Bicycle History/Protect Your Melon

Grade:

Kindergarten

Theme:

Transportation-Bicycles

Materials:

· Pictures of bicycles from WHS
· Pictures of bicycles today
· Bicycle helmet
· Two musk melons (The bicycle helmet should fit securely on one of the melons.)
· Large sheet of plastic to protect the floor
· Poster board chart with 2 columns (Has Helmet, No Helmet)
· Cut out bicycles
· Tape
· Poster board with song lyrics written on it
· Marker
· Bike Lesson by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Goals:

· Demonstrate how important it is to wear a bicycle helmet.
· Show how bicycles have changed over the years.

Objectives:

1. Given old photos of bicycles and new photos of bicycles the children will detect differences between the photos.
2. Given the melon demonstration the children will discuss why it is important to wear a helmet.

Procedure:

a. Introductory Experiences
1. Read the story The Bike Lesson by Stan and Jan Berenstain (5 minutes)
a. Discuss different rules when riding a bike.
i. One of the most important things about riding a bike is wearing a helmet.
2. Hand out a cut out bicycle to every child, after talking about the story. (1 minute)
3. Put up the poster board chart that is divided into 2 columns (Has Helmet, No Helmet). (10 minutes)
a. Each child will come up individually to receive a piece of tape. They will then put their cut out bicycle in the “Has Helmet” column or the “No Helmet” column.
i. After everyone has their bicycles on the chart ask questions:
1. Do we have more learners who have a helmet or do not have a helmet?
2. How many learners have a helmet? How many learners do not have a helmet?
3. How many should have helmets?

b. Developmental Experience (15 minutes)
1. Introduce children to old photos of bicycles that were ridden in Winona many years ago. (primary documents)
a. Green tricycle was from the late 1960s (40 years ago). (primary document)
i. The color of this tricycle was very popular, many people liked the color.
b. Black bicycle has wooden wheels with rubber tires. (primary document)
i. Many bicycle wheels were solid rubber (no air in them).
c. Bicycle races were very popular in Winona. They raced around a course. It was a cheap entertainment, didn’t have to pay any money. The races occurred once a week.
d. Bicycles were purchased at a bicycle store in Winona by the name of Kolter Bicycle Store of Winona.
2. Introduce children to new photos of bicycles that are ridden by people today.
a. Compare the bicycles from years ago to bicycles today.
i. Ask questions:
1. Do they look the same? What is different about them?
2. Are their bicycle races today in Winona? Why/ why not?
3. Where can you buy bicycles today?
3. Look at the price of bikes in the early 1900s. (primary document)
a. $8.95 in 1902
b. What do bicycles cost today?
c. Are there a lot of people riding bicycles today, why? Why may you ride a bicycle today instead of driving a car?

c. Culminating Experience
1. Have students stand around plastic sheet.
a. Talk about how the melon is like our heads. (round, mushy inside)
b. Drop the melon without the helmet on.
i. If it doesn’t break, show soft spots/dents where it hit the floor.
c. Drop the melon with the helmet on.
i. Show that this one has no damage.
1. Ask why it’s important to wear a helmet.
2. Who needs to wear a helmet when riding a bike?

2. Sing the Helmet Song (sung to the tune of London Bridge)
a. Wear your helmet when you ride
When you ride, when you ride

Wear your helmet when you ride
Protect your melon!
*Have song lyrics up on poster board to encourage reading.

Assessments:

1. Discussion after reading story, comparing bikes, and watching the melons being dropped.

History of Winona Railroad

Grade:
Kindergarten
Theme:
Transportation-Trains
Materials:
· Inside Freight Train by Donald Crews
· Butcher paper with “Counting Those Railroad Cars” written on it
· Butcher paper with “Down by the Station” written on it
· Pictures of trains from WHS
· Scissors
· Scissor line activity sheet
· Minnesota map

Goals:
· Introduce Winona railroad history to students and what was transported on the trains then.
Objectives:
· Given the scissors children will demonstrate how to cut on the lines drawn on the worksheet.
· Given the book Inside Freight Trains the children will discover different things that trains transport from one place to another.
· Given the pictures of trains from Winona’s past children will discover what trains were like in the past.

Procedure:
a. Introductory Experiences
1. Sing the song “Counting Those Railroad Cars”
i. 1-2-3-4Teacher can we count some more?

5-6-7-8Here comes another one a pullin' freight

9-10Let's start again, here comes another one around the bend

I'm just counting those railroad cars

1-2-3-4Teacher can we count some more?

5-6-7-8Here comes another one a pullin' freight

9-10Let's start again, here comes another one around the bend

I'm just counting those railroad cars

Sing this song once with words printed on a piece of butcher paper, this will encourage reading/singing along. (5 minutes)

b. Developmental Experience
1. Introduce Inside Freight Train by Donald Crews, read the story to students. (5 minutes)
2. Talk about the book and different things there were being carried in the different railroad cars.(10 minutes)
i. Discuss different things that children have noticed being carried in trains around the Winona area. (vehicles may be an answer given) Children may not know what is being carried in the cars, so from the book let them tell you what they think is being carried in the trains. (Food, cars, etc.)
3. Introduce the history of railroads in Winona (10 minutes)
i. In 1962 the first railroad was put through Winona, “Winona & St. Peter Railroad.”
1. It was built because it was cheaper, faster and more reliable then boats. Trains could also run in the winter, where boats were frozen in the water.
a. Show picture of stained glass window. (primary document) Explain that the train and boat were used in Winona for industry.
b. Show picture of “Highways of Steel,” this shows how the railroads connected to different parts of the United States. (primary document)
ii. The first train pulled was with the engine “Old Tiger.” It took passengers to Stockton & brought back wheat to Winona.
1. Show on a map of where Stockton is compared to Winona.
2. Show picture of railroads being built. (primary document) Explain how the railroads were built to connect towns together to transport people and different products.
iii. Winona was a great place for railroads because it was next to the river. Things coming off boats could then be place on the trains and transported anywhere at a faster pace.
1. Show picture of train/lumber display. (primary document) This shows that the train was close to the river and was also used in the lumber industry.
4. Students will practice using their fine motor skills using a scissors. Review how to use a scissors (demonstrate). They can pretend that the scissors is the train and it has to follow the line to get to its destination. The paper has a straight line, a jagged line, and a curved line. They will cut along the line until they hit the smiley face sticker. (10 minutes)

c. Culminating Experiences
1. Sing the song “Down by the Station”
i. Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the little puffer bellies
All in a row

See the station master
Turn the little handle
Puff, puff, toot, toot
Off we go!

Ask the students if they had a train and it could go anywhere, where would they have it go and what would the train be carrying. Also, review Winona history of trains as a group. (Where did the first train go? What was it carrying?) (10 minutes)
Assessments:

1. Discussion after reading Inside Freight Train.
2. Scissors activity assesses their fine motor skills.
3. Reviewing Winona history, asking questions to the class.