My Family Tree

Learning goal: Humans (and animals) closely resemble their parents. The characteristics of an organism can be inherited (such as hair color) or learned (such as riding a bicycle).

• Reading= Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, I Wish My Brother Was a Dog by Carol Diggory Shields and What Grandmas (Grandpas) Do Best by Laura Numeroff. Letter of the day= G is for grandparent.
• Science= Look at pictures of your family. Using a mirror, find traits you share in common with Mom and Dad (e.g., brown eyes and dimples like Mom, blonde hair and a tongue that curls like Dad). Then try this fun, hands-on activity that demonstrates how traits (represented by colored pom-poms) are passed from parents to offspring in a gingerbread family. See instructions and printable gingerbread pedigree.
  
• Art= Make a handprint family tree (shaped like an evergreen). Start with a parent's large handprints at the bottom and work your way up to the top ending with the smallest handprints in the family. Alternatively, make a pedigree mobile using pictures of your family. Start with a large picture of your child at the top. Hang smaller pictures of Mom and Dad from the bottom corners. Finally, hang pictures of the grandparents. Tie Mother’s parents to her picture and Father’s parents to his picture. Tip: Tie the mobile together in advance so children can just cut and glue pictures in the appropriate places.
  
• Music= Work at stations below as you listen to the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini.
• Play= Set up stations where kids can pretend to be Mom and Dad. 1) Shave like Dad with whip cream and popsicle sticks, or dress up like Mom (make-up and all). 2) Match socks and toss them into a laundry basket. 3) Sweep the kitchen floor and wash plastic dishes with a sponge. 4) Clean windows using a water-filled spray bottle. You could even try washing the car!

Fun fact: Thanksgiving day has also been declared National family history day.