Community Helpers

[SilverSabre25]

that's what we're trying to study this month but i'm finding it annoyingly hard to get useful ideas online...most of the online "community helper"themes are focusing on firefighters. I'm interested in focusing on different ones, too--garbage men for example. Sooo...any ideas??

[Cat Herder]

Check out http://prekinders.com/community-theme/

Wanted to share; our garbage man is the classroom hero. He puts on dinner theatre for us weekly (one way glass windows in the playroom).

Our funny guy has a "cootie" phobia and has to reach into our bin to pull out the bags of diapers ONE.AT.A.TIME...VERY dramatic. The kids act out the scene every time he comes. It is hysterical!!! ::::

...and our FED EX guy does magic tricks (rocking grandpa). I love my neighborhood.

[SilverSabre25]

Thanks cat; tha's still not everything I had in mind. I think I'm going to have to make it all up on my own again, . Which is fine, it just takes more time, that's all. I think today we'll just talk about community and neighborhood and I'll let them tell me what people they want to learn about.

Too funny about your garbage guy! What a goof ball. You'd think he'd get over it someday, . Maybe you should make him some cookies or something as a "thank you" for dealing with all your pesky diapers!

[Cat Herder]

Thanks cat; tha's still not everything I had in mind. I think I'm going to have to make it all up on my own again, . Which is fine, it just takes more time, that's all. I think today we'll just talk about community and neighborhood and I'll let them tell me what people they want to learn about.

Too funny about your garbage guy! What a goof ball. You'd think he'd get over it someday, . Maybe you should make him some cookies or something as a "thank you" for dealing with all your pesky diapers!

We take really good care of him. He gets "care" packages and Thank You cards regularly. :: I still cannot imagine what possessed him to fill out that job application.

Good luck!!!

[Unregistered]

Thanks cat; tha's still not everything I had in mind. I think I'm going to have to make it all up on my own again, . Which is fine, it just takes more time, that's all. I think today we'll just talk about community and neighborhood and I'll let them tell me what people they want to learn about.

Too funny about your garbage guy! What a goof ball. You'd think he'd get over it someday, . Maybe you should make him some cookies or something as a "thank you" for dealing with all your pesky diapers!

I had to make up my community helpers theme we did a few weeks ago (and most of the themes we do . I wish I had made a note of all the websites I went to. I could try to send you some ideas of the activities we did, but I'm not sure how good they are. Plus we only spent one week on community helpers, so we didn't get very many helpers in there. I planned one community helper per day (so 4-5 total). What is your age group? Mine were all geared for 3-5 yr olds. Some of the things were printed off-line, so since I didn't keep note of the websites, I won't be able to give you those. I plan my lesson plans around the centers we have set up (Math/Science, Dramatic play, Art/Crafts, Fine motor/manipulatives, Blocks, Writing, etc). Is that the type of ideas you need? I probably won't have a chance to get back on here til Saturday or Sunday, but if you want me to send you some of the plans I laid out, I can PM them to you as soon as I get back on here. Do you do a circle time with your group? Let me know what you need, and if this sounds like what you needed.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Whoops. I just sent a response as unregistered (forgot I wasn't logged in). The one saying I could send you some ideas I used a few weeks ago. So unregistered is actually me

[SilverSabre25]

Anything you have would be great; I have some time now...because after discussing what a neighborhood is and what a community is, and various people in our community...what did they choose to study? Astronauts. Not exactly local, although I guess since we live in John Glenn's home state... :: I'm rolling with it because, well, it *is* child led. I'm actually kind of excited. But we're going to go with this helper thing for awhile, and I always love collaborating wiht people on ideas.

[daycare]

we are doing construction in two weeks and it will roll into community helpers, as we are doing fire fighters right now and then police officers around christmas. We do one career at a time...

Here is what I did last year when I did community helpers and this is some of what I will have this year too.

Centers:

block area with lots of tools so the kids can build a house

math center we will play grocery store and the kids can go grocery shopping. Someone will be the shopper and pay the cashier with money.

Discovery/ Dramatic center: we will set out tools for all different kinds of careers. Dentist supplies, (we have the dentist playdough mouth) Dr. supplies, construction supplies, playdough hair cutting station, teacher's supplies and fire fighter supplies (small plastic ax, hand radio, badge, etc..
Also this year we will add a reporter.

Writing center: write a letter to someone (really do it) then we go and meet the mail man and we watch him sort the mail, deliver it and take our mail.

Art: we will do a heath care collage. glue tongue depressors, cotton balls, bandaids, cotton swabs, gauze.

Art: we will trace our body onto butcher paper and decide what we would like to be. We did this last year and every child was a Fire Fighter.....UGH...

Art: Cake decorator, we covered empty cereal boxes with white paper and turned it into a cake with paint, foam stickers, ribbon, confetti, scraps and all sorts of stuff..

I am also adding to our field trips again this year.
Trip to the grocery store to meet with store mgr and go shopping

Library, behind the scenes.....

[daycare]

we are doing construction in two weeks and it will roll into community helpers, as we are doing fire fighters right now and then police officers around christmas. We do one career at a time...

Here is what I did last year when I did community helpers and this is some of what I will have this year too.

Centers:

block area with lots of tools so the kids can build a house

math center we will play grocery store and the kids can go grocery shopping. Someone will be the shopper and pay the cashier with money.

Discovery/ Dramatic center: we will set out tools for all different kinds of careers. Dentist supplies, (we have the dentist playdough mouth) Dr. supplies, construction supplies, playdough hair cutting station, teacher's supplies and fire fighter supplies (small plastic ax, hand radio, badge, etc..
Also this year we will add a reporter.

Writing center: write a letter to someone (really do it) then we go and meet the mail man and we watch him sort the mail, deliver it and take our mail.

Art: we will do a heath care collage. glue tongue depressors, cotton balls, bandaids, cotton swabs, gauze.

Art: we will trace our body onto butcher paper and decide what we would like to be. We did this last year and every child was a Fire Fighter.....UGH...

Art: Cake decorator, we covered empty cereal boxes with white paper and turned it into a cake with paint, foam stickers, ribbon, confetti, scraps and all sorts of stuff..

I am also adding to our field trips again this year.
Trip to the grocery store to meet with store mgr and go shopping

Library, behind the scenes.....

[melskids]

whenever we talk about community helpers, we also talk about how WE can help our community.

We gather canned food for our food pantry, blankets and kitty litter for the animal shelter, bring cards and small trinkets to the elderly, and clean garbage along the road.

In a way, we're ALL community helpers.

[Kaddidle Care]

that's what we're trying to study this month but i'm finding it annoyingly hard to get useful ideas online...most of the online "community helper"themes are focusing on firefighters. I'm interested in focusing on different ones, too--garbage men for example. Sooo...any ideas??

Don't forget the Boy Scouts. Part of their requirement to advance is Community Service. They do many things - Our group helped a family who's daughter was hospitalized for months but just doing a fall clean up in their yard.

They do Car Washes in the summer to fund Eagle projects and one is strictly for a Church donation. (Our Church is their Charter organization.)

The Girl Scouts usually do a clean up in a nearby wooded section. While folks don't go out of their way to litter there, the wind tends to blow stray trash down the street and it's trapped by the underbrush.

BTW - Garbage men are paid - Volunteer Firefighters are not - nor are volunteer First Aiders.

[daycare]

Don't forget the Boy Scouts. Part of their requirement to advance is Community Service. They do many things - Our group helped a family who's daughter was hospitalized for months but just doing a fall clean up in their yard.

They do Car Washes in the summer to fund Eagle projects and one is strictly for a Church donation. (Our Church is their Charter organization.)

The Girl Scouts usually do a clean up in a nearby wooded section. While folks don't go out of their way to litter there, the wind tends to blow stray trash down the street and it's trapped by the underbrush.

BTW - Garbage men are paid - Volunteer Firefighters are not - nor are volunteer First Aiders.

yes but the garbage men still help to keep our community clean....

fire fighters just play basket ball all day.... I am so joking, but not really... I am married to one so I should know....

[Kaddidle Care]

:: And drink beer and pepsi by night.
(Former Volunteer Firefighter here.)

[daycare]

....too funny!!

[StarBriteLearning]

that's what we're trying to study this month but i'm finding it annoyingly hard to get useful ideas online...most of the online "community helper"themes are focusing on firefighters. I'm interested in focusing on different ones, too--garbage men for example. Sooo...any ideas??

The Star-Brite Program for the school year 2011-2012 focuses on community helpers! November was a farmer and December will be a Postal Worker. The following months include Dentist, Construction Worker, Chef, Nurse, Doctor, and Police Officer. There is about 3 days worth of activities focusing on each. The children also get their own vest to wear which looks like the community helper's uniform!