If You Take a Mouse to School
At the beginning of year, I always read the book "If You Take a Mouse To School." At our school we have a staggered entrance for kindergarten. The first day of school we have all the parents come in and we have a meeting with them. The meeting is to let the parents know what is expected in kindergarten. It is also a time to answer any questions that they might have. The staggered entrance starts on the second day of school. We have a third of the class come the second day, a third come the third day, a third come the fourth day, and all of the students come the fifth day of school. During the staggered days I read the book and introduce the mouse stuff animal.
After reading the book, we talk about what the mouse did at school in the book. I pull up a mouse without whiskers on my smartboard and have the students tell me things that he did. I draw the whiskers and write down their answers.
We discuss the rules of the classroom and talk about how we never leave without the teacher. We talk about how we should line up and walk in the hall. After we have discussed the rules we practice how to walk in the hall. As we go in the hall to practice my assistant hides the mouse where the students can't find it. When we re-enter the room the students notice that the mouse is missing. We talk about how he wasn't suppose to leave the room without the teacher. We look for him in the room and come across a clue at the bathroom. As the students read the clues they have to think about where the mouse might go next. The clues will lead us to the library, office, gym, cafeteria, computer lab, and playground. When we get to each location we talk about the rules and procedures in each places. This really helps the kids learn where everything is and how they are suppose to behave.
While I take the students to the playground my assistant goes back to the room and puts the mouse back at the front of the room. The kids learn the rules of the playground and figure out that there is not a clue left outside and decide to go back to the classroom to see if he came back. When we get back in they are excited to see him back. They always tell the mouse not to leave the classroom without the teacher.
Last, we have the students use picture cards to sequence how things happened in the book and retell it to us.
This is one of my favorite book activities I do with my kids at the beginning of the year to help with learning rules and procedures!!!
