Some of our social studies goals/questions include:

Who am I?

What is a family?

How do I get along with others?

How can I be a good helper at school?

What is in my neighborhood?

Where am I in the world? (Identifying town, state, country and American symbols)

How do people live around the world?

What do people need and want?

How can I help take care of the world?

Fun activities to try at home:

• Take a walk around your neighborhood and discuss what you see. What is your favorite part of your neighborhood?
• Help take care of the world by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Create a "Reuse It" station in your house. Reuse items in different ways or turn them into crafts. Glue pieces of colored paper onto a milk carton (cut the carton in half) and make a flower pot.
• Listen to the story I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont (see link below- #3). Discuss : What do you like about yourself? What are some things you like to do? Do you have a favorite food? Or color? Do : Draw a picture of yourself. You can make it like a portrait- just your head and shoulders, or you can draw your whole body, or you can draw you doing an activity that you love. Write a sentence to go along with your picture.
• Listen to the story A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary (see link below- #4). Discuss: What does your family look like? Who makes up your family? What fun things do you do together? Do: Draw a picture of your family. You can include your favorite family activities in your drawing. Write a sentence about your picture.
• Different kinds of homes where people live - Listen to two stories about homes, Building a House by Byron Barton (see link #6), and A House is a House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman (see link #7). Where do you live? After listening to the stories, choose one of the following activities that tells about your house: build a house with your blocks or Legos for your stuffed animals, or dolls, or other toys, make a house with your playdoh, draw your house with crayons and markers, or draw a map of your house or your bedroom.
• Learn your address and phone number- Click on the links below (#'s 8 & 9) for fun songs and activities to help your child learn their address and phone numbers. Here are a few more activities to engage children in the learning process...draw a phone keypad outside with chalk and jump to each number, use sticky notes- place one number on each sticky note and place on a wall or the refrigerator and then hIgh-five the phone number, and send letters in the mail to family members, friends, or teachers. This a great way to reinforce learning your address.
• Community Helpers- Community helpers are people who live and work in our communities. Community helpers make communities cleaner, safer, and more pleasant for people to live. There are many kinds of community helpers where ever you look!

Watch the video songs below about community helpers (links 10 & 11) , and listen to the read aloud (link 12).

Choose an activity from this list afterwards.

-Make a thank you card for a community helper in your neighborhood (the garbage collector, the postal worker, the grocer, a nurse….).

-Write about what you would like to be when you grow up and draw a picture.

-As you go around your neighborhood, walking, or driving, look for community helpers and talk about what they do with your grown-up.

• Memorial Day- Watch the PBS video below (#13) to learn about Memorial Day. Do you know anyone who has served or is serving in the armed forces? Draw a flag to honor them or make them a card to say "thank you" for their service.
• FLAG DAY ACTIVITIES- Do you know the colors of the Flag? Do you know how many stars and stripes are on our flag? Let’s learn all about the flag! See the link below (#14) and have fun making a flag using different kinds of materials. Link # 15 will bring you to a patriotic song by Jack Hartmann.
• JUNETEENTH- Juneteenth is a holiday that is celebrated on June 19th every year. Have you heard about it? Maybe not. Here is a great story for children that tells about the holiday and why it is important. Listen to the story and have a discussion with your family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4TvA7Iw64Q
• For our last Social Studies lessons of the year, here are some stories about the last day of kindergarten and the beginning of summer fun. Our end of the year looks a bit different than those in the stories, but know that the teachers are all celebrating how hard you all worked! Celebrate all the hard work you accomplished this year, and think about how much you have grown and learned! We are proud of all of you!

What do you enjoy over the summer? What is your favorite summer activity?

Write or draw a picture about what you like to do when the weather is hot and sunny outside.

**See the links below (16-18) for great last day of school stories.

Social Studies Links:

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6JYp4wp2Is Milk Jug Bunny Planter

2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eub7Pe6DZIc Elmer Elephant Craft

3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTIyUKznXzk I Like Myself ,by Karen Beaumont

4.https://youtu.be/7DA11FIf0M4 A Family is a Family is a Family ,by Sara O’Leary

5.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_LtHrEiao Sesame Street: Family Song

6.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU9NneMcS8A Building A House by Byron Barton and read aloud by Mrs. Schwantner

7.https://youtu.be/s4cGB0-7R-0 A House Is A House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman

8.https://youtu.be/_bIWptIo8X8 Learn your address song and activities

9.https://youtu.be/BY1z_PHqTqA Learn your phone number

10.https://youtu.be/BOv4EnaeM9w Occupations Song, by The Learning Station

11.https://youtu.be/YZlC-GhzNos Sesame Street song- These Are The People In Your Neighborhood

12.https://youtu.be/kbESoENjOXI Helpers in my Community, by Bobbie Kalman read aloud by Mrs. Schwantner

13.https://youtu.be/xWn2RPr-GhE PBS For Kids video- Memorial Day

14.https://youtu.be/Uq19dRIa6Qc American Flag Crafts

15.https://youtu.be/oex3j_9AhGA This is America to Me by Jack Hartmann

16.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqg-d-T6kVI Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

17.https://youtu.be/SU1w0GVBW34 The Last Day of Kindergarten by Nancy Loewen, read by the author herself!

18.https://youtu.be/CsV_SzPPN0w And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner