Get Important Shots

On “Can Do” Street there are many kinds of families. There is racial diversity. It is an inclusive environment; a place where differences don’t matter.

Nellie and Willie live with their grandparents while their mom is in the military. They are just one of the many kinds of families on “Can Do” Street.

Jay lives with his parents but he spends summers with his grandparents in Dakota on the Indian reservation where they live. His tribe, the Chippewa Indians of Turtle Mountain, is also considered his family. So, you could say he has two families.

Hector and Maria’s parents both work. They participate in an after school program at the community center until their mom picks them up on her way home from work. Yundi and Wendy’s parents travel for business so they live part of the week with Grandma Sue.

Orrie, Annie, Bobby and Arthur Jay live with their mom and dad in a house next door to Grandma Maureen and Grandpa John.

There are 14 child characters on “Can Do” Street, three of whom have physical disabilities and one has a learning disability. Orrie uses a wheelchair. He is a computer wiz kid. He is active in sports, playing basketball, swimming, and horseback riding. Having Grandma Maureen and Grandpa John  next door is important to Orrie and his mom and dad. They are a big help with Orrie.

Nellie and Willie have a cousin, Mickey, who is visually disabled. He goes to a special school where he gets the help he needs to be independent. He has a service dog named Muggins. He comes home to his mom and dad, who live on “Can Do” Street, on holidays and for the summer. He plays the saxophone.

Annie has a hearing disability, so she wears a hearing aid. She is captain of the school Pee Wee basketball team.  Maria has a learning disability and needs extra help with reading, which she gets in school. She loves to draw and use graphics programs on the computer.

Having characters that are racially diverse, and include children with disabilities as well as different kinds of families is meant to raise a young child’s awareness of people and living situations different than his or her own. It also provides content and characters that can be used to teach disability sensitivity and cultural diversity.

If you are looking for free craft projects, lesson plans and educational materials for children 3-7 years, spend some time in the “Can Do” Street Mall checking out the Crafts/Games and Teaching Resources.

Take advantage of the free materials that are there for your use. The materials are the work of parents, grandparents, educators, recreation and crafts personnel.

Each week we add more resources, shared by individuals, organizations and companies with the hope that you will visit their sites and make use of the 1,000s of free materials that they offer.

There is no catch, no hidden costs to using the free materials you find on the sites that list in the mall.

Prior to listing each of the free sites in the mall, the staff of “Can Do” Street check out the content to make sure it is suitable for out audience of parents, teachers and other adults involved in the care of young children .

To list your site in either Crafts and Games or Teaching Resources the content must meet the following criteria:

• Contain free resources suitable, in all or in part, for children 3-7 years

• Resources must be easy to download and use

If you wish to list, please send the following information about your free site to jeanc@candostreet.com:

• A brief description of your site
• A logo, if you have one
• Your URL address so that we may create an active link to your site

We look forward to having you visit the “Can Do” Mall where the resources are free and fun!

Hi,

As creator of “Can Do” Street I want to tell you about some of the new features we are planning for this blog for parents and teachers.

In late October we will be adding the following sections to the blog:

• Teacher Stories – a place where teachers of children  3-7 years of age can share how they get positive results from using character/values curriculum or their own lesson plans to guide their students in making good choices about school behavior, manners, sharing, personal hygiene, personal safety, eating habits, playing fair, being a friend and disability sensitivity. This section is open to teachers from graded classes in public, private and parochial schools and teachers of special needs children in ungraded classes.

• Parent Exchange – An opportunity for parents to exchange information on what works for them in helping their young children make good choices about managing anger, doing chores, interacting with siblings, demonstrating caring behavior, getting up and going to bed on time, dressing, personal hygiene, telling the truth, pet care, speaking respectfully, and table manners

• Resource Center – links to programs, articles, camps and web sites for parents of children 3-7 years.

• Home School – Parents who home school can share what curriculum and activities they use to help their children practice making good choices

• After School – a forum for after school instructors, recreation staff, coaches, and camp counselors to share what is successful in helping young children make good choices when in their care.

• Grandparents Know – grandparents share how to help grands make good choices

Thanks for visiting!  Please become a regular on “Can Do” Street by writing and sharing. Just send your stories, comments and resources to jeanc@candostreet.com.

By for now,

Jean

Bring your child or your class to “Can Do” Street and let them play the interactive, animated programs and games for free!  Download  the Parent/Teacher guidelines (lesson plans) for use with the programs. Print out activity sheets that reinforce the lessons found in each program. They are great for kids to use in between  computer sessions.

There are membership certificates and completion certificates that can be downloaded. Don’t forget to print out the dozens of coloring sheets of the “Can Do” Kids and adults. Check out the parent/teacher blog and the kids blog each time you visit to see what’s new on “Can Do” Street.

Each month a new activity, program or game will be added to the site. Email us with questions and suggestions at info@candostreet.com.

Please tell your friends, fellow teachers and parents to come to “Can Do” Street where young children get to practice making good choices!