Community Helpers!
10/12/2019
From an early age we teach our children to be good citizens. In Early Kindergarten we are learning to cooperate with peers, share, and take part in group activities. This week we learned about different community helpers and how they work together to make the community a better place for everyone. Doctors, nurses, teachers, fire fighters, police officers and engineers all work for the well being of others. Students played in the Dramatic Play Center and dressed up as different community helpers. The students role played as doctors, engineers, firefighters, police officers, chefs and mail carriers. By playing and learning together, the children build their social skills, language skills, and self-control. For our read aloud, we read the story “Look at that Building” by Scott Richie. This story introduces children to basic construction concepts. They learned about foundations, beams, frames and other building fundamentals. We also talked about how engineers, architects, and construction workers come together to build homes, offices, schools and stores. Afterward, the children became construction workers and made buildings of their own. They used their creativity, spicy gum drops and tooth picks to make airports, schools and offices. This activity allowed students to strengthened their fine motor skills as well. It is vital to introduce the concept of community helpers to help children recognize and trust the people who serve and protect us. Many children avoid strangers, as that is generally an important lesson we teach at home and in schools. However, in an emergency situation children will need to recognize and understand that a stranger in a uniform is there to help and bring them to safety. We talked about the different uniforms some community helpers wear. We also talked about fire safety and learned how to stop, drop and roll in case of a fire emergency. The children played a variety of community helper games. We used a white sheet which represented smoke and had each child stop, drop and roll under it. The children build literacy skills and letter recognition while playing the license plate game. They took turns to be the police while the rest of the class were drivers. The students drove their cars around the classroom while the police officer pulled over the drivers and asked them to identify the letter on the ticket. When children interact with community helpers, they learn new vocabulary, ask questions, and gain knowledge about the world around them. The highlight of our week was a visit from some of our parent community helpers! Our first parent talked about her responsibilities as a Civil Engineer. The children were fascinated to see pictures of how utilities are buried under the ground and go into their homes through pipes. Our second parent shared her responsibilities as a Coastal Civil Engineer. She brought in a wonderful hands on display to show the students how engineers work on projects involving coastlines and oceans. Her display helped children understand how engineers protect homes, businesses, and bridges from the risks of coastal flooding. Lastly, the children learned about the responsibilities of a Doctor. Our third parent volunteer talked about his role as a Doctor and how he helps others by treating their illnesses and injuries. The children took turns using a stethoscope and listened to their heart beats. I would like to thank each parent for volunteering and making Career Day fun and engaging for the students! As children build literacy skills, practiced math concepts, sang songs, and participated in dramatic play activities, they learned about a variety of community helpers and how they work hard to make the world a safe place for us all!
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April 2021
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