THIS ISSUE'S THEME: Mister Yellow Sun

WELCOME! to Education World's Early Childhood Education Newsletter. Every other week, we'll bring you activities and suggestions to give your teaching themes a boost. You'll find some new ideas -- or perhaps a new spin on an activity you've used in the past. We're happy to be a part of your teaching and hope your school year is filled with wonder, creativity, and fun-filled learning.

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This week's newsletter is sponsored by Crayola.

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Volume 7, Issue 11
May 26, 2009
Theme: Mister Yellow Sun

Use the rhyme below to help children understand the
importance of the sun -- how it affects Earth and all
living things.

Hello Mr. Sun!
Big, round, and yellow.
You must surely be
One happy fellow.

You warm up our world
And give us bright light
Help plants grow our food,
Make each day just right!

Susan LaBella
Editor, Early Childhood Education Newsletter

THE SUN IS A STAR
Explain that the sun is a star. Help children understand that because the sun is the star closest to Earth, we can feel its heat and see its light. Illustrate your discussion by lighting a candle to model a star. Turn off the classroom lights. Let children talk about what they see. Have them describe the flame. Let children carefully take turns putting their hands near the flame to describe what they feel (heat). Ask What is making the heat? Discuss that the candle is like a star. Stars burn and they give light and heat. Finally, conclude the lesson by reading to children The Sun by Seymour Simon. Be sure to remind children to never touch matches or flames.

A SUNNY SMILE
Give each child a plain white paper (not Styrofoam or plastic) plate. A small 6-inch/dessert plate will work as well as the large dinner plate. Let children paint the back sides of their plates bright yellow. Next help children trace their handprint on yellow construction paper about six times. Help them cut out the handprints. Glue the handprint tracings around the yellow paper plates. These are the sun's rays. Finally add a face to the sun. Use markers to draw on eyes and a nose. Glue on sequins to create a smiling mouth.

SUNNY S'MORES
Have children place a graham cracker on a piece of aluminum foil. Next let children sprinkle chocolate chips and mini marshmallows on top of the graham cracker. Cover with more foil and place out in the hot sun for 10 to 15 minutes. Open the foil and place a graham cracker on top of the gooey goods. Enjoy a yummy snack.

MATCH THE SHAPES
Talk about the sun's heat. Explain that the light it gives off is very strong. Give each child a dark piece of construction paper to take outside on a sunny day. Let children place objects such as a key, a button, an eraser, or a pencil on the piece of construction paper. Place the paper and objects in direct sunlight until the paper has faded. Remove the objects and let children play a matching game by placing each object onto its correct shape on the paper.

A CIRCLE OF SUN
Gather children in a circle. In a bag place items that would protect you in the sun or that you might use on a sunny day -- sunglasses, sunscreen, sun visor, gardening tool, and so on. Let children pull items out of the bag one at a time and talk about how each one is used on a sunny day. Let other children act out using each item -- putting on sunscreen, digging in the garden, and so on.

Check out the following Web sites for additional background and activities.

Coloring the Sun #1
Coloring the Sun #2
Use these simple print outs to go with your sun lessons.
http://www.abcteach.com/free/c/coloringpage_sun2.pdf
http://www.abcteach.com/free/s/suncloud_m.pdf

Raffi's Mr. Sun
Print out the words with illustrations to Raffi's well-known song.
http://www.prekinders.com/pdf/mrsun.pdf

Preschool Activities for Summer
Give these "sunny" projects a try.
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-summer.htm

Sun Safety
Find some cute ideas here to teach about sun safety.
http://www.preschoolbystormie.com/maysafety.html

This is your final issue of the Early Childhood Newsletter for the 2008-09 school year. We will resume publishing in late July -- in plenty of time for back-to-school. In the meantime we will be busy developing timely topics and fun activities to enrich your classroom curriculum.

Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators."

A First-Year Teacher's Guidebook
This practical book can help not only first-year teachers, but also established professionals, with eminently useful ideas for classroom management, using technology, handling parent conferences, and many other topics. Especially handy for the early-career teacher are sections on teaching in rural and urban settings, education issues, and first day / first week / first month ideas.
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

Democracy and Education
John Dewey's 1916 book on the interrelationship between education and democracy is as important, as it approaches its centennial, as it was when it was first hailed as a master work. The modern reader of education books will find the sweep and clarity of Dewey's approach to be a refreshing break from the highly specialized and jargon-filled books being churned out today. With no hesitancy, Dewey declares his topics to include, "The Significance of Geography and History," "Educational Values," "Theories of Knowledge," and "Theories of Morals." An essential text for the complete education library!
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

Click the icon to the right to see more books and many other products that are available in the Education World MarketPlace.

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The Best of the WRITING BUG

If you enjoy Education World's weekly WRITING BUG feature, you'll love this book! Education World and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined forces to create a handy, pocket-size booklet with 44 of the most popular Writing Bug story starters. Use these Writing Bug activities to engage your students in effective writing. Each writing prompt will spark students' imaginations, tickle their funny bones, and motivate their pencils.

Included: In this booklet you'll find these Writing Bug titles and many more:

• If I Could Interview Any U.S. President...
• The Best Lesson I Ever Learned
• I Got a Postcard from Another Planet
• A Week Without TV
• The Best Invention Ever/The Worst Invention Ever
• Plus 39 more Writing Bug writing prompts!

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MORE FEATURES OF INTEREST
Reader’s Theater More than two dozen scripts, perfect for the classroom.
Best Books for Teaching About… Booklists for 30 popular teaching themes.
Sign Up for Our Newsletters Ten free newsletters full of practical ideas.
Special Education Center Tools for the special education community.
Techtorials Tutorials take the terror out of tech.

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LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING
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Ten Rules Kids Won't Learn In School

This is not ha-ha "humor," though many educators may smile in recognition because these pearls of wisdom sound like things we have said to students 100 times before. These rules are frequently seen on the Internet, where they are often attributed to Microsoft's Bill Gates. But the actual author of these rules is Charles J. Sykes. You might want to pick up his book, 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School: Real-World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education, for more, similar wisdom.

1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 86 times a day.
2. The real world won't care half as much about your self-esteem as your school does. This may come as a shock to you.
3. Sorry, but you won't make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice-president or have a car phone, either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a designer label.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping. They called it "opportunity."
6. It's not your parents' fault if you mess up. You're responsible for everything you do. Remember this the next time you say "It's my life" and "You're not my boss."
7. Before you were born, your parents were not boring. They got that way paying your bills and having to listen to you.
8. Life is not divided into semesters. And you don't get summers off. Not even spring break. You are expected to show up every day for eight hours, and you don't get a new life every 10 weeks.
9. Smoking does not make you look cool. Watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20.
10. Your school may be "outcome-based," but life isn't. In some schools, you're given as many tries as you want to get the answer right. Standards are set low enough so everyone can meet them. This, of course, bears no resemblance to anything in real life -- as you will soon find out.

Guys Only Have One Thing on Their Minds…

A father teased his little daughter by suggesting she liked a certain boy in her kindergarten class. The little girl was quite indignant. "No, daddy, I don't like him!" she stated. "He's only interested in one thing."

Shocked, the daddy cautiously asked what that one thing might be.

"Power Rangers, of course," said the toddler.

Close, But Still Wrong

George: Dad, you know those math problems you helped me with last night?
Father: Yes.
George: Well, every one of them was wrong.
Father: Good grief, what did the teacher say?
George: She didn't yell or anything. In fact, she said to tell you that your answers were closer than any other father's.

Little Johnny Strikes Again

Teacher: What family does the octopus belong to?
Little Johnny: No family I know!

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