The Way I Feel, by Janan Cain

Emotions can sometimes be hard to identify and explain. This book will help children do both and let them know that all emotions are ok to have.

Materials

Emotion match cards-make 2 sets

Camera

Play dough supplies: flour, salt, vegetable oil

Vocabulary

Emotions (The way you feel inside and out)

Shy (to feel cautious or uncomfortable with another person)

Frustrated (to feel discouraged or unsatisfied)

Proud (to feel very pleased with yourself)

Disappointed (to feel sad because you thought something was going to be better than it was)

Before Reading the Story

Talk about some of the things that you have seen children do in the last few days and the emotion it brought out. (Yesterday I saw Kerry ask Roger if he wanted to play with her and I felt /happy/ that she was being a good friend. Today Roger wrote his name all by himself. I know he was /proud/ because he showed me and had a great big smile. I was /nervous/ this morning when I saw Kerry carrying the water to the water table but she did not even spill a drop). Encourage the children to guess how you felt.

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 Story

Before reading the page, ask the children if they can guess how the character is feeling. After reading the page, ask them if they have ever felt that way and let them discuss the emotion if they want to. This is not a book to be hurried through but more to be talked about.

After Reading the Story

Play the game Show Me. Tell the children different scenarios that evoke a variety of emotions and ask them to show you what it looks like. (It’s your birthday and all your friends have come for a party. You were running on the playground and you fell and scraped your knee. You just learned how to ride the big bike all by yourself. You are playing with a puzzle and someone knocked all your pieces on the floor.)

Language Development/Listening & understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Discovery

Make play dough with the children today. As the children are kneading and pounding the dough explain how it helps you take frustration away. When they are rolling it talk about how it makes you feel calm to roll the smooth play dough between your hands.

1-cup flour

1/3-cup salt

1/3-cup water

1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil- Mix all ingredients together until smooth and pliable.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Music and Movement

Teach the children this quote from the book that explains feelings.”Feelings come and feelings go. I never know what they’ll be. Silly or angry, happy or sad, they are all a part of me!”

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates 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.

Sing If You’re Happy and You Know It and then switch out to other emotions.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to atttend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and switch it up to include Shy Star, Frustrated Star, Very Proud Star, etc. Make facial expressions or simple actions to go with each verse.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Play Simon Says but change it to show emotion (Simon Says I’m scared, Simon says I’m excited)

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & CUriosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.

Teach the poem, I Look in the Mirror by Pam Schiller

I look in the mirror, and what do I see?

I see a happy face smiling back at me.

I look in the mirror, and what do I see?

I see a sad face frowning back at me.

I look in the mirror, and what do I see?

I see a proud face, twinkling back at me.

Blocks

Invite extra children into the block center today. This will set it up to be crowded. Ask them to cooperatively build a structure. This will be hard for some children but it will give children the opportunity to work together in a tight space and explore their feelings. Make sure to stay near by to help them resolve any issues that might some up.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation;shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing, and resolving conflicts with peers.

Art

Tell the children that some emotions make us feel warm and fuzzy (love, happy, proud) while other emotions can make us feel cold and prickly. Give the children cotton balls and bits of pipe cleaners to collage to represent warm fuzzies and cold prickles. Talk with the children as they work and write down what each thinks of as a warm fuzzy or a cold prickly.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Creative Arts/Art; begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences.

Library and Writing

Use scenarios like those from ‘After Reading the Story’ and have individual children show you the emotion. Take pictures of the children and make a poster labeled, ‘How Are You Feeling Today?’ Label the emotions. Hang it near the entry so children can look at it and comment upon their arrival each morning.

Sand and Water

Water can be soothing to an angry or upset child. Fill the table with warm water today and let the children choose what equipment to add.

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

Dramatic Play

Put school supplies (pencils, paper, clip boards, dry erase) into the center and encourage the children to take turns being the teacher.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take interactions; to take turns in games and using materials; and to interact without being overly directive or submissive. AND Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Math and Manipulatives

Have the children cut out faces from magazines and talk about the emotions the person is showing. Talk to the children about what they think might have happened to make person in the picture feel this way?

Physical Health & Development/Fine motor skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer. AND 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.

Make two sets of the emotional match cards and cut them out. Use them to play memory by turning them over and then taking turns turning over cards to make sets/pairs.

Outdoor Play

Play Freeze. Everyone runs around and when the teacher shouts out “Freeze!”, the children must stand perfectly still. Call out an emotion and the children can act it out. Begin again. (Freeze! Everyone act scared like there is a big storm with lightning and thunder. Freeze! Everyone act excited like your Mom is going to get you a new toy after school today).

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Transitions

As you dismiss the children off to the next activity, show an emotion and ask a child if they can recognize it. Or ask, what makes you feel this way?

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideras, and tasks.

Resources

Dear Parent-

Today we talked about emotions and how they make us feel. Spend a moment talking to your child about your day. Tell your child what emotions you experienced and what caused them. (Today when I went to work I felt sad because I wanted to stay home with you today. Now I feel tired because I worked so hard today and I am hungry. I am glad that we are home together now.) After you have talked about your day, make sure to ask your child about his/hers.

The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle

This story follows the adventure of a tiny seed as it travels with the wind and finally finds a place to settle and grow, and grow, and grow!

Materials

Tissue paper

Seed cycle and flower parts

5 little seeds flannel pieces

Flower shape from blocks to make a flower

Dried bean seeds and zip lock baggie

Vocabulary

Autumn (fall time)

Burst open (to split or break open)

Bud ( a flower that is ready to open)

Before Reading the Story

Tell the children that when you were coming to school today you noticed a beautiful flower or tree. Say you were wondering how it grew? Let the children give their responses if they have any. Now tell the children that you found a book that explains how seeds grow. Introduce the book.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

Point out the seed that meets its demise on each page as well as the path of the tiny seed.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

After Reading the Story

Tell the children that you are going to pretend to be seeds and do the movement activity, How a Seed Grows.

Help the children to act out How a Seed Grows, this is an adaptation of a story written by Helen Jordon. Pretend that you are a tiny seed. It is the fall time and you are on a beautiful flower. Now the wind begins to blow and you pop off and are carried away with the wind. You whirl and twirl and then land with a plop on the ground. The rains come and you are pushed ever so slightly into the ground. Now it is winter and all around you it is cold and the ground is frozen. You don’t notice because you are all curled up sound asleep. Soon the cold winter starts to melt away to spring time. The sun begins to shine and the winds begin to blow gently. The ground begins to get softer and you can move a tiny bit. You begin to wake from your sleep and you slowly, slowly begin to stretch down a tiny root deep into the ground. Every day you grow longer and stronger. Soon you are strong enough to push your stem right out of the ground. You grow up straight and proud. In time you grow a leaf, and then another and another. You are no longer a seed but you are a small plant! When it rains you are happy because you need rain to make you grow. When the sun shines you are happy because you need sunshine to make you grow. Every day you grow a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger until you finally open up into a beautiful flower. The bees and butterflies come to visit you and land right on your face with their tickly legs and feet. Some of your pollen gets stuck on their furry legs and wings. In a couple of weeks you will begin to get weaker. Your petals will get droopy and soon fall to the ground. You begin to wilt and slowly, slowly begin to sink back down to the earth. One day the wind blows and your seeds blow off into the wind. You continue to sink back down to the earth and you are a spent plant. You will not grow again till next spring.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions. AND Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety if dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.

Discovery

Put a bean seed in a ziplock baggie with a moistened paper towel. Observe it over several days. As the stem begins to grow the children can measure it with a ruler. You can also have the children draw each day to document the seeds growth.

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

Put out books and pictures that show how seeds grow. If you have the funds, grow seeds!

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest in reading-related activities, such as asking to have a favorite book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend reading with peers.

Music and Movement

Act out the poem A Little Plant, author unknown. Have the children sit on the floor and bend over their legs with their head towards the floor.

In the heart of a seed,

Buried down so deep, A little plant

Lay fast asleep.

“Awake” said the sun,

“Come up from the earth”

“Awake” said the rain,

“We’re giving you birth”

The little plant heard

And with a happy sigh,

Pointed its petals

Up to the sky.

Do this flannel with the children. They can use their fingers to count along.

5 little seeds planted in a row

Water them well and watch them grow!

1 little plant, so small and green

2 little plants can now be seen!

3 little plants with leaves so small

4 little plants are getting tall

5 little plants have buds of red

I planted a beautiful flowerbed!

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

Blocks

On a large piece of paper trace around block shapes to make a simple flower like design. Put it on the floor and let the children cover it with the correct block shapes.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to be able to determine whether or not two shapes are the same size and shape.

Art

Make tissue paper flowers. On a piece of white construction paper draw a circle (this will be the flowers center) cut out many petal shapes from the tissue paper and also leaf shapes. Mix glue with a little water and put it into a bowl with a paint brush. The children can use the paint brush to spread the glue onto the paper. Let the children add petals and leaves to their flower. Show the children that if they over lap the tissue paper it will make another color.

Creative Arts/Art; progress in abilities to create drawings, paintings, models, and other creations that are more detailed, creative, or realistic. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Library and Writing

Let the children play with the 5 Little Flowers flannel.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in 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.

Sand and Water

Put dirt or sand in the table with small shovels or spoons so the children can dig holes. They can pretend to be planting a garden. (We did this putting dirt into the table. On Friday afternoon I covered the table and when we came back on Monday morning, the bean seeds we had been playing with in the table had sprouted! A fun and unexpected surprise).

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety if dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.

Dramatic Play

As the children play, encourage them to sort the plastic foods by those that have seeds and those that do not. Bring in real fruits and vegetables if you can so that the children can cut them apart and look at real seeds.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Make copies of the seed cycle and also the flower parts. Color and cover with contact paper. Let the children use these like puzzle.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart. AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in 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.

Outdoor Play

Go for a nature walk and look for seeds (grass, trees). Remember that acorns are seeds as are parts of the pinecone.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.

Transitions

The children can pretend to be blown all whirly and twirly by the wind to their next activity.

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

Resources

A Tree is Nice, by J. Udry

The simple text and illustrations are a wonderful introduction to why trees and are nice.

Materials

picnic basket, small blanket, thermos
Bag of dirt
Many sticks and small branches from trees
Small pine needle branches rubber banded together to make paint brushes
A variety of tree leaves found in your area, include pine needles
Leaf shapes for cutting
Sticks
Tree trunk page for each child
Paint sticks (free where you buy paint)
10 empty tin cans

Vocabulary

Valley-a low area of land between two hills or mountains.
Woods/Forest- when many trees grow together they make a woods.
Tree Trunk-the main part of the tree, like a humans torso.
Tree Limb-the part that comes out of the torso which is very thick. Branches grow off the limb.
Shade/Shadow – Where the sun is blocked from reaching the ground by an object.

Before Reading the Story

Tell the children that today you are going to read a story about a very special friend to all of us. Explain that you are going to give them clues to see if they can guess who or what this special friend is. The clues; This friend helps make air for us to breath, provides food for us to eat, provides wood for us to build with and paper for us to write with, this friend provides shelter and homes to many kinds of animals, helps keep us from getting sunburned, and tells us what season it is. Can you guess who this friend is? A tree! Let the children share with you anything they would like to about trees.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Reading the Story

If possible, take the children out to under a read this book.

On the first page where it says, athey fill up the whole sky, stop and ask the children if they have ever seen this many trees all together? Do they know what it is called? (forest, woods,backyard). On the page where it states, even if you have only one, ask the children to raise their hand if they have a tree in their yard? On the page where it is fall, remind the children that in the fall many tree leaves turn colors and fall off the tree. On the page where it talks about the trunk and limb of the tree, explain that the trunk is like our torsos and the limbs are like our arms but that trees have more than two arms. Count the limbs of the tree in the illustration (5). On the page where the tree holds off the wind, help the children to notice what happened to the dog house roof.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

After Reading the Story

Show the page of the children climbing and picking apples in the tree. Ask them to think of other foods that come from trees. Or hold up the tree pictures for the children to name the food that comes from a tree. Has any child noticed that almost all of the food grown from trees is considered fruit?

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Discovery

Add binoculars that the children can use to look out the window into the trees. Ask them what they see (birds, clouds, leaves, squirrel, etc.).

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Put out a variety of leaves and pine needles for the children to examine and compare. Encourage them to sort by smooth edges and pointy edges, big leaves and small leaves, by types. Add magnifying glass so children can see the veins of the leaves.

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

Music and Movement

Way up high in the apple tree, Make 2 fists and hold over head

Two red apples smiled down on me.

So I shook that tree as hard as I could Shake fists

And down came the apples

And they were good! Pretend to eat apple

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Blocks

Put out the wooden blocks and add paint sticks that can be used to enhance building structures.

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

Art

Put pine needle paint brushes out at the easel today to experiment painting with.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials ina variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Give the children a tree trunk page and show them how to use bingo daubers, circle stickers, finger prints, or Qtips to cover the tree with leaves. Do this according to the season or with lots of colors for festive looking trees.

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

Library and Writing

Let the children cut out leaf shapes. Keep these on the simpler side. After the child has cut out a leaf, ask them to tell you why trees are nice and write their response on the leaf. Gather all the leaves cut and hang them on the wall around a tree trunk made from construction paper or paper bags.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity , and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Add sticks of various lengths and challenge the children to try to make letters in their names with them.

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

Sand and Water

Add the dirt to the table today along with small shovels or spoons for the children to plant “trees” (sticks and small branches.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Dramatic Play

Add a picnic basket and small blanket to the center so the children can pretend to go on a picnic.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.

Math and Manipulatives

Line the 10 empty, and cleaned, tin cans on the table. Label them 1-10 with markers or small pieces opf paper. Put out a bowl of sticks and challenge the children to fill the cans accordingly. For children who are more adept in counting, mix the cans up so the numbers are out of order.

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

Outdoor Play

Take several books and a blanket outside for the children to read and relax under a tree. Take a few minutes to lay on your backs and look up into the tree and watch how the sun plays with the leaves. What else do you see?

Bring in, or look for sticks on the playground, to practice writing names in the dirt.

Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing varierty of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers.

Hang an old stuffed animal (pillow case, pinata) from a tree and use a stick or wiffle ball bat for the children to practice swinging and hitting the stuffed animal.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; demonstrates increasing abilities to coordinate movements in throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing balls, and using a slide and swing.

Transitions

Hold up, or draw large letters on a whiteboard/piece of paper. Ask the children if they can name the letter, the letter sound, or something that begins with that letter sound. Have them draw the letter in the air.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge;shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shape and sound.