[Meredith Clark]

Hello!

I posted before about my class pet Peach. She's a 10 month old rescued lop bunny. My class (1st grade) is extremely involved with her care. They do all the feeding, water, hay, toys, and track her progress daily.

I have a grant to pay for her supplies and I need to do a lesson involving her for the students. I was thinking something in Science, but our curriculum encourages cross disciplinary teaching so it can be more than one subject.

Any ideas?

Thanks!!

[Guin]

Is first grade old enough to read a chapter from Watership Down? Maybe one of the El-arhairah stories that Dandelion tells? I think first-graders would LOVE Rowsby Woof and the Fairy Wog-Dog.

[jetsmom]

get a 2nd bunny of the opposite sex and teach Biology-Obvious, math-multiplication,
business-Pyramid schemes

You could actually cover a lot!

[Sonesta]

jetsmom,

[LexInVA]

Feed/water = Math

That's really all you can do that is simplistic but you can use the weight and size of the bunny as well if it's still growing.

BTW, it's nice to see that you are still alive.

[Guin]

You could grow something she likes to eat. Parsley is easy and you can grow it in a paper cup.

[carp]

Maybe a bit of geography and economics - where Peach's food and other supplies originated and how they probably got to you.

[betsyk]

You could get a whole semester out of that bunny! Language arts: write a story about a bunny. Write a story about a bunny that shows someone else how to take care of the bunny. Do you have ipads in your class? have the kids make a video about the bunny - go through the group process of deciding what the video will be about, what facts about bunnies will be in it, which kid does what, etc. Do some research about bunnies - whatever form that takes in first grade - look up bunny words in the dictionary? Famous bunnies in literature - Peter Cottontail and other Beatrix Potter stories? Put on a play about a bunny. Read books about bunnies!

Art... illustrate your bunny story! There must be a million first grade art projects that go along with math and reading that could have a bunny theme.

Math... measuring skills? how many days of bunny food is in the bag - learning to measure carefully and correctly. Mark on the calendar when it's time to buy another bag of bunny food, based on your measurements.

Science... herbivores/carnivores/omnivores. Nutrition - bunny snacks are good for kids, too, so think of how many ways you can make snacks with carrots and lettuce and whatever else bunnies like to eat?

Social studies... find pictures of different kinds of bunnies that live around the world and look at how they're different, and look at the places they live (Australian outback vs. Alaska?) I like the idea of talking about food systems in the context of bunny food!

Can I just come teach your class the bunny unit? it could be a lot of fun!

[SarahandSam]

Love the Watership Down idea and Beatrix Potter...

Holland Lops originate obviously from the Netherlands and there's the English Lop, so you could do some stuff with exploring those two countries...

Bunny poetry...

Write a book on bunny care for other students...

Train for bunny show jumping? (;

[Ruth0552]

I love Betsyk's idea of writing a story about the bunny and illustrating it. Aside from Beatrix Potter, I think there is another very popular bunny book- maybe by the author of good night moon? Or is that about a bunny?

[Guin]

I love Betsyk's idea of writing a story about the bunny and illustrating it. Aside from Beatrix Potter, I think there is another very popular bunny book- maybe by the author of good night moon? Or is that about a bunny?

PAT THE BUNNY.

[oliverreed]

get a 2nd bunny of the opposite sex and teach Biology-Obvious, math-multiplication,
business-Pyramid schemes

You could actually cover a lot!

LOL!!!!!!

[bits619]

Jetsmom, the pyramid scheme made me snort... awesome!

Love the ideas given by Betsy, great stuff there. As a once-artsy fartsy kid, I would have been in heaven with the art ideas. And I think educators/the grant people would like the nutrition segment, too.