DSC_0197And it was a huge hit.  Well, anything with dirt and water is a hit here!

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Look mummy, we planted some carrots!
Look mummy, we planted some carrots!
  • Trays
Cookie dough and icing pens for carrot cookie decorating and carrots, paint and paper for carrot printing
Cookie dough and icing pens for carrot cookie decorating and carrots, paint and paper for carrot printing
Play dough carrots and carrot matching game
Play dough carrots and carrot matching game

C10:

I set up a tray for C10 to help the little ones make some carrot prints all of their own.  I cut carrots with their tops left on lengthways and added some orange and green paint, with some paper and they were away:

Carrot printing
Carrot printing

L10:

She used her time with A5 to roll and cut out fish carrot shaped cookies.  They baked them, allowed them to cool and then they iced and ate!

I was schooling B2 at the time so didn't get any photos, just the ones left over for daddy (although they too were eaten before he got home!)
I was schooling B2 at the time so didn’t get any photos, just the ones left over for daddy (although they too were eaten before he got home!)

T11:

T11  played the Carrot matching game with A4 which she loved:

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In addition, I taught them to use the book as a template for making some carrots to put on the rabbit and carrot play dough mat:

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  • Games or Group activities:

Over the summer we planted our own kitchen garden, which of course included carrots for the purpose of a link to the Carrot Seed!  First the children planted the garden:

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Then A4, with C10’s help painted and labelled some lolly sticks to use as labels:

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Here are the completed labels:

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She then went and proudly planted them in her and B2’s kitchen garden:

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B2 delighted in watering them, all dressed up as a fairy:

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And their favourite part of the whole exercise? Picking them! Although they were not like the carrots in the shop:

Our prairie carrots were slightly deformed prairie carrots!

Her sister soon got in on the act...

  • Then we ate some rather delicious carrot soup:

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  • We also planted carrot tops.  I was quite excited about the possibilities of this.  The idea we could plant something we would otherwise throw away and grow greens to feed our rabbits appealed to the frugal in me.  However, we planted them at the beginning of summer and at the end this was all we had to show for our efforts.  Not very, very successful.  Frankly, I’d rather buy a cabbage:

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  • Printables and other activities/ideas

Garden Song

http://www.squidoo.com/carrot-lesson-plans

The Carrot Seed dance

Sid the Seed video

  • Snacks

The first snake we made was trusty tortilla pizzas in the shape of a carrot.  I simply cut out the shape, added whatever green we had in the fridge and some tomato and onion sauce smothered in orange cheese, and popped them in the oven for a couple of minutes.  Yummy:

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Another snack we did was a muffin tin plant pot, filled with cream cheese and carrots stuck in for a veggy dip.  A5 did this one completely by herself.  Healthy and yummy:

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During one of A5’s cooking sessions with her sister (L10) they made a carrot cake using a cake mixture.  As this happens so rarely (cake mixture) there was much, much excitement.  Honestly, my children are soooo easily pleased!  It turned out great and was iced with a cream cheese and icing sugar mix (which was a bit too like fluid for my liking!) and a carrot added on top for good measure:

A5 cracking eggs
A5 cracking eggs
Our cake
Our cake

The last snack I tried was crisps made out of carrots.  I bought these and they were really good!

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  • Muffin Tin

Their muffin tin for this week was simply carrot soup, toasted cheese in the shape of carrots on a bed of basil, mini carrots and a mini carrot cake for dessert:

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Next week we’ll be rowing I Am Artist and learning about the five senses

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15 comments

  1. There are always books that don’t inspire so well done for attempting it. I think you have some great activities!

  2. I gleaned LOTS of inspiration from this post… so pat yourself on the back! 😉 Thank you! By the way… that cake looked sooooo yummy! Well done girls!

  3. I am rather impressed at how much you came up with to do with carrots! And that, when you’re uninspired!
    Love that the older kids are so involved with the young ones and their education.

  4. If that is your uninspired side….
    Who knew carrots could be so much fun? The children look so happy – and they are learning so much. What great ideas. That makes me want to go make carrot bread. Speaking of…Oh My Stars! You have a yellow Kitchen-Aid mixer. I have wanted one. Mine is just plain old white. I told you we would make great pals.
    Have a lovely day.

    1. I know!! I’m slightly obsessed by my kitchen aid and love it waaay more than is healthy! I have a long list of attachments I desire very much to own and keep hinting heavily at Gary. I really do love my kitchen aid. Have I told you just how much I love my kitchen aid…..?!

  5. I am in preschool mode right now…this post definitely inspired me, even if it wasn’t the most thrilling theme for you! I’m impressed with how many ideas you conjured up. The picture of your two year old all dressed up watering her garden is beyond precious. 🙂

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