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Creation Kids |
Creation Kids Site Contents: Subscribe to newsletter -- click or send an e-mail to: creationkids- |
Caring Catfish
Characteristic: compassion, caring for others Bible Verse: A father has compassion on his children. Psalm 103:13 Concepts: There are more than 2,000 kinds of catfish. Most of them have 2-4 pairs of whiskers, like a cat. Unlike most fish, catfish do not have scales over their skin. After the female sea catfish lays her eggs, the male sea catfish keeps them safe inside his mouth. He doesn’t eat anything until after the eggs hatch. Our parents take care of us until we are able to take care of ourselves. They teach us, step by step, how to do this. After we grow up, they still care for us. A big part of growing up is learning how to care for others. Children can learn to care for other. Center Activities Circle Time/Field Trip: Arrange for a small infant and parent to visit. Ask the parent to share some of the ways she/he cares for the baby. Another option is to invite someone with a pet that is nursing babies to visit and share. Or, arrange to visit a farm or zoo when there are lots of babies. Ask the farmer or zoo worker to share about some of the things they do to care for the animals. Home Living/Dramatic Play: Use dolls and stuffed animals to encourage children to think about the many needs of a baby (human or animal). What would it be like to be a baby that didn’t have any parents to care for you? Manipulatives: Build a house/barn to provide shelter for the dolls, animals, or puppets. Why do people and some animals need shelter? What are some other needs people or animals have (food, water, air, love, etc.)? Crafts: Stuffed Catfish Draw a simple fish outline on construction paper (make it large enough to fill most of the paper). Cut out two. Staple around the perimeter, leaving the mouth open. Stuff body and tail fins with shredded paper, leaving the head area unstuffed. Staple a few times to keep stuffing in place. Add paper strips or yarn for whiskers. Cut out several baby fish from construction paper. After story time, let children pretend to re-enact the father catfish keeping the babies safe in his mouth, then letting them swim out. For more complex stuffed animal projects for older kids, check out Stuffed Animals. Story Time: The Mysterious Closed-Mouthed Catfish Enrichment Ideas 1. Egg Relay: Form two groups of children spaced 10-30 feet apart (depending on age). Show children how to carry a hardboiled egg resting in a tablespoon by holding onto the handle (not the bowl of the spoon). Give a child in group A the egg and tablespoon. He/she must carry it to the group B and give it to a child who then carries it to group A and gives it to another child. Repeat until all children have a turn. When an egg hits the floor, replace it with another hardboiled egg. Alternative: fill a plastic egg with a few pennies to give it some weight (especially good for 2’s and 3’s as the egg will roll less). This is a non-competitive relay game. 2. Visit a sea aquarium or the fish department of a local pet store. 3. Study up on the care of goldfish, then purchase one or two for pets. 4. For an art project, ask children to use their imaginations to draw what a catfish would look like if it really looked like a cat. What would a fish-cat look like? 5. Plan a special outing time for father (or grandfather or uncle) and child. If a personal visit isn’t possible, make a phone call or write letters. 6. Remember the “Love” postage stamps (U.S.)? Design your own “Love” stamps and use them on letters sent to grandparents, etc. 7. Tell the story of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. Think of something your class or family can do to show compassion to a stranger in need. 8. Read a book or two about catfish. There aren't many
on the market, but there are a few. (Age recommendations
by publishers.)
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Copyright 2002 Sandra Harris. All rights reserved. |
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