Carolina Curriculum: GEMS > Kits for Grades K-5

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Expanded view of the Tree Homes Kit

GEMS^® Tree Homes (Grades Pre K–1)

The GEMS® PEACHES program for Pre-K to Grade 1 sets the standard for inquiry-based practice in early childhood education for teachers and students. These fun-filled units integrate math skills with life, physical, and inquiry sciences to create engaging early-childhood science units. GEMS® PEACHES units increase the young learner’s ability to estimate, make inferences, and apply prior science and math knowledge to new learning situations in meaningful ways.

PEACHES Tree Homes emphasizes the vital role that trees play on Earth with the different animals that live in them. Through observation of real trees, dramatic role-play and engaging activates, students gain a deeper appreciation for trees and the animals that inhabit them. Observation, describing and comparing, creative- and logical- thinking, sorting and classifying, and problem solving are skills that are utilized and practiced while investigating into the concepts of animal shelter, habitats, parenting, tree structure, animal features and behaviors. Students delve into physical science when exploring the concepts of heath and warmth, friction, and size and shape in relation to trees and the animals that live in them. The highlight of this unit is the students’ construction of a child-size tree home. Complete with holes, branches and leaves, their creation provides shelter for a variety of toy animals.

Benefits of using this kit:
	Addresses key concepts in life and physical sciences at an age-appropriate level
	Addresses key math concepts such as measurement, size and shape, and problem solving
	Provides activities for a wide range of student abilities within the Pre-K to Grade 1 age range
	Provides opportunities for developing language through engaging activities

Goals Standards In the Kit Pilot this Kit Support Downloads

Goals of Tree Homes
	Create and foster enthusiasm for science and math in young children
	Provide age-appropriate opportunities for young children to develop fundamental science and math skills

National Standards addressed by Tree Homes:

	Life Science Standard, K–4: The characteristics of organisms; life cycles of organisms; organisms and their environment.
	Inquiry Standard, K–4: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.
	Science in Personal and Social Perspectives, K–4: Changes in environments.
	Unifying Concepts and Principles: Form and Function.

In the Kit:

	Unit kits for a class of 30 students come with a Teacher's Guide and the materials needed to complete the activities in the guide.
	Unit kits for a Pre-K class of 16 students include a Teacher’s Guide and most materials needed to complete the activities in the guide. Some materials needed are commonly found in a Pre-K classroom and therefore were removed from the kit. These items are offered as line item purchases, enabling you to buy them only when necessary.

Try the Carolina Curriculum Pilot Program
What’s the best way to learn about STC Program®, Building Blocks of Science™, Math Out of the Box®, or GEMS Kits®? Pilot a unit in your school or district!

Here's how it works:

	Complete the pilot information request form.
	You choose a lead teacher(s) to pilot the units.
	Carolina ships the selected unit kit(s) to your school/district.
	At the end of the pilot, you can purchase one of the unit kits for 10% off the catalog price!

Contact our Sales Staff
Carolina’s Curriculum Sales and Services group provides districts and schools that are evaluating curriculum with samples, professional planning, and implementation assistance. Our staff includes in-office curriculum account managers and regional sales managers in the field. Click here to contact the account manager and sales manager for your school district.

Customer Service
All Carolina customers have their own customer service representative, determined by state, to meet their specific needs. Click here for customer service representative contact information.

Technical Support
With Carolina's technical support staff, you have access to knowledgeable professionals with expertise in many areas of the sciences. Call 800-227-1150 (8 am to 5 pm ET) or email curriculum@carolina.com and trained staff will answer your questions about a Carolina Curriculum product or provide additional information.

Kit Information

Tree Homes: Literacy Information


	Tree Homes Kit This Kit comes with a Teacher's Guide, an information packet, and the materials needed for a class of 30.

	Tree Homes Kit Teacher's Guide Additional Teacher's Guides are available if you need them.

	Tree Homes Kit Refill Pack This set replenishes the consumable materials in the Kit.