Nursery Lesson 10 -- I Am Thankful for Trees, Plants and Flowers
This lesson can be found at: LDS.org
Notes: The nursery is for children ages 18 months to age three. The teacher uses the same manual as the Sunbeam class, which is for three and four year olds. The children in the nursery are young, and the lessons require some adaptation for them. I try to teach the entire lesson, but in a shortened form so that it takes only ten to fifteen minutes. I teach some sections in other parts of the nursery day, such as music time, the moments before snack, or while we wait for parents. These are only guidelines and you should always give priority to the manual, the direction of your leaders, and the promptings of the spirit. Each group of children is unique and teachers must consider the needs of their own classes rather than someone else's structure. Whenever I use additional materials beyond what is offered in the manual, I use only official church publications, as directed by the Primary.
This series of lessons are my favorites. They explore the days of creation and are so much fun for little ones. You will discover they require very little adaptation, and lend themselves well to a theme that can be carried out all day. Have fun with these! Keep the purpose firmly in mind, however. It can be easy to get sidetracked and forget the reason for the lesson.
The purpose of this lesson is to help children feel grateful for plants and to remember who created them. You can help children internalize this purpose by repeating the information again and again and by sharing your own gratitude for plants.
Attention Activity
Most classes will enjoy doing this, even if they are too small to really guess. You can make funny guesses and ask them if they think your guess is right. "Is there an elephant in there? No? Why not?" Don't make this last too long, but it's a good activity as the children are gathering if you have a large class, and a good one to use right after prayer if your group is smaller. If you use it as they gather, show it again after the prayer and then tell them what is inside.
Trees, plants, and flowers make the earth a beautiful place to live
This section can be taught as written. Toddlers love pictures. If you decide to bring in real plants or flowers, be sure they aren't poisonous to children and put them far out of reach when you aren't using them.
Song
What child doesn't love this song? You may want to explain that the tree didn't really have popcorn on it. Use the picture to show that it just looked like popcorn. (Note: Don't be tempted to serve real popcorn. Toddlers can choke on popcorn.)
Plants and trees are necessary for us to live
This section can also be taught as written, but don't spend too much time on it and use pictures. Little ones have a limited ability to listen. You don't have to be a good artist to draw a simple tree, a bird, a swing and a fireplace on a chalkboard as you talk. If you feel very insecure about your drawing ability, use clipart or cutout pictures and stick them to a piece of poster board as you talk. However, children are not at all judgmental, and stick figures are quite acceptable to them. Practice them in advance so you are comfortable. When drawing people, include the nose. It seems to be the one body part children insist on. They don't care how it's drawn, just that it's there.
When selecting wooden items to bring to class, be sure they are large enough that children won't choke if they put them in their mouths. Examine them for splinters, small pieces and toxic paints. If you have any concerns, don't let the children touch them and keep them out of reach. Watch over them, since children can get into places you considered secure in just moments. If you do want the children to touch items that seem safe, hold them in your hands and take them around to the children.
Activity: Save this until snack time. Just before blessing the food, talk about the foods we eat that are grown and show pictures. Then serve these types of foods for snacks. Be sure you have checked with parents to find out about allergies, and don't serve peanuts or other foods children can choke on. For more information on foods (and other items) that can cause choking see Prevent Choking in Children
Enrichment Activities
1. Bring Seeds. If you do this, keep them out of reach and give them to the parents at the end of class. Demonstrate during play time to children who are interested if you like, but don't let children play with the seeds and dirt. They may put the seeds or soil in their mouths.
2. Activity verse. Children will enjoy this one. Use it as a break when the children are restless or during your group activity time later.
3. Craft. Your students are probably too young for this. Instead, find large pictures of plants and help those who are interested glue them to paper. Have adults make some for children who aren't interested. Help one child at a time do the craft during free play. Stay with him and assist.
4. Take a walk outside: This is probably not a good idea with toddlers unless your class is very small or you have plenty of adults. It's too hard to control them. If you do take them, get a long rope and have the children hold on to it to keep them together.
Additional Activities for young children:
All of these will be fun for the children. Use the songs and verses during singing time. The real plant might be a fun way to end the day, followed by I Dig, as you wait for parents.