FIAR - Katy and the Big Snow

Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton is one of my favorite Five In a Row books!!!  It is about a tractor named Katy that pushes a snowplow during the winter, clearing the way for all the emergencies, when no one else can get the job done.  It is a great reminder that the "important people" such as the hospital, police, etc all depend on the "little people" to do their job.  It is also a great story to show determination and endurance!  With so much underlying meaning in this book, I wanted to keep the activities pretty low-key.  I figured this was a great time to review the different jobs in the community that are mentioned in the book.  Unfortunately, I was horrible about taking pictures for this week!!!

Our first day was just about different jobs people have.  We read Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day, by Ricard Scarry, Berenstain Bears Jobs Around Town, and Whose Hat is This, by Sharon Katz Cooper.  For our activities, we built a town with the Melissa and Doug Wooden Town Blocks Set. 

The first occupation we discussed was police.  We read Curious George Visits the Police Station, by Margaret and HA Rey.  We then watched "Kid Vision VPK Sheriff's Office Field Trip" on youtube.  This is also a great time to take a field trip to the local police station and to check out the police cruisers, which it seems like all young children enjoy!  We practiced calling 911 on a toy phone, and acted out different scenarios, letting the children use their imagination.

The second occupation was the post office.  We read Delivering Your Mail, by Ann Owen.  We then watched "Kid Vision VPK Post Office Field Trip" on youtube.  Rather than going on a field trip to the post office, we decided to just take a trip down to our mailboxes and get the mail, which happens to be a favorite pasttime for the kids.  They also wrote letters and mailed them to their friends, as well as pretending to play post office at home.  Melissa and Doug actually have two great sets out that would have been a great addition to this day - Stamp and Sort Wooden Mailbox Activity and My Own Wooden Mailbox Activity Set.

The third occupation we discussed was doctors.  We read Berenstain Bears Hospital Friends, then watched "Mister Roger's Neighborhood - Families - A Visit to the Pediatrician."  We worked it out so we had a well-check on that afternoon with our family practice doctor.  We also played "doctor" with our toy medical kit.  I pulled out my stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer, as well as first aid supplies to let the children help me put a first aid kit together for the cars and the house.  We then played "Doctor Says" - think "Simon says" but say Doctor instead of Simon :)

The final occupation we took a closer look at was the firefighters.  We read Curious George and the Firefighters, by HA Rey and Margaret Rey.  Then we watched "Sesame Street and the FDNY - Fire at Hooper's Store."  We discussed what to do in case of a fire in the house, and practiced fire drills.  We also practiced "Stop, Drop, and Roll."  We checked out the website Sparky the Firedog, and did some activities from there.  Then we played "Firefighter's Ladder Hopscotch" where I basically drew a ladder and we turned it into an easy hopscotch game.