1. The Read - 

Title: Our School and the Big Mountain

Welcome to summer!

Do you know the name of your school? It is called McKinley Elementary.

Our school is named after a man named William McKinley. He was the President of the United States a long time ago. Being the President is a very big job!

President McKinley was so famous that people named a giant mountain after him. It is far away in a place called Alaska. It is the tallest mountain in our whole country! It touches the clouds and is covered in snow.

Even though we can’t see that mountain from our window, we have mountains here in Utah too. Mountains are part of nature. Nature is everything outside that people didn't make—like trees, rivers, rocks, and animals. This summer, we are going to learn all about our beautiful world!

2. Vocabulary Power- K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say out loud together:

• President: The leader of our country. (Action: Stand tall and salute like a leader!)

• Mountain: A very, very big hill made of rock. (Action: Stretch your arms up high like a mountain peak.)

• Nature: Things like plants, animals, and dirt. (Action: Point to a tree or the grass.)

3. Talk About It - K.R.5:With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Memory Check: What is the name of our school? (Answer: McKinley).

2. Look Outside: Look out the window. Can you see a mountain? Is it big or small?

3. My Favorites: What is your favorite thing to do at the park? Do you like the swings or the slide best?

4. The Challenge: "The Tiny Ranger Hunt" - SEEd-K.2: Living things depend on their surroundings to get what they need, including forod, water, shelter. The characteristics of surroundings influence where living things are naturally found. Plants and animals affect and respond to their surrounding. 

Let's go on a treasure hunt in the yard!

Mission: Find 3 pieces of nature.

1. Find something GREEN: (A leaf? A blade of grass?)

2. Find something HARD: (A rock? A stick?)

3. Find something SOFT: (A flower petal? A feather?)

4. The Art Project: Bring them inside and glue them onto a piece of paper to make a nature picture!

5. Virtual Tour: Backyard Adventures

1. The Read K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Title: The Trip to the Stars

Look up at the sky at night. What do you see? You see the Moon and lots of twinkling stars.

A long time ago, people looked at the Moon and wondered, "What is it made of? Is it made of cheese?"

Brave people called Astronauts decided to go find out. They put on big, white puffy suits and helmets to help them breathe. They climbed into a giant rocket ship.

Zoom! The rocket blasted off with a lot of fire and smoke. It went higher than the birds, higher than the airplanes, and all the way into space.

When the astronauts walked on the Moon, they felt very light. They could jump really high! They looked back at Earth and saw that our home looks like a beautiful blue and green marble floating in the dark.

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2. Vocabulary Power - K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say and ACT out:

• Astronaut: A person who travels to space.

  • Action: Put on your imaginary helmet and zip up your suit!

• Rocket: A vehicle that flies very fast into space.

  • Action: Crouch down low, then jump up and yell "Blast off!"

• Gravity: The invisible pull that holds us on the ground.

  • Action: Jump up and feel your feet hit the floor. That's gravity pulling you down!

3. Talk About It - K.R.5:With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Observation: When you look at the Moon, what shape is it? Is it a circle (full moon) or a smile (crescent moon)?

2. Imagination: If you went to the Moon, who would you take with you? Your dog? Your best friend?

3. Counting: How many stars can you count in the sky tonight? Can you count to 10?

4. The Challenge: "The Blast-Off Countdown" - K.CC.1-3: Know number names and the counting sequence.

Kindergarteners need to practice counting backwards!

Mission: Launch your own body like a rocket.

1. The Squat: Crouch down on the floor like a tiny rocket.

2. The Count: Count backwards with your parent: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

3. The Launch: When you get to ZERO, jump as high as you can and yell "BLAST OFF!"

4. Repeat: Do it 3 times. Can you be a slow rocket? Can you be a fast rocket?

Virtual Tour/Field Trip: National Geographic: Our Solar System and Beyond

1. The Read 

Title: The Big Steam Train

Beep beep! We drive cars to get to school. But a long time ago, there were no cars. If you wanted to visit a friend far away, you had to ride a horse!

Then, people built something new: The Steam Train.

Big black trains with smoke coming out of the top chugged across the country. Chugga-chugga-choo-choo!

One train track started in the West. Another train track started in the East. They built them closer and closer until they met... right here in Utah!

To celebrate, they didn't use a normal nail to finish the track. They used a Golden Spike (a big gold nail). It showed everyone that the country was finally connected together. Now, people could travel fast and safe.

2. Vocabulary Power - K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say and ACT out:

• Locomotive: The front part of the train that pulls the cars.

  • Action: Move your arms in circles at your sides like wheels turning.

• Tracks: The metal rails the train rides on.

  • Action: Put your arms out straight in front of you like parallel lines.

• Connect: To bring two things together.

  • Action: Clap your hands together and hold them tight!

3. Talk About It - K.R.5:With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Sound Check: What sound does a train make? (Answer: Choo Choo! Woo Woo!).

2. Color Check: The special nail they used was made of gold. what color is gold? (Answer: Shiny yellow).

3. Travel: Have you ever seen a train in real life? Was it long or short?

4. The Challenge: "The Toy Train Pattern"

Kindergarteners need to practice making patterns (Math skill).

Mission: Build a train using your toys.

1. Gather: Go get 5 small toys (cars, blocks, dolls).

2. The Pattern: Line them up on the floor like a train. Can you make a pattern?

   • Example: Car, Block, Car, Block... what comes next?

3. The Conductor: You are the conductor! Crawl on your knees next to your toy train and lead the way to the "station" (the kitchen).

1. The Read 

Title: The Giants in Our Backyard

Close your eyes and imagine... ROAR!

A long, long time ago—before your grandparents were born, and before there were any people—Utah was full of Dinosaurs.

Some dinosaurs were small like chickens. Others were huge! They were bigger than a school bus. Some had long necks to eat leaves from the tops of trees. Others had sharp teeth to eat meat.

The dinosaurs are gone now, but they left something behind for us to find. They left their bones in the dirt. These old bones are called Fossils.

Scientists dig up the fossils right here in Utah. They put the bones together like a puzzle to see what the dinosaurs looked like. Next time you see a big rock, look closely... maybe a dinosaur walked on it millions of years ago!

2. Vocabulary Power - K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say and ACT out:

• Huge: Very, very big.

  • Action: Stretch your arms out as wide as you can!

• Fossil: Old bones or footprints turned into stone.

  • Action: Curl up in a ball on the floor and stay very still like a rock.

• Paleontologist: (This is a big word! Can you say Pay-Lee-On-Tol-O-Gist?) A scientist who digs for dinosaur bones.

  • Action: Pretend to dig a hole with a shovel. Dig, dig, dig!

3. Talk About It - K.R.5: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Sound Check: What sound does a T-Rex make? (Answer: ROAAAAR!).

2. Teeth Check: Open your mouth. Do you have sharp teeth? Some dinosaurs had teeth as big as bananas!

3. Favorites: Which dinosaur do you like best? The one with the long neck (Brontosaurus) or the one with the three horns (Triceratops)?

4. The Challenge: "The Dino Stomp"

Get moving! This activity helps with gross motor skills.

Mission: Move like a dinosaur.

1. The T-Rex: Stand up on your tiptoes. Tuck your arms in close to your chest (tiny arms). Stomp around the room and show your teeth!

2. The Long Neck: Walk on your hands and knees. Stretch your neck up high. Pretend to eat leaves off the top of the couch.

3. The Flyer: Spread your arms out like wings. "Fly" around the kitchen. Don't crash!

Virtual Tour: We Went Fossil Hunting!!

1. The Read

Title: The Big Birthday Party

Did you know countries have birthdays too?

This week is the 4th of July. It is the birthday of the United States of America! That is the country where we live.

To celebrate, we have a big party. We don't eat cake with candles, but we do look at the sky to see bright, loud Fireworks! Boom! Crackle! Pop!

We also wave our flag. The American Flag has three colors: Red, White, and Blue. It has stripes that go across and stars that twinkle in the corner.

When you see the flag flying outside a house or at our school, it is like saying "I love my country." Happy Birthday, America!

2. Vocabulary Power - K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say and ACT out:

• Celebrate: To have fun because something special happened.

  • Action: Throw your hands up in the air and yell "Hooray!"

• Flag: A piece of cloth with special colors that stands for a country.

  • Action: Pretend to hold a stick and wave a flag back and forth.

• Fireworks: Bright lights in the sky.

  • Action: Clap your hands together, then open them wide like an explosion. Boom!

3. Talk About It -K.R.5:With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Color Detective: Look at the flag (or a picture of one). Can you find the Red stripes? Can you point to the White stars?

2. Sound Check: Fireworks are loud! Can you make a loud sound? Now can you make a whisper sound?

3. Party Time: If you had a birthday party for America, what kind of food would you serve? Hot dogs? Watermelon? Popsicles?

4. The Challenge: "The Kitchen Parade"

Every good 4th of July has a parade. Let's make one!

Mission: March to the beat.

1. The Instrument: Go into the kitchen. Ask a parent for a plastic bowl and a wooden spoon. This is your drum!

2. The March: Lift your knees up high. March around the living room. Left, right, left, right!

3. The Beat: Hit your drum while you march. Bang, bang, bang!

4. The Song: Can you sing "Yankee Doodle" while you march?

1. The Read

Title: The Lake That Holds You Up

Do you like to go swimming? When you jump in the pool, you have to kick your legs and move your arms to stay on top of the water.

But did you know there is a Magic Lake right near our house? It is called the Great Salt Lake.

This lake is very special because it is full of salt. It has way more salt than the ocean!

Because the water is so salty, it is very strong. If you lay back in the Great Salt Lake, the water pushes you up! You float on top just like a rubber ducky in the bathtub. You don't even have to kick!

Birds love the lake too. They fly from all over the world to eat the tiny shrimp that live in the salty water. It is a busy place for birds and bugs!

2. Vocabulary Power - K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say and ACT out:

• Float: To stay on top of the water.

  • Action: Lie on your back on the floor and pretend to relax on the water.

• Sink: To fall to the bottom of the water.

  • Action: Curl into a heavy ball and "plop" down on the floor.

• Salty: A taste! Like a pretzel or a potato chip.

  • Action: Pretend to sprinkle salt on your food. Shake, shake, shake!

3. Talk About It -K.R.5:With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Taste Test: Have you ever tasted a french fry with no salt? Does it taste different than a salty one?

2. Prediction: If you threw a heavy rock into the water, would it sink or float? (Answer: Sink!).

3. Bird Watch: Have you seen seagulls flying around our town? They love the big lake!

4. The Challenge: "Sink or Float?" SEEd.K.3: Forces, Motions, and interactions

This is the most famous Kindergarten science experiment of all time!

Mission: Be a Water Scientist.

1. The Lab: Fill a big bowl or a bucket with water (or use the bathtub!).

2. The Objects: Go find 4 things:

   • A coin

   • A leaf

   • A plastic spoon

   • A rock

3. The Guess: Hold up the rock. Ask, "Will it sink or float?"

4. The Test: Drop it in! Splash! Were you right?

5. The Magic Trick: Try to make a ball of aluminum foil float. Then squish it tight and see if it sinks!

6. Virtual Experiment: Will it Float or will it Sink?  or  Sink or Float?

1. The Read

Title: The Boy and the Box

Do you have a big cardboard box at your house? Maybe a new toy came in it, or maybe some groceries.

To a grown-up, it is just a brown box. But to an inventor (like you!), it can be anything you want!

A boy named Philo grew up in Utah a long time ago. He lived in a log cabin. He didn't have many toys, so he had to use his imagination. He looked at things differently than other people. When he grew up, he invented the Television!

Inventors are people who look at something boring and turn it into something fun. They ask "What if?"

What if this stick was a magic wand? What if this blanket was a superhero cape? What if this box was a race car?

Your brain is an idea factory. Keep it busy!

2. Vocabulary Power - K.SL.1: Participate in a range of conversations with peers and adults, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts

Words to say and ACT out:

• Imagine: To make a picture in your head.

  • Action: Close your eyes and tap your head with your finger. Ping!

• Invent: To make something new that nobody has ever made before.

  • Action: Pretend to hammer and build something with your hands.

• Tool: Something that helps you do a job (like a hammer or a pencil).

  • Action: Pretend to use a screwdriver. Twist, twist, twist.

3. Talk About It - K.R.5:With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in text 

Three questions to ask your child:

1. The Box Test: If I gave you a REALLY big box, what would you turn it into? A house? A boat? A cave for a bear?

2. Problem Solving: Uh oh! My shoe is untied. What tool can I use to fix it? (Answer: My hands/fingers!).

3. Dream Big: If you could invent a robot, what would it do? Would it clean your room? Would it make ice cream?

4. The Challenge: "The Blanket Fort"

The ultimate engineering challenge for kids!

Mission: Build a secret hideout.

1. The Supplies: Ask a parent for two chairs and a big blanket (or a sheet).

2. The Build: Drape the blanket over the chairs. Make sure there is room to crawl underneath.

3. The Test: Crawl inside! Is it dark? Is it cozy?

4. The Secret Base: Bring a flashlight and your favorite book inside. This is now your Inventor's Lab.

5. Read Aloud: Jasper and Ollie Build a Fort

1. The Read

Title: The Little Cougar is Ready

Hooray! You did it!

You have been a busy explorer this summer. You learned about space, trains, dinosaurs, and bugs. You climbed the whole mountain of summer!

Now, it is time for the biggest adventure of all: Kindergarten.

Going to school is exciting. You will have a backpack to carry your things. You will have a teacher who loves to read stories. You will have recess on the big playground.

Sometimes, doing something new feels a little scary. That is okay! Even grown-ups get nervous sometimes. Being Brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. Being brave means you take a deep breath, smile, and try it anyway.

You are a McKinley Cougar now. Cougars are strong, kind, and helpful. You are ready to learn. You are ready to make friends. We are so happy you are here!

2. Vocabulary Power - K.HF.1-3: Students will learn characteristics of a safe and healthy relationship.

Words to say and ACT out:

• Brave: Feeling strong inside, even when you are nervous.

  • Action: Stand like a superhero with hands on hips and chest out!

• Classroom: The special room where you learn and play at school.

  • Action: Pretend to sit "criss-cross applesauce" nicely on the rug.

• Friend: Someone you like to play with and talk to.

  • Action: Wave your hand and say "Hi, friend!"

3. Talk About It - K. MEH.1-2: Students will identify emotions and how to appropriately react to different emotions.

Three questions to ask your child:

1. Feelings Check: How do you feel about school starting? Are you happy? Excited? A little shy? (Tell them that all those feelings are okay).

2. The Morning Routine: What will we eat for breakfast on the first day? Pancakes? Toast? Cereal?

3. The "Hello" Practice: If you see someone new at school, what can you say? (Try practicing: "Hi, my name is [Name]. Do you want to play?")

4. The Challenge: "The Zipper Drill"

Ask any Kindergarten teacher: Zippers are the hardest part of the first week!

Mission: Master your gear.

1. The Coat: Put on your jacket. Can you fit the zipper together at the bottom? Pull it all the way up!

2. The Backpack: Put your backpack on. Is it too heavy? Practice unzipping the big pocket and zipping it closed again.

3. The Lunchbox: Practice opening your lunchbox (or snack container) by yourself.

4. The Victory: If you can do it all by yourself, give your parent a high-five!

5. Virtual Tour: Let's Go To Kindergarten!