Animal Doctors

My newest favorite book about emergent literacy is Jennifer Hallissy’s The Write Start. I ordered and read it a few months ago, and it is chalk full of terrific information about writers who are starting to write.  What is particularly terrific about this book is that it is written by an occupational therapist and is strewn full of information about fine motor development needed for children who are beginning to write.  The book would be valuable for any early childhood educator, but the premise is really incorporating activities for the development of writing into authentic play, and is enormously valuable for any parent who wants to know more about engaging their younger children in writing.

The whole book was inspiring for me, and I know it will be deg eared before long, but when I saw the templates for medical charts and prescription pads in the book, I knew I was going to have a winning activity for the kidlets.  (The templates are also available  on the author’s blog.  I still recommend reading the book.)  In fact, when I told the kidlets I was making medical charts for them and to go and get the doctor box, where all the supplies are for playing doctor, a boring Sunday afternoon was transformed into a flurry of creative activity.  I made two color coded medical charts with prescription sheets for each kidlet.  They started creating a veterinary clinic (inspired by Brutus and his excursion to the animal hospital . . . he’s doing great, by the way).

They hauled down all sorts of stuffed animals and blankets.  They built a receptionist window with the wooden blocks on the table.  They dressed up and found pencils and started charting patients right away.  YaYa was the head of the department (go figure).  Mr. SP was the vet tech.  The Banana was the receptionist, and let me tell you, she was all over being the receptionist.  She found a frilly short skirt and sparkly ruby red shoes (she loves those shoes), and was more than thrilled to be answering her cell phone all afternoon and taking notes about appointments.  The kidlets even managed to transfer a sleepy Brutus over to a basket where he curled up with a fuzzy blanket and could participate as a patient.

Writing happened at all levels.  Cleaning up was not so fun.