Carlos likes to help his parents farm their garden but he doesn’t like washing up afterwards.  His mother has warned him that he better wash up or he might grow a squash plant out of his ear.  Find out what becomes of Carlos and if he listens to his mother’s warning.

Materials

•             Small bar soaps, cut a larger one into quarters
•             A variety of nail brushes
•             A squash that is in season or squash seeds
•             Several hats, preferably straw

Vocabulary

•             Ay caramba (Oh my goodness!)

Before Reading the Book

Sometimes our parents tell us to do things that we do not want to do. Ask the children for examples.  If none are given ask them if their parents tell them it is time to go to bed, time to brush their teeth,time to turn off the TV.  Explain that parents tell their children what to do to help keep them safe and healthy. 

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, hand washing, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Show the children the cover of the book and ask them if they think they can tell what the story is about.  Look at the boys face, how do you think he feels?  Now turn the book over and show the back page. Look at the boys face, how do you think he feels now?  Ask the children why he might be feeling this way.  Turn the book back over and begin.  

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

Reading the Book

As you read, ask the children questions; Carlos did not listen to his mother? What do you think will happen?  Why do you think Carlos is wearing the hat?  Do you think his Mother knows there is a plant growing from his ear?  How do you think Carlos will get the squash plant to disappear? 

Approaches to Learning/Logic & Reasoning; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.  AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to accept the consequences of their actions.

                       
After Reading the Book

Talk to the children about the importance of bathing (cause you will be all stinky, the germs will get on you).  Ask the children if they think a squash could really grow out of your ear?  What does a seed need to grow? 

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment.  And Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge  of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Give all the children a paper towel.  Tell them that you are going to play a game like Simon Says but it is called Slippery Soap. Call out “Slippery Soap says to wash your elbow!”.  The children then take the paper towel and pretend to wash their elbow.  Continue,as you would play Simon Says.   Include such body parts as knuckles, ankle, thigh, abdomen, gums, eye brow, etc.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Discovery

If it is the right time of year, get some squash seeds or bean seeds to plant in cups. 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Bring in a squash that is in season.  Let the children use all their senses to describe the squash. 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, observe processes and relationships.

Make the Calabacitas recipe in the back of the book. 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, observe processes and relationships.

Music and Movement

 Teach the children the poem/song  Dig a Little Hole

Dig a little hole                                                              Pretend to dig a hole

And you put the seed in.                                              Pretend to drop a seed into the hole

Cover it with dirt                                                          Pretend to cover the hole

And let the sun shine in                                               Arms overhead to make sun

Add a little water                                                         Wiggle fingers like rain

And keep it fed

Pretty soon a little plant will show its head          Make a hole with one hand touching finger                                                                                                to thumb.  As the other hand pushes                                                                                                            through the hole.

Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.  

Blocks

Carlos planted a garden where he grew his squash plants.  Challenge the children to build a fence to go around a pretend garden.  Can they make a pattern in their fence using the blocks?  

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Art

Make a ‘vine’ several feet long using green construction paper.  Draw simple leaf shapes on several shades of green paper that the children can cut out and tape to your vine.  Make several star shapes for the squash flowers and squash shape, these the children cut out and tape to the vine also. 

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills;grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Sand and Water

 Water play today.  Add small bars of  soap and nail brushes.  

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, hand washing, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Library and Writing

Carlos’s mother used a recipe to make calabacitas, a favorite food for Carlos. Ask the children if one of their parents cook a favorite food for them?  Ask the child to tell you how his parent cooks this food and write down what he/she says.  Put all the “recipes” together for a classroom cookbook.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes.  AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop  and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Dramatic Play

 Put out several straw hats that the children can use to act out the story.  If you do not have straw hats, use baseball caps. Explain to the children that when working out in the hot sun, it is important to protect your head and skin from sunburn.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress and abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Math and Manipulatives

 The squash plant growing in Carlos’ ear kept getting longer and longer.  Work with the children today using a ruler.  Show them how the numbers tell how many inches long something is.  Help the children to measure toys in the room. Reinforce the concept of an inch by using the 1-inch cubes to double-check the measurements of the ruler. 

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using a standard and non-standard measures for length and the area of an object.

Outdoor Play

Let the children use shovels to make long straight rows in the dirt to pretend to be planting a garden.  Or if you are able, begin a real garden in the play yard.  

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.  AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; progresses in physical growth, strength, stamina, and flexibility.

Transitions

Have the children show you how they can wash their hands.  Have them pretend and go through the motions of proper hand washing.  

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, hand washing, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Dear Parent,  Good hand washing techniques are important to your child’s health.  Ask your child to show you the easy steps to better health.  1) Turn on the water and wet hands.  2) Apply soap to your hands.  3) Scrub hands in circular motions creating soap lather on the palms, the tops, around the wrists, and between the fingers.  4) Rinse the soap from your hands.  5) Dry your hands with a paper towel or towel.  6) Use a corner of the towel to turn off the water so as not to touch your clean hands on the water knob.