Blueberries! Exploring Blueberries with Kids!

10 FREE Resources Exploring “Blueberries”

Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the few commercial fruits that are native to North America. Growing in the wild, these small berries were believed to be sacred to Native American Tribes. The health benefits were some of the most powerful of the day. The bottom of every blueberry has a beautiful star shape. The star represented the blueberry was a gift from the great spirits of the Native Peoples. The Native American’s used blue berries for more than medicine and food, they also used them for dying materials.

Until the mid 20th Century blueberries were grown in the wild. Farmers decided to learn how to cultivate and grow them in crops. These blueberries are known as highbush. The wild blueberries are known as lowbush varieties.

There was a cookbook published in 1957 called “Plimouth Colony Cook Book” and in it was a recipe for Blueberry Cake. As far back as 1621, the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower enjoyed blueberries.

Introducing Blueberries to Children

Before introducing blueberries to children, we should learn as much as we can to be prepared for their questioning minds. We are so busy these days and I just love YouTube for quick learning. Here is a video from TRU FOOD TV called “BLUEBERRY: How Does it Grow?”

Disclaimer: There are more than 10 FREE resources here (smile)…

Books and Blueberries

Books, books and more books! Reading to children has such a positive affect on the future of a child’s love for reading books. Here are my top recommended books about blueberries. Some of them you can preview on the STEMHAX YouTube channel, before you decided to add to your personal book collection. Some of the links are affiliate links. Should you decided to make a purchase I will receive a small percentage at zero cost to you. Thank you! Book recommendations are in no particular order.

The next book is Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes. “Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes!”

And the final book choice for blueberry explorations is the classic book written by Robert McCloskey, “Blueberries for Sal.”

“Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Sal and her mother a picking blueberries to can for the winter. But when Sal wanders to the other side of Blueberry Hill, she discovers a mama bear preparing for her own long winter. Meanwhile Sal’s mother is being followed by a small bear with a big appetite for berries! Will each mother go home with the right little one? – Excerpt from Amazon

With its expressive line drawings and charming story, Blueberries for Sal has won readers’ hearts since its first publication in 1948.”

Farmers’ Market Read Aloud

This video on the STEMHAX YouTube Channel. It is a word for word reading of the downloadable booklet on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. Farmers’ Market Poetry Booklet featuring couplets. Simply print, staple and color. The video can be used for reinforcement and fluency; both in the classroom or for home practice.

Videos

Adding technology is important and we can share so much with children without even leaving our homes. Click on the pictures to preview resources you can share with your students. There is a variety of videos for differentiation and learning interests.

The first video is from Sci Show Kids. Jessi and Squeaks show how a seed grows into a plant. This is filled with information and is a good introduction to science terms. Anytime there is a plant study this video would be one to repeat for reinforcement.

“Peep and the Big Wide World” is super cute. Kids find this to be more entertaining than learning, however, it is learning in cartoon form. There are only so many minutes in the school day, and from the beginning of the school year, I always play learning videos during snack time, and this video is good for differentiation too. This not only keeps the classroom under control it allows me to add extra fun that might have been cut from the lesson.

This next video is a nature filming montage, of how a blueberry flower develops into a blueberry. There are no words in the video only gentle music. There are animals and insects and I feel it is a good video to share with students. After watching these three videos over the course of a week, consider doing a blueberry investigation. Allow students to explore a blueberry. Supply magnifying glasses, blueberries, plates, plastic knives and maybe some gloves. Ask them to describe the blueberry and find the seeds. Don’t forget to have some extra for snack!

The Blueberry song by Ditty is so pretty. The tune is catchy and the song is about blueberries. All the words are in the YouTube description so you can teach it to the children. I think this would be really cute to sing for a school spring concert. Love it!

Finally, these last two videos are for home caregivers of young learners. Cooking with kids is a super important skill, and when cooking skills start early there comes a sense of independence. The first video is for a recipe called “Healthy Berry Popsicle.” It is super cute!

The last video is for a recipe from the Family Fun Pack, “Blueberry Upside Down Cake.” Yummy!

These are only a couple of ideas with what to make after taking kids on a field trip to pick blueberries!

Additional FREE Resources

The last few resources are from some of my peers at Teacher Pay Teacher. Even if you are not a traditional classroom teacher, any caregiver can download free and/or purchase these teachers created resources from the TpT website.

This first freebie is from Shirley Anderson called “Counting Blueberries.” This is perfect for early learners as a center. Simply print, add the correct answer to the back laminate and put out some clothespins. These are simple yet very functional clothes pin clip cards, fun!

Next, is another simple hands-on activity called “Label the Blueberry.” This is a print and go and includes an answer key. I like this because teachers can put the answer key in a plastic sheet holder and kids can self correct. Self correcting activities are excellent learning skills and help develop critical thinking skills. Thank you Little Learning Lane.

The final free resource is from Primary Playground. Her concept of Literacy Snack Ideas are wonderful. This is her little coloring snack that pairs with “Blueberries for Sal” perfectly. Super cute, thank you Janette!!

If you like these free resources please consider following these teacher creators. They are always developing new and cool things, for you and I, to use with young learners.

There are so many ways to incorporate blueberries into academics.

Resource Recommendation for more about blueberries visit the U. S. Highbush Blueberry Council – they have some free resources for kids, too.

Thank you for taking the time to read and explore this collection of free blueberry resources. These can be used with the Farmers’ Market Poetry Booklet/Journal.