A trip to the Laundromat ends in disaster as Trixie looses her beloved Knuffle Bunny.  Will she be able to find it?

Materials

A laundry basket or box

Facial expression cards

1 Small Knuffle bunnies and a role of masking tape

Knuffle bunny collage parts

Vocabulary

• Laundromat (a place where you go to do your laundry if you do not have a washer at home)
• Boneless (floppy like a wet noodle)

Before Reading the Story

Ask the children if they ever help their parents do chores at home. Give them a moment to talk about any experiences they might have. (I put the forks next to all the plates, I help take care of my baby, I put my toys away in the closet). Ask the children if they have ever helped with the laundry? If some say “yes”, ask if they do the laundry at home or at the special laundry washing place? Ask if they know the name (laundromat). Have all the children repeat this name. Explain that the story today is about a little girl who was helping her Daddy do the laundry at the laundromat. Let’s find out what happens, introduce the book.

Reading the Story

When you get to the page where Trixie realized something, stop and ask the children what they think Trixie realized.  When you get to the page where her Daddy says, “That’s right, we’re going home” stop and look at Trixie’s face.  Ask the children how they think Trixie is feeling right now?  Notice Dad’s face as Trixie continues her temper tantrum.

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

After Reading the Story

Talk to the children about when they were little how they did not have the words to tell people what they wanted but now they are big and can use their words to tell what they need, or if they are having a problem.  Remind them that now they are big and they know how to use their words to tell what they want or need. Ask them what they should do if they are having a problem? Go over your strategies for problem-solving in the classroom.

Social & Emotional Development/Self Control; shows progress in expressing feelings, needs, and opinions in difficult situations and conflicts without harming themselves, others, or property.

Discovery

Put a globe or map of the United States into your center. Add a state map and a local map (can be found at a realtor’s office). On each map mark where your school is approximately located. Are there any geographical markers near your area such as mountains, rivers, or ocean that you can point out to the children?

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography in the contexts of the classroom, home, and community.

Music and Movement

Remind the children that in the story Trixie went boneless. Do they remember what boneless means? Ask them to demonstrate boneless. Tell them the opposite of boneless is rigid. Ask them if they can show you what ridgid would look like. Play Boneless/Rigid by calling them out and the children act out the appropriate definition.

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

The Washing Machine song is a fun song to let your children dance to.

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

Blocks

Make a map on the floor (with chalk-it will erase out of the carpet), with tape, or on a large piece of butcher paper.  Encourage the children to build a community with homes, stores, a school, etc.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography in the contexts of the classroom, home, and community. 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

Make a knuffle bunny collage using circle and ovals

Sand and Water;

Put water and a little soap intot he table today along with doll clothes.  Children can pretend that they are the Laundromat.  Hang a string over the table with clothes pins

Library and Writing;

Encourage the children to recall Trixies path to the Laundromat or draw a picture of your house with as many details as you can think of.

Encourage the children to make a map of from your classroom to the playground or another part of your center.  Or, have them draw a map of how to get to school.  What do you pass?

Dramatic Play;

Put the laundry basket or boxes into the center and let the children practice folding and hanging the dress up clothes.  Sort by what you wear on your feet, head, legs, body.

Math and Manipulatives;

Play memory match with the facial cards of Trixie

Outdoor Play;

 Play where’s the knuffle bunny?

Transitions;

Ask do you have a washer and dryer at home or do you go to the laundry mat?  Have them write their name ofn the correct side of the graph

Pete’s in a bad mood!  What can Dad do that will cheer him up?

Materials

• 10 small paper plates
• Ingredients to make playdough (Non-cook playdough ingredients; 2 cups self rising flour, 2 Tablespoons alum, 2 Tablespoons salt, 2 Tablespoons cooking oil, 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water).
• Playdough or pastry rollers/cutters

Vocabulary

• Miserable (unhappy, sad)

Before Reading the Story

Tell the children that your story today is about pizza.  Ask the children to raise their hands if they like pizza.  Let them talk about their favorite pizza ingredients, places they eat pizza, or any pizza experience that they might have had.  Introduce the story.

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

Reading the Story

This story has a funny plot. As you read, make sure the children can see the pictures so that they can better understand the humor.

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

After Reading the Story

Ask the children if they remember what kind of a mood was Pete in at the beginning of the story (miserable, sad, mad, lonely). Now ask the children when a friend is feeling miserable or sad, what can they do to make them feel better? (I could give them a hug, I could play with them, I want to be a pizza!).

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

Discovery

Make play dough!  Let the children help knead the dough until soft and pliable. Use the non-cooking ingredients above and mix and knead them together or use your favorite playdough recipe and let the children do the kneading of the dough.

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

Music and Movement

Sing The Pizza Song to Do You Know the Muffin Man?sung to Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you like a cheese pizza?

A cheese pizza, a cheese pizza?

Do you like a cheese pizza?  

Eat it if you do!

Sing several times changing the toppings. The children can pretend to eat the pizza if they like the toppings you are singing about.

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

Sing, If You’re Happy and You Know It.  

If You’re Happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, then you really ought to show it,

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

Sing about angry, miserable, tired, etc.

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

Blocks

Encourage the children to act out the story.  First they will need to make the table out of blocks.  Give them some colored paper to represent the cheese and pepperoni.  They can tear it and then take turns turning each other into pizzas.

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.

Art

Do you have playdough wheels in your play dough supply?  Or do you have a pastry wheel at home?  Use these to dip into paint and allow the children to roll back and forth across a piece of circle shaped paper.

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

Sand and Water

Put flour into the table today with a couple of sifters and plates.  This will be messy but the flour has a wonderful silky feel. Make sure the children do not add any water or you will have an even bigger mess.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safetly, and respectfully. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.

Library and Writing

Have the children trace around a small paper plate to make a circle.  Let the children use markers to color a pizza.  Encourage them to cut their pizza in half. Ask them how many halves make a whole pizza?  Older children can be challenged to cut their pizza into quarters.  How many quarters make a whole pizza?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increased abilities to combine, separate, and name “how many” concrete objects. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Dramatic Play

Let the children pretend to cook today.  You could set up a pizza parlour for the children to play in, there are lots of ideas on the internet on how to do this. You could even close the center for play today and use it as a real pizza making station. Make English Muffin pizzas with the children. Give each child a half of an english muffin. Let them spoon some pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce onto their muffin. Then let them load it with ingredients that they like. Place in the oven on 350 until the cheese melts.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Write a number 1-10 on 10 paper plates.  For younger children you might add corresponding dots also.  Give the children checkers, poker chips, or plastic dots.  Ask them to put the correct number of dots onto each plate. They can pretend to be making pepperoni pizza.

Mathematics/Numbers & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondences in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Outdoor Play

Pete wanted to go outside and play ball with his friends.  Take the balls outside today to practice, bouncing, kicking, and catching.

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

Transitions

Remind the children that in the story, Pete was feeling miserable but then his Dad made him feel better by playing the pizza game with him. Ask the children to tell you something that they can do when they see someone who is feeling miserable. (I tickle my baby when she cries, I could hug you, My Mommy gives me candy, I tell Jamie “I will play with you”).

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.