Homeside Activities is a unique parent involvement program with a focus on building relationships. The activities themselves are short, concrete projects or conversation topics in English and Spanish that begin with a classroom introduction, are sent home to be done with a parent or other adult, and then conclude with a classroom follow-up activity and sharing.Homeside Activities build stronger school-to-home connections through three-way communication among children, families, and teachers, and they provide a valuable addition to whatever kind of parent involvement program is already in place at your elementary school.
This program is designed to:
-- help parents feel connected to the classroom
-- help children benefit from extra time spent with a caring adult
-- help teachers know more about the lives of their students
-- develop children's oral language and abstract thought
-- demonstrate that the school values the ideas of the adults at home
-- help children learn more about one another
-- build a sense of community in the classroom, throughout the school, and at home.
-- Activities in English and Spanish on reproducible pages
-- Eighteen activities per book on topics such as "The Story of My Name", "At-Home Science", "Personal Time Capsule", "Real Heroes", "Across the Generations", and "Neighborhood Map".
-- Supports academic growth, citizenship, and classroom community
-- Activities can be done with a family member, neighbor, or caregiver
-- Successfully used in urban, suburban, and rural settings.
