George Washington Carver

Help young children learn about "The Peanut Man" with this very easy preschool activity.

Raw peanuts from the health food store, plastic baggies, paper towels and water.

Plant a peanut in a baggie by having each child put one or two raw peanuts (go to a health food store for these) in the baggie along with a damp paper towel. Seal the baggie and observe how peanuts grow. You'll find historical information, a cooking activity and a song related to George Washington Carver later in this theme.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Teach young children about discrimination with this activity.

Signs with rules that will be enforced in each classroom area.

This is an activity that I read about in a magazine a few years ago. It works great! Hang signs or post signs in each center with a picture of, for example, sneakers with a circle around it and a slash through it. This means that for the next hour, no one with sneakers on may play in that center. Use your imagination, you can do girls, boys, long hair, short hair etc.

Making A Traffic Light

Enhance your Black History curriculum with this preschool activity, which celebrates the invention of the traffic light by making traffic lights that are edible.

Graham crackers, peanut butter, and red, yellow, and green M&Ms.

After we discuss the invention of the traffic light, we make a traffic light out of one half of a Graham cracker. Spread on peanut butter and place the M&M's in the correct color pattern.

Dr. Martin Luther King, "Friendship"

During this early childhood lesson plan, preschool children recognize that, "All of us should be friends and be cooperative with one another the way Dr. King wanted."

Poster board cut in fourths, markers or crayons and yarn to make necklaces for friendship signs.

I teach Head Start and we celebrate lots of cultural and ethnic holidays. We also continue to develop ways that our parents can get involved with their children and the Head Start program. I send home a piece of cardboard and a letter telling parents to talk with their child about friendship. I ask parents to tell their children that all of us are different and that is O.K. Parents use the cardboard to help their child make a friendship poster and then the child brings the poster to class. In class, we attach the yarn and hang the posters on the children and we walk around to each classroom and sing a friendship song in honor of Dr. king's birthday. This gives the children a sense of what Dr. King did in his peaceful marches and his love for his fellow man. The following is the song we sing:

Friends, Friends, 1,2,3,
All of my friends are here with me.
You're my friend, you're my friend.
You're my friend, you're my friend.
Friends, Friends, 1,2,3,
All of my friends are here with me.

"A Dream Quilt"

a preschool teacher from Kentucky, contributes this thoughtful black history activity. "We discussed Martin Luther King, jr. and talked about how he dreamed of a world where people didn't fight and hate people because their skin was different. Then we looked in mirrors at ourselves and each other. We also talked about what quilts are, blankets or covers that are made of little pieces.

At art time each child drew a picture and dictated what they dream of becoming. Some examples were, "I want to work with animals", "I want to cook the food", "I dream of being a friend" etc. Then we placed each individual picture on a large piece of bulletin board paper with a border around the edge and titled it "Our Dream Quilt".

Language Activity: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A kindergarten teacher contributes this early childhood education activity that combines literacy with art saying, "This activity addresses: fine motor, following directions, far point copying, higher order thinking skills, and problem solving."

"For black history one activity we do that the children love is to read the story Martin Luther King, jr. and then they make a bubble map using descriptive words from the story. The children are given a doll of MLK, that they color and cut out. Then we pre-cut white index cards to look like clouds and they are given four. The children place their doll in the middle of a sheet of paper and use yarn to connect the descriptive clouds to Martin Luther King, jr.

Inventors and Inventions

During this early childhood education lesson plan preschool children will use problem solving, creative thinking and fine motor skills to develop their own inventions.

Materials for art and crafts such as pieces of wood, milk containers, pipe cleaners, paper clips, straws, tape, paper, glue, poster paint, markers, crayons, elastic, fabric scraps, rubber bands, construction paper, pom-poms and a safety pin.

Teachers, explain to pre-k children that when a person has an idea to make something that no other person has ever made we call that person an inventor. And, when the person creates a "new" device or thing that he / she thought of, we call what the person created an "invention". Next, show preschool children a familiar object such as a safety pin (and a few other interesting objects). Tell them that once there were no safety pins, then a person, an inventor, thought of one and made it (invention). Then talk about the inventor Granville T. Woods and his inventions. Ask youngsters to think of an invention they would like to create. Remind them that it should be something "new" that other people could use. Give children plenty of time to brainstorm ideas. Some children may want to work alone, while others may want to work in teams. When pre-k children have completed their projects (they may need more than one day) encourage them to tell the class about their inventions by asking, "How can we use your invention? What art and craft materials did you use to create it?" Finally, place the inventions on display in the classroom for parents and visitors to see. Include a child dictated description of his or her item.

Extensions:

Talk with children about African American inventors such as:

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)

Jan Matzeliger (1852-1889)

Elijah J. McCoy (1844-1928)

Granville T. Woods (1856-1910)

Garrett Morgan (1877-1963)

If possible, show pictures of the Black inventors you discuss. Talk with young children about important African American figures in American history. Try using,

The Book of Black Heroes: From A to Z, volume one

by Wade Hudson and Valerie Wilson Wesley. This volume contains large black and white photographs of 50 heroes and heroines.

Granville T. Woods

Granville T. Woods (1856-1910) of Cincinnati invented Air Brakes, Steam Boilers and the Telegram system of sending messages while trains were still in motion in 1885. His inventions were sold to General Electric, American Telephone and the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. During his lifetime he held U.S. patents to over 50 inventions.

Granville T. Woods Rap Song

Granville T. Woods was an inventor you see, He made lots of things very positively. Mr. Woods invented the telegraph, Which let trains know what was in their path. Granville invented one incubator, Which saved lots of chicken 2 months later. Granville T. Woods was a very smart man. His inventions are used throughout the land.

Historical Information

George Washington Carver (1864-1943) An agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver devoted his life to research projects connected primarily with southern United States agriculture. He derived many products from the peanut and soybean, but never patented any of his discoveries saying, "God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?"

Cooking Activity: A Peanut Butter Snack

For this early childhood activity young children will use counting, classification and sensory skills as they help prepare peanut butter.

Measuring spoons, measuring cup, blender, plastic knives, crackers, small bowls, small plates and napkins. Unsalted peanuts 1 1/2 to 3 tablespoons corn oil to 1 cup peanuts 1/2 teaspoon salt for each cup of peanuts

Preschool children can shell the peanuts and help measure the ingredients. Place all of the ingredients in the blender and turn on at a low speed until the peanut butter is smooth. Place the peanut butter in small bowls so children can use plastic knives to spread it on crackers for snack. Pre-k children may enjoy singing the following traditional song while making their peanut butter.

Peanut Butter

Peanut , peanut butter,
(Whisper "Jelly")
Peanut, peanut butter,
(Whisper "Jelly")
First you take the peanut and you smash 'em,
you smash 'em.
You smash 'em, smash 'em, smash 'em
(imitate smashing peanuts)
Then you take the peanut butter and you
spread it, you spread it.
You spread it, spread it, spread it.
(imitate spreading peanut butter) Peanut, peanut butter,
(Whisper "Jelly")
Peanut, peanut butter,
(Whisper "Jelly")
Then you take the grapes and you squish 'em,
You squish 'em, you squish 'em, squish 'em
squish 'em.
(imitate squishing)
And then you take the jelly and you spread it.
You spread it, you spread it, spread it,
spread it.
(imitate spreading)
Peanut, peanut butter.
(Whisper "Jelly")
Peanut, peanut butter,
(Whisper "Jelly")
Then you put the bread together and you cut it,
You cut it, you cut it, cut it, cut it.
(imitate cutting).

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