Running head: UNIT RATIONALE

Unit Rationale
Abigail Rose
Fontbonne University

UNIT RATIONALE

2
Unit Rationale

The unit plan being proposed is designed for and tailored to four and five year old boys
and girls attending Maplewood-Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center. The content of the
unit includes four lessons- one about insects as pollinators, one about plants, one about animals,
and one about the health of our planet. The goal of the unit is to establish a respect for our earth
and an appreciation of biodiversity in our ecosystem by identifying how plants, animals, insects,
and the health of the planet are connected to our food system.
Early childhood education programs provide prime opportunities to assist children as
they are developing cognitively, physically, creatively, and socially. Between the ages of one to
six years old, children readily learn and develop new skills. At this age, childrens reasoning
abilities, personal connections, beliefs, dislikes, likes, and feelings are all being shaped by the
environments around them. The values, skills and habits formed during these years are important
in development of personality of a child (Seyda Kaneez-i-Fatima Haider, 2013). During this
crucial developmental period, it is important to tailor learning activities to allow for optimal
learning and skill strengthening opportunities for children at this age. It has been found that
learning is best done by movement, opposed to relying solely on verbalization or recollection
skills (McLaren, Edwards, Ruddick, Zabjek, & McKeever, 2011). Learning through movement
allows reinforces the neural pathways and creates a more permanent way of educating. By
observation it was found that effective approaches to education included engaging children in
learning activities and displaying childrens work regarding current topics, which reinforces the
learning environment and allows the children to engage in conversation about their work
(McKie, Butty, & Green, 2011).

UNIT RATIONALE

As these years are setting the stage and creating habits, interests, and likes and dislikes
that will shape the child now and years down the road, it is important to recognize the impact
that early childhood programs can have on the childrens mindfulness regarding the health of the
earth. Basic lessons regarding respect for the plants, animals and insects that help provide us
healthy foods can help to create healthy habits regarding food and sustainability at a young age
that they can hold on to throughout their lives. Raising awareness of the shared responsibility
with one another to take care of the earth is crucial in a time when environmental concerns are so
high.
Agriculture relies on biodiversity in the ecosystem; clean water supplies, animals and
insects as pollinators, nutrients from the soil, and climate regulation are all aspects of the
ecosystem that influence agriculture and rely on biodiversity. For humans to flourish, so does the
health of the environment. With current issues such as a projected 10-20 percent global increase
in river nitrogen flows to coastal ecosystems over the next decade (United Nations: Water, 2014),
and a decrease in honey bee colonies in the United States from 6 million colonies (beehives) in
1947 to just 2.5 million today (The White House: Office of the Press Secretary, 2014), it is
important to have a basic knowledge early in life that plants, animals, insects, and the health of
our planet are all connected to the health of humans and our food system. Children need to know
that humans are connected to and depend on insects, animals, plants, and the health of the earth
at an early age so that sustainable practices and mindfulness regarding the health of these things
can be established at a young age and hopefully stay with the children throughout their lives.
Environmental concerns will only get worse with time unless awareness is raised concerning the
issue, and people are empowered and educated on what they can do to help alleviate these

UNIT RATIONALE

problems, as well as why they should care about the health of our animals, plants, insects, and
earth.
The purpose of the unit mirrors the values of both Maplewood Richmond Heights Early
Childhood Center (MRH) as well as the practice of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS).
Through the MRH Seeds to Table program, connections are made between the children and their
food while being engaged in hands-on exploration of food and nutrition. Cooking classes using
produce from the garden allows kids to establish basic cooking skills, and creates healthy dietary
habits at a young age. A strong emphasis of respecting and taking care of the earth is also
instilled in the program (Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, 2010). FCS
professionals aim to improve the lives of families by helping people make informed decisions
about their wellbeing, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life (American
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, 2015). FCS professionals specialize in areas such
as human development and nutrition, as well as many other areas, and have a key role in
improving the quality of life for children through nutrition education. It is recognized through the
FCS profession that the environment and community that the child is exposed to is identified as
having a direct impact on the development of the child. Approaches such as community gardens
led by FCS professionals can improve the environment of the community and foster a direct
respect and appreciation for the earth. Thus this unit is very appropriate and supports the
practices and beliefs of both MRH early childhood center and the FCS profession, and can be
supported by professionals of both organizations.

References

UNIT RATIONALE

American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (2015). FAQs. Retrieved from
http://www.aafcs.org/AboutUs/FAQ.asp#1
Maplewood Richmond Heights School District (2010). Seed to Table. Retrieved from
http://www.mrhschools.net/gardens/
Mckie, B. K., Butty, J. M. & Green, R. D. (2011). Reading, reasoning, and literacy: Strategies for
early childhood educaton from the analysis of classroom observations. Early childhood
education journal 40(1), 55-61.
Mclaren, C., Edwards, F., Ruddick, S., Zabjek, K. & McKeever, P. (2011). Kindergarten kids in
motion: Rethinking inclusive classrooms for optimal learning. Educational and child
psychology 28(1), 100-113.
Syeda Kaneez-i-Fatima Haider, S. A. (2013). The significance of early childhood education in
endorsing healthy child development. PUTAJ Humanities & Social Sciences 20(1), 137145.
The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (2014). Fact sheet: The Economic challenge
posed by declining pollinator populations. Retrieved from
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-economic-challengeposed-declining-pollinator-populations
United Nations (2014). United Nations: Water. Retrieved from
http://www.unwater.org/statistics/en/?
page=5&ipp=10&tx_dynalist_pi1[par]=YToxOntzOjE6IkwiO3M6MDoiIj