*Kites Use construction paper and have each child make their own kite by cutting a design they might have seen. Use yard and ribbon to make a tail. Hang from the lights or window for display. *Keys Provide an assortment of keys for the children to look at, talk about, sort and count. After they have had time to do these things, have them pretend they have a special key to open anything in the world. Ask them what they would use their key. You could have them draw a picture of their story and you could write their story on the picture. *Keep It Up Before hand, blow up a balloon and write the letters Kk on it. Have the children blow up the balloon and tie it shut. The children can now see how long they can keep the balloon up in the air without letting it touch the ground. Every time they touch the balloon, the can say the letter "K". *Kangaroo Pockets Provide a half slice of Pita, or pocket bread for each child. Show the children how to butter it and put a slice of cheese into it. Have them wrap it up in aluminum foil and place in the oven for a short while. *FILM CANISTER KALEIDOSCOPES Walmart will give you the film canisters free.The clear canisters are more difficult to obtain.I made these with 60 children.I add to keep going back until I got enough. Form a triangular tube by taping 3 microscope slides together with black electrical tape.The tape should completely cover the outside of the tube.I set my 3 slides flat on a table almost touching sides & then put my tape on them.Them I made my triangle. Using a pencil,make a hole in the bottom of the black film canister.If your not careful you can cause the canister to split.A drill would work better. Carefully slide the tube into the canister Cover the exposed end of the tube with a small piece of plastic wrap.I taped it all around the tube. Place several small objects,i.e..confetti,sequins,tiny beads, into the CLEAR film canister. Slide the clear canister over the exposed end of the tube. LOOK INSIDE! *LUNCH BAG KITES MATERIALS: ONE MEDIUM-SIZED LUNCH BAG FOR EACH CHILD RULER CRAYONS OR COLORED MARKERS STRING ( I RECOMMEND NYLON CORD FOUND IN FISHING DEPT.) SCISSORS STAPLER STEPS: 1. ON EACH LUNCH BAG, MEASURE AND MARK A POINT 3" FROM THE TOP. FOLD DOWN THE TOP OF THE BAG TO THAT POINT WITHOUT TEARING THE CORNERS. 2. HAVE THE CHILDREN DECORATE THEIR PAPER BAGS WITH PATTERNS OR PICTURES. THEY SHOULD COLOR ALL SIDES OF THE BAG, INCLUDING THE BOTTOM. 3. MEASURE AND CUT FOUR 6" LENGTHS OF STRING FOR EACH KITE. STAPLE FOUR PIECES OF STRING TO THE CORNERS OF EACH PAPER BAG AT THE OPEN END. TIE THE FREE ENDS OF THE FOUR PIECES OF STRING TOGETHER. 4. MEASURE AND CUT A 6' LENGTH OF STRING FOR EACH PAPER BAG KITE. TIE ONE END OF THE 6' LENGTH OF STRING TO THE KNOTTED END OF EACH GROUP OF FOUR STRINGS. 5. YOUR KITE IS NOW READY FOR FLIGHT. * PAPER PLATE KITES MATERIALS: ONE 9" PAPER PLATE FOR EACH CHILD CRAYONS OR COLORED MARKERS TRANSPARENT TAPE TWO PLASTIC STRAWS FOR EACH CHILD HOLE PUNCHER STRING (SEE RECOMMENDATION ABOVE) RULER SCISSORS OPTIONAL: CREPE PAPER STREAMERS STAPLER STEPS: 1. HAVE THE CHILDREN DECORATE BOTH SIDES OF THEIR PAPER PLATES. IF YOU WISH STAPLE FOUR 8" CREPE PAPER STREAMERS TO EACH PAPER PLATE, SPACED EQUALLY AROUND THE EDGE. 2. USE TRANSPARENT TAPE TO ATTACH TWO STRAWS TO THE BACK OF EACH PAPER PLATE. THE STRAWS SHOULD BE ABOUT 3" APART. 3. PUNCH FOUR HOLES ABOUT 1" FROM THE RIM OF EACH PAPER PLATE, SPACING THEM EQUALLY. 4. MEASURE AND CUT FOUR 18" LENGTHS OF STRING FOR EACH PAPER PLATE. PUSH THE END OF ONE PIECE OF STRING THROUGH EACH HOLE AND TIE IT SECURELY AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PLATES. THEN TIE THE FREE ENDS OF ALL FOUR PIECES OF STRING TOGETHER AT THE FRONT OF THE PLATE. 5. MEASURE AND CUT ONE 6' LENGTH OF STRING FOR EACH PAPER PLATE KITE. TIE ONE END OF THE 6' LENGTH OF STRING TO THE KNOTTED END OF EACH GROUP OF FOUR STRINGS. YOUR KITE IS NOW READY FOR FLIGHT. * My favorited "king" book is King Bidgood's In The Bathtub. Actually, it's probably my favorite children's book! I usually read it every year for B week. We do a cute project that goes with it. Got it from The Mailbox magazine a couple of years ago. On a large piece of paper have the children glue a large cutout of a bathtub. They can color it first if you want them to. Then give them a small paper plate and have them draw a face on it. Add hair with yarn, crafty shred, or just crayons and glue to the top of the bathtub like the person is sitting in the bathtub. Then add a prewritten note the says "Help! Help! (child's name)is in the bathtub and he/she won't get out! Oh who knows what to do?" Glue this to the middle of the bathtub. The children can also use paint markers to make "bubbles" coming out of the bathtub. These turn out really cute! * Learning Letters Through All Five Senses' Experience K EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Concentration The art of concentration is a skill and must be practiced as any other skill. Prepare the children to pay at tention by grouping them in a circle when you want to present a new activity. This will help to block out distractions. Special activities help to boost children's concentration because the nature of the activity is special. The children learn to understand that these activities are usually in the classroom for only a week, therefore they want to pay attention to what is going to happen. Special activities should be used as a tool to help children learn to concentrate. Louise Binder Scott's STORIES FOR LISTENING are designed to improve listening skills and concentration. Play the story and show the film strip only once, then begin the interesting follow-up activities. By doing it only once children will learn to pay attention and concentrate. MATERIALS NEEDED 1.Alphabet card K 2.Sandpaper letter K 3.Objects (kangaroo, kitten, kite) and label K 4.Book - THREE LITTLE KITTENS 5.Locked suitcase with key, containing four sets of paper whiskers, four paper tails, and four sets of paper ears (1 set should be larger for Mommy cat) and tape ATTENTION GETTER Nursery Rhymes: Old King Cole Polly Put the Kettle On ACTIVITIES 1.Alphabet card. "What letter is this?" "What sound does it make?" "Does anyone's name start with the letter K " Ask someone to find the letter K on the wall alphabet. If the similarity between hard C and K comes up, explain that C and K sometimes make the same sound and move on. 2.Sandpaper letter K Trace the letter K with two fingers; then let each child trace it also. (a child has more control with two fingers than one) Song: Make a K in the air, in the air. Make a K in the air, in the air. Make a tiny, tiny K Make a great big K Make a K in the air, in the air. (tune:"If You're Happy and You Know It.") 3.Objects and label K Show label K and the objects. Ask children to identify each object and to say its initial sound. Ask if they know anything else that starts with K. 4.Book - THREE LITTLE KITTENS. Read the family book. Discuss the book. Discuss kitten and the K sound. 5.Locked suitcase and key - (containing costumes) Be dramatic about the key fitting in the lock of the suitcase. Use element of surprise when opening suitcase and finding costumes. Ask what we can do with them. (have a play) Let children act out the story THREE LITTLE KITTENS. Let all children pretend to be kittens and crawl to the play area. 6.Real kitten (or stuffed kitten), kitten food. Show kitten; let children touch and describe it, emphasizing being gentle. Discuss age, color, diet, habits, etc. of the kitten. Ask children to smell the kitten food. Ask what it smells like. Ask if it smells like our food. If possible, leave kitten in the room for further observation. (of course children should be reminded about being gentle) OPTIONAL FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES 1.Kitten costumes. Special area for children to role play with kitten costumes. 2.Kitten puppets. Special area for children to role play with puppets - possibly a puppet theater. 3.STORIES FOR LISTENING, by Louise B. Scott "Crickety-Cricket" - follow instructions. SPECIAL ACTIVITY: Kitten pattern Materials: poster paints (blue and green), 9 x 12 white vellum paper, pre-cut kitten pattern, assorted construction paper (brown, grey, white, etc.) Prefold vellum paper in half lengthwise - or draw line through center of paper. Demonstrate how to paint the bottom half of vellum green and the top half blue (to the line). While paint is drying, demonstrate how to trace and cut out kitten pattern and then glue on picture. Tape divider is to separate materials. Marker is to draw face on kitten. Tray is to collect scraps from cutting.