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• Use raccoon puppets with children at the sensorimotor level. Demonstrate hugging and kissing the baby raccoon. If two puppets are available, peers can demonstrate the actions for the children who are developmentally younger. Let these children explore the puppets and put their hands inside them.
• Sit in front of a mirror with a child at this level in front of you with the raccoon puppet. Label the features of the puppet and the features of the child (e.g., “Chester’s eyes, Mary’s eyes”).
• As these children act out the story, they can be included on a “bus ride” or in sensory activities, such as washing the clothes.
• Assist these children in moving down the path with the other children, using motor patterns that are appropriate to their level.
• When the other children are acting out the story, you can narrate and label what is happening for these children.
Functional Level
• The children at this level are beginning to understand the idea of pretending to do simple routines; therefore, pretending to pack a lunch, ride on a bus, or wash clothes all will be actions they can imitate. Pair these children with a peer who can model the sequence of actions involved in each event.
• For these children, label the animals and their actions (e.g., “Frogs jump and swim,” “Rabbits hop fast”). Expand these children’s language by adding a word or phrase to whatever each child says. For example, if a child says, “Chester bus,” you could comment, “Chester is riding on the bus.”
• Children at this level will enjoy playing with mommy and baby puppets or stuffed animals. Invite these children to act out the dialogue and kissing sequence between the puppets.
• Let these children show the book to Chester (the puppet) or Chester (another child) and “read” him the story in the House Area.
• Encourage these children to sequence three or more actions in a connected series. Pair the actions with related words and phrases.
• The script will assist children at this level in remembering words and phrases. Do not expect them to remember the script; however, after several days of hearing the words, they may begin to spontaneously use some of the phrases or sentences.
Symbolic Level
• Children at the symbolic level will enjoy enacting the story. The goal for them is to remember the sequence of the story and be able to incorporate the vocabulary, concepts, and actions into a meaningful scenario. The script will provide a simple framework from which they will immediately expand and improvise. As the children are engaged in play, you can introduce problem solving (“We need to find something to use for a bus”), predicting (“If we hang the clothesline here, something might happen”), associating (“In the book, Chester went to school at night”), divergent thinking (“We need different kinds of homes for all of the animals”), and evaluating (“What should we do differently next time?”). Comment, suggest, and question to amplify these children’s thinking and actions.
• Prompt these children to remember the sequence of events (each composed of a series of actions) in the story for the first few dramatizations. They may easily get sidetracked into other dramatic play. This is fine as long as the play is leading to productive discussions, but keep in mind that the objectives of this center are to help children organize their thoughts, plan a series of actions in line with those thoughts, and structure their actions to accomplish their goals. The dramatization of the story provides a supportive framework for children to relate to the same concepts and cooperatively play toward the same goals. Help to facilitate the development of the children’s memory, formulation of sequences of ideas, and understanding of concepts. This is not free play; it is facilitated play.
• Encourage these children to demonstrate cooperative problem solving, turn taking, and interaction of roles.
• Model more-complex language structures (using introductory phrases and complex sentences) and use of higher-level vocabulary (e.g., “nocturnal”) for these children.
• Stimulate these children’s use of the literacy props (e.g., homework, shopping list) through suggestions or modeling. You may begin by assuming a role in the play in order to model various actions and language (oral and written). As the children begin to imitate or elaborate, you can move to more of an outside observer and elucidator.