Last Week in Review

Firefighters and cats and dogs.  Oh, my!

Last week we started a 2-week unit on fire safety in EK and PK, and we'll be reading many fire-themed books. On Monday the EK children read I Am Fire written by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by Judith Moffat. Some of the children responded below.

EK Responses

Sophie: I liked this book. I already knew before we talked about Stop, Drop, and Roll because I already learned about it. I really want to be a fireman and I really went to see a fire truck and did the hose and I went in the fire truck.

Brooke N.: I liked it. They were doing a fire drill at school. [Flips to another illustration.] Someone saw a fire over where the leaves. [Flips to another illustration.] She went out without her shoes because [the house] was on fire.

Hayden:  I liked it. A girl and a puppy went outside and helped the brother get away from the fire.

Daniel:  I know the words Stop, Drop, and Roll and I know on this page if the door is all blocked by fire and the windows weren't blocked you can go out the windows. And on this page I didn't know that leafs could go on fire. And I know if there's a fire you should go on your hands and knees. And I think he [boy in an illustration] was really big so he shouldn't play with matches, he would know you shouldn't play with matches, or you shouldn't play with cigarettes.  And I know that you put a marshmallow on your stick when you're roasting marshmallows.  And I know that there's only three words -- nine, one, one. At home we have a wood and screen attached to the wood to keep us away from the fireplace. And I have seen fireworks on TV and when I was upstairs and Mom was reading a story in my bed I heard them. [Turns his attention to another illustration.] The puppy is too close to the grill and the girl is right next to the mom. I liked it except the fact it made me remember on the computer it was a video like Land Before Time, but it wasn't one it was a one where he could spit out fire and he could also eat it. I didn't like it because it made me think that I was eating it without being trained.

Brooke B.:  I liked it when the dad was reading a bedtime story to the kid. And I liked it when a boy blew out the candles. And I liked it when they were watching the fireworks together. I liked it when they practiced the fire drill. I liked it when they did a fire drill at school. I liked it when the kid told a grown-up when she saw a pile of leaves burning. I liked it when a boy crawled under the smoke. I liked it when that boy dropped, stopped and rolled. I liked it when they went camping and roasted marshmallows. I liked it when the girl called 9-1-1.

Dev: I liked that part. [Kids having a fire drill at school.]

[On Monday the EK kids also reread THE STORY OF FERDINAND written by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson.]


The PK children still needed to vote for their favorite animal, dog or cat. On Monday the PK children read two books: Clifford's Tricks written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell, and Caldecott Honor Book Green Eyes written and illustrated by A. Birnbaum. They voted, and the vote tallied up at 8 for dogs and 5 for cats.

Christel:  I liked the Clifford book best. I liked it 'cause Clifford rolled over the truck and when he went WOOF loud. The girl fell in the water. It was a good thing the dog saved the girl. And I liked it when Clifford was the best dog ever. And Clifford really is a good dog. Well, sometimes he doesn't do the right things we want him to do 'cause sometimes he's naughty.

Camryn liked Clifford's Tricks:  I liked Clifford. She [a girl walking on the railing of a bridge] fell in the water because she was doing something dangerous. Her foots were up there [on the bridge railing] then her head was upside down [as she fell from the bridge]. Her dog tried to save her but he couldn't because he wasn't big. Clifford saved them.

Emelyn liked Green Eyes: I liked this kitty book. I like he slipping down the box. [Flips to another illustration.] All the animals thought he was a little lion in the jungle.

Emmett liked Green Eyes:  He's like a tiger.

Eva liked Green Eyes:  Because he has green eyes and he could climb out of his small box. I liked when he was in the grass like a baby lion.

Katherine liked Clifford's Tricks: I liked the Clifford one because Clifford and the other dog saved the little girl.

Kaitlyn liked Clifford's Tricks:  Her dog was a little less smarter. The girl with the yellow dress. But Clifford -- no. Not that smart. He didn't know anything. And he barked so loud people were arguing. He rolled over on the police car. [Flips to last illustration.] And then they both hugged them. [Emily Elizabeth and her new friend hugged their dogs.]

Acadia liked Clifford's Tricks:  Because Clifford saved them.  I like them because they like them. [Emily  Elizabeth and her new friend both like their dogs.]

Mack liked Green Eyes: I like the kitty best because her name was Green Eyes because she was a kitty. When she was [getting bigger] her box was getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.

Mikayla liked Clifford's Tricks:  That book silly.

Summer liked Clifford's Tricks best.

CPG Kids Read for the Record

Thursday, October 8th was Jumpstart's Read for the Record day, and children across the country read Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Even though we read this book early in September, we reread it in CPG in order to participate in this important event. On Friday, we read Little House, Little Town by Scott Beck.

Ryan spoke about The Very Hungry Caterpillar:  I like this picture because he eats one apple on this day, and two pears on the other day, and three . . . What are these again? [Me: plums] 'Cause he ate the plums and he ate the strawberries and he ate the five oranges but he was still hungry. So he ate the chocolate and the ice cream and the pickle and the cheese and one slice of salami and a lollipop, and pie, and a sausage, and a cupcake and the watermelon then he had a bellyache. 'Cause he ate those leaves but I don't know why he cut the holes out to pretend he ate them. Then he was a big fat caterpillar then he was a butterfly and that's it.

Aidan C. spoke about  The Very Hungry Caterpillar:  Part of it was when he was in a egg. Part of it was when he popped out. When he ate all the things he had a stomachache. When he feeled better he ate part of a leaf.

Alec talked about Little House, Little Town:  He didn't have a helmet. She's scared of the dog. They're climbing up the tree. She ate an ice cream. He's [a dog] trying to pull the chain.

Olivia spoke about Little House, Little Town: The baby had a different face. [We had commented that the baby looked like he had a grown-up face.] [Turns to an illustration of boys riding bikes.] Riding bikes! They didn't have a helmet. [Flips to another page.] She's getting ice cream.

Arthur talked about Little House, Little Town: [Looking at title page.] My favorite is that part because the baby looks like he has a man's face. I think this is the end because the baby is standing up and saying, "Hey!" [Flips to another page.] I like this page because there was a dog in the page and ice cream. [Flips to another page.] But my really favorite page is when they leave their bike out. [Flips to another page.] No. My REALLY favorite page is that there was a lot of buildings.

J.J. spoke about The Very Hungry Caterpillar: I like that part because it's funny because the egg -- it looks like a rock! And I like this when he ate through these, and again, and again, and again, and again, and AGAIN!  I like the WHOLE book!

John talked about Little House, Little Town: I liked about it that it has when all of the guys were riding on bikes. And I liked that when the grocer was trying to make a tower with these cans. And I liked that the girl was going to get ice cream. And I liked that they put on the sprinkler. And I liked when the girl was finishing her ice cream cone. And I like when it was all quiet in the church and everything and it showed the church and everything. And that's it.

Bob wanted to talk about You Can Name 100 Trucks by Randy Chewning, a book he pulled off the shelf and "read" on his own. Bob points to a building on fire and says, "Fire!" Points again and says: "School bus.  Fire truck."

Teagan didn't feel like talking about books this week.

NOTE:  We had 5 children absent in CPG on both Thursday and Friday this week.

THE STORY OF FERDINAND: Snotting and Butting and Kicking

[Today we read THE STORY OF FERDINAND written by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson in 1936.  John was the only child to contribute today, because he missed discussing GROWL BEAR yesterday. I asked him to pick his favorite, and he wanted to talk about THE STORY OF FERDINAND. He actually flipped page by page through the book as he talked.]

EK John: I liked it because it had a big "O" [the first word of the book is ONCE, and the O is giant in comparison to the rest of the font] and a tall tower. And I like it because Ferdinand was eating a little grass. And I liked when all of the bulls were just butting around and stuff. And I liked when Ferdinand was walking to the cork tree. And I like it when he was just relaxing at the cork tree. And I like when his mother was going to ask if he was lonely. And I like when he said, "I'm not lonely." And I liked when the mother was just walking away. I liked this page because it marked how old he was. And I like it when he was just sitting under the tree calmly.

And I like it when they saw they could have been chosen to the bull fight. And I like it because all the men were wearing funny hats. And I liked it when all the bulls wanted to be chosen. And I liked this page because he sat on a bee. And I liked it when he had his eyes wide opened because he was sitting on a bee. And I liked it when he just jumped up because the bee just stung him. And I liked it when he was snotting and butting and kicking.

And I like when they were pulling him to the ring. And I like when they were all bringing him to the ring. And I liked when the girls had the flowers in their hair. And I liked it when they brung out everything to make them mad, and I liked everything else that they wanted to make him mad with. And I liked it because they bring out the sword and he [the matador] was smiling a lot. And I liked the one where Ferdinand just peeked out of there. And I liked it when he was walking out to the ring. And I liked it because he was just sitting around smelling the flowers. And I liked it when all the men were so mad. And I like that guy [the matador] was so sad.  And I liked it when he was going to leave the ring. And I liked it when he was just sitting under the cork tree.

I liked it in the front [cover illustration] when he was in a different color red instead of white. In the black and white pictures when they [the baby bulls] were running there was some black on the grass and they [the bulls] had some black spots on them. This was very old and I like painting in the olden days.