Yoko, by Rosemary Wells

Yoko’s mother packs her a special lunch filled with Yoko’s favorite foods. Sadly, her friends make fun of her for bringing something different. Find out how her teacher plans a special meal so that everyone can celebrate their differences. WIll her friends try her food? Read the book to find out.

Materials

Lunch bag or lunch box

Hand held egg beater, whisks, ladle.

Printable menu cut and staple, or cover with contact paper and use markers to write on

Pictures of children acting kind/not kind

For a Cooking Project if school allows; Crescent roll, unbaked, one per child. Cinnamon and sugar Soften stick of butter or margarine

Vocabulary

Delicious (Really super yummy tasting)

Sushi (a kind of food made with rice and other stuff rolled and then cut into slices)

Before Reading the Story

Bring your lunch bag to the carpet today and ask the children if they know what it is? Ask them to share with you some of their favorite lunches. (I like when cook makes macaroni and cheese. I like sandwiches with ketchup. Soup). Talk about how everybody has their favorite foods and that is good. Tell the children that once you thought you did not like a certain food (your choice) because you thought it looked funny but then you tried it and it was delicious. (One time my Mom gave me sweet potato fries but they were orange and looked funny. She said try just one bite and I did and they were delicious!) Explain that it’s not fair to say you do not like something until you have tried it once because you just might decide it’s delicious just like I did.

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

Reading the Story

On the page where Yoko’s mother is spreading the steamed rice on the bamboo mat, ask the children if they know what she is making? Show the children a picture of a real sushi roll.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary.

On the page where Yoko’s friends are teasing her about her lunch and Valerie says, “Everybody out!” Ask the children to look at Yoko’s face and ask how do you think Yoko is feeling? Why? (Her friends were mean, no one liked her lunch). What might you have said to Yoko to make her feel less sad? What do you think her teacher is going to do?

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

On the page where no one had even tried one piece of Yoko’s sushi, ask the children what they think is going to happen next?

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.

After Reading the Story

In the story, Timothy was a good friend, why?

Discovery

Explain to the children that today you are going to try a new recipe with the children On a small paper plate give each child one triangle of crescent roll, a small pat of butter and a plastic knife. Have the children spread the softened butter on the crescent roll. Next let them sprinkle a little bit of sugar and a little bit of cinnamon onto their crescent roll. Have them roll it up and send to the kitchen to be baked according to the directions. As you work, ask the children if they can guess what the various ingredients are? Does it look and smell delicious to you? Remind them that just like in the story, everyone needs to at least try one bite. When they are cooked, use them for snack or as part of your lunch.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following multiple-step directions. AND Social & Emotional Development; Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Music and Movement

Sing, My Friend is Different and so am I. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO6FhOrbYIE

Sing Peace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F62L1TaDIUk

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

Sing, Everybody Do This to Shortnin Bread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugoxTWwqFCI

Everybody do this do this do this

Everybody do this just like me.

(Do an action and everybody does it along with you. Pick a child and have them pick a new action-jump, turn around, kick foot in air, etc).

Everybody do this do this do this

Everybody do this just like ________

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Play the song What I Am and let the children dance along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyVzjoj96vs

AND Believe in Yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U59I0YTtVGg

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

Blocks

Tape several strips of masking tape to the block center wall. Challenge the children to build one as tall as the mark on the wall. After they are finished, ask them if they can count how many blocks it took them to build their tower?

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor SKills; grows in hand-eye coordination needed in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Art

Put out playdough today and pieces of pipecleaner about 1-inch long in several colors. Show the children how to flatten out the playdough and then put the pieces of pipe cleaner on top and roll it into sushi rolls. Give them plastic knives to cut the ‘sushi’ into slices.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, stapler, paper punch, and hammer

Library and Writing

Ask each child to answer, “What is a Friend?” Write their answers on the bottom of a piece of paper and encourage them to draw their response.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation,and in play.

Sand and Water

Add water and liquid soap to the table today. Add a hand held egg beater, whisks , and ladles for the children to make bubbles. Comment on the various tools and ask which one the child likes using most. Not everyone agrees on their favorite but we are still friends and can cooperate with each other.

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

Dramatic Play

Set up a simple restaurant play by adding a cash register, menus, and scribble pad.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Put out two paper plates or pieces of paper. On one draw a happy face and on the other draw a sad face. Print and cut out the pictures of children being kind/not being kind and let the children sort them. Talk about one or two of the pictures with a child and let them tell you what they see and /or their own experience with kind and not so kind acts.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing ability to match,sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size. AND Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or angry; and in expressing empathy and caring for others.

Outdoor Play

Do the song Everybody Do This but with larger outdoor movements

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Draw in the dirt with sticks or on the cement with chalk. Encourage the children to work on drawing their letters or shapes.

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.

Transitions

Dismiss the children to the next activity by the clothes that they are wearing. If you are wearing stripes, have numbers on your shirt, have a pocket, your shoes have buckles, your shirt is sleeveless, etc..

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

Resources

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes

Lilly loves school but when her teacher asks her to wait before sharing her new purse, Lilly gets upset and behaves in a way that she later regrets. This story touches upon consequences and forgiveness.

Materials

A pillowcase with some items from the story (quarter, sunglasses, crown, pencil, and familiar items from around your classroom)
2 Copies of plastic purse per child
Two clean egg cartons
10 pennies, 10 nickels, 10 dimes, 10 quarters

Vocabulary

Diva (a famous female singer of pop music)
Jaunty (someone who is cheerful and sure of themself)
Considerate (someone who thinks about how others might feel)
Glittery (covered with sequence so it makes it shiny and sparkly)
Not amused (Thinking that something is not funny)
Lurched (to jerk forward)
Furious (to be very, very angry)
Unique (one of a kind)
Encyclopedias (books that tell about the world)

Before Reading the Story

Begin a discussion about classroom rules. What are some of your hometime rules? What are some of our rules? What would happen if we did not have rules? Note to the children your rule about rug time. Why do you think we have to take turns talking? What would happen if we all talked at once? Explain that you have rules to help keep everyone safe and to make it fair for all children. Ask the children if the think it’s fair if one child gets to do all the talking? If one child gets to always do everything first or do what they want when other children can not? Explain that our story today is about a mouse named Lilly who did not want to follow the rules. What do you think will happen? Let’s read and find out.

Language Development/Speaking & Understanding; 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 ability to retell and dictate stories from book and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Reading the Story

Where Mr. Slinger provides a snack that is curly, cheesy, and crunchy. Ask the children to name some foods that are curly, cheesy, and/or crunchy?

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

On the page where Mr. Slinger takes the purse away from Lilly, stop and the children what they think Lilly will do?

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

After Reading the Story

Go back to the page where Lilly draws a picture of Mr. Slinger, how do you think he felt when he found it in his bag? (hurt, sad, feelings). What could you do to make him feel better?

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

Explain that Mr. Slinger forgave Lilly for drawing the not nice picture. Forgiving people is part of being a friend. Not everyone is always going to do exactly what you want when you want to do it. So being able to take turns and share are important things to learn about. Ask the children to share any examples they have of forgiving someone of sharing and taking turns with another. Praise all kind acts by telling the child, that was kind of you, that was being a good friend.

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; shows progress in developing friendships with peers. Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Discovery

Hide the items from the story and classroom somewhere where the children can not see them. Place one article in the pillowcase and ask a child to use their hands to feel the object. They may smell and shake the item but they may not look in the pillowcase. Can they name the item? Can they tell you what material it is made from? (plastic, wood, paper, glass stone, etc.) Pull it out and try another.

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

Say the following poem to the children. After you have said what you are going to buy, invite the children to share their ideas by repeating the poem and adding their name to it.

I found a quarter, I found a quarter

I found a quarter shiny and new.

I’m gonna buy all kinds of ________

That’s what I’m gonna do.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more that one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Social & Emotional Development; Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Put on some jaunty music and dance!

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

Blocks

While the children are in blocks today, ask them if they can tell you what material the block is made from? Look around for other items in the center, can the children name what they are made from? (wood, plastic, cardboard, rubber, fabric, etc.).

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

Art

Lilly’s purse was purple. Put red, blue, and white paint at the easel today for the children to experiment making purple.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Give the children a copy of the purse along with old toy catalogs. Encourage them to cut out things they would like and glue them to their purse.

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.

Library and Writing

Add non-fiction books on a variety of subjects. Explain that encyclopedias are books that tell us facts about the world, just like these books. Books that tell real information and not pretend is called non-fiction. Can the children show you examples of fiction and non-fiction?

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size. AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation;progresses in learning how to handle and care for books; knowing to view them one page at a time in sequence from front to back; and understanding that a book has a title, author, and illustrator.

Give the children a copy of the purse along with markers. Ask them to draw what they would put in their purse and dictate their response onto a index card and attach.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progress in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology. AND Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

Sand and Water

Ask the children if they can remember what color lilly’s purse was (purple)? Ask them what material the purse was made from (plastic)? Add water to the table today and ask the children to help you find either purple or plastic items to add for the play. When they have gathered different purple or plastic items, ask them if they can predict if an item will float or sink in the water. As they discover what items float/sink have them sort into cubbies.

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

Dramatic Pay

Add any purses that you can find along with toy money, pencils, paper, play glasses, old phone /no battery, play jewelry, small boxes such as altoids, etc. I have found that the children in my class like to squirrel items away inside purses. ( I have found puzzle pieces and playing cards). So provide lots of interesting smaller items that will fit.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

Math and Manipulatives

Give a child an egg carton and the coins in a small bowl. Ask them if they can tell you what they are? Can they name the coins? Encourage them to look at the coins and tell you what they see. Ask them to sort the coins by like kinds into the cleaned egg carton.

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

Have the children line-up along a fence or wall. Tell them that Lilly used her purse to hold her special things. What can we use outside to hold something with (bucket!)? Have the children divide into teams and have bucket relay races. The children must run, hop, jump to and around a bucket and then come back. A child must run to the sandbox and fill the bucket with sand and bring it back, the next person runs and dumps it. The child must run to the bucket and jump over and them come back, the child must run to the bucket and them drop a rock into it from their waist height or higher, etc..

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills;shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, and galloping. AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation;develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games and using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Transitions

In the story, Lilly said she loved when Mr. Slinger provided “tasty” snacks. Ask the children what they think are tasty school snacks? If you have a cook who prepares the snacks for you, have the children help write her/him a thank you note from the class.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Resources

Why? by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Why? The question so often asked by young children. This books helps give simple answers to some of the questions children often ask why? about.

Materials

Vocabulary

Telescope (a tool used to help us see things that are very, very far away. Like stars in the night sky.

Gravity (an invisible force that makes things fall to the ground).

Before Reading the Story

Draw a large question mark/? on a piece of paper and ask the children if they know what this is? Explain that it is called a question mark and is used in stories when someone asks a question. A question is when someone wonders about something. Say several sentences and see if the children can tell if you are asking a question or not. (My cat sleeps with me at night. Does your cat sleep with you? What is your cats name? My cats name is Mink). Encourage the children to ask a question.

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

As you turn to each page, ask the children if they can tell you what Bear and Rabbit are doing? (Bear is lying down. He is holding his tummy. His stomach is fat). Then read the page. (Why? Because I ate too much).

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

After Reading the Story

Ask the children why Rabbit told Bear not to go into the cave? (Because they were friends and Rabbit would miss him). Ask the children if they have a special friend? What kinds of things do you like to do with your friend? Allow the children to share.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and discussions with peers and adults.

Discovery

Do a simple science experiment with the children. Ask them why they think it got the reaction it got. It does not matter if they are right or wrong in their answer, it is about doing the experiment and posing a question. This web site has several fun and not too difficult experiments to do with preschoolers. https://babbledabbledo.com/20-science-projects-for-preschoolers/.

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and for generalizations.

Music and Movement

Sing Where oh Where are All the Children? to Paw Paw Patch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsZ6RS67oAY (During the chorus the children can clap their hands along to the beat. During the verse the children can act out the actions).

Where oh where are all the children?

Way down yonder in the Apple Orchard.

Picking apples put them in the basket

Way down yonder in the apple orchard.

(Carrots-pulling, potatoes-digging, lettuce-cutting,etc.).

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

Play the Question Game song for the children and see if they can answer the questions as the puppet sings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vJ7ARCdGg.

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

Blocks

As the children build today, stop by often and ask questions. What are you making? Why are you putting that block there? How will the cars get inside? Do you want to make a sign to go with your structure? What will you add next?

Art

Add red, yello, blue, and white paint to the easel today. Encourage the children to mix and make colors. Hang a color mixing poster next to the easel to help the children.

Creative Arts/Art; begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Library and Writing

On a piece of paper (one per child), draw a large question mark ? in a yellow marker. Give the children other color markers and ask them to copy over your question mark and say question mark. Now ask them to ask you a question that they would like to know about. Write their response on the paper below the question mark. You can send these home and ask parents for parent involvement to help answer the question for their child. (Why does my dog have brown spots? Can I go to John’s house? Why is it raining outside today?).

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 Literacy/Print Awareness & Concepts; demonstrates increasing awareness if concepts of print, such as reading in English moves from left to right and top to bottom, that speech can be written down, and that print conveys messages.

Sand and Water

Fill the table with water today and bring over a cubby/basket full of classroom items (small car, cube, plastic fork, necklace, crayon, piece of paper, etc). Ask the children to predict if an item will float or sink? As they play, encourage them to sort the items by those that sink and those that float.

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and for generalizations.

Dramatic Play

As the children play today, ask them about what they are doing? Ask who, what , where, when, why, and how questions. (Why are you dressing so fancy? Who is the party for? What kind of food are you cooking? What will you do when you get there? How will you get there?).

Math & Manipulatives

Use bear counters today. Help children to do simple math problems using the counters. If I have three red bears and two yellow bears come to play, how many bears do I have in all? If I have two blue bears and added one more, how many bears would I have? If I had two yellow bears and one went home, how many bears would be left?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increased abilities to combine, separate, and name “how many” concrete objects.

Outdoor Play

If you have a slide or incline on your playground, the children can roll balls, themselves, and things with wheels down it. What things roll and what things do not? If you use the slide you can play a game; the teacher rolls the ball down the slide and a child tries to run faster than the rolling ball.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Transitions

Play Which Is _____? Use the words bigger, smaller, longer, shorter, taller, wider, narrower. (Which is taller, a giraffe or a cow? Which is wider, a river or a puddle?).

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.