Read the students the book "Mud Pies" by Judith Gray. After they have read the story, have them name off their favorite pies. Cut circles of paper into slices and have students color their favorite type of pie. Graph the pies according to the preferences the children listed earlier. Next, have the students make their own mud pies with dirt and water to be used as paperweights. This activity teaches children about nature by examining the physical world.
Teach kindergartners about decay and compost by talking about how leaves disappear into the ground after some time and help to make new things grow. Explain that other items decompose also. Have students bring in items that they would like to bury in the soil for a month. Dig a hole in the school playground and bury the items. Make sure to mark where you buried the items. In a month, dig the items up and see which ones disappeared and which ones are still there.
Teach the kindergartners about volcanoes by first discussing volcanoes and showing them examples of some of the world's most active or famous volcanoes. Allow the students to build volcanoes in the sand. Give them a film canister half full of baking soda to place into the top of the volcano. Help the students to pour vinegar colored with red food coloring into the canister and watch as the volcano erupts.
Let children run wild in the dirt while teaching them about the earth. Announce a dirt day and let children know ahead of time to wear old clothes that can get dirty. Give the children plastic shovels, spoons and forks, and let them dig in the dirt. Give them water and let them make mud pies and mud paintings. Use magnifying glasses to examine the soil and the rocks that the children find.