Getting Ready for School Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers A Facilitator s Guide Project Director: Cassie Landers Writer: Kathleen Hayes Illustrator: Joan Auclair
Copyright 2006 by the Open Society Institute. All rights reserved. Cover design: Lucy Ruth Cummins and Kathleen Hayes Interior design: Kathleen Hayes Getting Ready for School materials are copyrighted. The Open Society Institute grants Head Start programs permission for unlimited duplication of the materials between 2009-2014 FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE WITHIN THEIR OWN HEAD START PROGRAM. Head Start programs may NOT duplicate the print and/or electronic materials for other agencies.
Contents Introduction........................................ 1 Building Your Parenting Group........................ 5 Organizing Your Parenting Group...................... 6 Facilitator s Guide Set One Materials: Parent Workshop................... 7 Set Two Materials: Parent Workshop................... 11 Set Three Materials: Parent Workshop.................. 15 Set Four Materials: Parent Workshop................... 18 Set Five Materials: Parent Workshop................... 22 Set Six Materials: Parent Workshop.................... 26 Set Seven Materials: Parent Workshop.................. 30 Set Eight Materials: Parent Workshop.................. 34 Set Nine Materials: Parent Workshop................... 37 Appendices Appendix 1: Evaluation Form......................... 40 Appendix 2: Openers and Icebreakers................... 41 Appendix 3: Creating Small Groups.................... 47
Introduction The overall goal of the Getting Ready for School initiative is to create more effective home learning environments for families whose children do not attend formal preschools. Although there are many ways to achieve this goal, all programs strive to support and expand parents knowledge about, skills in, and practices with the development of their young children. With the support of the International Step by Step Association and the Open Society Institute, a set of materials focusing specifically on the school-readiness skills of children ages 4 through 6 has been created. It is a nine-month home-based curriculum to help parents prepare children to arrive at school with the necessary skills and enthusiasm for learning. It focuses specifically on early literacy and numeracy. For each month, the set of materials includes a parent s guidebook and related children s activities. In monthly parent meetings, teachers will distribute the materials and facilitate a parent-teaching process. In the proposed implementation strategy, every month a trained parent educator will give a set of materials to parent participants to use at home. Participating families attend a workshop and receive a set of children s materials and the parent activity guide. Although the program has been designed as a ninemonth curriculum, it can be easily adapted to address the specific needs of families and teachers in a variety of circumstances. Getting Ready for School includes the following materials: Training Guide. A detailed series of training activities to help trainers prepare parent facilitators. Using active and participatory methods, the Training Guide includes a review of basic child development concepts with an emphasis on early math and literacy; hands-on exploration of parent and children s games and activities; exercises to develop problem-solving skills around common early learning issues; and practice techniques for running effective parent group sessions. A Facilitator s Guide 1
Facilitator's Guide. A clear, easy-to-follow guide to running parent group workshops. For each of the nine sets of home learning materials, the guide includes suggested activities to familiarize parents with these materials as well as opportunities to share their experiences from the previous activity sets. Parent Activity Guide. A written set of activity suggestions that parents can use with their children. These activities explain how to use the children s materials, provide additional literacy and math activities, and suggest ways to modify or enrich the activities depending upon their child s needs. Children s Activity Sets. Nine fun literacy and math activity sets. Each set includes pictures, games, and other materials specifically designed to build on children s natural love of and enthusiasm for learning. The materials encourage children to actively experiment with common everyday objects to solve problems and reach their own conclusions. Learning is fun for both parents and children. Additional materials that complement and support the goals of Getting Ready for School are available and include: A stand-alone set of Parent Booklets with basic child development information. Focusing on children from birth through age 6, the booklets contain practical information for parents on the cognitive, emotional, social, and language questions facing parents of young children. The booklets can be widely distributed both within Step by Step settings as well as to and by other care providers serving this population. Parenting with Confidence is a series of parenting education modules designed to provide parents and other caregivers information on a wide variety of topics, including setting limits, learning through play, language and early literacy, and hometo-school transition. A set of modules focusing specifically on children in the first three years of life is also available. Designed to help parent educators facilitate parent workshops, 2 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
each module includes relevant background reading, fun interactive hands-on activities, and parent handouts. Getting Ready for School: A Facilitator s Guide: What s Inside? The Facilitator s Guide includes a suggested parent workshop agenda for each of the nine activity sets. The easy-to-follow session guides provide ideas and activities that help parents understand the new materials. Opportunities to share with other parents what they have learned while working with the materials from the previous workshop are an important part of each session. A suggested agenda for a 2.5 3-hour workshop includes: Prepare Warm-up Activity Small Group Share Whole Group share Break Introducing New Literacy Activities Introducing New Math Activities Evaluation and Closing Comments Each session begins with a warm-up activity followed by small group and whole group sharing activities. The purpose of these activities is to encourage parents to talk about some of what happened at home as they used the materials in the previous month. Parents are also encouraged to show examples of their children s creativity, share their children s stories, and examine any important questions that emerged while working with their children on the activities. Following a break, the facilitator introduces and distributes the next activity set. Through engaging in hands-on activities, parents practice one math and one literacy activity included in the A Facilitator s Guide 3
next activity set. Through these exercises, parents are encouraged to ask questions and explore ideas about how the activities can be adapted to meet their child s individual learning needs. Both parents and facilitators are learning all the time. The Facilitator s Guide also includes some ideas to help build strong and effective parent groups, additional suggestions for warm-up activities, and tips for creating small groups. 4 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Building Your Parenting Group Building Trust In parent groups, it s very important to encourage active participation by all members of the group. You must help participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas, questions, concerns, and suggestions. When participants speak and the group listens respectfully, everyone will develop trust in the group. Here are some ways to create a group in which everyone contributes to the discussion. Learning to Share, Learning to Listen Always begin with a warm-up activity (see Appendix 2 for suggestions). These activities allow everyone to participate and share with others, and put the participants at the center of attention. You do not ask them to pay attention to what you have to say. Rather, you model respectful, active listening as you respond to what they say. When you ask questions to clarify or gather more information, you are modeling how to listen respectfully and think carefully about what you hear. Using Small Groups to Facilitate Instruction At every session, have participants spend some time working and talking in smaller groups. (See Appendix 3 for ways to group participants.) Some people may not feel comfortable talking with the whole group; smaller groups give them the opportunity to share in a more comfortable environment. Some people do like to share in a large group, and they may dominate the session. By breaking up into smaller groups, more people have the opportunity to share. A Facilitator s Guide 5
Organizing Your Parenting Group Before Your First Session Decide how many can participate in the group. Advertise: at the polyclinics, in local newspapers, posting notices around town. Decide what to do if too many people want to participate. Will you add a second session? How often will the group meet? If participants must travel some distance to attend, perhaps you will want to have longer sessions but meet less often. If everyone lives nearby, perhaps you will want to have two sessions each month. Will you allow parents to bring their children to the session? If yes, who will take care of the children while you meet with the parents? Will you be able to provide parents with basic tools pencils, scissors, paper, and glue? If not, will you require that parents purchase supplies to be part of the group? If not, is there a local business that could donate materials for the group? At Your First Session The first session should be an informational meeting. Explain your expectations for participation in the group. Go over the schedule, where, when, how often, and how long the sessions will be. Ask group members what they would like to learn. If possible, provide refreshments to encourage people to socialize with one another. Ask people to let you know if they have decided to participate in the project. 6 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Facilitator s Guide Set One Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Make a set of cards. For example, if you will have 24 participants, make two sets of cards with numbers from 1 through 12 (one number on a card, for a total of 24 cards). If you have 30 participants, make two sets of cards numbered from 1 through 15. (A total of 30 cards.) Prepare a cup of beans or other small objects in paper cups. Collect markers and scissors for participants to use at the workshop. Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Partner Share Whole Group Introductions Introducing Literacy Activities: Calendars, Read a Picture Break More Literacy Activities: Make a Game Introducing Math Activities: Making Groups, Play a Game Evaluation Warm-up: Partner Share (20 minutes) As participants enter the workshop, have them take one of the number cards from a basket. When everyone has arrived, have A Facilitator s Guide 7
participants find the person who has the same number card that they have. Have partners talk together about themselves and their children. Whole Group Introductions (20 minutes) Ask each pair to introduce each other to the whole group. During these introductions, ask a participant to record on a large piece of paper the names of everyone in the group and the number and ages of their children. At the conclusion of the introductions, ask the group to discuss some of the ways the people in the group are the same and some of the ways that they are different. Please don t rush these introductions. The group will feel more comfortable if you give them the opportunity to get to know one another and talk together about themselves and their children. Introducing Literacy Activities Role Play: Monthly Calendars (15 minutes) Have participants write the name of the month, days of the week, and numerals in the calendar boxes. Ask participants to open the parent activity guide and read the information about the calendars. Ask a volunteer to come up and pretend to be your child. Model listening to the child talk about what happened during the day, and writing down one or two things that your child says. Ask the group if they have any questions about how they are to use the calendars at home. Explain that this activity will help children learn that words we say can become words that can be written and then read and 8 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
reread. Using the calendars to record what their children say, and then reading it again in the days and weeks ahead will help prepare their children to learn to read. Partner Share: Read a Picture (15 minutes) Have participants find the picture labeled 1C and read the instructions in the parent activity guide. Then have them discuss with a partner how they might talk with their child about the picture. Coffee Break (20 minutes) During the coffee break, be available to support and facilitate the group as they socialize with one another. More Literacy Activities Partner Share: Make a Game (20 minutes) Have participants read the activity Match the Letter Game. Point out that many activities will have ideas to help them make activities easier (or more difficult) so that their child can experience success and gain mastery when doing the activities. Provide scissors and markers so that parents can cut the blank cards apart and make a set of cards using the letters in their child s name. Have participants work in pairs to play the game and discuss how to help their child begin to recognize some of the letters in their name. Introducing Math Activities Role Play: Making Groups (15 minutes) Begin by having participants cut out the cards labeled 1D. A Facilitator s Guide 9
Explain that children need much practice making sets of objects before they will understand what the numbers 1 through 5 really mean. Have participants turn to page 13 of the activity suggestions and read about the activity Making Groups. Ask for a volunteer to be your child and model how parents can use supportive language as their child works with these materials. Good for you! You put a bean on each dot. Let s count together how many beans you put on the card. Here s the number 5. (Show your child the number 5 card.) Small Groups: Play a Game (20 minutes) Have participants find the game labeled 1F. Have them work in groups of four to play the game. Whole Group Share (10 minutes) Once the groups have played the game, ask one member of each group to share what he or she thinks their child will begin to learn by playing this game. Encourage parents to play the game many times during the coming month. Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form (see Appendix 1) and ask any final questions. Be sure to explain whether new members may join the group. If you are willing to discuss questions with participants before the next workshop, explain how/when they may meet with you to discuss their work with their child. Remind participants of the time and place of your next workshop. 10 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Facilitator s Guide Set Two Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Collect small objects that share some characteristics (for example, some are red, some are round, some are hard, some are soft) and place in containers. Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Small Group Share Whole Group Discussion Break Introducing New Literacy Activities: Read a Picture, I m Thinking of a Word Introducing New Math Activities: What Belongs, What Does Not? Whole Group Share Evaluation Warm-up (10 minutes) Have participants find a partner and share what happened when they used the monthly calendar with their child. Here are some questions you could ask them to focus on: A Facilitator s Guide 11
Was it easy for your child to decide what to have you write? When did you do the activity? What do you think your child is discovering by doing this activity? Small Group Share (15 minutes) Have the participants make groups of four to discuss their work with the materials in Set One. Ask groups to discuss: What did your child like best? Why? What activities did you modify? What did you do? What questions do you have about the materials or activities? Whole Group Share (20 minutes) Ask each group to share one of their questions with the whole group. Use these questions for a whole group discussion. Remember! Before you answer a question, ask the group if they want to respond to the question. The shared knowledge and experience of the parents in the room is an important asset to group discussions. You are there to help the group work together to share their knowledge and experience working with their child not to supply all the answers! Try to keep to the time limit for this section, but do make sure all questions are discussed. 12 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Break Introducing New Literacy Activities Partner Share: Read a Picture Together (15 minutes) In the early months, many participants may not be comfortable sharing their ideas with the whole group. By asking participants to work with a partner, you ensure that everyone has the opportunity to share his or her ideas with someone else. Begin by asking each participant to find the picture labeled 2B. Have participants read the activity on page 21 of the activity suggestions, and then discuss and act out the picture with a partner. End this session by explaining to the whole group that as children pretend to be a character in this picture, they are learning how to tell stories themselves rather than just listen to stories that grown-ups tell. Whole Group Discussion: I m Thinking of a Word (15 minutes) Have parents turn to the activity I m Thinking of a Word on page 25. Ask them to read the explanation and then say one sound ask the group to list what words they think their children might know that begin with that sound. Point out that it s important to remember that they are asking children to listen for and identify a sound not the name of the letter that makes the sound. That will come later. A Facilitator s Guide 13
Introducing New Math Activities Small Group Work: What Belongs, What Does Not? (20 minutes) Before breaking into small groups, model sorting a set of objects. Begin by explaining your sorting rule. Explain that you want the group to help you sort the objects into two groups. For example, one group will contain red objects, the other will contain objects that are not red. Hold up each object and ask the group where it belongs. (You are modeling what the parents will later do with their child.) Explain that learning how to identify characteristics and group objects into sets is an important mathematical skill that children can master before beginning school. Have the participants form four to five small groups. Give each group a set of objects and have them decide how to sort them into two categories. Have them repeat the sorting activity but change the sorting rule. Whole Group Share (10 minutes) Ask each group to share their new sorting rule with the whole group. Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. Explain that in the month ahead, they should repeat some of the activities and games from the earlier sets of materials. 14 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Facilitator s Guide Set Three Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Cut a number of small pieces of paper into three different shapes and two different colors, e.g., square, circle, rectangle, some red, some blue. Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Small Group Work Whole Group Discussion Break Introducing New Materials Literacy: Telling Your Stories Math: Playing Bingo Evaluation Warm-up (for other warm-up suggestions, see p. 41 of this guide) (15 minutes) As participants enter the workshop, have them take a piece of paper from a basket. Once everyone has arrived, have them sort themselves into two groups based on the color of their paper. Next, have them sort themselves into three groups by shape. A Facilitator s Guide 15
Finally, have participants divide into five groups (by color and shape). In these five small groups, have participants discuss how they used the sorting activity from Set Two of the materials. Encourage them to brainstorm other ways to help children sort materials using one or two attributes; for example, just by color, or by color and shape. Small Group Work (30 minutes) After discussing the sorting activity, have participants share with one another how they used the other activities and materials in Set Two. What activities were successful? How did they adapt or change activities or materials. Ask one member of the group to record what the group discusses. If members of the group were confused about an activity or had questions about an activity, have the recorder list their questions or concerns on a separate piece of paper. At the conclusion of this small group work, have participants hang their papers on the wall and invite groups to read one another s papers. (15 minutes) Whole Group Discussion (15 minutes) Invite the group to discuss the possible answers to any questions that were posted. Be sure to encourage participants to share their ideas before you respond to the questions and concerns. Break 16 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Introducing New Literacy Activities Telling Your Stories (20 minutes) Begin by asking a volunteer to tell a very short story about something that happened to her child when he or she was very young. Model to the group how to write the story along the bottom of a few pieces of paper. Discuss as a group what this child might draw to illustrate this story. Explain the importance of letting the child draw the pictures, rather than the parent. Ask the participants to turn to one other person and discuss possible story ideas that they might share with their child. Playing Bingo (20 30 minutes) Begin by having participants form groups of four to play the game. Encourage parents to form groups based on the age of their child. Begin by giving participants a few minutes to read the instructions. Ask a volunteer from the group to describe how they think the game should be played. Be sure everyone understands how to play. Have groups play the game. After the group finishes a game, have them discuss what their child will be learning as she plays. Have groups discuss how they might modify the game to make it easier or more challenging. Evaluation/Closing Comments At the end of the workshop give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. A Facilitator s Guide 17
Facilitator s Guide Set Four Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Cut two sets of paper into different lengths. (Make each set have the same lengths of paper strips, so that when participants have measured their piece, they will be able to find a partner with a piece that s the same length.) Fill cups with small objects, e.g., beans, and place one cup on each table. Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Partner Share Whole Group Discussion Break Introducing New Materials Literacy: Interviewing & Reading a Picture Math: Patterns: What Belongs in Your Square Evaluation Warm-Up (for other warm-up suggestions, see p. 41 of this guide) (15 minutes) As participants enter the workshop, have each one take take one of the strips of paper from a basket. 18 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Once everyone has arrived, have participants compare their pieces of paper with the others at their table. Who has the longest, the shortest? Are any of them the same? Then have them use the beans to measure the length of their piece of paper. Have everyone find the partner who has the same length piece of paper. They will be partners for the sharing time. Partner Share (20 minutes) After discussing the measuring activity that they did from Set Three and the warm-up measuring activity, have partners discuss how they worked with all the activities from Set Three. Whole Group Discussion (45 minutes) Ask each pair to share one activity that was particularly successful. Limit them to one activity. When every pair has had a turn to share, ask them if they want to go around again and describe another activity that was successful. This time you could encourage them to share how they modified an activity or created a new activity. Finally, ask the pairs to share any questions or bring up things that confused them. This might include difficulties they had working with their child on these materials. Invite the group to discuss possible approaches a parent could take when/if difficulties arise. Break A Facilitator s Guide 19
Introducing New Literacy Activities Interviewing (20 minutes) Begin by asking the whole group to list people in the community who might be willing to let children interview them. Help the whole group think about what types of questions the child could ask. Ask a volunteer to come up and pretend to be the interviewee. Ask another volunteer to come up and pretend to be the child. Have everyone else in the group be the adult who takes notes during the interview. After the pretend interview, ask the volunteers how it felt to be asked questions about themselves and how it felt to be the one asking the questions. Discuss how you might want to help your child practice interviewing with someone they know well, before interviewing someone who may not be in the family. Read a Picture Together (10 minutes) Have participants choose a partner, and have them look together at the picture of the post office (4B). The pair should work together to think about how to discuss the picture with their child. What questions might they ask? What story could they make up about the parent and the child in the picture? Introducing New Math Activities Recognizing patterns (15 20 minutes) Pass out a cup filled with buttons to each table. Using a similar set of buttons, begin making a pattern, e.g., one big button, one small button, one big button, one small button. Make sure the group understands that a pattern is a repeating set of objects. Ask the group to tell you what would come next in your pattern (a big button). Repeat by modeling a new pattern: one big, one 20 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
big, one small, one big, one big, one small, one big then ask the group what comes next. Now have one member of the group at each table make a new pattern using the buttons and have the rest of the people at the table read the pattern and copy it. Repeat until everyone has had a turn to make a new pattern. Brief Whole Group Share (10 minutes) Ask each table group to share one pattern with the whole group. Playing the Game (20 minutes) Ask participants to take out the game board 4C and figure out the pattern of numbers that appear on the square. (2, 6, 9, 2, 6, 9... ) Have the group play the game. After everyone has played the game, discuss with the whole group any confusion or questions that may have arisen. Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. A Facilitator s Guide 21
Facilitator s Guide Set Five Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Place a small clear container with a number of objects inside on each table. Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Small Group Share Whole Group Discussion Break Introducing New Materials Literacy: Read a Picture, Make a Book, Math: Play a Game Evaluation If you will model cooking with children, write a basic recipe with the ingredients for a salad on large chart paper. Warm-up (for other warm-up suggestions, see p. 41 of this guide) (15 minutes) Ask each table group to estimate the number of objects in the container on the table. Have one participant record the estimates. Count the number of objects. Was anyone s estimate exactly the right number or 22 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
very close? If so, ask that person how he or she decided on the number. Have the table groups discuss how their children approached this same task. Small Group Share (45 minutes) Have the groups at each table share what they did last month with their children. Have one person record the highlights of the discussion. Encourage the participants to discuss successes and difficulties in working with their children. Have groups record the notes about their discussion and post these notes. Whole Group Share (20 minutes) Have each group go around the room, reading the posted notes of the small groups' discussions. Come back together as a whole group. You might begin the whole group discussion by asking a question: After reading everyone s notes, what were some of the common themes or experiences people had this past month? You might want to go around the circle so that everyone has a turn to share. If a participant doesn t want to share, he or she can just say they have nothing to share at this time. Break A Facilitator s Guide 23
Introducing New Literacy Activities Read a Picture, Make a Book (30 minutes) Begin by asking each participant to find the picture labeled 5B. Ask volunteers to describe what happens in each box. Model making a numbered list that describes each box. Model cutting the boxes apart and giving them to a volunteer who will use the numbered list to put the boxes back in order. Model how to turn the boxes into a book. Fasten the book together with a blank piece of paper for the cover and back. Write the words the group used to tell the story on the blank paper facing each illustration. Remind parents to write what their child says, rather than writing their own version of the story. What Comes Next (15 minutes) Ask each table group to come up with a short sequel to this story. Have each group share its story with the whole group. Note: BE CAREFUL! Don t let this activity go on too long. Remind parents that the sequels should be short! Have the groups discuss whether they think their child will be able to create her own sequel. Discuss how to incorporate this sequel into the book. Introducing New Math Activities Play a Game (10 minutes) Have each participant read the instructions for the game using the game board labeled 5D. Ask a volunteer to explain how the game is played. Have the group describe the learning that will take place as each group member plays the game with his or her child. Make sure they include at least the following: 24 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Counting the number of squares. Recognizing and naming the shapes. Comparing groups of shapes; which has more, less, the same. Beginning to see how the shapes can be combined to make a larger shape, e.g., two small triangles make a square, four rectangles make a square. Model Cooking with Children (30 minutes) Ask two parents to volunteer to be your children and help you make a salad. Read the recipe that you wrote to your children. Show the group how to include the children in all aspects of the process: collecting the ingredients, washing, cutting (plastic knives work well for young children), and mixing the dressing. Be sure to make enough so every participant can have a small helping! Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. A Facilitator s Guide 25
Facilitator s Guide Set Six Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Place a plant or other object in the center of each table. Place a cup with 20 small coins on each table. Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Small Group Share Whole Group Discussion Break Introducing New Materials Literacy: Take a Closer Look Math: How Many of Each? How Many Do I Have? Evaluation Warm-up (for other warm-up suggestions, see p. 41 of this guide) (15 minutes) As each participant enters the room, have her go on a shape hunt by locating and recording each shape she sees in the room. After a few minutes, ask each person how many different shapes he found. 26 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Invite the group to discuss what shapes their child found when the two of them went on a shape hunt. Partner Share (20 minutes) Have participants choose a partner to discuss together the activities they did last month. Whole Group Share (30 minutes) Have each person share one activity that worked well for his child and why. Give each person an opportunity to share a question or concern she has about something that didn t go well. Invite the group to offer suggestions to possibly resolve the problem. You can offer some suggestions, but wait until the group responds first. You want the group to trust in their own ability to solve problems; if you are always the one responding to questions or concerns, they will not trust their own ability to work things out. Break Introducing New Literacy Activities Take a Closer Look (30 minutes) Begin by explaining that as children learn to look carefully at an object they will develop the skills necessary to look carefully at letters and begin to distinguish one from the other. Have a volunteer come up to the front of the group. Model how a parent can ask questions to guide the child s looking, before asking them to draw. For example, if it is a plant, ask the A Facilitator s Guide 27
child : What do you notice about the stem? How many leaves do you see? What shape is the opening of the pot? Then model how to encourage a child to draw. What will you draw first? Where will you begin on the paper? Now have the group work in pairs and take turns practicing being the parent who supports the child in their efforts to draw. Remind parents that they shouldn t draw for the child and to accept the child s first attempts. Ask a volunteer to display his drawing. Model ways to talk about what you see in the drawing. For example, instead of saying, how beautiful, describe what you see: I see you made a very big pot and put in three flowers, just like the one on the table. I can see the dark lines you made for the dirt at the top of the pot. Is there anything else you want to add to your drawing? No, it s just the way you want it? Good! Introducing New Math Activities How Many of Each? (15 minutes) Have each table group pour out the coins on their table and count the number of coins that landed on one side, and the number that landed on the other side. Have someone record the numbers, e.g., 13 and 7. Repeat at least ten times, recording the two numbers each time. Explain that all the combinations they came up with are ways to divide 20 into two smaller parts, and that when those two groups are added together it will always equal 20. How Many Do I Have? (15 minutes) Have one person at the table remove some coins from the cup without telling how many were removed. 28 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Have the group work together using one of the sheets labeled 6C to place the remaining coins in the 10 frames to find out how many coins were left in the cup. How many were removed? Have the person who removed the coins place them in the 10 squares. How many now? (20) Repeat until everyone has had a turn to remove some coins and all understand how the 10 frames can be used to illustrate numbers to 20. Help participants understand that the 10 frames can help children begin to see that 12 is a shorthand way of writing one group of 10, and two 1s. Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. A Facilitator s Guide 29
Facilitator s Guide Set Seven Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Small Group Share Whole Group share Break Introducing New Literacy Activities: Open & Closed Questions Introducing New Math Activities: Find a Pattern Evaluation Warm-up (10 minutes) Have participants talk in pairs about how they are now using the calendars with their child. Ask them to focus on if or how they have changed what they are doing to involve their child in the drawing of or writing on the calendar. 30 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Small Group Share (20 minutes) Have the participants form into four or five small groups. Have participants discuss how they used the materials in Set Six by describing something their child did or said as they worked together. Whole Group Share (20 minutes) Ask each group to share one story about what a child did or said. Now ask each group to share one additional story or one concern or question that was raised during their small group discussion. Don t forget! Before you answer a question, ask the group if they want to respond to the question. The shared knowledge and experience of the parents in the room is an important asset to group discussions. You are there to help the group work together to share their knowledge and experience working with their child not to supply all the answers! Break Introducing New Literacy Activities Whole Group Discussion: Open and Closed Questions (10 minutes) Begin by asking an open-ended question to the group. For example, What are some things you like to do with your family? After two or three participants have responded, explain that you just asked an open-ended question. These are questions that have more than one answer. A Facilitator s Guide 31
Now ask a closed question. For example, point to an object in the room and ask, What is this? After one person has answered, explain that is a closed question. It has only one right answer. Ask the group to brainstorm a list of open-ended questions they might ask their child. Have the group help you decide if it s open or closed. You can encourage them to test their choice by thinking of at least two possible answers to a question that they believe to be openended. Partner Share (10 minutes) Have participants find the picture labeled 7B. Ask pairs to think of four or five open-ended questions they could ask their child as they discuss the pictures. Whole Group Share (20 minutes) Ask each pair to share one of their questions. Invite the whole group to help them decide if they are truly open-ended questions. Be prepared! Asking open-ended questions is harder than most people think. As you facilitate this whole group share, make sure that the group proves the question is open-ended by finding two or more possible answers to each question. If there is time, go around again and have each pair share another question. Remind them not to share a question that has already been discussed. If they don t have any new questions, they can pass. 32 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Introducing New Math Activities Role Play: Find the Pattern (15 minutes) Have a volunteer come up and pretend to be your child. Model giving your child the coins as described in the activity on page 112. Model writing down the equations that represent what you did with your child. Have the group discuss what patterns they see. Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. Remind participants to go back and use materials and activities from earlier sets of materials. Explain that their children will probably discover that something that was hard for them to do just a few months ago, now is easy! A Facilitator s Guide 33
Facilitator s Guide Set Eight Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Collect these materials: dice plates small objects for use in Go Fish and The Wishing Well blank cards markers Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. Warm-Up Small Group Share Whole Group Share Break New Literacy Activities: Go Fish New Math Activities: The Wishing Well Whole Group Share Evaluation Warm-up (10 minutes) Have participants work in pairs to play the game Got It (math activity in Set 7, page 113). 34 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Ask the pairs to briefly discuss what their child learned by playing this game. Small Group Share (30 minutes) Have the participants form four to five small groups. Have each group discuss and make a list, on the chart paper, of the things they think their child has learned. Then ask them to discuss and list the things they have learned as parents. Each group should post their charts on the wall. Whole Group Share (10 minutes) Have the group walk around the room and read the charts. Before taking a break, ask if anyone has something to add that was not on the charts. Break Introducing New Literacy Activities Make A Game: Go Fish (30 minutes) Ask participants to read the activity Go Fish on page 121. Give participants time to make a set of cards that they will use at home. Have participants work in pairs to play the game. End by asking the whole group to discuss what their child will learn by playing this game. A Facilitator s Guide 35
Introducing New Math Activities Play A Game: The Wishing Well (20 minutes) Have participants find the page labeled 8C, and read the explanation of the game on page 124 of the activity suggestions. Give participants materials to make the cards needed to play the game. Have participants work in groups of four to play the game and discuss how they will help their child play the game. Ask the groups to discuss what they think their child will learn as they play this game. Whole Group Share Ask the group if they have any questions or comments about The Wishing Well. Evaluation/Closing Comments Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. Since the next workshop will be your final one, discuss with the group how you will celebrate your work together. 36 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Facilitator s Guide Set Nine Materials: Parent Workshop Suggested Agenda Prepare Collect these materials: cardboard glue scissors Write the agenda on a large piece of paper so participants will know what to expect at this workshop. New Literacy Activities: Learning More About School and Read a Poem New Math Activities: Puzzles Checklist Evaluations Celebration Begin this final session without a warm-up. Instead, explain that you will briefly discuss the final set of materials and activities, so that there is time to celebrate all your hard work. Introducing New Literacy Activities Whole Group Discussion (10 minutes) Ask participants to discuss how they can help their children feel comfortable on the first day of school. A Facilitator s Guide 37
Here are some strategies that you will want to suggest if the group doesn t: Visit the school to meet the teacher and see the classrooms. Interview a child who is older and can describe what school will be like. Partner Share: Read a Poem (15 minutes) Have pairs discuss how their child responded to the poems, and brainstorm other poems that they might want to write and share with their children. Have each pair share with the whole group two poems that they think their children will like. Introducing New Math Activities Make A Puzzle (30 minutes) Give participants heavy paper, glue, and scissors. Have them glue page 140 to a piece of heavy paper and then cut out the shapes. Give participants time to play with their puzzle pieces. Whole Group Discussion: Checklist (20 minutes) Go over the final checklist, and ask the group to discuss how they will fill it out for their child. Suggest they go back and use activities from all the sets of materials to assess what their child is now able to do, and what they are still may want to work on. Discuss whether or not they will share this information with their child s teachers. 38 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Final Evaluation (15 minutes) Use the end of the workshop to give participants time to fill out the evaluation form and ask any final questions. You may want to have a whole group discussion about the program and what suggestions they have to improve it. Celebration!!! For this final workshop, have parents bring in examples of their child s work. Plan a party perhaps for the children and the parents. End the session by presenting each participant with a certificate. A Facilitator s Guide 39
Appendix 1 Evaluation Form Your Comments Are Important! 1. One question I still have about today s discussion 2. One thing I want to try when I go home 3. One suggestion I have for the next meeting 4. Any other comments about the program 40 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
Appendix 2 Openers and Icebreakers Both icebreakers and openers are start-up activities to help participants ease into the program. Icebreakers are relatively subject-matter-free whereas openers relate directly to the program content. Icebreaking and/or opening activities need to: make participants feel at ease; set the tone for the program and indicate whether the program will be participative, sit and listen, or a combination; communicate immediately the kind of trainer you are; and build momentum for the remainder of the program. When selecting icebreakers and openers, the following need to be considered: composition of the group (be sure participants will not be threatened); content of the program (the type of activities and tone of the entire session should be mirrored in the opening); length of the program (the length of the opening should be proportionate to the length of the program); and style and personality of the trainer (how do you feel about control, relevance, your role, novelty, and fun as part of training). The following section describes some suggested icebreakers. Introductions Purpose Some people feel shy or uncomfortable talking about themselves in front of a large group. In this exercise, each person gets to know A Facilitator s Guide 41
one other and introduces his or her partner to the larger group. This exercise also helps caregivers practice listening skills, which are important for group interaction. Procedure 1. Divide the group into pairs. Make sure everyone has a partner. 2. Each person takes a turn introducing herself/himself to the other: name, children and ages, occupation, hobbies, and major interests. Indicate that group members are to try to remember as many details as possible about their partner. Tell them they may take notes. Return to the large group. Go around the circle, with each person introducing his or her partner to the entire group. Process Ask participants how they felt about talking about themselves and introducing someone they do not know. What was difficult? What was easy? What are the benefits of this exercise? Usually participants will say that getting to know one person helps them feel more comfortable in the larger group. The Interview Purpose This activity provides an opportunity for participants to practice active listening skills and to experience talking about themselves with a person who gives them undivided attention. Procedure 1. Divide the group into pairs, making sure that everyone has a partner. 2. For two minutes, one person will talk while the other listens. 3. Then for two minutes, the listener will tell the speaker what she or he did while listening. 42 Getting Ready for School: Fun Activities for Children and Caregivers
4. Switch roles and repeat steps #2 and # 3. Process Once this activity is finished, introduce the following ideas or questions in the full group. 1. What did you have to do to tune in to the other person and really hear what he or she had to say? 2. How did it feel to be listened to? 3. In everyday life, do people listen the way we did here? 4. How well did the speaker communicate his or her thoughts and feelings? 5. What do we learn from this exercise about how well we listen to our children? Treasure Hunt Purpose This is a fun warm-up activity that gets people moving and talking with one another in a very short time, and finding out interesting things about one another in a non-threatening way. You can add, change, or adapt the items on the treasure hunt list to suit your particular group. Procedure Make copies of and hand out the Treasure Hunt list (on the following page). Ask participants to find someone who can respond to each item on the list. Have them try to find a different person for each item. Ask them to jot down the name of the person who responded and what they said under each item. Process Return to the large group. The facilitator goes down the list, asking, Who found someone whose birthday is closest to today s date?, etc. At the end of this information sharing, ask the group A Facilitator s Guide 43