The Learning Ladder A Reading and Writing Curriculum for Early Care and Education Teachers, Children and Families

Each time you complete one of the projects below you are doing important work. You are helping parents understand their child's health, safety and nutritional needs. You are also helping them to understand the policies and practices of your program.

These projects will assist both teachers and families to understand and meet the needs of children better.

Eating Healthy

Teacher/Parent Activity: Parent and Child Collages

Prepare the following materials for children to take home with them:

• an old magazine with lots of ads for foods
• a large piece of construction paper
• a small container of glue
• a pair of safety scissors

Write and send a note home to parents. Ask them to look at the magazine with their child and try to find pictures of foods both like to eat. Ask them to help their child cut out the picture and glue it onto the large piece of construction paper. Advise them that cutting is a very difficult skill for most children and that first they might want to cut or rip around the picture their child selects so that there is less to cut. Ask them to return the parent and child collages to school where you can create a bulletin board in your classroom that is labeled, "Our Favorite Foods" .

Safe Classrooms

Teacher/Parent Activity: Learning the rules

Although you practice safety rules with the children in your classroom everyday, most of the parents in your room probably do not know these rules. This activity gives the children a new look at your rules. It also is a chance to have parents learn more about your rules.

1. During circle, ask the children if they know any of the safety rules of your class. Use a large piece of paper to write down what they say.

2. Write a letter home. Tell the parents that you wanted to share your classroom's rules for keeping everyone safe and healthy.

3. Ask the parents to sit with their child and read the classroom's safety rules.

4. Send a piece of drawing paper with your letter. Write a title at the top of the paper, "Safety Rules at Home". Ask the parent to work with their child and name at least one safety rule the family has for their home. Ask the parent to write down the rule while the child draws a picture of it.

5. Ask the children to return the rules to the class.When they bring back their rules and drawings to the classroom, ask each child to talk about them at circle time.

Healthy Classrooms

Teacher/Parent Activity: Create a school to home book bag

1. Read the story, Arthur's Boo-Boo Book, by Marc Brown.

2. Create a book bag to go home with the children.

3. Take turns sending the book and the book bag home with each child until everyone has had a turn taking it home. Things to put in the book bag:

• the book, Arthur's Boo-Boo Book
• a piece of drawing paper
• a note to parents, asking them to share the book with their child and with instructions. Tell the parent to ask the child to talk about the last time he or she had a boo-boo that needed a band-aid. Instruct the parent to ask questions about how the boo-boo happened and who helped them. Ask the parent to have the child draw a picture of the boo-boo and the parent can write down their child's story.

4. As the children return the book bag, ask them to describe their picture before you hang it in a special place in your classroom.

Congratulations! You completed Module 5!

Congratulations! You finished Module 5. Try the next module.

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