FUN CLUB…Weeks One and Two

SCHEDULE
Opening Activity:
Color, draw, and glue pictures/shapes to make a representation of yourself flying a kite, identify diamond shape as one potential kite shape

Playtime:
Stations
Bathroom breaks for everyone before field trip

Activity:
Children will be able to walk to the playground in a “train”, holding hands with a partner on the way there and back. Children will be able to play at the playground and try at least one experiment with their kites. Experiments may include: short string, long string, walking, running, hopping, sliding, climbing, etc.

Illinois Learning Standards:
State Goal 14, Social Science: Understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard A: Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government.
Benchmark 14.A.EC Recognize the reasons for rules.

State Goal 4, Language Arts: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
Learning Standard A: Listen effectively in formal and informal situations.
Benchmark 4.A.EC Listen with understanding and respond to directions and conversations.

Week TWO of FUN CLUB brought us some review and reminders, a walking trip to the Sedgwick Playlot, experiments with our kites, and playtime! We were lucky to have gorgeous, unseasonably warm weather to make our walking outings extra fun.

Before walking outings, we practice an action/memory game on how to walk safely. We:

STOP!!! (we all do “stop” with both hands)
HOLD HANDS (we all grab hands with the person next to us at circle-time)
LOOK BOTH WAYS (we all show with our heads looking left-right-left)
WAIT FOR A TEACHER OR GROWN UP (we show waiting patiently for the go-ahead to cross the street)

When we go on walking trips, we wear BRIGHT yellow shirts with all of M. Club’s info listed, we recruit parent/caregiver volunteers for extra eyes and hands, we walk in a “train” with teachers in the front (engine), middle (cars), and end (caboose), we hold hands the entire way with friends, and we take first aid items, parent cell phone numbers, and water with. We begin the year with a short walk down quiet streets to help everyone learn and practice in safety.

All of the eight classes did an EXCELLENT job, and were rewarded with stars toward our token economy known as the “Teeeeeny, Tiiiiny, Toy Store”!

At the playlot, we talked about basic flight concepts. This will tie in later in the year when we make and fly paper airplanes. I held a lifeless kite and asked the children why my kite wouldn’t go? They all answered, “Because there’s no wind!!!” I asked them how I could make wind…answers ranged from “Blow on it!” to “Run really fast!” to “Get a BIG fan!!!” I then asked them to think quietly for a minute about other ways they could make wind on the playground. Experiments ranged from spinning in circles to walking to running to sliding down slides different ways to jumping from up high to down low to going down stairs to dangling a kite over the edge of something and waiting for a good breeze.

Kites were sent home at the end of class along with smiling students!

***”Thing Two and Thing One! They ran up, they ran down. On the string of one kite we saw Mother’s new gown! Her gown with the dots that are pink, white, and red…then we saw one kite bump on the head of her bed!” from The Cat in the Hat***