Family

•FAMILY TREE - Give them each a tree shape drawn on a piece of paper and
sponges cut into apple shapes have them sponge paint the apples onto the tree
to represent each family member provider will write names on the apples.

•COOKING - GRAHAM CRACKER HOUSES - spread with peanutbutter and apply to sides
of SMALL milk caton decorate the houses with mini marshmellows, red hots,
raisins, etc.

•COOKING - FAMILY TREES - place broccoli stalks on each plate cherry tomato
for each family member serve ranch dressing on the side.

•POTATO PRINT FAMILY - Use different sizes of potatoes to represent each
family member paint them different colors and print onto construction paper.  

•STORIES - Is your Mama a Llama? Momma do you Love Me? Are You my Mother?

• THE FAMILY
1. Draw pictures of your family
2. Paint a picture of your family's home
3. cut and paste family collage from magazines

•Books:
1. IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU  by Charlotte Zolotow
2. I LOVE YOU FOREVER  by Robert Munsch
3.DADDY MAKES THE BEST SPAGHETTI  Anna Grossnickle Hines
4. DADDY PLAY WITH ME by Shigeo Watanabe
5.THE RUNAWAY BUNNY  by Margaret Wise Brown
6.DADDIES:WHAT THEY DO ALL DAY by Helen Walker Puner
7. I LOVE YOU MOUSE  by John Graham
8. DADDY HAS A PAIR OF STRIPED SHORTS by Mimi Otey
9. JUST MY DAD AND ME by Leah Komaiko

•Discussions
1. graph with the number of people in every child's family; what is a family?
Who is in  yours?
2. What daddies and mommies do
3. favorite activities with mom, dad, siblings
4. learn Hebrew for family names
5. old/young; grandparent, parent, child etc.	

• Songs:
1. "There are five people in my family"

2. "This is the Way"
           daddy rocks the baby
           I take out the garbage
           Mommy goes to work
           Sister does her homework, etc.

3."I want you to meet my family (Hebrew/English song not applicable for loop)
      In Hebrew we call it mishpacha
      We all live in a bayit                            (house)
      Me and my mom and pa
     There's my mother; that's eema, say eema
     There's my father; that's Abba, say Abba.
     Chorus: That's my family, that's my family
     There's my brother; that's ach, say ach
     There's my sister; that's achot, say achot
     There's my grandpa; that's sahbah, say sahbah 
     There's my grandma; that's savtah, say savtah
     Repeat chorus

• Finger plays:
1. Grandma's Spectacles

2. Finger people are such fun
           We will meet them one by one 
           First comes mother (index finger)
          Next comes father (middle finger)
          Then there is the big brother (ring finger)
          Here is sister (pinky) with her ball
          Here is baby (thumb) last of all.
         Now we'll count them
         Just to see
        How many people in our family
        1-2-3-4-5 >>

•One of the things I do during the family unit is the three bear family.
First I get a refrigerater or wash machine box and cut off one of the sides.
Then on the center piece I cut a peeked roof and a window on each of the
sides.  It's no longer a complete box but an opened up "U" shape.  The kids
can get on both sides of it and paint it using bright colors.  When this is
dry, we use it as kind of a back drop for the house.  The kids build beds,
chairs, and a table using the hollow blocks - good math activity trying to
figure out the different size beds:  if we use two blocks for the baby bed,
how many for mom's and dad's?  Same thing with the chairs.  I provide pillows
and blankets, and:  a baby bonnet for baby bear, an apron and hat for mama
bear, a tie and hat for papa bear, a dress and barrette with yellow curls for
goldilocks, a giant bowl, middle sized bowl and baby bowl, a giant wooden
spoon (the kind that hangs on the wall - a thrift store find), a tablespoon
and a baby spoon.  Then we enact the play.

•My Family
If you peek into my room aat night
(stand on toes as if peeking)
My family you will see
(nod head)
They kiss my face and tuck me in tight,
(blow kiss)
Why? Because they love me!
(hug yourself)

•Families
Some families are large.
(spread arms out wide)
Some families are small
(bring arms close together)
But I love my family 
(cross arms over chest)
best of all!

•This is my Family
This is my mother, kind and dear.
(make a fist and point to your thumb)
This is the father sitting near.
(shown each finger in turn)
This is the brother strong and tall.
This is the sister, who plays with her ball.
This is the baby. littlest of all.
See my whole family large and small
(wiggle all the fingers)


• A Baby Unit is good to do when someone in the class has a baby sibling or is
expecting one.  The children can observe a real baby - if one of your moms is
willing to bring their baby to school for a short visit. 

•Language and Listening:
Ask the parents to send in  a photo of the children as babies.  Make a poster
to encourage conversation and comparisons. Use photos taken of the children at
school mounted next to their baby photos.   Make a book for the library corner
using pictures from magazine ads featuring babies crying, laughing, being
serious, funny, shy, etc.

•Book:  Peter's Chair , Ezra Jack Keats, Harper & Row, 1967
Listening songs: Sittin' in a High Chair, Rolling, and Walking from Hap
Palmer's Babysong  

• Fingerplay: Pat-a-cake   

•Flannel Board Rhyme:
Here is a baby so soft and small  (place baby on the board)
His legs can't walk, so he must crawl
He drinks from a bottle (place a baby bottle on the board)
And naps in a crib (place a crib on the board).
He dribbles his food, so he wears a bib.  (place bib on the board) 
When his pants are wet, he starts to cry. (place a diaper on the board)
His mom will change them, so he'll be dry.

•Movement/Large muscle:
Sing rock-a-bye baby while pushing children on the swings.
Make an obstacle course and invite the children to crawl through it like
babies.
  
• Pretend Play/House Corner:  Baby dolls, booties and bonnets/sunhats for the
dolls, doll bed, doll high chair, velcro-close bib  for dolls,  bottles, baby
spoons,  diaper squares for dolls with velcro closures, receiving blankets,
empty baby powder container (small size).  A rocking chair is also a good
addition.   

•Cognitive Games/Table Toys:
Baby Bottle Sort (for children 3 and up) Provide tiny baby bottles and
rattles for 
sorting (the kind ordinarily used for cake decorating).

•Set table blocks on a tray with small babies and baby furniture from
a doll house set. 
   
•Sensory Exploration/Art
Finger-painting with pastel colored paint.  Sprinkle the paint 
with baby powder to give it a different feel and smell.  

•Collage: Provide scraps of assorted baby gift wrap, pastel wallpaper and
snips of pastel ribbon and yarn to glue on a construction paper background.   

•Sensory Exploration: Washing babies in the water tub. Add a squirt of baby
bath soap to the water and supply sponges, cut in half for scrubbing.  To end
the activity, hand out dry washcloths to wrap the babies in.

•Tasting Party: Try tasting several varieties of baby food.  Talk about why
the food is smooth  and soft, and the purpose of teeth.

•In a Feelie Box,  place items such as a baby brush, a bar of baby soap, a
cotton ball, a pacifier, a rubber teether and a rattle, etc.  Have the
children take turns feeling an item in the box and guessing what it is by it's
feel.  

• Grandma's Spectacles   (good for quieting down)

These are grandmother's  spectacles, (makes circles around eyes with fingers)
This is grandmother's hat.(use both hands and cup on head)
This is the way she folds her hands, (fold hands)
And puts them on her lap.(put hands in lap)

These are Grandpa's spectacles 
  This is Grandpa's hat 
  Here's the way he folds his arms 
  And THAT IS THAT! 

• Food experience: Have parents share favorite family recipe or tradition.
Have parents come in and read to children.

• Books:  Mercer Mayer
  Just me and my Mom
Just Me and My Dad
Just Me and Grandpa
Are you My Mother  by P E Eastman
Love You Forever  by R. Munsch
What is a Family  by Gretchen Super

• I also make a chart  "How many people in your Family"
On a large poster board, list childrens names.  Glue small people cut-outs
next to each child cooresponding with the # of people in the family.  Line
them up neatly so the children can compare size of family. 

•Grow Your Own Family Tree
You Need:
Large sheet of paper
Colored paper
Scissors
Paste
Crayons, markers, or colored pencils

1) Draw a tree on the large sheet of paper.  Be sure to give your tree lots of
branches!
2)  Cut out a color paper shape to represent you -- a circle if you are a girl
or a square if you are a boy.  Write your name on the shape and paste it on
the trunk of your tree.
3)  Cut out shapes for all of your present family members and others important
to you -- mothers, brothers, neighbors, pets.  Write names on the shapes and
paste them on the lower brances of your tree.
4)  Cut out shapes for all your past family members and others important to
you -- grandparents, great-aunts, friends.  Write names on the shapes and
paste them on the upper branches of your tree.
5)  Draw a picture on each shape that tells something about that person.
6)  Congratulations!  You have started doing genealogy -- recording your
family history!

•More Family History Fun!
* Take your tree to a family gathering!  Ask if there are more family members
to add to your tree.  Remember to add pictures, too.
* Make a memory book!  Have family members tell you their favorite family
memory.  Write them down in a notebook.
* Create a scrapbook!  Collect photographs, postcards, souvenirs and other
items from your favorite family activities.  Save them in an album or box. 

•Music In Our Home
Mother plays the violin.
Daddy plays the flute.
Big brother blows the horn, 
toot-toot-toot-toot.
Little sister keeps the beat
By clanging on a pot.
And I try to sing along
Whether I know the words or not.