Free Programs Coming to Your Classroom

Hi all.  As I'm planning the year, I'm trying to book some of the free programs around the area.  Try checking in with some of your local activities in your area.  

I always schedule the following free programs throughout the year:

How to Keep Our Teeth Healthy - Dentist (30 min)

The hygienist comes to our school to teach us about healthy vs unhealthy foods.  They also teach us the proper way of brushing our teeth at home.  The ladies have a great way of teaching the students how to floss with a jump rope and balls that represent the stuff in between your teeth.  The dental company also sends home a tooth brush, floss, and other knickknacks in a bag so the parents know who came to visit for the day.

Stranger Danger - Police department (30 minutes)

A local police officer comes to our school and teaches us about strangers.  We define what a stranger is and they read a story/discuss what to do when a stranger approaches and how to keep safe.  We practice screaming as if a stranger were around us.  Then there is a short video clip with a stranger danger song.

Officer Patti - Police department (30 minutes)

This is a remote control squad car that focuses on safe people, buckling up and a review of strangers.  The kids LOVE that Officer Patti (the remote control car) speaks to us and truly interacts with us.  It is a fun way of learning how to be safe in our community.

Hand washing - Health Department (30 minutes)

The local health department comes to our classroom to teach us about the importance of hand washing and how to properly wash our hands.  They have a cool contraption that allows the students to see the "germs" (glitter and lotion solution).  This helps them see how bad it is before they wash, and to see what areas they need to work on when they wash their hands next...yes Kindergarteners are not pros at washing their hands.  When they actually see where they didn't clean, they are always surprised.

5-4-3-2-1 Go - Health Department (30 minutes)

5-4-3-2-1 Go!® is the new health message on Nutrition and Physical Activity adopted by the DuPage County Health Department. This message teaches students that being healthy is as easy as; 5 fruits and vegetables a day, 4 glasses of water a day, 3 servings of low-fat dairy a day, no more than 2 hours of screen time a day, and 1 or more hours of physical activity a day. This message is easy to understand for all ages.

 Dazzle Duck - Retired Teacher's Husband (30 minutes)

A retired teacher's husband comes in to teach us about colors, rhyming and how to be a good student with Dazzle Duck (a puppet).

Alphabet Puppet Show - Retired Teacher's Husband (30 minutes)

A retired teacher's husband comes in to teach us about the alphabet with Dazzle Duck (a puppet).  He goes through the whole alphabet and then has different pictures that begin with each letter.  He engages the students with humor and allowing them to guess the pictures.

Career Day - Different Parents (2 hours)

We invite parents to come into the classroom to teach the students about their different careers.  This is up to the parents to plan their talk on their own.

These are all free guests that come into my classroom.  Do you have any other free programs that you'd like to share with the rest of us to have more hands on learning from different departments around your community?

Please share in the comments!  We'd love to hear from you!