Preschool Letter E

Themes
Eat - Elephant - Egg

Family Home Evening - Healthy Eating/Word of Wisdom
Family Movie Night - Dumbo

Eat

Stories
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
A fun way to read this story is to make a sock puppet caterpillar that eats all the food Have a butterfly hidden inside your hand. When the caterpillar makes it's chrysalis you fold the sock over your hand then when the caterpillar emerges you show the butterfly that was hiding in your hand.
Showdown At The Food Pyramid by Rex Barron, Rex Barron (Illustrator)

Scriptures
Daniel refusing the king's meat and wine
http://www.lds.org/hf/art/display/0,16842,4218-1-1-33,00.html
Word of Wisdom
http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/89

Centers
Diner
Farmers Market/Grocery

Field Trips

Songs
I eat apples and bananas
The Word of Wisdom
http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=154&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=154&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

Crafts/Games
Find two baskets one for things that are good for your body and one for things that are not cut pictures from magazines or ads and put them in the appropriate basket.
use a puppet with a mouth that opens for good foods and closes for things that should not be taken into the body
Food Guide Pyramid
http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/oxford/Oxford_Food_Fitness/0198631472.food-guide-pyramid.1.jpg
http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html
Discuss how different kinds of bait are used in animal traps; how tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea, and harmful drugs are used to trap us; and how we can protect ourselves from such traps.
I talked about Where the red fern grows and the raccoon traps in it. A shiny item is used as bait in a hole in a log. There are nails positioned so the raccoon can get it's hand in but not out. The raccoon never lets go of the bait to release itself. This is like addiction. The shiny object looks appealing but once we grab it we get hurt by the nails. If we let go we can get away but we'll still have the mark from the nails. It's best not to grab the bait in the first place but to save your self you have to let go of it. Hopefully I explained that well. :)
Very Hungry Caterpillar
http://www.dltkteach.com/books/hungrycaterpillar/sequencing.htm
make sock puppets

Food
Use the healthy foods in the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. You can put them in cups and have a cup caterpillar.

Elephant
Books/Stories
Saggy Baggy Elephant
Babar
Horton Hatches an Egg

Scriptures
hmmmm Noah?

Games/Songs
Description: All children sit in a circle on the floor. One child gets up and imitates an elephant with one arm dangling like a trunk, and the other arm dangling behind like a tail. The child then skips around the circle while everyone sings:
One elephant went out one day,
Upon a spiders web to play,
He / she had such tremendous fun,
That he called for another elephant to come.
The child then picks a friend to come and join him/her.
The friend stands behind the first child in the same position holding hands, as if they are elephants in the circus.
Everyone then continue to sing as the two elephants
skip around them:
Two elephants went out one day,
Upon a spiders web to play,
They had such tremendous fun,
That they called for another elephant to come.
This continues with each new elephant picking a friend until everyone is up. Then everyone sings for example:
Five elephants went out one day,
Upon a spiders web to play,
They had such tremendous fun,
But the web it broke and they all fell down.
Everyone then falls to the floor.
The Elephants Are Here!
A movement song to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"
The elephants are here! (Look excited)
The elephants are here!
Look at all the elephants! (Shade eyes as if looking)
The elephants are here!

They're exercising now. (March in place, keeping feet on floor, pumping arms)
They're exercising now.
Look at all the elephants!
They're exercising now.

(Have kids name various exercises and do them--tricky while singing!)
They're jumping up and down!
They're jumping up and down!
Look at all the elephants!
They're jumping up and down!

They're doing push ups now
They're touching all their toes
They're spinning 'round and 'round

Keep going until kids are EXHAUSTED
Sing the last verse slowly as sink to floor and lie down on backs
They're all exhausted now...
They're all exhausted now...
Look at all the elephants...
They're all exhausted now...
ZZZZZZZ (Lots of snoring)

Craft
Straws
Poster or tempera paint water down
Paper
Place drops of paint onto the paper, and blow! The straw is your elephant trunk
Remind children to take a break, to avoid dizziness.

Elephant Mask
What You Need:

* Construction paper
* Paper plate
* Stapler

What You Do:
1. Cut construction paper in half length wise and staple together to make a band which will fit on kids head.
2. Cut paper plates in half and slit it on the top so that it can fit on the sides of the band and staple them to the band to look like ears.
3. For the trunk roll a piece of construction paper up (to look like a tube) and tape it, then staple it to the center of the band to look like the trunk coming down.


Food
Elephant Ears
Submitted by: LEEMA
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 31 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 7 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour
Yields: 15 servings
"Crispy cinnamon-sugar fried bread confections!"
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3/8 cup shortening
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart oil for frying
3 tablespoons ground
cinnamon
6 tablespoons white sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. In small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and shortening. Heat until shortening melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm, 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Sprinkle in yeast and let sit until foamy.
2. Transfer mixture to large bowl, and stir in flour to make a dough. Knead until smooth, cover and let rise 30 minutes.
3. In a large heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Roll out 1 to 2 inch balls of dough into thin sheets. Fry sheets 1 to 2 minutes on a side, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels.
5. Combine cinnamon and 6 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle over warm pastries. Serve.

Eggs

Stories
Horton Hatches the egg
Green Eggs and Ham
Humpty Dumpty

Scriptures

Centers

Field Trips

Songs
Humpty Dumpty

Crafts/Games
Egg Hunt
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/humpty_dumpty.php

Food
Green Scrambled Eggs and Ham
Bird nest cookies (chow mein noodles and chocolate, m&m or jelly bean eggs?)

Egg in a Hole with Berries and Yogurt
2 slices whole-wheat bread
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup berries (such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
Spread the top of each slice of bread with 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. Using a round cookie cutter or drinking glass, cut a 2 1/2- to 3-inch hole in the center of each slice of bread, reserving the cutout pieces.
Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Place the bread and the cutouts, buttered-side up, in the skillet. Crack 1 egg into each hole. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the underside of the bread is golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the egg to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes for a runny yolk.
Divide the berries and yogurt between two bowls and sprinkle with the almonds (if using). Serve with the eggs.
Yield: Makes 4 servings