Caillou, A Visit to the Doctor, by Jaceline Sanschagrin

Caillou is sick so his mother takes him to the doctor. This book gently describes a visit to the doctor’s office and helps remove some of the fears that children associate with a doctor and his office.

Materials

Hand Washing Chart
Doctor equipment for flannel
Small box of Q-tips
Scale and Measuring tape
Tongue depressors-many

Vocabulary

Fever (When your body is feeling really hot and you feel sick)
Stethoscope (the tool the doctor uses to listen to your heart)
Tongue depressor (the flat stick the doctor uses to look at the inside of your mouth and down your throat).

Before Reading the Story

Cut out each piece of the Doctor equipment pieces to the group. Tape one piece at a time to a white board or flannel board. Ask the children if they know the name of the tool and what it is used for? After you have gone through all the pieces with the children, play What’s Missing? Cover the board with a sheet and remove one flannel piece. Ask the children if they can name what tool is missing? Continue guessing what is missing and naming Doctor tools. After you have finished playing this game, introduce the book. Show the front cover, what is the thing that Caillou has in his hand? Ask if anyone has ever been sick and had to go to the doctor. Give the children several minutes to talk about their own experiences at the Doctor’s office.

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

Reading the Story

Point out Caillou’s face as you read the story. Can the children tell how Caillou is feeling? Can they make their facial expression match his?

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or angry; and in expressing empathy or caring for others.

After Reading the Story

Tell the children that people can get sick from germs. Germs are all around and we get them by touching things and then putting our hands near our mouths. Remind them that handwashing is the best way to be a germ buster. With the children go through the steps of washing your hands the proper way and have the children act out the actions (turn on the water, wet your hands, apply the soap, scrub and scrub, do your fingers, do tops and bottoms, rinse your hands under the water, get a paper towel and dry your hands, turn off the water with the paper towel, throw the towel in the garbage).

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; sho0ws growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Discovery

Measure and weigh the children. Put a growth chart on the wall so they can visually see how tall they are. To show weight, use 10 frames. (If Kelly is 42 pounds you would use 4 10 frames and 2 squares cut from another 10 frame.

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

Music and Movement

Teach the children the poem, Miss Molly. Make actions to do along with the words.

Miss Molly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick

So she called for the Doctor to come quick, quick, quick

The Doctor came with his bag and his hat

And he knocked on the door with a rat-a-tat-tat

He looked at that dolly and he shook his head,

Miss Molly put that dolly straight to bed.

He wrote on a paper for a pill, pill, pill,

I’ll be back in the morning with my bill, bill, bill.

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

I think this is called the Rhyme Time Band, find a good beat for yourself.

Shake your body part that rhymes with sand,

Rhymes with grand, rhymes with land.

Everybody shake your hand!

Now jiggle a part that rhymes with peg,

Rhymes with egg, and rhymes with beg.

Everybody, jiggle your leg!

Now circle a part that rhymes with smolder,

Rhymes with colder and with boulder.

Everybody circle your shoulder!

Now wink a part that rhymes with buy,

Rhymes with cry and rhymes with tie.

Everybody wink your eye!

Swing a body part that rhymes with farm,

Rhymes with charm, rhymes with harm.

Everybody swing your arm!

Now bend a part that rhymes with tree,

Rhymes with bee, and rhymes with me.

Everybody bend your knee!

Now twiddle a part that rhymes with drum,

Rhymes with crumb, and rhymes with gum.

Everybody twiddle your thumb!

And twist a part that rhymes with lips,

Rhymes with sips and rhymes with zips.

Everybody twist your hips!

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in recognizing matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Blocks

Add a bowl of tongue depressors to the center for creative building.

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

Art

Use Q-tips to paint with watercolors.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor SKills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology. AND Creative Expression/Art; begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences.

Sand and water

Put a very small amount of sand into the table today and give the children tongue depressors to use as writing sticks. Can they write the letters of their name in the sand? Can they make a D for doctor?

Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, shapes, and pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.

Library and Writing

Put out the pictures of the doctor tools. Can the children name the different tools? Do they know what they are used for? This is an individualized review of what you did at your story time today.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasing complex and varied spoken vocabulary.

Dramatic Play

If you have a Doctor play set, put this out today. Encourage the children to take turns being the Doctor and the Patient. Can the patient articulate what they are pretending to be ill with? Does the Doctor seem to have an understanding of what Doctor’s do? You can also have the children use stuffed animals for their patients. I like to purchase a box of cheap bandages that the children can apply to each other. Remind the children not to put the thermometer into their mouth but perhaps under their arm or behind their knee.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions,; and for varied other purposes.

Math and manipulatives

Make a tongue depressor domino game. Draw a colored line to divide the tongue depressor and put dots on each half. The children can then use these to play dominos.

Mathematics/Number & operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Outdoor Play

If you have a wagon on the playground you can teach the children about paramedics. The wagon can be the ambulance and you can use scarves as bandages for wounds.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Transitions

As you dismiss the children to the next activity have them take turns telling the steps for handwashing. The first child tells step 1 and goes off, ask what comes 2^nd, that child tells and goes off, etc. If you finish all the steps, begin again.

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

Barn Party, by Claire O’Brien

The chicken sisters are planning a party but rooster takes over. He thinks he is in charge and invites or disinvites those that he thinks are too untidy to come. Guess what happens when the other farm animals hear about his unfriendly behavior.

Materials

1-2 rolls of crepe paper
Party hats, one for each child allowed in dramatics at one time,
Emotion cards
A bowling game or 10 soda bottles filled halfway with water and a ball

Vocabulary

Mean ( not nice)
Furious (to be really, really mad)
Sportsmanship (being fair and kind in games or sports)

Before Reading the Story

Read the title of the book and ask the children who they think might be the characters in the story? How many farm animals can they name?

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

Reading the Story

Stop on page 25 and Ask the children how they think all the animals are feeling knowing that they are not invited to the party? How would it make you feel? Now ask, what do you think the animals could do to make themselves feel better? On page 30, ask the children if they think the chicken sisters are being mean too, why or why not? On page 34, the Chicken Sisters say it is time to teach Rooster a lesson. Ask the children if they have any ideas what the chickens and all the animals are going to do to Rooster to teach him a lesson?

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who need help, upset, angry, or hurt; and in expressing empathy or caring for others. 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.

After Reading the Story

Tell the children that you are going to play Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down with them. Explain that you are going to give a scenario and if it is a kind or friendly act, the children put their thumbs up. If it is an unkind or unfriendly act, the children point their thumbs down. (Lisa asked JJ if she could play in the center with him and he said yes. Brenda told Jasmine that she was not her friend because she would not let her have the baby doll that she wanted. When the cook brought lunch, Michael told her thank you, that smells good).

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to accept the consequences of their actions.

Discovery

Make two sets of the emotion cards and attach them to paper that the children cannot see through. Turn all the cards face down on the table. The children take turns picking up two cards trying to pick up matches. If the two cards do not match, the child turns them back face down and it is the next child’s turn. If the two cards match, the child keeps them. When all the cards have been matched, the children can count their cards to see who found the most. Talk about emotions as the children pick up cards.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; shows growing capacity to maintain concentration over time on a task, question, set of directions or interactions, despite distractions and interruptions.

Music and Movement

Teach the children the Brush Your Teeth chant.

Brush your teeth everyday,

Up and Down it is the right way.

Back and forth and circles too,

That’s just what you’ve got to do.

Brush your teeth everyday,

Up and down it is the right way.

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

Sing, It’s Love That Makes The World Go Round. Take the verse tune to this song and teach the children using the following words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6hivRQxmE

It’s love, it’s love, it’s love that make the world go round

It’s love, it’s love, it’s love that makes the world go round

It’s love that makes the world go round.

It’s you, it’s me, it’s friends that make the world go round

It’s love that makes the world go round.

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

Put on lively dance music today and pretend to be having a barn dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXePOakJGs

Creative Arts/Movement; expresses through movement and dancing what if felt and heard in various musical tempos and styles.

Blocks

The animals had their party in the barn. Put out the farm animals today and challenge the children to make a big barn out of blocks. Encourage them to work together. Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing, and resolving conflicts with peers.

Art

Remind the children that in the story today, cow had gotten new teeth. Ask the children how they take care of their teeth (I brush my teeth. My Mom says no soda because it will make my teeth fall out. ). Ask how often children should brush their teeth? Give each child a yellow piece of paper cut out into a tooth shape. Show them how to dip a toothbrush into white paint and paint the yellow tooth shape . Encourage them to brush the entire yellow tooth shape until it is clean and shiny (full of white paint). Do the Brush Your Teeth chant as the children paint.

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

Sand and Water

Put dirt in the table today. Give the children watering cans or medium sized containers to add water to the dirt. What happens? Give the children some scooping toys and let them enjoy the mud. Ask, who in the story was told they are too muddy (pig)?

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

Library and Writing

Ask each child to draw a picture of themself with a friend. Ask the child, what makes _______such a good friend? Write their response on the bottom of the paper. (Roger is my friend because he always lets me play. Lee is my friend because her hair is like mine in a ponytail, Kim is my friend because she shares her snack and her toys with me).

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; shows progress in developing friendships with peers.

Dramatic Play

Add a roll of crepe paper and some party hats to the center today. The children can decorate for a pretend party.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Set out a classroom game such as CandyLand where the children must take turns. Before they begin, remind them about good sportsmanship.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; taking turns in games and in using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Outdoor Play

Set up bowling with the children today. The children have to take turns rolling the pins and setting up the pins.

Encourage ball play today. Have the children find a friend and bounce the ball to each other or roll, kick, or throw the ball to one another.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; demonstrates increasing ability to coordinate movements in throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing balls, and using the slide and swing. AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Transitions

Play I’m thinking of a friend. Give clues as to who you are thinking about in the classroom or center. The children guess. If they guess right they may head to the next activity. (I’m thinking of a friend who has curly hair and a baby brother. This friend comes to school in a white SUV with the dog in the back seat. I’m thinking of a very important friend because she makes us out lunch everyday.).

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

Resources

Duck and Goose, Tad Hills

Duck and Goose are not really friends but must learn to get along as they wait for an egg to hatch.

Materials

Many 1-2 inch circles cut in a variety of colors
Large circle of paper, 1 per child
Circle graph, label one side “duck” and the other side “goose”
Several ping pong balls or other small balls that will float
5 paper ducks (color each a different color) and an egg shape that fits underneath without showing.

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

Cut a one inch hole in a manila file folder. Cut out interesting pictures from magazines. Place the picture behind the file folder with a section showing through the 1-inch hole. Have the children see if they can guess what the picture is behind the file folder. Move it around some to help them see just a little bit of the picture at a time. After you have done this several times, tell the children that today’s story is about two friends who find something that they think is an egg but it is not an egg. Ask them if they guess what that thing might be. Show them the cover after they have made their guesses and introduce the story.

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

As you read the story, use an assertive voice when the two friends are arguing about what to do with the egg.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children what they would do if they and another child both wanted the same toy? Use your social cues to help talk about taking turns, sharing, or asking the teacher for help. (If me and Juanna wanted the baby I would give her the other one. If someone tried to take a toy from me I would tell them “No, it is my turn, you can be next”. When Kim took the truck from me I cried and then told the teacher she was mean”.

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

Discovery

Put out pictures of a real duck and a real goose. As the children look at the pictures, ask them to compare them using a circle graph. Write their responses in the appropriate sections.

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

Play a passing game using a small ball. Sing or chant the following.

We will pass this ball from me to you to you

We will pass this ball and that’s just what we’ll do.

Have the children sit in a circle and pass the ball around the circle. Have the children turn to their right so they are facing the child beside them’s back and pass the ball overhead. Have the children pass the ball under their legs, using only one hand , etc..

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

Sing 5 Little Ducks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZw9veQ76fo

5 little ducks went out to play,

Over the hills and far away.

Mother duck called quack, quack, quack

4 little ducks came running back.

Sing 4,3,2,1

0 little duck went out to play,

Over the hills and far away.

Mother Duck called QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!

5 little ducks came running back.

Children hold up the correct number of fingers to go with each verse and wave their hand back and forth to the rhythm.

Mathematics;/Number & Operation; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Blocks

Remind the children that on the one page, duck and goose made fences around the ball so the other could not get it. Encourage the children to make a fence with the blocks. Can they make a patterned fence using two or three sized blocks?

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

Art

Give each child a large circle shape of paper and many smaller circles in a variety of colors that they can glue onto the large circle. After is has dried, trim any pieces that go over the edge so that the finished product is a large circle with a many circle design.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to be able to recognize, describe, compare, and name common shapes, their parts and attributes.

Sand and Water

Put floating balls and/or ping pong balls in the water table today. Give the children spoons or similar to try to scoop the balls from the water.

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

Library and Writing;

Bring in books that show real ducks and geese for the children to examine.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences,and comparisons among objects and materials.

Dramatic Play

If you have a large yoga ball, bring it in and the children can act out the story.

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.

Math and Manipulatives

Use your colored ducks and 5 pieces of paper with 1-5 dots on it. Ask the child to show you 3 ducks, 1 duck, 5 ducks, etc.. For older children ask them to show you 3 ducks and then add 1 more…now how many ducks do you have?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.

Outdoor Play

Bring out the balls today and practice kicking from a stand still and while the ball is rolling. Practice catching the ball, bouncing and catching, and dribbling.

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

Play Duck, Duck, Goose with the children. Have the children hold hands and make a big circle. One person is ‘It’. ‘It’ walks around the circle lightly tapping the children’s heads saying either duck or goose with each tap. If ‘It’ says Duck then nothing happens and ‘It’ goes onto the next person. But if ‘It’ says Goose, the person tapped must chase ‘It’ around the circle and try to tag him/her. ‘It’ is safe when he/she runs around the circle and back to the place where the other child was goosed. The new child now becomes ‘It’.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Transitions

Lay the 5 colored ducks out in the middle of the circle. Have a child cover their eyes and hide the egg under one of the ducks. The child must then guess which duck the egg is under by naming the color duck. I usually give the children three guesses. That child then hides the egg for another child to guess.