Afterwards, ask the family members to write out their recipes and have your students illustrate them. Make copies of these recipes and bind them together to create your own classroom Family Cookbook. Give each student one copy of the cookbook to take home. Don't underestimate the power of a simple newsletter for helping families bond with the classroom. Try using the last five minutes of each school day to recap with students what they did that day.
Family is the developmental anchor for five and six year olds.
Clear family routines, schedules, and expectations create the safe harbor these young childrenneed so much. Lyle worries about her favorite sit when her mom's lap becomes smaller because she's expecting a baby. A young married couple prepares to adopt baby Jamie. A baby who grows up realizes that she is a giant in her own baby's eyes. A young girl explains how her American sailor father and Japanese schoolgirl mother met.