I Go to School

I Go to School

Books

Berenstain Bears Go to School- Sister is a little nervous about going to kindergarten but she learns about all of the fun things that are part of the school day.

Llama Llama Misses Mama- Little Llama does not feel happy at school until some of the other kids invite him to join them.

School Bus by Donald Crews- This book shows where school buses stay and goes through the whole route of picking kids up to dropping them off and going back to the bus barn.

Monster makes himself a clock at school but this one does not have numbers or hands on it. Instead he makes a schedule clock with pictures of the daily activities.

How Do Dinosaurs Go to School?

I Am Not Going to School Today- This little boy is nervous about not knowing who the teacher is, who is in his class, where things are and what the schedule is at school. He takes a pal along to accompany him and learns to cope with the "first day".

Every Morning at Play Group- Sesame Street- Emily's parents both go to work and her brother goes to first grade. She is going to play group and is not sure about going.

The Sesame Street gang talks about all of the things they like about school.

Tucker experiences a variety activities at his new school and learns how much fun it is!


ASL- Sign for School- from www.lifeprint.com

Crafts

Dog Puppet

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/animals/dog-craft.asp

Personalized Lunch Box- Find at Crafts Kaboose


Decorate your notebook/journal- Find at Crafts Kaboose


Backpack Craft for a doll or stuffed animal- Find at Danielle's Place

Music

• The More We Get Together
• The Backpack Song- Learning Through Music- Kathleen Coleman, MMT, MT-BC with Prelude Music Therapy
• The Months of the Year- Greg and Steve
• Days of the Week- Tim Pacific or to the tune of Oh My Darlin

Activities

• Play school and use props such as backpacks, supplies, lunch boxes etc.
• Do a puppet show or act out one of one of the books.
• Stuffed animals go to school and learn to make new friends.

Coloring Pages


From My Coloring Pages Blog


From


From Coloring Pages Blog.138


From Big Activities


From Big Activities

DNA Model

Here is a project my husband did for himself to add to his knowledge about biology. This DNA kit comes from Hobby Lobby for a very reasonable price, I think maybe $9 or $12. It makes for a very hands on and fun lesson about DNA.

Ideas for Children to Survive a Parent Being Away

Ideas for Children When a Parent Travels Away

One of my parenting magazines had some suggestions for making a parent's temporary departure easier.

1. Count Down the Days- Make a tear-away calendar or something similar so they have something to help understand when the parent is coming home.

2. Look at the Lovely- Take along a stuffed animal or toy and photograph it doing cool things like flying or sightseeing.

3. Record your voice- Use the computer or smart phone to record a message, video, or story for bedtime.

4. Video Chat- Skype or gmail!

5. Start a Virtual Diary- familydetails.com has a free website for the family to write day to day activities, upload pictures and texts.

6. Create Together- If a parent is gone for a long time create a picture together. Start out with a single line on a page and mail it back and forth, adding one line or shape until you have a piece of art.

Here is an example of number 2


Mouse traveled with Daddy on his business trip.


Mouse went to the pool.



Mouse sleeps in.

Books About Behavior and Emotions

When I was little my mom had a series of books for me which discussed behavior and struggles that kids go through. The series was "Let's Talk About" and the author is Joy Berry. They were written back in 1982.

I discovered her website and saw all of the new books she has written for children. Some of the topics include, teasing, bullying, divorce, bath time, bed time, whining, trauma, organization, etc.

I loved reading these books as a child and Zachary has been enjoying them as well. We do not have any of her new books but they all look very helpful in explaining various situations to children.

www.joyberrybooks.com

Another series I learned about through my mother (and you might have guessed that she is an elementary school teacher by now) is a series by Cornelia Maude Spelman with illustrations by Kathy Parkinson called "When I Feel...".

The author is a former social worker and writes about "the importance of emotions and healthy relationships in the lives of children" (Spelman).

Some of her books include When I Miss You, When I Feel Jealous, When I Feel Good About Myself, When I Feel Sad, When I Feel Scared, When I Care About Others, When I Feel Angry, After Charlotte's Mom Died, Your Body Belongs to You, Mama and Daddy Bears Divorce, and Talking About Childhood Sex Abuse.

http://www.corneliaspelman.com/index.php/books/

Summer

Books- Have not read all of them, but viewed summaries on the library website.

• Mama, Is it Summer Yet?- Nikki McClure
• Morgy's Musical Summer- Maggie Lewis
• Carl's Summer Vacation- Alexander Day
• Summer Beat- Betsy Franco (Two friends celebrate the sights and sounds of summer)
• Mouse's First Summer- Lauren Thompson
• Summer is Summer- Phillis and David Gershator- (Summer from a child's perspective)
• Four Friends in Summer- Tomie DePaola
• The Encyclopedia of Summer Olympics-David Fischer

Crafts

The link below has some fun and amazing summer crafts including a paper plate sun, popscicle matching game, ocean flower pot, watermelon craft, a homemade butterfly net and more.

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/summer/

Baking

• Vanilla Pops (See below for recipe)
• Blueberry Yogurt Treats (see below)

Vanilla Pops- from Highlights High Five Magazine

1. One cup of milk

2. 6 oz container of vanilla yougurt

3. Tablespoon of honey

Blend ingrediants and pour into paper cups.

Freeze for 30 mins to an hour and then insert Popsicle stick.

Freeze until frozen!

Eat!

Blueberry Vanilla Treats

1. Break up graham cracker and pour in bottom of cup

2. Add vanilla yogurt

3. Place blueberries on top

Build it Yourself from Lowes

Zachary received this bird house kit from Lowes. It' a good starter kit to learning how to do woodwork and it was fun too.

Catapult

Here's a home made catapult that my husband made for a science experiment for our son. A cup, a small pvc pipe and part of our extra blinds.

It was interesting to watch Zachary. As a four year old he had to learn which side of the catapult had to be up in order to fling the object up in the air. He thought the cup had to be up at first and then thought he had to hit the side with the cup on it. He got it after trying a few times. We really enjoyed seeing things fly across the room!