PRIMARY STORY: Begin each day by reading the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
DISCUSSION PROMPTS: Ask your student the following questions to jump-start a discussion. Did you like the story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Which part of the story did you like best? Which of the foods do you think was the tastiest?
VIDEO: View the lovely animated version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
1. Print out the puzzles and cut along the gray lines. Keep individual puzzles in plastic sandwich bags. 2. Help your child put the puzzles together.
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY: Caterpillar Life Cycle Supplies: Cardstock Life Cycle printable Scissors
1. Print out the puzzles and cut along the gray lines. Keep individual puzzles in plastic sandwich bags. 2. Help your child put the puzzles together.
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY: Caterpillar painting Supplies: Paper Cardboard tubes Red, yellow, and green paint
1. Help your child to dip ends of tubes into paint. 2. Use tubed to stamp circles onto paper to make caterpillar's body. 3. Paint or draw face, antennae, and feet.
NARRATION JOURNAL At week’s end, after your final reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar,
have your child complete a narration journal entry. Ask your child
describe the story. Your student can draw or paint an illustration to go
with the narration.
EXPLORATIONS
Have a Very Hungry Caterpillar snack and include fruits and foods from the story.
Watch this video about the caterpillar life cycle.
When I was a little girl, I was very, very shy. I was terrified of getting in trouble in school and was polite and well behaved to a fault. I had also been sick with tonsillitis from about the age of two and therefore missed quite a bit of school up until 5th grade when I had those horrible, useless things yanked out. This meant that I very rarely received the coveted Perfect Attendance award on awards night. I unfailingly got the award for Honor Roll, but that attendance award mocked me. I did always get another award that I didn't really understand. The Citizenship Award. This confused me because I understood what a citizen was from civics lessons but I didn't understand how it applied in the elementary school setting and why some students earned it but others did not. Weren't we all citizens?
I didn't actually learn the significance of the Citizenship Award until 5th grade graduation. Our school was K-5, so this was a big ceremony for us. I'd been out of school for a few weeks, recovering from the tonsillectomy and had even missed field day- my favorite day of the year due to the fact that my best friend and I were really freaking good at the 3-legged race.
After the surgery and post-op checkup, my doctor gave me the green light to attend the graduation ceremony, which was exciting because I'd practiced really hard and knew all of the lyrics to the song that the 5th grade chorus was performing. Here's the one... only imagine it with a hundred 5th graders in fluorescent green t-shirts and early 90s hairstyles:
Oh wait, yeah, the hairstyles were just like that. We really rocked the side-step, clap, side-step, clap dance moves.
When it was time for awards, we had to cross the stage, shake hands with the principal who gave us our diplomas, and have our picture taken. I was never shy when I was singing or dancing on stage, but it was absolutely mortifying to walk across and shake hands with the principal. Then to have to go up twice more for the Honor Roll trophy and then the Citizenship trophy. By the time we gathered outside for fruit punch and tetherball, I was exhausted.
The teachers were all mingling with the parents, trying futilely to escape the 110 degree Florida heat under the awnings while the students chased each other around the giant caterpillar climbing apparatus on the playground. I wasn't really up to snuff yet, so I just stood awkwardly with my parents and some of the teachers. I asked my third grade teacher about the Citizenship Award and she told me that it was for "exemplary behavior in the classroom and for being a role model for other students". I remember her words well because she had been my favorite teacher and was Swedish and had a lovely accent. She will live forever in my memory as she had appeared in our darkened classroom, dressed as Santa Lucia with a wreath of candles on her head for our 3rd grade Christmas party.
I was no longer upset about the elusive Perfect Attendance award. I had been given a beautiful purple and gold trophy, topped with a majestic eagle for a solid 5 years worth of exemplary behavior. My name was etched on the base. The trophy sat next to its Honor Roll sibling on my bedroom shelf for years. I discovered them again recently in a box of childhood treasures that had found their way to my grandmother's attic room and I smiled, remembering that day. The bright sun, the sticky heat, the sweet lilting voice of my teacher, "exemplary behavior".
Citizenship is an important subject. One that is often overlooked, replaced by the hard push for higher test scores. I don't "grade" my son's work yet, but I do reward good citizenship. He has recently begun collecting mini Thomas trains that come in little plastic blind bags. The anticipation of what is hidden inside is so exciting for him. I add to his collection whenever he shows some random kindness, or works uncomplainingly on a task, or whenever he reminds me about acts of compassion- great and small. It isn't often that something like a little plastic toy train reminds us to be good citizens to one another, and to teach these values to our children, but it's a crazy life and I'll take any reminder that I can get.
PRIMARY STORY: Begin each day by reading the story Corduroy by Don Freeman.
DISCUSSION PROMPTS: Ask your student the following questions to jump-start a discussion. Did you like the story, Corduroy? Which part of the story did you like best? What did Corduroy lose? Did he find what he was looking for?
ADDITIONAL READING: Read the sequel, A Pocket for Corduroy, also by Don Freeman. Another favorite bear book is A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond.
VIDEO: If you want to give your child nightmares, view this live-action version of Corduroy.
If you'd rather skip scarring your offspring for life, there are many read-alouds of Corduroy on YouTube. Here's a decent, non-terrifying one:
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY: Button Fun Supplies: Various colored buttons Cups or containers labeled by color Yarn or string
1. Have your child sort the buttons into containers by color. 2. You can also have them sort by size if your button sizes vary. 3. You could use bowls with lids with slots cut into them for more fine motor practice. 4. Use the string to make button necklaces.
We counted, sorted, and tallied the buttons. Then we made a bar graph.
1. Lay out the counting bears cards and a bowl full of bears. 2. Have your pupil place the correct number of bears on top of each card. 3. Practice with two cards at a time to work on simple addition. 4. Snack on your sums to work on subtraction. Subtraction was our favorite. :)
EXPLORATIONS Watch this video about making teddy bears.
PRIMARY STORY: Begin each day by reading the story Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann.
DISCUSSION PROMPTS: Ask your student the following questions to jump-start a discussion. Did you like the story, Good Night, Gorilla? Which part of the story did you like best? Which animal was your favorite?
ADDITIONAL READING: Check out other zoo books. Our favorites are The View at the Zoo, by Kathleen Long Bostrom and 1, 2, 3 To the Zoo, by Eric Carle.
VIDEO: Here's an animated version from the Scholastic Video Collection, Good Night Gorilla and More Bedtime Stories.
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY: Animal Track Process Art
SUPPLIES Zoo Animal Figurines (Here's a Wild Toob with a lot of standing animals) Paint Paper Paper Plates
Step 1: Pour paint into plates. Step 2: Allow your child to dip animal feet into paint and make "tracks" on the paper. Step 3: Ask about the similarities and differences in types of tracks.
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY: Flashlight Play Gather up some flashlights and teach your student to operate them. Turn off lights and have some fun playing with the flashlights. Make hand silhouettes or play flashlight tag. Look for objects in the dark. EXPLORATIONS Visit a zoo!
Play the following video of the finale from The Carnival of the Animals from Walt Disney's Fantasia 2000. Allow your watch or explore movement while listening.
