George Washington Carver was sick often, so wasn’t suited for working on the farm where he lived. Instead, Carver was sent to school and became known as the “plant doctor.” George Washington Carver invented peanut butter along with over 115 products from sweet potatoes from glue to synthetic rubber.
Discuss with pre-k children the process of inventing something. There are many trials and errors when something is experimented with for the first time. Use a food processor along with 4-cups of roasted peanuts, vegetable oil, sugar and salt to make peanut butter. Before making peanut butter, make sure there are no peanut allergies within the group of pre-k children. Discuss how peanut butter is made. How are the blended? George Washington Carver didn’t have a food processor, so what could he have used? Experiment processing the peanuts with the oil, sugar and salt until the desired consistency is created. When finished making the peanut butter, put a small amount in clean baby food jars for children to enjoy later.
Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. was an African-American inventor who created the traffic signal. While growing up, Morgan went to school and worked on his family farm. After finishing elementary school, Morgan worked as a handyman. Morgan enjoyed experimenting with gadgets.
Discuss with pre-k children what it was like before the invention of the traffic signal. How would you know when to stop? The invention of the traffic signal by Morgan saved many lives.
A traffic signal has three colors red, yellow and green. Discuss what each color signifies on a traffic signal with pre-k children. Cut out a circle of each color and play red light, green light, yellow light with children. Have children stand on a line while an adult or other child stands on a line a short distance away and be the traffic light. Have the person being the traffic light hold up a color. The children on the line will follow what the light tells them to do.
Jan Ernst Matzeliger invented a machine that made shoes. The shoe-making machine sped up the shoe-making process. Prior to the invention of the machine, shoes were made by hand.
Have pre-k children take their shoes off and look closely at what they are made off. Did the machine that Matzeliger invent make their shoes? Give each child a piece of paper and a selection of crayons. Have each child draw a picture of his or her shoe and a machine that made their shoes. Help each child write a short paragraph about the shoe machine on their paper along with what they like best about shoes.