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

Harry the Dirty Dog, Gene Zion

Harry is a white dog with black spots until he goes out to play. When he comes back his family does not recognize him, how will he make them know who he is?

Materials

A variety of brushes (floor, nails, vegetable, hair etc)
Glitter, small amount
Harry the dog shape
Pictures of dogs
Oil pastels and watercolor paints

Vocabulary

Buried (too dig a hole and put something inside)
Furiously (with great energy)

Before Reading the Story

Begin a discussion on the importance of keeping our bodies clean. Why do you think you need to brush your teeth, take a bath, and wash your hair? Have you ever gotten really, really dirty? What did you have to do to get clean again? Introduce the story by stating that today’s story is about a dog that got so dirty, his family did not even recognize him. Show the children the cover, can they tell which the dirty dog is (left or right)?

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toileting. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Reading the Story

Look at the picture of Harry playing in the street. Ask the children if this is a safe place for a dog or a child to play? On the page with the coal chute, make sure to point it out to the children. As you read, stop on the various pages and ask questions. Do you know what coal is used for? When you are tired and hungry, where do you go? Do you think Harry’s family will ever recognize him?

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities. AND Language Development/Speaking & communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, nedds, questions, and for other varied purposes.

After Reading the Story

Survey the children by asking them to raise their hands if they like taking a bath. Raise their hands if they like to take a shower. Raise their hands if they like to take a sponge bath. Make a graph that shows the results of this simple survey.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with terms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, equal to.

Bring out your collection of brushes. Hold up one brush at a time and ask the children if they can tell what they are used for. Have them pantomime the action.

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

Discovery

Put a small amount of glitter onto each child’s hands. Tell them that the glitter represents the germs that get on your hands when you play. Have each child practice their hand washing techniques and check to see if they were able to get the glitter off.

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

Music and Movement

Teach your children the poem After the Bath make actions to match words.

After my bath, I try, try, try

To towel myself till I’m dry, dry, dry

Hands to wipe, and fingers and toes,

And two wet legs and my shiny nose.

Just think how much less time it would take,

If I was a dog and could just shake, shake, shake!

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

Sing My Dog Rags https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjiH_pj1_Lw

I have a dog. His name is Rags.

He eats so much that his tummy sags.

His ears flip flop and his tail wigwags

And when he walks he goes zigzag.

He goes flip flop, wig wag, zigzag.

He goes flip-flop, wigwag zigzag,

I love Rags and he loves me.

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

Sing, the Opposite Song (to Pop Goes the Weasel)

Everything I always say,

You always say the opposite.

When I say bla-ack,

You say white.

(Opposites from story dirty/clean, hungry/full, boy/girl, flip-flopped/flop-flipped, mother/father, happy/sad)

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary. AND Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Blocks

Challenge the children to build a bridge to go over the train tracks like the one in the story.

Physical Health and Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beds, and using scissors.

Art

Put out several pictures of dogs of different breeds. Help the children to see what all the dogs have in common (4 legs, head, tail, etc.). Help the children verbalize that dogs can be very different. Encourage the children to draw their own breed of dog.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences. AND Creative Arts/Art; progresses in abilities to create drawings, paintings, models, and other art creations that are more detailed, creative, or realistic.

Sand and Water

Bring in several nail brushes and fill the table with soapy water. The children can use the brushes to wash toys in the room.

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

Library and Writing

Give the children a copy of the dog shape and let them color them with oil pastels. They then use a dark watercolor paint to paint over the entire dog shape. The oil pastels will bleed through. Ask the children to tell you about how their Harry got all his dirty spots, write down their responses and attach to their picture.

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.

Dramatic Play

Put the variety of brushes into the center for the children to use today. Encourage the children to pretend to wash the babies, the dishes, and the house.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Math and Manipulatives

Play a spot counting game. Let the children take turns rolling a dice. Have them count the spots on the dice and then take that many manipulatives (poker chips or buttons work well). Let each child have several turns rolling and counting out the number of manipulatives. If you had three spots/dots and now you add two more, how many do you have in total? When they are finished, have them count their pile. Who has more, less? That’s a lot of spots!

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.

Outdoor Play

Take a scrub brush out onto the playground and take turns hiding it.

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

Ask the child to pretend to wash a body part that you name for them. If the children are good at naming general body parts, add more such as knuckles, nostril, shin, heal, and gums.

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

Dear Parent,

Today we talked about the importance of bathing and keeping our bodies clean. During evening routines, ask your child to show you how to wash their bodies and brush their teeth all by themselves. Praise them for a job well done.

Carlos and the Squash Plant, by Jan Romero Stevens

Carlos likes to help his parents farm their garden but he doesn’t like washing up afterwards. His mother has warned him that he better wash up or he might grow a squash plant out of his ear. Find out what becomes of Carlos and if he listens to his mother’s warning.

Materials

Small bar soaps, cut a larger one into quarters
A variety of nail brushes
A squash that is in season or squash seeds
Several hats, preferably straw

Vocabulary

Ay caramba (Oh my goodness!)

Before Reading the Book

Sometimes our parents tell us to do things that we do not want to do. Ask the children for examples. If none are given ask them if their parents tell them it is time to go to bed, time to brush their teeth,time to turn off the TV. Explain that parents tell their children what to do to help keep them safe and healthy.

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

Show the children the cover of the book and ask them if they think they can tell what the story is about. Look at the boys face, how do you think he feels? Now turn the book over and show the back page. Look at the boys face, how do you think he feels now? Ask the children why he might be feeling this way. Turn the book back over and begin.

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 Book

As you read, ask the children questions; Carlos did not listen to his mother? What do you think will happen? Why do you think Carlos is wearing the hat? Do you think his Mother knows there is a plant growing from his ear? How do you think Carlos will get the squash plant to disappear?

Approaches to Learning/Logic & Reasoning; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to accept the consequences of their actions.

After Reading the Book

Talk to the children about the importance of bathing (cause you will be all stinky, the germs will get on you). Ask the children if they think a squash could really grow out of your ear? What does a seed need to grow?

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment. And Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Give all the children a paper towel. Tell them that you are going to play a game like Simon Says but it is called Slippery Soap. Call out “Slippery Soap says to wash your elbow!”. The children then take the paper towel and pretend to wash their elbow. Continue,as you would play Simon Says. Include such body parts as knuckles, ankle, thigh, abdomen, gums, eye brow, etc.

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

Discovery

If it is the right time of year, get some squash seeds or bean seeds to plant in cups.

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

Bring in a squash that is in season. Let the children use all their senses to describe the squash.

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

Make the Calabacitas recipe in the back of the book.

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

Music and Movement

Teach the children the poem/song Dig a Little Hole

Dig a little hole Pretend to dig a hole

And you put the seed in. Pretend to drop a seed into the hole

Cover it with dirt Pretend to cover the hole

And let the sun shine in Arms overhead to make sun

Add a little water Wiggle fingers like rain

And keep it fed

Pretty soon a little plant will show its head Make a hole with one hand touching finger to thumb. As the other hand pushes through the hole.

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

Blocks

Carlos planted a garden where he grew his squash plants. Challenge the children to build a fence to go around a pretend garden. Can they make a pattern in their fence using the blocks?

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

Art

Make a ‘vine’ several feet long using green construction paper. Draw simple leaf shapes on several shades of green paper that the children can cut out and tape to your vine. Make several star shapes for the squash flowers and squash shape, these the children cut out and tape to the vine also.

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.

Sand and Water

Water play today. Add small bars of soap and nail brushes.

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

Library and Writing

Carlos’s mother used a recipe to make calabacitas, a favorite food for Carlos. Ask the children if one of their parents cook a favorite food for them? Ask the child to tell you how his parent cooks this food and write down what he/she says. Put all the “recipes” together for a classroom cookbook.

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.

Dramatic Play

Put out several straw hats that the children can use to act out the story. If you do not have straw hats, use baseball caps. Explain to the children that when working out in the hot sun, it is important to protect your head and skin from sunburn.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress and 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

The squash plant growing in Carlos’ ear kept getting longer and longer. Work with the children today using a ruler. Show them how the numbers tell how many inches long something is. Help the children to measure toys in the room. Reinforce the concept of an inch by using the 1-inch cubes to double-check the measurements of the ruler.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using a standard and non-standard measures for length and the area of an object.

Outdoor Play

Let the children use shovels to make long straight rows in the dirt to pretend to be planting a garden. Or if you are able, begin a real garden in the play yard.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; progresses in physical growth, strength, stamina, and flexibility.

Transitions

Have the children show you how they can wash their hands. Have them pretend and go through the motions of proper hand washing.

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

Dear Parent, Good hand washing techniques are important to your child’s health. Ask your child to show you the easy steps to better health. 1) Turn on the water and wet hands. 2) Apply soap to your hands. 3) Scrub hands in circular motions creating soap lather on the palms, the tops, around the wrists, and between the fingers. 4) Rinse the soap from your hands. 5) Dry your hands with a paper towel or towel. 6) Use a corner of the towel to turn off the water so as not to touch your clean hands on the water knob.