Old black fly is buzzin around and annoying everybody in the kitchen.  This alphabet book will have all the children repeating, “Shoo fly, shoo fly, shoo!”

Materials

•             Two clean fly swatters
•             Several old toothbrushes and Popsicle sticks

Vocabulary

•             Shoo (go away!)

Before Reading the Story

            Show children a fly swatter.  Does anyone know what this is?  When do you see flies?  Explain that flies land on food and throw up a tiny bit of liquid that they then suck up through their straw like mouth, yuck!  They also walk all over your food with dirty feet.  Because their feet are dirty, they can make you sick.  If a fly comes near your food, use your hands to move him away and say “Shoo fly, shoo fly shoo!”  Let the children practice this several times. 

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.

Reading the Story

            Tell the children when you get to the parts that say “Shoo fly shoo fly shoo!” you need them to help. 

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction books and poetry.

As you turn each page, point to the letter and see if the children can name it.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.

After Reading the Story

            Go back through and point out the letter on each page and ask the children what went with it (O=olive oil). 

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; associates sounds with written words, such as awareness that different words begin with the same sound.

Discovery

            Find an old dead fly and put it into a sealed container (bug catcher, empty cassette case) and let the children examine it with magnifying glasses.  Do you see its two eyes?  Do you see the hairs on its legs?  How many legs does the fly have?  What are those things on his back?  For older children encourage them to draw what they see.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

            As an extended activity, take a container of milk and put it someplace out of the way.  This should be at room temperature so that the children can hypothesize what will happen and then observe the milk over a period of a week.  Each day carefully pull it down and let the children talk about the changes that are occurring.  Can they predict what is going to happen to the milk?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on past experiences.

Music and Movement

            Put on the video of Flick a Fly and let the children dance along with the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgPKQKa4U9E

Creative Arts/Movement; shows growth in moving in time to different patterns and beat in music.

            Sing the alphabet song.  Sing it starting off in a whisper voice getting louder and louder.  Sing it in a loud voice getting softer and softer.   Use this same effect using classroom instruments. Point to each letter on your alphabet chart as you sing.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows that the letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Blocks

            Challenge the children to make alphabet letters using the blocks.  You might want to use a dry erase board to show the shape of several letters at a time.  It is easiest to begin with capital letters as there are more straight lined letters.  With the help of a teacher, four year olds can begin to write their names using blocks. 

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows that the letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Art

            Show the children the cover of the book and the spray that is following the fly. Tell the children that you are going to make spray using paint. Put out several bowls of colored paint.  Give the children old toothbrushes and Popsicle sticks.  Show them how to scrape the Popsicle stick against the toothbrush to make the paint spatter onto their paper.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety if ways for creative expression and representation. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Sand and Water

            Fill the table up with sand.  Put magnet letters in and mix it all up.  Let the children sift through the sand in search of the letters.  Can they name them?  Can they make a word that begins with the letter sound?

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge;identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.

Library and Writing

            Encourage the children to write or trace alphabet letters.  If you do not have large letters, find punch out ones at the local Dollar Store that the children can trace around. 

Literacy/Early Writing;progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name. AND Physical Health & Development; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.

Dramatic Play

            Kitchen play today.  Can the children sort all the foods that must go in the refrigerator from those that do not have to go in the refrigerator?  Ask what do you think would happen if you did not refrigerate the food?

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size. AND 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.

Math and Manipulatives

            Use food cards to sort those that need refrigeration and those that do not.   

 Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size.

Outdoor Play

            Bring your fly swatters outside and with chalk write the letters of the alphabet on the sidewalk.  Hold up a letter written on an index card or piece of paper.  The children then must find it on the sidewalk and swat it with their swatter.  Ask them if they can name the letter.  If not, say the letter name and have them repeat swatting the letter again.  This game needs to be controlled and works best with two children at a time. 

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name. AND SOcial & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops an increasing ability to give and take in interactions; to take turns using materials and in games; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Transitions

            Same activity as outdoor play but in the classroom. Use 26 paper plates on the floor. For younger children only put out 5 paper plates at a time.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds

Resources

Dear Parent,

            Learning letter names is hard work for children.  You can help them by learning the most important letters first, those in their name.  Write your child’s name on a piece of paper and encourage him or her to copy it.  As you and they write the letters, name them and encourage your child to repeat back to you.  Once your child has mastered his/her first name, work on your last name or the names of other family members.  The idea is to get your child to see, write, and name letters.