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The children sketch their favorite fish on a visit to the pet store to record characteristics they want to remember. |
Over in the meadow,
Where the stream runs blue
Lived an old mother fish
And her little fishes two
"Swim!" said the mother;
"We swim!" said the two,
So they swam and they leaped
Where the stream runs blue
Verse from a traditional counting song
This is a story of how one Ohio preschool class led its teacher from an empty aquarium in the classroom all the way to fishing "over in the meadow where the stream runs blue." Along the way, the children learned about the colors, sizes, and parts of a fish, as well as how to bait their hooks and fish in a creek.
When several Head Start classes moved into a new building, the 3- to 5-year-old children noticed a new, empty aquarium in their classroom. They hypothesized about what might potentially fill the tank and where they would acquire the items. This interest sparked conversations about fish, so the teacher followed the children's lead and explored their understanding of fish during group discussion.
During the project, the preschoolers visited a pet shop, where they excitedly explored the sizes, colors, shapes, and types of fish they saw. They drew vivid pictures and measured and weighed fish from a grocery store. When the teacher dissected a fish, the children discussed its various parts and compared them with their own. Then they constructed their own fishing poles and traveled to a nearby creek, where they found worms, baited their own hooks, and enjoyed a thrilling afternoon of fishing. At the end of the project, the children created a large classroom mural to share their newfound knowledge and experiences with their families and friends.