Silvia receives a pair of shoes in the mail but they are too big.  She must wait for the shoes to fit her feet.  Until then, she thinks of many ways to use her shoes.

Materials

• Shoe design for shoe match game
• A variety of boxes from small to shoe bow size
• Picture of a large shoe for each child
• Several towels to dry feet

Vocabulary

• Pair (two similar things that are used together)
• Sole (bottom of the shoe)
•  Tia (the Spanish word for Aunt)
•  Oxen ( a kind of cow that is used to pull a wagon)

Before Reading the Story

            Bring in a box with a pair of shoes inside.  Keep the box closed and have the children try to guess what is inside the box.  (There’s a pair of something in here.  They have tongues and 6 eye holes each.  They are made out of rubber and have a sole.  They come in many colors but these are white with stripes).

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Reading the Story

            Take your time on each page and talk about how life in Silvia’s home looks different then life in the US.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; progresses in understanding similarities and respecting differences among people, genders, race, special needs, culture, language, and family structures.

After Reading the Story

            Recall with the children all the things Silvia did with her shoes while she was waiting for her feet to grow.  Ask the children if they can think of any other things they could do with the shoes if they were waiting.  Ask the children if they remember what color Silvia’s shoes were. 

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Make a simple graph that shows the colors of the shoes that the children are wearing today.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Discovery

            Explain to the children that many shoes have a design on the sole of the shoe.  Have the children put a thin piece of paper over the bottom of the shoe and use the side of a crayon to do a shoe rubbing.  When they are finished, hang the rubbings on the wall.  Can the children tell which shoe belongs to them?  Do they see any letters or shapes? 

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; grows in recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including trial and error, and interactions and discussions with peers and adults. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Music and Movement

            Have each child take off one of their shoes and place them in a pile in the middle of the circle.  The teacher takes one shoe and begins to sing, we will pass this shoe from me to you to you.  We will pass the shoe and that’s just what we’ll do.  The shoe gets passed around the circle until it arrives at the child to whom it belongs.  The child then puts it behind his back and another shoe gets passed.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

            Teach the children the poem, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. Have the children hold up the correct amount of fingers as you do the poem.

1,2 buckle my shoe

3,4 shut the door

5,6 pickup sticks

7,8 lay them straight

9,10 begin again

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.

Blocks

If you are able to collect a variety of boxes, add them to the block center today for extra building materials. (Think cereal, shoe, jewelry, and food boxes. If you choose to make these permanent parts of your block center, stuff them with newspaper and tape them securely shut).

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Art

            Give each child a shoe shape and have them decorate it any way they choose.  Offer glitter, water colors, stickers, and fun collage materials to decorate their shoe.

Creative Arts/Art; develops growing abilities to plan, work indepently, and demonstrate care and [persistence in a variety of art projects.

Library and Writing

            On a half a sheet of paper write a large number 1.  Continue on halves of paper writing the numbers 1-10.  Give the children shoe laces or pieces of yarn and show them how to lay the shoe lace over the numbers.  You can also let the children use play dough to cover the numbers.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Sand and Water

If possible, put your water table on the floor and let the children take turns splashing around in shallow water. After they have had their turn, encourage them to put their shoes on by themselves.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Dramatic Play

            Encourage shoe play today.  Bring in a variety of shoes in various sizes.  Add a ruler or shoe-measuring device so the children can see how big their foot is.  Make sure to have at least on pair that requires lacing so the children can practice.  Ask the children to put the shoes in order from smallest to largest.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of objects. AND Shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Math and Manipulatives

            Make several sets of the shoes page that the children can use to match. If you make several sets then they will match not only the shoe shape but the colors.

Mathematics/Geometry Spatial Sense; shows growth in matchng, sorting, putting in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size. 

Outdoor Play

            As the children run and play, remind them that their shoes are helping to protect their feet from sharp objects.  Also keep a close eye for shoes that are untied or unbuckled/unvelcro.  Explain that it is important so that they will not trip and fall.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities.

Transitions

            Silvia’s shoes were red.  As the children go to the next activity can they name red things?  When you have exhausted one color, go to another.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Resources