Family Theme
This week in Language Group, we started a new unit...Family!
We read the book, “Are You My Mother?” by P.D. Eastman. In this book, a mother bird goes to find something to eat for her baby. While she is gone the baby bird hatches. He looks up and down but cannot find her. He falls a long way down out of the nest and walks around looking for her. On his journey to find his mother he encounters many animals and objects and asks them, “Are you my mother?” (kitten, hen, dog, cow, car, boat, plane, and a snort/backhoe). The baby bird is very sad, until the backhoe scoops him up and puts him back in his nest. His mother came back to the nest and he knew that she was his mother, because she is a bird too.
For our activity, we played a game called, “Are you my mother?” The children sat in a circle, holding pictures of the different animals and items in the book. One child was the baby bird and walked around the circle asking, “Are you my mother?” The children in the circle had to look at their picture and answer the questions appropriately. When the baby bird found his/her mother, that child was the next baby bird.
This activity worked on:
attending to the book
- expressively identifying animals and items in the book
- location words up/down
- asking yes/no questions
- answering yes/no questions
- turn-taking
Activities you can do at home include:
- Using family photos, talk about the various members of your family (mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, etc.).
- Ask your child yes/no questions and model the appropriate answer if you need to.
- Send your child to ask various family members yes/no questions (i.e.: ask dad, “Do you want a cookie?”).
- Give your child directions that include location words (up, down, in, out, on, under).
- Try this song!
My Family
If you peek into my room at 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)
