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The Illinois Early Learning Project (IEL) is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide information resources on early learning and training related to implementing the Illinois Early Learning Standards for parents and for early childhood personnel in all settings. The IEL tip sheets offer suggestions to parents and early childhood personnel on a variety of topics related to children's early experiences. This set of 10 tip sheets, in English- and Spanish-language versions, relates specifically to parenting and family life. Titles are as follows: (1)"Five Tips on Choosing a Preschool"; (2) "Getting Ready for Kindergarten"; (3) "Learning and Fun on Family Field Trips"; (4) "Manners and Preschoolers"; (5) "Pets and Young Children"; (6) "Starting Kindergarten? Help Make It a Good Experience!"; (7) "Things To Do while You're Waiting: Learning Activity Kits"; (8) "Time To Play, Time To Dream: Unscheduling Your Child"; (9) "Using Words To Discipline Children"; and (10) "What Makes a Good Toy?" (LPP)

This reading program manual delineates the "Books and Pets" program, a project of Arizona Reads, which is a collaboration between the Arizona Humanities Council and the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records. A CD-ROM version of the program accompanies the manual. The manual is divided into the following parts: Introduction; Getting Started (Planning with Goals and Objectives; Program Planning and Scheduling; Let's Get Everyone Involved; Awards and Incentives; Program Survey; Publicity and Promotion; Letter from K-READ and Graphics; Decorations; Registration; Reading Logs); General Resources (Resource Companies; Government Resources; General Programming Titles; Theme-Based Fiction Titles; Theme-Based Non-Fiction Titles; Helpful Web Sites); Arizona Humane Society (Introductory Letter; Humane Literature Checklist; Games, Puzzles, and Activities; Bibliography of Children's Books); Activities (Age-Adaptable Programs and Activities; Songs and Plays; Pet Riddles; Games and Puzzles; Answers); Crafts (General Crafts; Sewing Crafts; Origami Crafts; Masks and Drawings; Recipes); and Special Groups (Young Adult General Programming; Young Adult Theme-Based Programming; Special Needs General Programming; Talking Book Bibliography; Good Books about Special Needs). Appendixes contain information about availability of program funds, incentive coupons for program participants, information on contributing to the 2003 Summer Reading Program, and detailed information on performers related to this year's theme. (NKA)

This document features a guide for elementary and secondary school teachers integrating animals into their curriculum and classrooms. Topics discussed include suitable classroom pets, care and housing, integrating the classroom pet into the curriculum, live animal studies, earthworms, dissections, science fairs, and resources. (YDS)

This curriculum guide was developed for use with public television's Nature series. The materials in the guide are designed to help students actively participate in the study and experience of nature. Students are encouraged to view the programs as naturalists would, observing animals in their environment, noting their behavior, and drawing conclusions. Each lesson in the Teacher's Resource Guide includes: (1) a "Program Overview" that presents background information and brief synopses of the program to be viewed; (2) "Objectives" that provide the teacher with measurement goals; (3) a "Before Viewing Activity" that familiarizes students with the subject and allows them to set purposes for viewing; (4) "Vocabulary" that features definitions of unfamiliar words used in each program; (5) "Discussion Questions" that help students assess the main points of the program; (6) "Suggested Reading" for students who may want to learn more about the topic; and (7) a "Naturalist's Guide" (student worksheet) to be duplicated and distributed to students. The programs highlighted in this guide focus on the fascinating relationships between humans and animals. Program titles include "Parrots: Look Who's Talking,""The Elephant Men,""Hunters of the Sea Wind,""Extraordinary Dogs," and "Monkey in the Mirror." (WRM)

The Living Library is a library where students can check out classroom pets as well as books. This guide describes the installation and implementation of a Living Library. The guide is presented in the following 10 sections: (1) a description of and rationale for a Living Library; (2) an implementation timeline developed for the intermediate school student; (3) a daily pet care checklist; (4) parental permission forms in both English and Spanish; (5) a lesson plan to identify similarities and differences between living and inanimate objects; (6) a lesson plan involving a language arts game; (7) a sample of a student's writing; (8) a resource list for guest speakers, audiovisuals, basic equipment and supplemental materials; (9) a bibliography containing 25 citations; and (10) a supplementary reading list containing 29 book titles arranged by grade level, with 3 book titles in Spanish. (MDH)

Although a world of uncertainty and continual change is difficult to explain to children, by exploring and discussing the process of grief, parents can begin to understand the significance and necessity of the grief process and help their children to cope with difficult events. This booklet offers parents advice on how to talk with children about difficult events, including the death of a family member, significant adult, or a pet; moving from home or to a different school; marital separation and divorce; and issues faced by displaced and refugee children. The booklet differentiates loss, grief, and bereavement, and describes possible immediate and later reactions to loss, emphasizing that extreme loss is a family crisis and that young children may not understand that a loss is final. Parents are encouraged to use clear language explaining the loss event and cultural practices around it to avoid confusion, fear, or guilt in the child. The importance of expressing feelings and talking about the loss at home is emphasized. The booklet describes the predictable and normal reactions to a loss through death for children from birth to 12 years as well as the stages of parent and child change following a marital separation. Throughout the booklet, various observations and stories illustrate ways to help children cope with loss. The booklet emphasizes that at times of crisis, it is essential that parents be aware that grief is normal, provide consistency of relationships at home, be sensitive to moods within the family, be prepared for crisis, be patient with the grief process, and confident in their abilities to provide a loving, secure environment for their children. The booklet concludes with a list of contacts in Australia for additional assistance for parents, and a list of books for children. (Contains a 10-item bibliography.) (KB)

Recounts the use of pets in a kindergarten classroom for children to experience pet ownership and to share the care of animals. Outlines the entire process of pet selection, program implementation, and reactions to the program. Notes that in addition to exposure to pet care, children quickly learned the days of the week and recycling concepts. (SD)

Discusses the use of children's picture books to assist preschool children's understanding of the "realness," permanence, and inclusiveness of death as part of the life cycle. Provides a list of "Do's and don'ts for helping children grieve" and a bibliography of books to share with preschoolers when a pet dies. (JPB)

Presented is the New York State guide, for elementary teachers, for the humane treatment of animals. Material is divided into three levels by age: 3-5, 6-8, and 9-11. Included are five topics: house pets, treatment of animals, animals in their natural environment, treatment of animals in school, and open discussion topics. Each topic includes activities and supplemental information. A teacher's supplement and bibliography are included. (SL)

The publication is designed for teachers of agriculture as a guide in developing teaching plans for a unit on the care and feeding of household pets and on occupations in this area. A local situation appropriate to the unit, teacher objectives, an introduction, and group objectives are briefly developed for the unit. For the topics of feeding and caring for dogs, feeding and caring for cats, sources of information on other household pets, and identifying occupational opportunities in pet care, the guide includes sections on problems and concerns of students, a list of references for teacher and student use, suggested visual aids and other equipment, ideas for special events and activities, and a few possible activities for application and evaluation. A detailed content summary for each section, intended for teacher use, condenses material from the references and relates to the problems and concerns presented. A section on identifying sources of information on other household pets lists specific references, including source and content, for each item. The subject of understanding pet care is briefly described. (MS)

These units of instructional materials and teaching aids are the final four of a series of 10 designed for use in metropolitan agriculture/horticulture programs for students in grades 9 and 10. Covered in the unit on growing and managing horticultural crops are watering plants; pruning, pinching, and planting plants; using plant production equipment; understanding and controlling light and temperature around plants; and growing vegetables. Identifying and controlling horticultural plant pests and the safe use of pesticides are examined. Discussed next are the care and feeding of the family dog, cat, and horse. Pasteurizing and preparing a growing media for the greenhouse; collecting soil samples from the greenhouse, garden, and lawn and applying test results; and identifying soil amendments and their functions are described in the unit on soil science and conservation of natural resources. Each of these units or problem area packets includes some or all of the following components: suggestions to the teacher, a content outline, a teacher's guide, information sheets, student worksheets or assignment sheets and keys, demonstrations, job sheets, transparencies, a discussion guide for the transparencies, and sample test questions and a teacher's key. (The remaining six units are available separately--see note.) (MN)

Noting that many types of potentially tragic accidents and calamities can be avoided or averted if we take the time to learn how, this book examines the characteristics of several household and outdoor hazards and how to prevent or minimize the possibility of injury, particularly to children. The chapters deal with the following potential hazards: (1) fire; (2) physical injuries and treatments; (3) poisons, medicine overdoses, and treatments; (4) toys; (5) childproofing the home; (6) travel in planes, trains, automobiles, and other conveyances; (7) use of strollers, bicycles, and skates; (8) playgrounds and pools; (9) strangers; (10) seasonal safety; and (11) pets. Each section concludes with a summary of "very important tips." A list of resources is appended. Contains 17 references. (HTH)

Studying pets fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use their five senses. This cross-curricular guide provides opportunities for children to build concepts by introducing them to a variety of household pets beginning with cats and dogs, and including mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, and birds. Each animal study includes some or all of the following: art, creative drama, music and dancing, literature, research, creative writing, cooking, and mathematics. Science skills emphasized include observing, classifying, creating models, manipulating materials, using numbers, asking questions, finding information, making predictions, designing investigations, communicating or recording information, drawing conclusions, and applying knowledge. Each chapter starts with a science goal followed by ideas on how to plan for the activities, lists of visual aids, and related words for discussion. (LZ)

Discusses animals as pets in the classroom, including choosing a pet, classroom animal guidelines, and classroom strategies. (MKR)

Discusses the benefits of a classroom pet. Presents guidelines to determine whether a classroom pet is really needed and some suggestions for improving existing conditions for animals you may already have. Includes chart for choosing the right pet, which compares the life span, size, diet, and pros and cons for guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, gerbils, rats, mice, and turtles. (AIM)

This teacher's guide accompanies a packet of five art reproductions based on pets as a theme. The guide offers suggestions for engaging children's attention and curiosity about art and artists, and encourages exploration of the issues these works present through art activities, discussions, learning centers, field trips, and other experiences within and beyond the classroom. The activities emphasize connections between young children's concerns and those which artists in various times and places have explored in their works. Artists presented and art works examined in this guide are: (1) Paul Gauguin, "Les Trois Petits Chiens (Still Life with Three Puppies)"; (2) Pierre Bonnard, "La Femme au Chat (Woman with a Cat)"; (3) Francisco de Goya, "Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga"; (4) Alexander Colville, "Child and Dog"; and (5) Pierre Auguste Renoir, "Madame Charpentier and her Children." After introductory sections which provide background information regarding the instructional methodology, and suggestions for discussions and activities, the guide includes objectives, concepts, materials, preparation, discussion questions, a focus activity, and extension activities, and resources for presenting each of the five art reproductions. The guide concludes with biographical notes on each of the artists represented in this guide, and an annotated list of art reproductions in the Art Image Series. (MM)

Notes that rodents and rabbits share many characteristics that make them suitable classroom pets and gives background information on rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils. Offers advice on buying a classroom pet, the pet's home, feeding, helping the children handle the pet, and pet health and family planning. (TJQ)

Recognizing the importance of helping children develop coping skills to deal with daily separations and more serious losses, this handbook provides basic information and classroom support strategies for teachers and caregivers to use responsively with preschoolers. Parts 1 through 3 of the handbook provide a rationale for responding to the emotional needs of children dealing with losses; discuss how to use the handbook, including the use of older adults as an important resource; and present Mahler's theoretical account of the impact of separation and loss on identity. Parts 4 and 5 contain a staff development training module and parent information. Part 6, the bulk of the handbook, is comprised of 31 classroom chapters, each addressing a specific type of loss. These chapters are divided into four units, each representing categories of loss experiences: (1) developmental losses, such as loss of transition objects, substitute teachers, and toileting accidents; (2) life experience losses, such as bodily injury, a pet's death, and moving; (3) traumatic loss, including hospitalization, news reports of a disaster, and parental separation or divorce; and (4) catastrophic loss, specifically death of a family member or loss due to fire. Each chapter also contains information about typical feelings and behavioral responses, tips for communicating with parents, phrases and ideas which can be incorporated into normal classroom routines, classroom activities addressing the specific issues raised by the loss experience either directly through pretend play or indirectly by focusing on underlying issues, and lists of relevant children's books. Contains 54 references. (KB)

Investigates and explores questions and activities on pets. Students explore number sense and operations, logical reasoning, data analysis, and algebra. (Author/NB)

Describes the use of the Internet to investigate mathematical problems, create and share information, discover patterns and relationships, and find out more about the world. This unit investigates pet ownership and introduces children to telecommunications, the use of the computer as a tool, and scientific research methods. Other units address specific thematic topics of interest to children such as weather or nutrition. (PVD)