Og® the bookworm represents caring and literacy, and is the perfect Primrose Friend to bring your child's school experience to your home. Over the next few weeks, we will provide specially designed interactive activities for children and parents as we navigate at-home learning together. The activities will also infuse character development lessons incorporating the Primrose Friends — 12 engaging classroom puppets that help foster compassion, creativity, gratitude and honesty in children. If you have questions or comments on this site, click here. 

Og^® the bookworm represents caring and literacy, and is the perfect Primrose Friend to bring your child's school experience to your home. Over the next several weeks, we will provide specially designed interactive activities for children and parents as we navigate at-home learning together. The activities will also infuse character development lessons incorporating the Primrose Friends — 12 engaging classroom puppets that help foster compassion, creativity, gratitude and honesty in children. If you have questions or comments on this site, click here. 

Animal Grooming Salon

Gather a variety of materials to use for an animal grooming salon (comb, brush, water, towels, plastic animals, etc.). Children may use their own creativity to create a grooming salon or click on the link below to hear Betty White read "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion. 

Animal Music

Using homemade animal puppets or animal templates, create your own original music with your child (sing in each animal’s voice). You might examine animal feet (hoof, claw, paw) and pretend to make music beats with each type of animal foot. How would a hoof sound versus a soft paw? 

Animal Handprints

Dip your child’s hand into paint and have them lay their hand onto paper with fingers spread apart. Repeat in various ways (using edge of palm, using just fingertips, fingers together, etc.). When the paint is dry, your child may decorate the handprints turning them into animals. Older children may add a background showing the habitat in which the animal lives. 

Billy's Playlist

Billy® the duck has new songs about caring for animals to share! Sing along with Billy here.

Learn How Ducks Stay Dry

Have you ever wondered how ducks stay warm while swimming in cold water? They produce an oil that makes their feathers waxy and water-repellant. Demonstrate how these feathered friends stay dry with this simple duck science activity for preschoolers.  

Animal Rhyme

Watch the video of the poem, "I Went to Visit a Farm One Day," and then teach your child the poem including the sign language for each animal. Use the animal activity sheets to accompany the poem. You may want to help your child cut out each animal shape, color and then glue onto a craft (popsicle) stick to use as a puppet while reciting the poem. 

Playing with Sounds

Daily word and sound play are important ways to build phonological awareness, a critically important early literacy skill. Read more about how to develop this skill at home in the article, Playing With Sounds: Developing Phonological Awareness.   

Segmenting Words

Practice segmenting syllables in words using the Segmenting Words activity sheet. This activity helps reinforce phonological awareness skills that are important early literacy skills children need to be successful readers.  

Alphabet Train

Practice letter sequencing and letter matching with this fun alphabet game! 

Guess Where? Animal Sounds

This activity requires your child to use their sense of hearing. Encourage your child to close their eyes. Make animal noises somewhere near them. Your child may guess where the noise came from (in front, behind, next to, above or below). 

Living/Nonliving Journal

While walking in your yard, collect some photos of living and nonliving things. Print and then glue photos into your Exploration Journal and place all living things on one page and nonliving things on another page.  

Types of Animals

Research various types of animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, fish) on National Geographic Kids. Choose your favorite animals, draw a picture and write 2 interesting facts in your Exploration Journal. 

Feeding the Animals

Using the animal templates, your child may draw food that each animal would eat. Discuss how food is a basic need for all living things, along with air, water, shelter and sunlight (to keep the temperature regulated).

Mia's Workout Video 2.0

Mia the mouse loves to be active! Get moving with this fun exercise video designed to get the whole family going! 

Move Like A…

Take turns selecting an animal image. Ask your child how that animal might move. Move together around the room or yard. For more fun, make sounds like the animal as you move. 

Animal Moves Part 1

Watch Observing Animal Movements from Peep and the Big Wide World. Next, observe animals in your neighborhood and move like each of those animals. 

Animal Moves Part 2

Choose an animal card and move like that animal. Choose 2-3 animals at a time and then make a pattern of animal movements (example: Move like a cat, cat, dog, fish, cat, cat, dog, fish). 

Animal Food Number Munch

Bring out a plastic bowl, small items to use as food (such as paper circles), number dot cards, and the animal shapes. Choose a number dot card, count out the correct number of “play food” and put into the bowl. Select one of the animal shapes and pretend to “feed” the animal the food pieces as they count aloud again. Choose a new number and repeat!

Animal Feet Numeral Match

Using numeral cards and toy animals (or paper animal templates), encourage your child to group animals into groups of two. Next, count the total number of animal feet in the group and choose the correct numeral. Try again with a group of three animals and then four. Counting the total number of animal feet may get challenging! 

Og's Story Time

This week's Og's Story Time is with Meg O'Keefe reading her book "Little in the Middle." After reading along, draw a picture of your family. Are you the oldest, the youngest, in the middle, or the only child? Do you ever feel frustrated when you cannot do something like someone who is older than you can? Draw and then discuss something you are not yet able to do and set this as a goal to practice toward in the Overcoming My Challenges activity sheet. On your next walk, find things that are "In the middle" of other objects. For example, maybe there is a group of three flowers with one in the middle. Take photos to create an "in the middle" photo album.  

Og's Story Time Book List

Og has added some animal-themed books to this week's reading list!

For tips on how to help your little one build confidence in their reading ability, watch this video about an approach called "Picture Walk."

Checking the Weather with Benjamin^®

Benjamin the bear is happiest when he is playing outdoors! Have your child look out the window and give a weather report for the day with Benjamin. Sing along here! 

#PaperPercyChallenge

Each week we'll be giving a new challenge to take on with your very own Paper Percy. All living things (including humans) need food (or nutrients) to survive. Since making healthy food choices is important, help Percy gather as many recipes as possible by posting your favorite healthy snack recipe. Share a photo of Percy and your favorite healthy snack by tagging @PrimroseSchools with #PaperPercyChallenge on Instagram. 

Pledge of Allegiance

Each morning, we start our day with the Pledge of Allegiance. Say the Pledge with Percy^®! 

Pet Care

 Ask your child, what do we need to take care of pets? Go around the house and look for things that help your pet (food, water, cage, blankets, bed). If you do not have a pet, use a stuffed animal or plastic animal to represent a pet. Discuss that taking care of pets is a responsibility and also means it's important to treat it kindly and use gentle touches. Older children may make their own Exploration Journal using recycled paper and cover page.    

Sparkler Activities

Through a partnership with Primrose, Sparkler is offering free access to high-quality, age-appropriate, research-informed “play activities” via the Sparkler app. Families who sign up get free play activities (updated regularly) through the Sparkler app. To access, parents should:

1. Download Sparkler for free from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Use the 4-digit code 1982 to create an account.
3. Choose either Family or Staff from the drop-down menu during registration.

These additional resources provide even more activities to continue the learning for this week's theme!

Parent Resources: Picture Walk

Use these tips to help young children who are not yet reading independently to build confidence in their ability to read and navigate written text.