MINI-HISTORY:
When My Grandparents Were Children
(and Gandparents Day)
I'm so pleased that Jen
from Fort Meade, Maryland wrote me
suggesting that my website include the celebration of Grandparents Day as a possible
theme for preschool classrooms. (Grandparents Day is the first
Sunday after Labor Day.) I'm honored that she has also allowed me
to kick off this theme with her own fabulous "special craft" activity:
The children paint their fingers a "flowery" color(s)
and their palms green. They then place their hands down on white construction
paper creating "handprint flowers." They then glue this to a larger piece
of construction paper (their choice of colors) and glue a paper heart to the center.
(Some may be able to cut out the hearts themselves.) This poem is then glued
to the "card":
A Piece of Me
(written by Kathleen
Lademan) A piece of
me I give to you: I painted this
flower to say "I Love You" The
heart is you, the hand is me To
show we are friends, the best there can be I
hope we'll save it and look back someday At
the flower we shared on your special day. HAPPY
GRANDPARENTS DAY! When
My Grandparents Were Children
- From
Stormie:
Although the children don't know it as such, learning about when Grandma
and Grandpa were children is a concept of historical time. And when doing
activities with their grandparents, they learn respect and admiration.
Photo Show-N-Tell: Have grandparents come to school bringing
pictures of when they were babies or young children, and photos of where they
used to live.
Have grandparents play a game with the children from
their own childhood (or bring a toy from when they were kids).
Have grandparents
teach the children a song from their childhoood days.
H ave grandparents
tell children a story their parents used to tell them.
What was Grandma's
favorite color when she was a little girl? -
- What was Grandpa's
favorite food when he was a little boy?
What kind of outdoor games did
Grandma and Grandpa play as kids?
Ask for volunteer grandparents
to come and make a special food project or snack with the children.
Musical Show-N-Tell: If the children in your class only know of the "CD
world," have grandparents bring a record player to school and play a record
for the children.
Have children dance to the music of their grandparents.
Language: Have children bring photographs of their grandparents for
show-n-tell.
Mini-Geography: Here's a way to allow children whose
grandparents live far away to still feel special and involved during this unit: Speak
with the child's parents and find out where the grandparents live and ask for
a photo of them. Then, on a map, highlight the route from where the child
lives to where the grandparents live. Using the tiniest piece of tape,
attach the grandparent's photo at the end of the route. Leave the map
out on a table and allow that child to show others where his/her grandparents
live by tracing the route with their fingers. Also, if time, play video
or audio of the child's grandparents for children to see/hear.
Easel Art:
1. Ask, "Would you like to paint a picture
of your grandma/grandpa?"
2. Have each child and his/her grandparent
do a painting at the easel together. :-)
Really
Special Art Project: Have the children and their grandparent(s) dip their
hands in paint and make prints on a sheet of paper.
More coming -- share
your thoughts and ideas too!
Favorite Books:
From
Susan Wray, Library Storytime Leader, Dyersburg, Tennessee:
*Grandpa's
Song, by Tony Johnston, pictures by Brad Sneed: Grandpa is a large man with
a booming voice. He sings all the time very loudly, rattling the windows
and pictures. One day he forgets the words to the song he had made up about
himself and his sweet voice. Luckily he had made all the grandchildren learn
it. They helped him remember. A beautiful book!
*Wilfrid
Gordon McDonald Partridge, by Mim Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas: Wilfrid
lives next door to an old folks home and spends lots of time with the residents.
His favorite person (who has four names just like him), begins losing her memory.
After asking everyone "What's a memory?", he took his "memories"
from home to give to Miss Nancy since she had lost her own. As he shows
her each piece of treasure, she begins to remember, sharing her stories with the
boy. A wonderful book!
Making
a Multi-Cultural Connection Through Books:
From
Stormie:
"Fox Song," by Joseph
Bruchac; Paul Morin, Illustrator: Jamie deals with the death of her
great-grandma, an Abenaki Indian, by remembering all the things she loved and
all the times they had together. This is just the loveliest of stories.
--------------------------
Reminder
from Stormie: If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom
ideas (each on a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you
can do so by ordering my "Activity Cards." Click here
to check them out.
