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Hi Veronica-
I used foam because of the size. The big foam sheets are a better size for a “keeper” placemat. I’m sure you could use construction paper or card stock as well, although they would produce a smaller placemat.
And yes, I used clear contact paper to “laminate” the placemats for use. It worked just fine. I did the laminating at home and returned the placemats to the children the next week.
Best to you,
Nancy
Ok this is for Life at Home. I did a pet tag for the first class for their puppies from shrinky dink material. You can buy sheets of it at any craft store. I traced a bone and had them color it and write a name if they wanted to and then sent them home with instructions for baking.
Also, I found a few books that I haven’t used in class yet and don’t know if I will but I thought I could pass them on in case it can help. I will end up having to translate either in French or in Spanish or both and modifying the text to fit the vocabulary used in class as much as possible: Faltan 10 minutos para Dormir by Rathmann for counting song, Sylvie by Sattler (it’s in English but easy to translate) for color song. La casa adormecida by Audrey Wood (no specific song). And “Cuanta gente! quienes son? by Mariana Jantti for counting and family songs (that one would have to be simplified). Let’s keep this thread going! Veronica
Hi Veronica and others –
One was a place setting and the other a paper house. The place setting was made with a colored foam sheet (they chose a color from those I had from the craft store). I had pre-cut and labeled (in French) foam plates, spoons, forks, etc for them to glue on. We talked about the names of what they glued on, the colors (because they were also colored foam), and where each belonged in a place setting (tho kids sometimes innovated on placement). After that class, I took them home and “laminated them” with clear contact paper. Apparently many of the kids used them as placemats for a long time.As for the Life at Home unit, I created two crafts that were big hits, and allowed the kids to practice vocabulary more regularly. They each took a little more work to prepare, but were the best crafts in the kids’ eyes.
The paper house was for their refrigerator. A single piece of construction paper was on the bottom. Then windows were cut out of the construction paper that ultimately glued on top. Before gluing it on top, though, the kids glued into place pictures to represent various rooms in the house. The pictures were clip art from the internet. (We drew squares for each of them on the bottom piece of construction paper so that we knew how to place them.) we also created a separate garage to glue on to the lower side at the end. Glue the whole thing together and have the top construction paper labeled or label it with the kids in class. They have something concrete and visual to practice vocabulary during the week!
Hope this helps! Looking forward to reading other ideas!
Nancy Van Maren
Thank you Jennifer and Nancy for your ideas for Life a Home! All ideas are welcomed. I will try to post some after I’ve done the session so I know if they were any good! Thanks!
One more book: Si le das una galleta a un raton (If you give a mouse a cookie) by Laura Joffe Numeroff. I collect the props of what the mouse uses, and we move him through our felt house as I read the book. Definitely later in the session, and with a group of kids who can sit through a longer story. Props are necessary to make it comprehensible.
I think that is a great idea, Veronica! I often adapt an art project and it works really well. I think about sharing it, but never get around to it!
For life at home, I like these books: Oso en casa by Stella Blackstone; Hola Lulú by Caroline Uff; and many emergent reader books about family and food (I teach reading intervention to Spanish speakers in Denver, so I have access to these books). Some libraries have emergent reading books. I think they are great for language acquisition.
for the first class, I copied the male/female symbols that we see on restrooms, and we glued them on sticks for “Yo soy un/a niño/a” Many of the parents were surprised that their young children were familiar with those symbols, although they had never explicitly pointed it out to them. I googled male/female symbols and found a lot of options.
We also use the food ads to cut up and make plates of food we like later in the session.
I would love to hear about your ideas! The kids I teach are pretty young (mostly 2-4), so I usually opt for the simpler crafts.
Jennifer in Denver
I suggest that you file as an LLC in your state. I used State Farm for liability insurance under the advisement of Gigi Swenson. You may want to contact her of a good contact. Keep track of your expenses and revenues and file a tax form every year. You won’t pay taxes until you start making a profit. I hope that helps!
Barbara Mills
Colorado Springs
