Yellow Meal Date
Introducing the use of a calendar while reviewing the color yellow
Instructions
- Think of foods with a child that you could serve for a yellow meal. For example, macaroni and cheese, banana, lemon Jell-O, yogurt, or pudding, sautéed yellow peppers, cheddar cheese, milk with yellow food coloring, corn, yellow squash, grapefruit, water with a yellow lemon, pineapple, etc.
- Click here for a calendar template or find a calendar for the child to use
- Look at the calendar together and review any special dates - birthdays or events - and write or draw pictures on those dates for this month
- Look and say the days of the week on the calendar, the name of the month, and count the number of days in the month
- Select a Yellow Meal date on the calendar for the family
- Color the date on the calendar with a yellow crayon
- Make a list and gather and shop for the yellow foods you will need
- Get the yellow placemat (Month 1 Activity 18) to use for the yellow meal
- Ask the child/family to wear something yellow for the meal
- Enjoy the yellow meal as a family
Simplify
Instead of making the meal, let the child cut out pictures of yellow food. A child can wear a yellow outfit on the selected date and glue the pictures of yellow food onto a paper plate.
Extend
While deciding and shopping for the yellow meal food, name the food and if it is a fruit, vegetable, grain, meat, etc.
QUESTIONS FOR CHILD
What is the purpose of a calendar?
What is an activity that you look forward to doing as a family?
Materials
- 12-month calendar or print out a calendar here
- yellow crayon
- yellow foods
- yellow placemat (Month 1 Activity 18)
- yellow clothing
Share This Activity
Curriculum Plan Resources
Skills Focus
- Shape - Square
- Color - Yellow
- Number - One, 1
- Alphabet Letter - A, E
- Senses - Touch
- Character Trait - Caring
- Target Words - In, Out, Empty, Full
Monthly Proverb
Swedish - The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
Did You Know?
Children who are not ready for kindergarten often have trouble succeeding in school. Those who do poorly in school are more likely to need to repeat classes, need special education, drop out of school, become teen parents, and get into trouble with the law. As adults, drop-outs have trouble making a living wage, and are at risk of poverty and homelessness
From Plan for the Washington Early Learning System – Draft 12/1/09 (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2005; Isaacs, 2008).
Books to Read
"The Mitten"
by Jan Brett (Activity 22)
"Little Blue and Little Yellow"
by Leo Lionni (Activity 8)
"How Kind"
by Mary Murphy (Activity 12)
"Little Blue and Little Yellow" VIDEO
by Leo Lionni (Activity 8)
"The Mitten" VIDEO
by Jan Brett (Activity 22)
"How Kind" VIDEO
by Mary Murphy (Activity 12)
Music Playlist
"The Hokey Pokey"
by Music for Little People Choir from album Toddlers Sing Playtime (Children) (Activity 14)
"Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K448 II."
Andante by Alicia de Larrocha from album Mozart: Concerto & Sonata for 2 pianos (Classical) (Activity 20)
"ABC (The Alphabet Song)"
from album Dora the Explorer (Children) (Activity 1)
"The Hokey Pokey" VIDEO
by The Learning Station (Activity 14)
"Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K448, II. Andante" VIDEO
by Mozart (Activity 20)
"ABC (The Alphabet Song" VIDEO
by Dora the Explorer
Monthly Materials List
Click Here to view the list!
Fingerplay / Poems / Songs
Select one poem for child to memorize this month and recite it at bedtime plus one song/fingerplay to learn. Here are two examples:
My NAME Song
(Activity 25 Month 1 - Sung to tune of BINGO)
There was a family had a child
and Carly (insert child's name) was her name.
C - A - R - L - Y C - A - R - L - Y C - A - R - L - Y (spell child's name)
And Carly (insert child's name) was her name
Kind To Others
(Activity 13 Month 1 - Fingerplay)
5 little children
Standing in a row ( hold up 5 fingers)
They are kind to others
Everywhere they go. (walk hand in front of body)
I am one of the children (point to self)
Standing in a row (hold up 5 fingers)
I'll be kind to others (point to self)
Wherever I go. (walk hand in front of body)
(This fingerplay works as a reminder to a child to be kind in any situation- without saying a word. Just walk hand in front of body to silently signal a child to remember to be kind or use actual sign language for the word kind.)