September 20th-24th Family Activities Newsletter

Welcome to week 62 of the WMHT Family Activities Newsletter.
This weekly family newsletter is providing resources for children’s growing and learning throughout the fall and winter months.
The theme for this week is Animals.
I hope you find this helpful!
Barbara Lukas, Family Learning Coordinator
Theme: Animals
Welcome to family activities with PBS Kids! Fall season is here, what better time to explore a variety of animal-themed activities.
Two age level areas are available – PreK-K and Grades 1-2. 
PreK-K
Make your own tracks with this activity from Nature Cat. You can use crayons or markers for tracing hands and feet. Think about animals living in your back yard or local community. Do you have birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer or raccoons? Create tracks from some of these other animals. What new animal tracks did you create?

       Sesame Street Animal Charades
Play an animal charades game. Start with these directions from Sesame Street, and gather your materials. Second, print this animal coloring sheet. These will be the animal squares to put into the paper bag. Now you are ready for animal charades!

Grades 1-2
In this Camp TV video, Fiona from the New York State Museum shows how to make a porcupine out of cut-out hand prints. Watch the video and follow along using the step-by-step instructions provided in the support materials. Supplies needed include colored paper, glue, scissors, and google eyes. What colors did you use for your porcupine?     

    Nature at Home – Super Senses
Explore how animals and humans use their senses to learn about the world around them with this fun, hands-on activity. This activity will challenge you to use your sense of touch to match different materials, and to think about how animals use their senses to understand their environment. Also watch this video from Nature to learn how Rusty-Spotted Cats use their senses to understand their environment.


America’s Test Kitchen Young Chefs’ Club
 Snack Toasts
Fall routines are in place with school activities. Are you hungry at the end of the school day? Too soon for dinner? How about Snack Toasts for simple healthy snacks! Start with bread and a creamy spread [peanut-almond-sunflower butter, soft cheese]. Add your favorite toppings [berries, dried fruit, and bananas]. For chocolate lovers - try Nutella!  Did you make an animal face?

Education is a team effort. You and your child's teacher can work together to support your child's learning success. There are many ways that parents can be involved to help their children be engaged and positive with their learning. Check out these tips and Parenting Minutes.
Share the newsletter with your families with