Theme

View

  1. view [vyoo] noun  
    1. an opinion or way of thinking about something  
    2. the things that can be seen from a particular place   
  2. view [vyoo] verb
    1.  to see or watch (a movie, a TV show, etc.) 
    2.  to think about (someone or something) in a particular way 

Changing the physical VIEW

Changing your view, or even your physical vantage point, might make something seem completely different than before.  Have you ever walked your favorite route around the neighborhood backwards, starting off in the opposite direction from which you normally do?  Try it.  

Have you ever done your nighttime routine in a different sequence? Bath, teeth, PJs, book, bed. Check. What about trying it one night: teeth, book, bath, PJs, bed. How does that feel? You might not want to put your PJs on before you get in the bath, though! Have you ever laid down in the middle of the floor and looked all around your house from that different angle?   

Taking on another person’s point of VIEW

Things aren’t always what they seem. It’s tricky, but sometimes really cool, to consider things from another person’s point of VIEW. Just when I’m ready to pounce, I stop, and think “Is there a different way to look at this?”  

When we argue, it feels bad. Worse when we know we’ve hurt someone’s feelings. What happens if you think about that situation from their point of view? Does anything change? Might you do something differently next time?   

Imagine telling about how another friend’s day went

After spending the day with a family member or a friend, try telling the story of each other’s day before telling your own version in your own voice.  How different or similar were the tales?   Read a favorite story book, and then make up the same story but from the point of view of one of the other characters.   

What shapes our VIEW

Our experiences, our personalities, our interests and so many other things influence our point of view.  How do you see the world?  Glass half empty or glass half full?  Rose colored glasses?  Life full of problems or possibilities? Fixed or flexible mindset?  So many ways to see things, so many ways to interpret them.     

 

Suggested Reading List

  • The Big Umbrella by Amy Jane Bates
  • But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
  • Egg by Kevin Henkes
  • Who Took the Farmer’s Hat by Joan Nodset
  • Why Am I Me? Paige Britt (Eng/Sp)
  • Beautiful Oops by Barnet Saltzberg
  • Be a Friend by Salina Yoon
  • Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
  • One World, One Day by Barbara Kerley
  • Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
  • Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
  • Lovely by Jess Hong
  • Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
  • Most People by Michael Leannah
  • The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires
  • It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr
  • Little Humans by Brendon Stanton

Explore Our Themes

Theme

Our Senses

How do you explore and understand what is around you?  Think about what happens when Mom or Dad tells you that dinner is ready – you can hear them asking you to wash your hands, feel the water and soap against your skin, smell what’s cooking, see your chair at the table and taste the food on your plate. You can do all of that thanks to your senses!
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Theme

Kindness

Whether shining through a smile, the assistance of a helping hand, being patient or using manners, you can spread kindness. What acts of kindness have you seen? Maybe you remember a time that someone was kind to you. Kindness can be contagious, one act causing another and so on.
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Theme

Earth

Earth is the place we call home, and it’s a very special place indeed. From the sky above to the ground at your feet, we are surrounded by creatures and features that inform and influence our lives.
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Theme

Change

Does it sometimes feel like everything is always changing?  It’s a fact: change is all around us and within us.  Change happens.  And at the same time, some things stay exactly the same.  Through this theme of CHANGE, you can check out lots of things in your world that change, and maybe even a few that don’t.
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Theme

Movement

Hey….get moving!  Animal, human, or machine….minuscule or humongous…..seen and unseen…..so many things move.  Think about it for a minute.  Even when you are standing very still, some parts of your body (especially on the inside) are still moving even when you think you’re not.  
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Theme

World

Do you ever wonder what’s beyond your backyard, or outside the city limits? It’s a wide, wide world.  There is so much that makes every continent, every country, every state, every city, every neighborhood, and even every home, unique.  The WORLD theme offers a way to take a worldly adventure, without ever hopping on a plane.
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Theme

Make

Things are what you make of them, right? Whether you are making something functional, making up your mind, making friends, or trying to make the world a better place, the act of making is one fueled by curiosity, imagination and creativity. Even little people have big ideas, so this theme of MAKE will provide the sparks for getting those wheels turning.
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