Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #1
Cooperative Rainbow
1. Directions:
a. Paint your hand with one of the colors.
b. Print your hand on the rainbow. Do the same with
your child(ren)'s hands.
c. Touch painted hands with your child to see how each other's hands feel.
2. Questions to ask and Things to notice:
How does the paint feel on your hand? Do you think it feels the same on my hand? What color do you want to have on your hand? Is there another color you would like? What do you notice about this rainbow?
Notice that the paint from my hand overlaps with the paint from your hands? Is it pretty? Notice how our hand prints touch other people's prints? That's reminds me of how all people touch each other in some way.
3. Parent note:
This activity also is designed to promote sensory development, color recognition, and language development.
*** Rainbows are symbolic of people coming together, of hope, of promise, and of dreams coming true.
Roots, Rights,& Responsibilities Class Session #1
Rainbow Stew
1. Directions:
a. Put one spoonful of each color into a freezer bag. Squeeze out the excess air.
b. Zip the bag shut. Secure it with masking tape.
c. Invite your child to squeeze the bag and mix up the colors.
2. Questions to Ask and Things to notice:
Imagine each color represents a different member or our family. Which color are you? Which color am I? When one color touches another, does it change? People change too, when they are with other people. Do people really change colors? What changes about us when we are with other people?
Notice when the colors touch and blend they become different? Notice how once the colors change by touching another color they don't go back to the other color?
4. Parent Note:
This activity also is good for developing sensory experiences, color identification, language skills, color mixing, small muscles, and social/emotional skills.
***Rainbows are symbolic of people coming together, of hope, of promise and of dreams coming true.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #1, #9 and #12
Bubbles
1. Directions:
a. Hold the wand next to your child's mouth and encourage them to blow, or give the wand to your child to blow him or herself. Demonstrate.
b. Use the fan (provided) if your child is unable to blow a bubble. Show them how to hold their wand to the fan and get bubbles.
c. Pop the bubbles or blow on them to see what happens.
2. Questions TO ASK AND Things to notice:
What colors do you see in the bubbles? Can you catch a bubble? Can you step on one? Can you blow a bubble already made, up, up, up?
Do you notice the colors in our bubbles sometimes look like rainbows? Notice how sometimes bubbles break when they touch another bubble, and sometimes they join together.
3. Parent Note:
This activity also is good for developing lung and breathing capacity, social-emotional development, turn-taking skills, and language.
***Bubbles are symbols of fleeting moments of wonder in the world around us. We can often find the promise, hope, and dreams in the rainbows and the wonder of bubbles.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #1
Family rainbow Chains
1. Directions:
a. Choose several strips of different colored construction paper. Pick one strip for each family member.
b. Write affirmations to all your family members on each family member's paper strip. Children can dictate affirmations for parents to write for them. Read your affirmations of your child to him/her.
c. Children can decorate the strips using crayons, markers, glitter and so on.
d. Staple the decorated paper strips together to form a chain.
2. Questions to Ask AND Things to notice:
Did it feel good to hear what I wrote to you?
Did you notice how you felt when you said something nice about ___________? (child's sibling)
Can you count the links in our family chain and name them?
3. Parent Note:
This activity is good for developing small muscles, eye-hand coordination, dexterity and strength in hands, social and emotional skills, and creative expression.
***All people are connected with each other. The chain is a symbol of those connections we have with each other as individuals, as families, and with the world.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #1
Eye-Dropper Art
&
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #1
a. Help your child look at and manipulate the various light tools on the table.
b. Hold the prism up into the sunlight. Try to catch a stream of light to pass through the prism.
c. Look for where the prism is casting its rainbow. Help your child find the rainbow.
d. Discover how the prism works by moving it slightly in the light to see how movement changes the rainbow.
Where is the rainbow? How does this prism work? What colors do you see? Can we make a rainbow on a sunny day? On a cloudy day? How does the rainbow move?
***Light refraction and rainbows are real scientific
phenomenon that show us the mystery
and wonder of the world around us.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #2 and #9
Playdough
a. Take a piece of playdough. Give some to your child. Roll it, squeeze it, smash it. Make a ball. Make a snake.
b. Help your child imitate what you are doing.
c. Use the cutters and rolling pins to make shapes.
a. What color is the playdough? How does it feel? Is it cold? Is it warm?
b. What can you make with the dough?
a. Playdough changes temperature after it's been used awhile.
b. Playdough can be shaped into many different things.
c. Different people have different ideas about how to play with the playdough.
Playdough is good for developing sensory awareness, language, small motor skills, and fine motor coordination, eye-hand coordination, and social-emotional skills.
***Playdough symbolizes the creative energies of learning.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #2 and #7
Wash Dolls
a. Wash your doll together. Help your child to carefully do the washing. Or wash an article of clothing and hang it up on the drying rack.
b. Dry your doll and pretend it is a real baby. What might happen next?
c. Help your child think of what their "baby" would need: A nap? Food? Warm clothes?
d. Enjoy your time together.
e. Every one needs guidance some times in their life.
f. When we all take care of each other, our lives are more peaceful.
g. Sometimes we need more nurturing and guidance than at other times.
This activity provides sensory experiences, small motor skills development, language acquisition, and social-emotional skills.
***Washing dolls and doll clothing gives children practice in taking care of their own bodies.
Roots, Rights & Responsibilities Class Session #2
Homemade Puzzles
a. Choose a picture from the magazine pictures available.
b. Glue the photo onto tag-board.
c. Cover your picture with clear contact paper.
d. Now, cut your picture into puzzle pieces.
a. Which is your favorite picture? Pick that one.
b. What is happening in this picture?
c. What might happen next?
d. Have you ever done what the child in this picture is doing?
a. How many people are in the picture and what roles they are taking (child, parent, etc.)?
b. Name the colors; count different items.
c. What is going on in the picture. What has happened and what might happen next?
***The pictures of children doing what children do symbolizes the many ways we play and work to develop healthy habits for healthy growth and development.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #2
Housekeeping
a. This housekeeping area is set up with adaptive equipment for your children to try out. Help your child choose one piece of equipment at a time for instance, the crutches.
b. Talk with your child about why or when a person might use the equipment.
c. Remind your child to always be careful with the equipment so they won't get hurt, and so that others can use it, too.
d. Help your child perform ordinary household activities, such as cooking, while using the adaptive equipment.
a. Can you do the same things while using the equipment?
b. What would make this harder to do for instance, if you were in a wheelchair would you have to make changes?
c. How do glasses, hearing aids, or other kinds of equipment help us?
a. Some adaptive equipment is small, some is large. It is used for different needs. People who use this equipment are just as smart as you are. It takes different skills to use some of the equipment, such as crutches. You have to practice to be good at it.
***Playing in the housekeeping area is practice for life that happens around the world. Every one has the right to helpful tools.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #2
Growing Daisies
a. Select materials from the table.
b. Glue yarn onto the paper, then the flower petals, leaves and pompom center.
c. Think about what makes your child healthy and write those things on your flower's stem.
d. Your words might be called growth words and should encourage your child..
a. What do you think helps you grow? (Answers may be food, sunshine, etc.)
b. Did you know that _________ (your growth words) help you grow too?
a. All the flowers look different, but they are growing. It takes many things to help us grow.
This activity is also good for developing small muscles, eye-hand coordination, language skills and social-emotional skills.
***The daisy is a symbol of the nurturing that is needed for a growing child. The blossoms symbolize a person "blooming."
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #3
Masks
a. Help your child choose a paper bag or paper plate and collage materials.
b. Help your child staple, glue, or tape hair and decorations onto the mask base.
c. Cut holes for eyes and mouth. Make eye holes that are comfortable for your child.
d. Attach yarn on either side of the mask so you can tie it around your child's head.
e. Help your child look into the mirror to see himself or herself with the mask on.
a. What materials do you want to use?
b. How shall we make this?
c. What character will you want to look like?
a. Everyone looks different with a mask on.
b. Some masks are scary; some are funny.
*** Masks are a way for children to try on different roles. Children learn to take the perspective of others
through imaginary play.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #3
Beans
If you feel uncomfortable about using food for play, omit them or use colored rocks.
a. Ask your child to look, touch, and smell the beans.
b. Count the different kinds, sizes, and colors of beans in the table. Name them if you can.
c. Put the beans into and pour them out of the containers. Use the containers to separate the beans by color/size.
a. How many different kinds of beans can you find? Can you name them? Can you name the colors?
b. Can you sort the beans according to size/shape/color?
c. Do any of these beans match your skin/hair color?
3. Things to notice with your child:
a. The beans feel smooth and round.
b. You can feel the size difference with your eyes closed.
c. You can't tell what color the beans are when your eyes are closed.
4. Parent note:
***Varied colors of different beans symbolize individual differences -- such as in the varied colors of the human race.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #3
Balance Scale
a. Look at and name all the items on the table.
b. Place one item into each side of the scale. Compare the items.
c. Help your child place items onto the scales to make them balance.
a. Is one item heavier or lighter than the other?
b. Do some items take more than one other item to balance it?
c. Can you make the scales balance?
d. How many (for instance) bears equal two blocks?
***A scale gives children practice with the concept of what it is to be equal. The work and care of balancing the scales symbolizes the work we need to do and care we need to take in realizing equality in our lives.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #3
Attribute Blocks
a. Look at all the attribute blocks on the table.
b. Help your child match similar shapes.
c. Now help your child match the same colors.
d. Help your child match the same size.
d. Now help your child find objects that are the same shape, size, and color.
This activity enhances development in these areas: visual discrimination, language of color, size and shapes, social-emotional skills, sequential and ordering concepts.
***Attribute blocks gives children (& parents) a way to internalize the concepts of equal and different.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #3
a. Fold a piece of construction paper in half, down the middle. Now, open the paper.
b. Help your child write their name in glue, just above the fold line use the fold line as you would a line on any paper. For Session 4, use colored glue.
c. Fold the paper again, and press to apply the glue to both sides of the paper. Have your child rub the paper all over. Now, open the paper again.
d. Sprinkle glitter over the page to make the image sparkle.
The activity enhances social-emotional development and sensory experiences, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination, and small motor skills.
***This activity gives children and parents a way to internalize the concept of equality.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #4
Flags
a. Use the colored construction paper to create the flag of your choice. It can be an American flag, or one from the country of your ancestors.
b. Help your child use the glue, stapler, scissors, and tape to create stars or other symbols for your flag.
c. Together with your child, assemble your own flag.
a. All the flags have some things in common and some things different.
b. There are many ways to put these flags together.
c. What materials do you want to use?
d. How shall we make this?
e. What flag do you want to make?
f. What country does our flag represent?
This activity will also encourage small motor skills, visual discrimination, eye-hand coordination, creative expression, language skills, and social-emotional development.
***The flag from one's homeland is a symbol of one's identity.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #4
a. Ask your child to look, touch, and smell the rice.
b. Put the rice into and pour it out of containers. Pour from one container to another. Use the "water wheel" to pour the rice and watch it fall.
c. Enjoy your time together at the table.
a. Which container holds more?
b. What is the name of this stuff? (rice)
c. What color(s) of rice do you see?
d. How does this rice feel?
This activity encourages development in sensory experience, math concepts of weight, and volume, visual discrimination skills, small motor skills, and social-emotional skills.
***Rice is a food with which a majority of the world's people are familiar.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #4
a. Join other class members in making a table-size flag.
b. Show your child where to place the stars on the paper. Use the star stamp to add stars. (In the upper, left hand corner quadrant.)
c. With your child, paint the red strips on the other three quadrants of the paper.
d. Enjoy your time together.
a. Talk about the American Flag with your child and tell them what it means to you.
b. Talk about and count the number of stars and the number of strips on the flag.
c. Name the colors of your American flag.
This activity encourages development of sensory-motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination skills, creative expression, language skills, and social-emotional skills.
***The American flag is the symbol for the United States of America (USA), the 50 stars represent the 50 states in our union. The 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies.
Roots, Rights and Responsibilities Class Session #4
a. Use the flag shapes around the room to report and discuss with your child about your name and nationality.
b. Ask your child to find a flag. Go to that flag and read the instructions out loud.
c. Then, explain to your child what the instructions have said. Do them together.
d. If your child has further questions, continue the discussion before going on to the next flag.
e. Have fun sharing new information with your child, naming the color of the flags, and counting the flags you see as you go on the walk.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
Make Butter
a. Put whipping cream into an empty peanut butter jar. Drop in one large marble (used as a dasher), and screw on the cap.
b. Take turns with your child shaking the jar.
c. Listen for the sound of the whipping cream's sloshing to change.
d. When you no longer hear the marble rattling inside the jar, you will know that you have whipped the cream. You might want to check the jar. It is NOT butter yet.
e. Return the lid to the jar and continue shaking. Pretty soon you will hear it sloshing. Now it is butter. Open the jar lid and pour out the buttermilk.
f. Spread the butter onto crackers, and enjoy!
a. Notice how the color, consistency and texture of the whipping cream changes. The butter is a light yellow. The whipping cream was white.
c. The sound changes as the whipping cream changes.
d. We can make our own food quite easily.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
a. Use frosting as the mortar (or glue) and sugar cubes for the blocks.
b. Place the cubes in a circle on a piece of cardboard, or a paper plate.
c. Using the frosting, stack another row of cubes on top of the first, then a third row.
d. Continue building until your house looks like an Igloo.
e. Have fun together!
a. What kind of house would you like to live in ?
b. What kinds of houses have we seen (e.g., houses, apartments, duplexes)?
c. Can you think of any other kinds of homes (e.g., animal homes)?
This activity encourages development of small motor skills, sensory awareness, language development, social emotional skills, and the concept of "What is a house?"
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
This activity encourages development of small motor skills, sensory awareness, language development, social emotional skills, and the concept of "What is a house?"
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
Build A Straw Hut
a. Take small handfuls of straw and bundle them together.
b. Use the raffia (provided) to tie the handfuls of straw into bundles.
c. Place the tied bundles into a circle for the hut shape.
d. You may want to weave the raffia between the straw bundles to keep your hut together.
e. Lay loose straw on the top of the circle of bundles to form a roof.
a. There are many different kinds of houses.
b. Each house is unique and special. They all work for people.
c. Houses are homes for people. Animals have homes too.
d. Homes are part of what we need to survive.
This activity encourages development of small motor skills, sensory awareness, language development, social emotional skills, and the concept of "what is a house?"
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
a. Gather as many blocks as possible.
b. Using the blocks, help your child build a block house.
c. Cooperate with other children in the classroom to build a house or several houses.
a. There are many different kinds of houses.
b. We can create something better together.
c. Many hands helping makes the project go faster and more fun to do.
d. Homes are part of what we need to survive.
This activity encourages development in creative expression, language, small and large motor development, self-concept, and social-emotional skills.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
a. Discuss with the other children how your house should look.
b. After the decision has been made, cut openings for windows and door.
c. Use paint, crayons, and markers to decorate your house.
d. Take turns looking at the progress from a distance.
a. There are many different kinds of houses.
b. We can create something better together.
c. Many hands helping makes the project go faster and be more fun.
d. Homes are part of what we need to survive.
This activity also encourages development in these ways: creative expression, language skills, small and large motor development, self-concept, and social-emotional skills.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
a. Here is some large muscle equipment. What kind of a house could you build with these?
b. Ask your child what kind of house he or she would like to build with the large pieces of play equipment, the parachute, and the tunnel. Create a house big enough for you both to go into.
c. Enlist the help of other class members.
d. Enjoy the new house you have built.
a. There are many different kinds of houses.
b. It takes a lot of work and cooperation to make a house.
c. Many hands helping makes the project go faster and makes it more fun.
d. Homes are part of what we need to survive.
This activity is also good for enhancing large motor skills, strength and coordination, sensory development, language development, social-emotional skills, and cooperation.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #5
a. Help your child look and feel the animals in the sensory table.
b. Use the cups to wash the animals.
c. Use your imaginations to play with the figures and utensils in the water.
d. Enjoy your time together.
a. There are many different kinds of animals living in the ocean. The ocean is their home.
b. Animal's homes look different from people's homes.
c. How does what we do affect the animals and their homes?
d. Is it our responsibility to take care of the animals?
This activity encourages creative expression, language skills, small and large motor development, positive self-concept, and social-emotional skills.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #6 and #10
a. Help your child choose a doll.
b. During this class time, you child will be "responsible" for the doll he or she picks out.
c. Please help your child be mindful of the doll they "adopt" by holding the doll, asking questions that bring your child's attention back to their doll, and helping your child to role-play parenting skills.
d. Use the sensory table to help your child bathe the doll.
e. Use the dramatic play area to help your child care for the doll.
f. Enjoy being a "grandparent" for an hour!
a. What are the needs of a baby?
b. Some babies need constant attention.
c. What can we do to help comfort a crying doll baby?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #6
Helping Hands Wreath
a. Trace your own hands and your child's hands on the paper provided. Do this several times so you get more than one pair of hand shapes.
b. Help your child cut around the hand shapes.
c. Glue and/or staple your hand shapes onto the circle provided.
d. Enjoy your time together.
a. How many hands it takes to fill in the wreath.
b. Hands come in many different sizes and shapes.
c. When we do projects together, they can be more fun.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #6
a. Notice the bag set on this table.
b. Ask your child to feel the outside of the bag.
c. Place your hand inside the bag and try to guess what is in there.
d. Tell your child what you think the object might be. Then, bring it out to see if your guess was correct.
e. Help your child put their hand into the bag and guess what might be in there. Then bring it out.
f. Proceed until the bag is empty.
a. Sometimes things feel very different than they look.
b. It is harder to identify some things without looking.
c. How many items did you guess correctly?
This activity encourages memory, touch, sensory exploration, language, and self-confidence.
***This activity provides a challenging experience to use the sense of touch without sight to identify and name common objects.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #6
Smelling Jars
a. Notice the jars on the table.
b. Open one jar at a time and smell what's inside .
c. Try to guess what the smell might be.
d. Look on the bottom of the jar to see if your guess was correct.
e. Remember to put the lid back on the jar before going on to the next one.
f. Continue until you have tested all the jars.
a. Some things smell strong, sweet, mild, or sour.
b. How may jars did you smell that you could name what was inside?
c. It is harder to identify some things without looking.
This activity also is good for encouraging development in memory, sensory awareness and exploration, language, and self-confidence.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #6
a. Ask your child to look, touch, and smell the beans. Count the different kinds, sizes and colors of beans in the table.
b. Name the different beans if you can.
c. Put the beans into and pour them out of the containers, provided. Use the containers to separate the beans for color and size.
d. Try the blindfold. Can you separate the beans accurately with the blindfold on?
e. Enjoy your time together.
a. How many different kinds of beans are there (e.g., sizes, colors, shapes)?
b. The names of all the beans. How did they get those names?
c. How did you do using the blindfold?
d. Was it harder or easier to feel the beans? To sort them? To identify which kind they were?
e. How could parents or children help you sort the beans while you are blindfolded?
This activity provides sensory exploration, small motor, and language skills; enhances math concepts of weight and volume; and promotes visual discrimination skills.
***Varied colors of different beans symbolize differences such as in the varied colors and sizes of human beings, it also shows that we can all "go together" very nicely.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #6
a. Visit the Health Clinic with your child.
b. Invite your child to pick a role and assign one to you.
c. Help your child use the health care equipment in the proper way.
d. There is adaptive equipment here also. Help your child try it out.
e. Enjoy your time together.
a. It takes patience and practice to use some of the adaptive equipment.
b. Everyone needs to go to the health clinic to get well and to stay well.
This activity also is good for enhancing development in perspective taking, self-concept, language skills, and social-emotional skills.
***This activity provides practice in a clinical setting. Both the health care giver and the patient roles can be practiced. The clinic symbolizes our right to adequate health care and special
health care when we need it.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #7
a. With your child, choose a few of the materials on the table.
b. Cut heart shapes. Then glue, tape, or staple decorations.
c. Use the markers to write messages on the friendship cards.
d. Give your friendship card to someone you love.
a. We can all make pretty cards for someone we love.
b. This is a good way to show how we care for each other.
c. We feel good inside when we give a gift of love.
This activity encourages development in small muscles, language, eye-hand coordination, and creative expression.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #7
a. Use the white crayon to draw a picture or write a message on the white construction paper.
b. Help, or watch your child use the water colors to "find" your message or picture.
c. If your child wants to make a message or picture for you to find, do this activity again. Your child may want to help you "find" the message by painting the picture.
d. Have fun together.
a. Why can't we see the message or picture?
b. Why doesn't the water color paint all of the paper? (The wax protects the paper.)
This activity encourages development in small muscles, eye-hand coordination, language, and social-emotional skills.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #7
a. Help your child choose a piece of yarn and some flower petals.
b. Hold the needle (attached to the yarn) and have your toddler place the petals over the needle, OR watch your preschooler string the petals.
c. Make your own Lei along with your child.
d. Enjoy your child's creativity in choosing colors.
e. When you are finished, give your Lei to someone you love. Your child might want to trade Leis with you.
a. There is a lot of variety in the way each Lei looks, but they also look similar.
b. Sometimes we need a little help from adults to learn a new skill.
c. How many petals did it take to make your Lei?
d. What colors did you use? Did you make a pattern?
This activity also encourages development in creative expression, language skills, small motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and patience.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #7
a. Help your child to choose a paper bag and markers or glue and paper shapes.
b. Help your child to create a face on the bag that expresses an emotion.
c. Label or name the emotion your puppet is expressing.
d. Discuss what facial features the puppet needs and how you might attach them to the bag.
e. Put your hand inside the puppet and make it talk. What does your puppet say?
a. Discuss what facial features your puppet and other people's puppets are displaying.
b. Look at all the different faces. Do they match the faces on people in the room?
c. Our faces can make many different expressions.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #7
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #8
a. Choose some blocks from the ones available.
b. Help your child build structures, roads, or designs with the blocks.
c. Work cooperatively with other students to create a structure or design.
d. Enjoy the process of building.
a. Notice that the smaller block is exactly one half the size of the larger block.
b. Notice that two of the triangle shaped blocks will create a whole square block.
c. Many hands can make the work more fun and easier.
***This activity provides opportunities for small and large muscle development, for creative problem solving, and cooperative decision-making through the medium of play.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #8
a. Pick a ball from the ones in the paint containers. Use a spoon (provided) or your fingers.
b. Place the ball on paper in the tray.
c. Tilt the tray forward, backward and from side to side. Watch the ball roll around and leave a trail of paint.
d. Use another color paint with another ball to create a design.
e. Have fun together.
a. The balls roll the way you tilt the box.
b. It's interesting to see what kind of design the rolling ball makes.
c. Name the colors you begin with and the new ones you make.
d. Try to guess where the ball will go when you tilt the box.
This activity encourages development of language, small and large motor skills, and self-concept.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #8
a. Visit the Play School with your child.
b. Allow your child to pick his or her own role and assign one to you. If your child is having trouble, talk about the dramatic play area and ask how he or she wants to play here.
c. Help your child use the educational tools. Practice being the student and allow your child to teach.
d. Show your child how to use the chalk board, paper, pencils, and crayons if they are unsure of them. However, it is fine to allow your child some time in figuring out how to use the tools.
e. Enjoy your time together.
a. It takes patience and practice to use school tools.
b. Everyone needs to go to school in order to learn and to be better able to live a comfortable life.
c. All schools do not look the same.
d. We can practice roles we may be uncomfortable with. This helps us feel more confident.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #8
a. Help your child notice the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.
b. Help your child name the colors. Ask them to decide which color to use first.
c. Observe your child painting.
d. When your child tries a new color, or creates a new color, comment on that.
e. Verbalize your child's discovery of new colors and name the new colors.
a. Talk about how creative the painting is.
b. Ask your child what they have created.
c. What colors do you see? What new colors did you make?
This activity enhances development in language, small and large motor skills, color identification, eye-hand coordination, and self-confidence.
***Provides an opportunity for education about primary colors and creation of secondary colors.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #9
a. Help your child find something to wear in the materials provided.
b. They may ask for assistance in getting the clothing, hat, or shoes on.
c. Show your child to the mirror so they can see themselves dressed up.
d. Go shopping, have tea, put out a fire, or whatever your child is interested in as part of the role playing.
a. Who your child is pretending to be.
b. Who other people may be.
c. Look at how different you look when you wear a hat or different clothing.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #9
a. Help your child choose from the various flannel- board materials provided.
b. Encourage your child in telling a story with the flannel board pieces.
c. Read any books that might come with the flannel board pieces.
d. You may wish to tell your own story to your child using the flannel board.
e. Have fun together.
a. You can tell many different stories using the same flannel board pieces.
b. It's fun to make up stories.
c. You can start a story and have someone else finish it.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #10
a. Help your child to notice and decide on a community helper role.
b. Help your child don the appropriate clothing for the role they he or she has chosen.
a. Some people are parents and fire-fighters at the same time.
b. If you have a job outside the home, you need to get someone to care for your child.
c. Mommies and daddies can be fire-fighters, police officers, postal carriers, and so on.
d. How do community helpers keep us safe?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #10
a. Help your child notice the paint, brushes, and the table covered with paper.
b. Paint the palm of your hand, using the paint provided. If your child wishes to do this, and you are comfortable with it, allow your child to paint your palm.
c. Now press your hand print onto the mural. You can press your handprints on the mural as many times as you wish.
d. Help your child to paint their hands and press their hand prints onto the mural.
a. How many hands it takes to fill in the mural.
b. Hands come in many different sizes and shapes.
c. When we do projects together, they can be more fun.
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #11
a. Help your child notice the paint and brushes.
b. Let your child know he or she can paint anything at all.
c. When your child is finished painting, ask him or her to tell you about the painting.
a. Look at the colors used, the strokes of the brush, and the design.
b. Tell what the painting is about.
c. Is there a story connected to the painting? A feeling?
d. You had the freedom to paint what you wanted. Were there any limitations (e.g., ability, paper size)?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #11
a. Sit with your child at the table.
b. Show your child the patterns for the paper cut out figures.
c. Ask your child to choose a figure.
d. Help your child fold the paper (accordion pleat) so that the pattern will fit.
e. Help your child cut the figure from the folded paper.
f. Open up the paper to reveal several figures all connected.
g. Help your child decorate or color the figures.
a. There are several people who look alike.
b. How would you like to decorate them? All the same, or all different?
c. You have the freedom to color and decorate these figures any way you choose.
d. What might be your limitations? (e.g., materials available, time, ability)
e. What might be your responsibility to this project?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #11
b. Ask your child how they want to play with these items. (Scoop up, dump, and pour the water, catch the fish and let them go. Sort and group the fish.)
c. Follow your child's lead.
d. Have fun together.
a. What can you do with the fish? The nets? The water?
b. We have the freedom to play with these toys. What might be our responsibility?
c. Can you name the fish represented?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #11
a. Sit down with your child at the table.
b. Show your child the sample and how to wet the dove shape with the brush and liquid starch.
c. Help your child paint the dove with the liquid starch.
d. Now help your child choose a tissue color and crumple the tissue paper. Then press it onto the dove shape. Add more liquid starch if necessary.
e. Admire your finished product.
a. There are many colors to choose from.
b. We can put a little or a lot of tissue on our dove.
c. We can put a little or a lot of starch on our dove.
d. We have the freedom to decorate our dove any way we choose. What might our limitations be?
e. What might be our responsibility to this project?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #12
a. Pick out colored paper strips.
b. Together with your child, decorate one strip for each member of your family.
c. Create a chain with your strips by stapling or taping them into linking circles.
d. Write one or more of the rights you can remember learning during class on the back of a link. Ask your child which right he or she remembers and would like you to write on a link.
e. At circle time we will join with other families in the class to make one long chain.
a. What colors of paper do you want to use?
b. How will you decorate each paper strip?
c. How many in your family? In other families?
Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities Class Session #12
a. Notice the blocks with your child.
b. Ask your child how they would like to play with these items.
c. Follow your child's lead in a play theme.
d. Join with others to build and create structures, designs, and/or dramatic play props.
e. Have fun together.
a. How will we play with these blocks?
b. You have the freedom to play with these toys. What might your responsibility be?