View, Do and Read

Jay Jay Jet Plane Teach your child about helping others
By Jennifer Fletcher

With the holidays approaching, most children will want to help out with the preparations and festivities.

Your child can assist with some of the holiday preparations by helping you clean the house or prepare a meal. Take this opportunity to teach your child about the benefits of helping others. Begin by telling her exactly how her assistance helped you towards accomplishing a goal; then, explain to her the other ways she can help, whether by helping her teacher or by helping those who are less fortunate by donating her toys or clothes to charity.

View

Jay Jay The Jet Plane "Tracy’s Snuggly Blanket" Rather than laugh at Tracy, the gang helps find her missing "security blanket" and teaches her that you don’t have to give up the things you love just because you think you should. Friday, November 1 at 11:30 a.m.

Reading Rainbow "Little Nino’s Pizzeria" In the featured book, a boy helps his dad make pizza at their family restaurant, until one day his dad decides to open a fancy new restaurant and everything changes. Through this book and a visit to a family that works together in a fireworks business, this episode shows how teamwork, especially working together as a family, can be very rewarding. Friday, November 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Do

Machines That Help
What You’ll Need:

Vacuum sweeper

Other household appliances

Instructions: Take a tour of your home to find some appliances that help people do work. If you have an electric sweeper, let your child start and stop it by pressing the buttons while you hold the handle. Older preschoolers can even help with the vacuuming.

Make Mini Pizzas
What You’ll Need:

English muffins

Mozzarella cheese

Additional toppings, such as hot dogs, _pepperoni or mushrooms

Can of pizza sauce

Baking sheet

Instructions: Halve and slightly toast English muffins. Spread pizza sauce on each muffin half. Add cheese and other toppings, such as slices of hot dogs or pepperoni, olives, mushrooms or other veggies. If you use sausage or ground beef, brown the meat first. Place muffin halves on a cookie sheet and broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Presto, your pizza is ready!

Mail a Letter A special relative, friend or teacher will enjoy receiving a letter that your child helped prepare.

What You’ll Need

Paper

Markers, pens

Envelopes

Stamps

Instructions: Give your child paper and markers to use for his drawings and let him tell you the words he would like to say. You can write these words on a separate page, or on the drawing paper if he prefers. When the drawings are finished, have him put the papers into an envelope and seal. You might want to take your child to a post office to buy the stamps and then mail the letters, or you could buy the stamps ahead of time and then let the child pretend to buy them from you.

Read

The Giving Box: Create a Tradition of Giving With Your Children by Fred Rogers Mr. Rogers himself has compiled this wonderful group of stories from around the world to teach children the joys of compassion and charitable giving. The book features anecdotes, multicultural folktales and practical advice about giving and receiving and includes a colorful "Giving Box" for collecting spare change to donate to charity. Recommended for school-aged children

A Job for Wittilda by Caralyn and Mark Buehner Wittilda the witch is having financial trouble and is forced to leave her 47 cats and find a job. She takes a job at a pizza place and, with the help of her wand, runs her route faster than the other contenders. Recommended for school-aged children.