Preschool Lesson Plan for Over in the Meadow

Assalamu alaikum,

I've mentioned the book Over in the Meadow before. I decided to do a lesson plan using this book as it has many teachable concepts throughout alhamdulillah. This lesson plan also proved to be a springboard to a lesson plan on the Prophet Sulaiman alhamdulillah (I'll hopefully be posting that soon on The Well Read Muslim insha'Allah). The lesson plan below includes ayat from the Quran, ahadith, Islamic Studies, Math, and colouring activities for the book Over in the Meadow.

Click here to download Over in the Meadow Lesson Plan insha'Allah

Here are some of the activities that accompany this lesson plan:

For Literacy:

This activity is called, 'Colour Seen ( س ) Green' . Children make this paper and foam turtle and colour the letter س green (all of them).  They are then invited to colour the the remaining parts of the turtle shell any other colour after their work has been checked for comprehension insha'Allah.

To make the turtle, give children the template of the shell to cut out insha'Allah (in the file to download below). After they have cut the shell out, invite them to glue it onto a piece of cardboard and then cut the shell out again insha'Allah. Give each child a foam head and four foam feet for the turtle and assist them in gluing them in the right position on the turtle insha'Allah.

Draw a head and four feet on a piece of green foam and cut them out. Then turn the turtle over and help the child glue the body parts in the proper place insha'Allah.

The next activity is:

A letter س (Seen) windsock/kite

Each child is given a س construction paper cut out and they are invited to glue/tape crepe paper to the end and paint them. Afterward, children are invited to take them outside and watch the wind rush through them insha'Allah.

Next play:

Seen Charades

All of the cards are put into a paper bag. Children take turns taking one card out of the bag without looking insha'Allah. The child then describes the picture on the card without saying what the picture is (i.e. on my card I have something that is white, and comes in a bag, you buy it from the store, etc.). Others take turns guessing what the child is describing and the person who guesses correctly gets to go next insha'Allah.

With this age group, it is a good idea if you introduce these new words (and pictures) prior to playing this game so that children are familiar with each new picture/word insha'Allah. In your lesson show children how they might describe each picture. Allow children to practice prior to playing the game and encourage them to come up with new ways to accurately describe each picture insha'Allah.

For the activities above you will need the following materials:

- large letter seen made from construction paper or cardboard

- crepe paper or other lightweight paper

- non-toxic paint or markers

- green foam

- a sponge (for applying the paint)

- construction paper

- glue

- scissors

- green crayons

- clean brown paper bag

and if you'd like to use them insha'Allah, here are the files for the activities:

Relevant Ahadith

Over in the Meadow Felt Story Pieces

Over in the Meadow Literacy & Math Activities

Letter Seen Charades Cards

Transliteration For Arabic Words

The Lesson Plan for Over in the Meadow

Enjoy insha'Allah!