Print out pictures of carrots, radishes, beets, lettuce, broccoli, celery and corn that feature the tops and bottoms of the plant such as carrots with the leaves and corn still on the stalks. Print out a picture of a sleeping bear and a busy hare. Laminate pictures and glue velcro on the back of the pictures. Allow students to use a felt storyboard to retell the story using the pictures. Encourage students to use voices for the big, sleepy bear and the small, clever hare.
On three pieces of chart paper write the titles "Tops," "Bottoms" and "Middles." Invite kindergartners to help you tape pictures of the vegetables from the story on the correct pieces of chart paper. Then pass out old magazines and have students look for pictures of other vegetables such as beans, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, cucumbers, onions and eggplants. Invite students to cut out the pictures and tape them on the correct pieces of chart paper to make vegetable collages.
Make a two-column chart on a piece of chart paper. Write "Bear" above the left column and "Father Hare" above the right column. Ask kindergartners to brainstorm words to describe Bear and Hare. Write these words under the correct columns. Words to describe Bear might include lazy, sleepy, tired and grumpy. Words to describe Hare might include cleaver, hungry, tricky and hard-working. Extend the activity by adding a third column. Label the column "Our Class." Write down words kindergartners think of to describe classmates such as friendly, kind, caring, funny or artistic.
Bring in vegetables from the story such as lettuce, carrots, radishes, celery, beets and broccoli. Let students examine the vegetables and talk about the parts of these plants that can be eaten and the parts that can't. Have kindergartners help you wash the vegetables. Only allow adults to peel and cut the carrots, radishes, beets and celery while kindergartners break apart the lettuce and broccoli. Provide plates, forks and salad dressings. Enjoy a healthy salad for snack time.