The WORLD OF REALLY "TINY!"

This lesson will take about a month...

   TIME TO GET THE FLASHLIGHTS OUT!  Kids love flashlights.  "Flashlight" by Lizi Boyd, meshes the whimsy of the exploring child with that of a hidden world.  THIS ACTIVITY ALSO USES "HORTON HEARS A WHO," MICROSCOPES, THE VIDEO "DOT," AND WILLARD WIGAN (ONE OF OUR FACES OF CREATIVITY --LINK HERE --SCROLL DOWN TO DAY 2 ON THAT LINK).
"If we can't see anything, does that mean nothing is there?"
"When can we NOT see things that are there?"
Encourage your librarian to purchase the book for your school ...but even without the book you can still involve kids in this activity.  Here are some pages from Lizi's book... GET THE BOOK!

1. Have kids enter a dark room (black out your windows). You guide them in, using a flashlight. Talk about darkness. Ask the two questions above that are in blue. Discuss.

2. Read Lizi Boyd's (see if your school librarian will order it for you!) book to kids in the dark using your flashlight to light the pages  and then show the book trailer.  Let kids share stories about the dark, about using flashlights in the dark. They will have a LOT to say!

ReferencesPopova, Maria. 'Flashlight: A Whimsical Wordless Story About Curiosity And Wonder'. Brain Pickings. N.p., 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.

3. Darkness isn't the only thing that makes it hard for us to see.  There is a microscopic world that is too tiny for us to see with just our eyes.  Use Dr. Seuss's "Horton Hears a Who"....then take the kids to the science lab and let them look through a real microscope!

4. THERE IS A GREAT PDF CURRICULUM ON THIS STORY HERE! It has great critical thinking questions for class discussion.

• Kangaroo says, "If you can't see, hear, or feel something, it doesn't exist." What do you think about that?

What do you think Dr. Seuss meant when he said a person is a person no matter how small?

Do you have to see, hear, or touch something yourself in order to believe it’s there?
Can you think of something you know exists even though you can’t see, hear or touch it?

Remember --get out the microscopes

5.  Kids are now ready for Willard Wigan. The miniature world is one that fascinates children. After all, they, too, are small. After seeing Willard Wigan's creations, they are bound to feel pretty big!

Don't forget Willard!  See LINK for him at the top...