Family Activities Night

Sara Kash-Brown

Pete the Cat Fun Night

5:30-6:45 pm

5:30

Large Group Reading of Pete the Cat: Rocking in My

School Shoes

5:45-6:30

Activities with the Families

* Reading Corner
* Build-Your-Own Button Shirt
* Pete the Cat Stage
* I Love My White Shoes Class Book Creation Station

6:30

I Love My White Shoes Pudding Bar

6:35

Large Group Reading of Pete the Cat and His Four

Groovy Buttons

Activity Plan
Activity: Reading Corner
Why do this activity?
This gives the children a chance to bond with their parents as they are being asked questions
and getting prompted to say something about the book.
What can children learn?
Children can learn how to retain the information that they are reading by being asked
questions related to the book. This is a way to also show them that their thoughts matter and are
important to us.
Vocabulary words:
Cause and effect
Predict
Stain
Materials:
Pete the Cat books
Pillows
Blankets
Prepare for the activity
To prepare for the activity we will set out 1 book by each group of pillows/blankets for the
families to read together. There will also be a list of vocabulary words that they can focus on
with the children as well as prompts to help them get the children engaged. The prompts will be
a tool to help support the parents if they need a little extra support.
Example of prompts:
Book (I Love My White Shoes)
I wonder why
*Fill ins- I love my ______ shoes. I love my _____ shoes.
*Questions- What happened to Pete the cats shoes when he stepped in a pile of
strawberries?
Why arent his shoes white anymore?
What do you think will happen if
Lead small groups
The teacher will introduce the activity by saying, This station is where families can choose a
comfortable space and read a book together. While you are reading remember to use
prompts to help the children make connections to the story. There is a sheet by each book that
has prompts and vocabulary that you can talk about while reading the book you have chosen.
Respond to individuals
Go to each group to see how they are doing and ask the children what book they are reading.

Follow up after the activity

Ask families what they enjoyed the most about this activity and ask them if they have any
suggestions that we should do different. (Ex: book choices, how the activity was led, etc.)
Involve families
Tell the families that they can do something like this at home and give them examples as well as
information on how to do so. (Handouts, websites, etc.)

Activity Plan
Activity: Build-Your-Own Button Shirt
Why do this activity?
Gives the children a chance to make one of the Pete the Cat books more relatable to them.
Vocabulary words:
Decorate
Fabric
Materials:
Markers, t-shirts, fabric glue, puff paint
Prepare for the activity
Place youth size t-shirts around the art table, with a cup of markers and puff paint at each seat.
Lead small groups
Invite children and parents over to the table, giving them instructions to decorate their shirts
and glue their buttons on using fabric paint.
Respond to individuals
Ask questions about each childs creations and provide appropriate praise.
Follow up after the activity
Once the shirts are dry, encourage the children to wear them to the next activity (Pete the Cat
Stage).
Involve families
Have adult sizes of t-shirts available in case the parents want to make one. Have the adults
handle the glue. Encourage parents to hold onto these shirts in case they read Pete the Cat
and His Four Groovy Buttons at home.

Activity Plan
Activity: Pete the Cat Stage
Why do this activity?
This activity will show you the way the children perceived the story and what they
comprehended as well as what they may have not comprehended. It will also help the children
with their memory.
What can children learn?
Children will develop an understanding of the story by retelling it through acting.
Vocabulary words:
Dramatic play
Stage
Sequence
Actor/Actress
Character
Materials:
Books: Pete the Cat and HIs Four Groovy Buttons
Pete the Cat I love My White Shoes
Button cut-outs
Scotch tape
4 Large plastic tubs (one decorated with red colored paper, one with blue, one with brown,
and one with white)
8 footprints of colored paper (one set of red, blue, brown, and white)
Packing Tape
Prepare for the activity
Set up two stages: one for each book and have the materials set out and ready to reenact the
story.
Lead small groups
Tell the parents that there are two stages set up with two different books and that the teachers
will be the narrators of the story so that the families can act them out together. While the
teacher is reading the story they should be asking questions and prompting the families as well.
Respond to individuals
Prompt the families as the story is being read.
Follow up after the activity
Ask questions about why it is good for the children as well as the parents to act out the stories as
a way of retelling them.
Talk about things that they thought worked well and things that did not.
-Things that the teacher should do differently
-Types of materials that they should have (more/less)

Should the story be read first, then reenacted? Or should they act the story out as it is read.
Involve families
Tell the families that they can do something like this at home and give them examples as well as
information on how to do so. (Handouts, websites, etc.)

Activity Plan
Activity: I Love My White Shoes Class Book Creation Station
Why do this activity?
Gives the children an opportunity to work on their writing and comprehension abilities.
What can children learn?
Gives the children a better understanding of the job of an author and illustrator.
Vocabulary words:
Author
Illustration/Illustrator
Materials:
Blank Class Book Pages (template can be found below)
Pencils
Crayons
Other Writing/Coloring Materials
Prepare for the activity
Have templates, along with writing and coloring materials, ready for the children at a writing or
art table.
Lead small groups
Instruct the children to write their own version of Petes story, matching the color to the item he
stepped in. Then tell them to draw a picture of what they wrote.
Respond to individuals
Walk around to make sure every child has what they need, while also giving effective praise. If
a child is having a hard time coming up with ideas, try to help them figure something out.
Follow up after the activity
Ask if any child would like to share their drawing/story. Put all submissions together to make a
book for display in the classroom. Give parents reasoning behind making children write their
own version of the story.
Involve families
Encourage families to do this type of activity at home with books they read to their children.

Class Book Page Template:

Activity Plan
Activity: Large Group Reading of Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes/Large Group
Reading of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Why do this activity?
This activity allows the children and parents to get involved in the stories. It is a great way to
begin the family activity night and conclude the activity night as well. Parents can also see
what they can do when they read a story with their child.
What can children learn?
During the book reading the children are able to practice their retelling skills as they say the
recurring phrase when it comes up in the reading.
Vocabulary words:
Narrator
Groovy
Rocking
Materials:
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes book
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons book
Prepare for the activity
Have a large area cleared out for the parents and children to sit down. Put a few chairs
around the perimeter for the parents. Put a teacher chair at the front of the area for the
narrator. Have the books next to the narrators chair.
Lead the large group
Have the narrator welcome the families to Family Fun Night and talk about the schedule for the
night. Invite the children and any willing parents to come and sit on the floor in front of the
narrators chair. Have the narrator guide the children in saying the recurring phrase the first
time it comes up in the book if needed.
Respond to individuals
After saying the recurring phrase, have the narrator comment on something the children did.
For example, the loudness of their voices. Have the narrator encourage the children who arent
talking to participate in the reading. When a vocabulary word comes up, have the narrator
explain what the word means and have the children say it once.
Follow up after the activity
After reading through the book, have the narrator comment on how the children and parents
did. Remind the families what the station activities are and dismiss families slowly. Work to
arrange a reasonable amount of people at each station, probably two or three families at
each station depending on how many families come.

Involve families
Before dismissing the families to go to the stations, have the narrator ask the children, Do you
like helping me read the story? After the children respond, tell the parents, This is something
that they really like to do and something you can do at home with them.

Literacy Bag:
Large Group Reading of Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes
Materials:
* Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes book
What to Do:
* As you read the story, give the child a chance to guess where Pete is
* Allow the child to sing the recurring phrase

Reading Corner
Materials:
* Variety of Pete the Cat books
* Pillows, Blankets, Chairs
What to Do:
* Allow the child to pick out what book they want to read
* Settle into a comfy spot and begin reading the book
* Ask the child questions about what/who is on the page
* Make the reading an interactive experience for the child and you

Build-Your-Own Button Shirt

Materials:
* Plain White T-shirts in children sizes with four buttons (circles outlined in black)
drawn down the middle of the shirts
* Fabric Markers in a Variety of Colors
* Art Easels
* Cardboard to put inside the shirts
* Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons book
What to Do:
* Read the story to the children before doing activity
* Have child pick out one shirt and which markers they want to use to color in
their buttons
* Help children set up their shirts on the easel with cardboard in the shirt to
separate the front and back
* Have the children color in the buttons, parents can help
* Ask the children about the colors they picked
* The children can take their button shirt to the Pete the Cat Stage activity

Pete the Cat Stage

Materials:
* Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons book
* Button cut-outs
* Scotch tape
* Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes book

* 4 Large plastic tubs (one decorated with red colored paper, one with blue,
one with brown, and one with white)
* 8 footprints of colored paper (one set of red, blue, brown, and white)
* Packing Tape
What to Do:
* Set up the footprints and plastic tubs in a large circle near the stage before
event starts
* Have a teacher be the narrator for each book
* Start with either book or have two stages so the books can be read at the
same time
* Have parents participate in the acting with their children
Hand out the props (shirts for children, buttons for parents)
* Ask questions during both story readings about the number of buttons, what
Pete stepped in, etc.

I Love My White Shoes Class Book Creation Station

Materials:
* Pete stepped in a pile of blank sheets
* Pencils, Crayons, other writing/coloring materials
What to Do:
* Have the child pick one piece of paper
* Have the parent read the paper to the child
* Have the parent and child brainstorm about what Pete stepped in
* Have the child draw an illustration of Pete stepping in something
* Have the parent help the child fill in the blanks on all the sentences on the
sheet
* Suggest parents do hand-over-hand guidance when doing the writing part
* If needed, demonstrate hand-over-hand guidance

I Love My White Shoes Pudding Bar

Materials:
* Chocolate Pudding
* Strawberries
* Blueberries
* Small Bottles or Glasses of Water
* Any other food alternatives for food allergies
What to Do:
* During the last few minutes of stations, set up table for the food
* Have pudding put into cups beforehand
* Parents can come up with their child and get their snack
* Strawberries and blueberries can be added to the pudding
* Ask the children what the pudding, strawberries, and blueberries represent

Large Group Reading of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Materials:
* Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons book
What to Do:
* As you read the story, give the child a chance to guess the number of
buttons Pete has on his shirt
* Allow the child to sing the recurring phrase

ABOVE: FLYER ANNOUNCING THE EVENT; HANDED OUT TO PARENTS BEFORE

NEXT PAGE: FLYER SUMMARIZING THE EVENT; HANDED OUT TO PARENTS AFTER

We had so much fun at Pete the Cat Fun Night with our
families!
We read books with our families.
We wrote a book with our families.
Everyone was an actor on the Pete the Cat Stage.
We created our own button shirt.
What I learned at Family Night:
I can read with Mommy and Daddy.
I like it when Mommy and Daddy ask me about the book.
Mommy and Daddy can help me write.
Daddy is silly when we act out the story.
What You Can Do with Your Child At Home to Help with Literacy
Development:
-Have your child turn the pages.
-Ask your child about the characters, plot, illustrations throughout the story.
-Point to each word as you read them.
-Act out your childs favorite story with them.
-Explain difficult words your child may not understand to them.
-Have your child write the grocery list or a letter to relatives.
-Talk about the different sounds and letters in your childs name.
Here are books that we read during Family Night and a few others we like:
-Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
-Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
-Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes
-Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
-Pete the Cat: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus
-Pete the cat and His Magic Sunglasses
-Pete the Cat and the New Guy
-Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues