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SUMMER LINES
7 Ways to Avoid Whining in Lines

Summer means field trips, zoos, water play, and other outings that always include waiting on line. And as we all know waiting is a very trying for both preschoolers, teachers, and parents—–here are some ideas that improve the wait time for all!

1 The Pebble Game: Put both hands behind your back and hide the pebble in one of your fists. Present both fists to the child. He guesses which hand is hiding the pebble. If he guesses correctly, it's his turn. If he's wrong, you hide it again.

2 The Money Game: Starting with a penny, and moving up to a dollar, ask children to guess the year of the coin you are holding. If they guess it, they win it, and anyone under 10 will be thrilled. With younger children, you can ask them to guess the last digit of the year by guessing a number between one and nine.

3 Name Three Game: Simply announce a category and ask your child to name three types of objects in that category such as three trees or three fruits. Obviously, this needs to be age-appropriate. You might ask a four-year-old to name three animals and a ten-year-old to name three states and their capitals. The winner gets to quiz you! You can even add: "Is that your final answer?"

4 The Shoe Game: While standing in line at the zoo or movie ask your child to pick out her three favorite or funniest shoes on the people in line. Without insulting anyone in line discussing the contest objectives, were asked to quietly point out one or more 'nominated' shoes. The winner was determined by democratic process. Both contestants had to agree on the winning shoe.

5 The Code Game: Tell kids in line that they are detectives about to solve a crime. But since you're in a public place, it's impossible to discuss clues without being overheard. In order to nab the criminal , they will need to communicate in code. First, Teacher agrees to be "The Chief" who has the "description of the suspect" (silently IDs someone in line who "committed the crime"). Second, they must devise a secret language that will help them identify the suspect by clothing and appearance. This eats up a lot of time! A pat on the head might mean he's wearing a hat. Two fingers held up might mean she's wearing glasses, etc. Once they have their language agreed upon, they use it to rule out potential suspects, with the Chief nodding or shaking her head in response to the detective's code signals. Finally, agree that there will be no pointing at anyone in line once they think they know who the suspect is (they must whisper their suspicions to The Chief instead). The first to correctly identify the suspect wins!
Summer Bugs
Sung to: Do you know the Muffin Man"
Do you know a Butterfly, a butterfly, a butterfly. Do you know a Butterfly who loves a summers day!

Yes we know a Butterfly, a butterfly, a butterfly. yes we know a Butterfly who loves a summers day!

Continue changing butterfly to other summer bugs...

caterpillar, dragonfly, lady bug, spider, moth, worm, lightening bug etc...

Saturday, August 8, 2009
8:30am to 3:00pm

Register today-- classes are filling up!

Click on Continuing Education for details and call

214-373-4744 for reservations!

Mouse's First Summer
by Lauren Thompson,
Illustrated by Buket Erdogan

In this picture book, Mouse and Minka stow away in a basket and are taken to on a summer picnic. Never having been to a picnic, everything is new and exciting. Mouse and Minka discover ants, watermelons, kites, and lemonade. These two curious mice celebrate the sights and sounds of summer. The young readers will have a great time making connections to Mouse's first summer. The colorful pictures will also draw young readers in and also help to develop visual reading skills. This book is educational, too. With each new summer discover, the mice learn a new color. In the text, all color words are written in that color. This helps to create meaning. You will find this book an asset in the classroom. It can be used to discuss describing words and how to ask questions. In addition, this book is written with a question-and-answer format; it would be a great model for group story writing in the classroom.

	SUMMER LINES 7 Ways to Avoid Whining in Lines Summer means field trips, zoos, water play, and other outings that always include waiting on line. And as we all know waiting is a very trying for both preschoolers, teachers, and parents—–here are some ideas that improve the wait time for all! 1 The Pebble Game: Put both hands behind your back and hide the pebble in one of your fists. Present both fists to the child. He guesses which hand is hiding the pebble. If he guesses correctly, it's his turn. If he's wrong, you hide it again. 2 The Money Game: Starting with a penny, and moving up to a dollar, ask children to guess the year of the coin you are holding. If they guess it, they win it, and anyone under 10 will be thrilled. With younger children, you can ask them to guess the last digit of the year by guessing a number between one and nine. 3 Name Three Game: Simply announce a category and ask your child to name three types of objects in that category such as three trees or three fruits. Obviously, this needs to be age-appropriate. You might ask a four-year-old to name three animals and a ten-year-old to name three states and their capitals. The winner gets to quiz you! You can even add: "Is that your final answer?" 4 The Shoe Game: While standing in line at the zoo or movie ask your child to pick out her three favorite or funniest shoes on the people in line. Without insulting anyone in line discussing the contest objectives, were asked to quietly point out one or more 'nominated' shoes. The winner was determined by democratic process. Both contestants had to agree on the winning shoe. 5 The Code Game: Tell kids in line that they are detectives about to solve a crime. But since you're in a public place, it's impossible to discuss clues without being overheard. In order to nab the criminal , they will need to communicate in code. First, Teacher agrees to be "The Chief" who has the "description of the suspect" (silently IDs someone in line who "committed the crime"). Second, they must devise a secret language that will help them identify the suspect by clothing and appearance. This eats up a lot of time! A pat on the head might mean he's wearing a hat. Two fingers held up might mean she's wearing glasses, etc. Once they have their language agreed upon, they use it to rule out potential suspects, with the Chief nodding or shaking her head in response to the detective's code signals. Finally, agree that there will be no pointing at anyone in line once they think they know who the suspect is (they must whisper their suspicions to The Chief instead). The first to correctly identify the suspect wins!	Summer Bugs Sung to: Do you know the Muffin Man" Do you know a Butterfly, a butterfly, a butterfly. Do you know a Butterfly who loves a summers day! Yes we know a Butterfly, a butterfly, a butterfly. yes we know a Butterfly who loves a summers day! *Continue changing butterfly to other summer bugs...* caterpillar, dragonfly, lady bug, spider, moth, worm, lightening bug etc...

	Saturday, August 8, 2009 8:30am to 3:00pm Register today-- classes are filling up! Click on Continuing Education for details and call 214-373-4744 for reservations!	Mouse's First Summer by Lauren Thompson, Illustrated by Buket Erdogan In this picture book, Mouse and Minka stow away in a basket and are taken to on a summer picnic. Never having been to a picnic, everything is new and exciting. Mouse and Minka discover ants, watermelons, kites, and lemonade. These two curious mice celebrate the sights and sounds of summer. The young readers will have a great time making connections to Mouse's first summer. The colorful pictures will also draw young readers in and also help to develop visual reading skills. This book is educational, too. With each new summer discover, the mice learn a new color. In the text, all color words are written in that color. This helps to create meaning. You will find this book an asset in the classroom. It can be used to discuss describing words and how to ask questions. In addition, this book is written with a question-and-answer format; it would be a great model for group story writing in the classroom.