Activities

Give each child a 1x4 grid and several pennies. Say a word and have him or her put a penny in each box for each phoneme.

Add plastic containers with lids that the children can decorate to make their own penny banks in the art center.

Read Benny's Pennies by Pat Brisson. Using a flannel board, have the children match the items that are in the book that Benny purchased.

Pentominoes are figures made by placing five squares in different arrangements, making sure that at least one side of each square is touching the side of another square. For example, the squares may be arranged side by side, in a row or tower.

Pick a week and highlight a different community helper each day. For example, Monday – firefighter, Tuesday – construction worker, Wednesday – postal worker, Thursday – police officer, Friday – sanitation worker.

Take a photo of each child playing. Print and cut the photo into three to four pieces. With guidance, encourage the children to put their picture back together.

Read the book Percy's Neighborhood by Stuart Murphy. Ask the children to recall the different workers Percy met as he went with his dad around the neighborhood.

During large group, read Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook. This book teaches the children about respecting people's personal space.

Create a "Social Story" book to read with the children to teach them the concept of personal space. For example, "Personal space is like an invisible bubble.

Provide several stuffed animals, blankets, plastic bowls, dog toys and old pillows for animal beds. Set up an area where the children can feed, care for and play with their animals.

Use the dramatic play area to set up a pet hospital with various stuffed animal pets. Provide supplies needed to care for pets such as first-aid and doctor kits. Provide old encyclopedias, books, and posters for the children to use as resources.

Provide word cards, in the writing center, that list what animals need to live. Encourage children to choose a pet from dramatic play and then make a list of items they need to pick up at the store to take care of their pet.

Create a class animal clinic. Provide band-aids, a play veterinarian kit and soft toy animals. Ask a local vet hospital for props that the children can use such as signs, magazines and old X-rays.

Read the story Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin and James Dean. Encourage the children to count along with the story. Follow up by having the children count the number of buttons, snaps and shoestrings on their own clothing.

Read Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean and Eric Litwin. You will need a felt shirt and 10 buttons for each child playing. Make a number cube having just the numerals one, two and three.

After reading A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats, encourage the children to talk about the characters' feelings.

After reading Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats, discuss some of the words in the book and what they mean. Relate new words to more common words.

Read The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. Discuss different characteristics of people and compare them to pets. For example, the little girl in the story gets really angry.

During large group, read the book Pezzettino by Leo Lionni. After reading, remind the children that the meaning of Pezzettino is “little piece.” Review some of the illustrations with the children and talk about what they remember.

Collect a variety of old telephones and cell phones. Place the phones in the dramatic play area for pretend play and exploration of the different types of phones. Use one of the phones to place a call to one of the children: "Ring, ring.