Good To Go: The Bad Seed + Core Vocabulary Activities
The Bad Seed by Jory John is an imaginative story written by the same author as The Good Egg. It’s told from the perspective of a sunflower seed; a self-proclaimed BAD seed. He describes all the bad things he does like not putting things back where they belong or being late all the time. He also gives us a glimpse into how he came to be this way. Ultimately, he decides he wants to change his ways… even if he doesn’t always get it right.
As with all AAC core vocabulary, we use the words “good” and “bad” in many different ways in many different contexts. Read the story while modeling core words using your child’s AAC system. Follow it up with these activities for targeting “good” and “bad”…
Good/Bad Food
Craft
Download this free craft. It includes pictures of good food and food that has gone bad. Cut out the food visuals and paste each one under the appropriate heading.
Toy Food
Here’s a hot take… I think pineapple is a bad pizza topping. Gather some toy food and talk about which ones would be good toppings and which would be bad toppings. You can even get silly and include items like a sock and a bar of soap (I think we can all agree those would be bad toppings).
Good/Bad Feelings
Talk about what makes you and your child feel good and bad. For example, you might say you feel bad when are sick or hurt. You might feel good when playing with friends. Provide visuals like a picture of someone that has fallen down versus a picture of someone eating a cookie. Sort the visuals into the two categories.
Good/Bad STEM Activities
Conduct simple experiments. Figure out what makes a good boat design or what works best for cleaning up spills (printer paper would be pretty bad at absorbing liquid but a sponge is good at it).
Good/Bad Snacks
Offer samples of different types of snacks. Your child might like chocolate but think that spicy chips are not so good. Here are some more options…
- Cookies
- Pretzels
- Granola bar
- Popcorn topped with salt versus paprika
- Pudding (chocolate, vanilla, banana)
- Different types of berries
- Cheese string
- Edamame
Daily Routines and Activities
Don’t forget to model core vocabulary in your everyday conversations (e.g., “That’s not bad!”, “I’m having a good time!”).
Looking for more good ideas for targeting core vocabulary? Check out the resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
