Rosemary Wells has made quite a name for herself with children’s books that feature animals as the main characters. Perhaps you’d know her best from “Max and Ruby.” While this brother/sister combo are probably her most famous characters, she has created several, and “My Kindergarten” features many of them.
Much thicker and more involved than her other books, Rosemary put together this book with a great deal of thought into the curriculum taught at kindergarten so she could complement that curriculum with the things she chose to include in the book. We begin in September with the first day of school and see the children a little nervous to begin, but they get more comfortable as the day progresses. They prepare for back to school night, and the book takes us through each month of the school year, with the activities that would naturally take place in a classroom. The great thing about this book is that each section gives hints to parents for activities, games, and snacks they can do with their children to go along with what is being read. So the book acts in concert with the school and the parents can act in concert with the book, giving the child the total experience.
The topics included are –
Math: The children measure their feet and compare; they learn how to use money, and how to chart the time they use to get ready for school.
Science: The children choose partners and go out to gather weeds and seeds. They make a chart to write down everything that they learned and how to classify the plants.
Language: Papa shows the children the difference between an instrument played well and played badly, and compares that to language. When we speak correctly, it sounds beautiful.
Community: The children go on field trips and gather trash everywhere they go.
Music: There is a song every day, and throughout the book, we are shown snatches of song. Some of the selections – “Dona Nobis Pacem,” “Sheep May Safely Graze,” and “Ode to Joy.”
Art: The children make gifts for their parents out of recycled things from their attics.
Holidays: The major holidays in each season are celebrated, along with some history behind them or traditional ways to celebrate.
This book has a little bit of something for everyone, and your children will love the adorable illustrations.
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