Chester Raccoon Starts School
This book is a great way to start off the school year. Here you will find lots of activities that compliment the story keeping the children entertained and focused on learning throughout their first day of school.
Make Kissing Hand Cookies, learn American Sign Language, read about the Adventures of Bobby Coon.
Table of Contents for The Kissing Hand
- Chester Raccoon goes to school at Night
- The Kissing Hand Word Wall
- Compare Chester Raccoon and Bobby Coon
- Kissing Hand Poem
- Starting the School Year Books
- Chester Raccoon Makes Hand Print Quilts
- Sign Language Games
- Learn more about Raccoons
- Raccoon Costume
- The Kissing Hand Printable Activities
- The Kissing Hand Literacy Bag
- Chester Raccoon and The Kissing Hand is in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
- Look Who's Twittering about American Sign Language
- Chat with Chester:
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Story of Chester Raccoon and the Kissing Hand
Chester Raccoon is having a hard time leaving his mom. The wise mother raccoon opens his had and kisses it. She tells him that the love on his hand will go into his heart every time he presses it against his chest.
The Kissing Hand
Amazon Price: $9.90 (as of 11/10/2009) 
Chester Raccoon goes to school at Night
Compare Animals that are Active at Night or during the Day
Make a flannel board from a refrigerator box, old science project display board and glue on dark felt to one side and light felt on the other.
Find pictures of animals that are awake at night and during the daytime.
Talk about why Chester goes to school at night and children go to school in the daytime.
Put up the words Nocturnal and Diurnal on the flannel board.
Have the children take turns putting the animals on the right side according to when they are most active.
Note: I write the name of each animal on the back and then make separate word cards also with flannel backing to help children when they are writing and learning to read these words. The flannel board will later become a center activity.
The Kissing Hand Word Wall
Word Walls for Chester and the Kissing Hand
After reading the story as if anyone remembers a word from The Kissing Hand. Pick two or three words (vote if you have too many) and write them on index cards big enough for all of the children to see them.
Talk about the letters and the sounds in each word.
Show the children the Word Wall with the letters of the alphabet written in order with spaces for attaching words below each letter.
Help the children attach the words to the word wall.
Give each child a chance to remove a word and reattach the word.
This skill will allow the children to borrow a word during Writing Workshop to help them spell it and know how to replace the word when done.
You can find lots more activities to do with words on my Word Walls and Pointers lens.
Compare Chester Raccoon and Bobby Coon
Make a Raccoon Story Comparison Chart
1. Photocopy and reduce book covers
2. Glue to the left hand side of the chart
3. Glue category pictures at the top
4. Put stickers or buttons in appropriate book rows
5. Count the elements of the story
Modeling how to make graphs as you compare the two stories is very important at the beginning of the year. Soon you will find that children will begin to make their own graphs.
- Kindergarten Lesson Plans
- Kindergarten lesson plans to encourage exploration, problem solving, creative thought processes and basic skills development.
Patricia started kindergarten-lessons.com with the intention of helping teachers make their classrooms a place of exploration, problem solving and creative thought processes.
Chester Raccoon's First Day of School
The Kissing Hand helps with Separation Anxiety
Children who are having a difficult time leaving a parent might find comfort in holding Chester.This would be a good time to talk with the children about feeling and how to help eachother get through difficult times. We all a class and we take care of eachother.
Chester also likes to visit tables that are working quietly.
The Kissing Hand Chester Raccoon 9" Plush Stuffed Animal by MerryMakers
Amazon Price: $13.14 (as of 11/10/2009)
Chester Raccoon's Hollow Tree
A Tree for The Kissing Hand retelling
This soft plush tree it the perfect place to act out the story of the Kissing Hand with Chester feeling reluctant to go to school and his mother reassuring him that it will be ok. We they are finished the small plush finger puppets can be stored in the hollow of the trees.
- Stuffed animal and puppet Accessories, plush tree stumps, logs, ice houses, igloos, and acorns for props in schools, libraries and at home
- Fuzzy Town stuffed animals and tree stumps, logs, forest houses, and churches for displays, plays and storage in schools, libraries, and stores. Secure online payment.
Kissing Hand Poem
by Marjorie Davis in Mailbox (Aug/Sept 2001)
Tune:Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Here's a special trick I know
When I'm sad and scared to go.
Take my hand and kiss it here.
This kiss from you, I will hold dear.
Down my hand and up my arm,
Into my heart the kiss goes on.
The Dollhouse Center
I have an old coke bottle box on a shelf near the Dollhouse Center. I label each box with the name of a stuffed animal, put a picture of it on the back and slip it into a plastic nametag. The nametags have strings attached which are attached to the cubby.
The children put the stuffed animals back into their holes when finished. If they don't remember which hole they just check the tag.
Raccoon Finger Puppet
Amazon Price: $5.35 (as of 11/10/2009)
Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Tree House Play Set
Amazon Price: $101.96 (as of 11/10/2009)
Calico Critters Mulberry Raccoon Family
Amazon Price: (as of 11/10/2009)
The Kissing Hand Cookie Cutters
One of the centers that children love to work in is the Playdough Center.
I have shelves with bins of alphabet letters, numbers, rolling pins and shaping tools. Each bin is labeled.
On the shelf I have a cookie sheet that holds the special themed cookie cutters. Each one is labeled with the shape and the word for that shape. This helps the children to associate the word with the object.
At the beginning of the year I model how to put away each cookie cutter, how to clean up the table and floor and how to wash hands after using the Playdough Center.
PLAYDOUGH
2 cups Flour
1/4 cups Cream of Tartar
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
2 cups of water
food coloring
Mix these all together in a pan and cook until it forms a ball. You can add spices or flavoring to make scented playdough. This should keep for months if stored in an airtight container.
Great sites for more Ideas related to The Kissing Hand
- The Kissing Hand (Mrs. Fischer's Kinder~Themes)
- Near the end of the day we practice re-telling the story. I tell the kids that their homework for the first day of school is to go home, give their family the gift and tell them the story of The Kissing Hand. They tell their parents not to be sad and to remember that they are thinking of them each day while they are away at school.
- The Kissing Hand at The Virtual Vine
- There are many students who have anxieties about attending school, not just preschool and kindergarten children. I think this book, accompanied by the appropriate activities, could be successfully used with 1st and 2nd graders as well as Kindergarten and Preschool.
- The Kissing Hand
- Poems & Songs related to The Kissing Hand, the First Day Of Kindergarten and raccoons.
- The Kissing Hand Unit - Mrs. Nelson's Class
- Contains classroom photos, thematic teaching ideas for throughout the year, and resources for teaching reading, writing, and math.
- The Kissing Hand at Little Girattes
- Go on a Chester Chase to familiarize students with the school rooms and personnel I gave each staff member a note to read and a heart sticker to put on the palm of their hand. I taped this note in the back of The Kissing Hand book and we were off to the library.
The Kissing Hand Video
The Kissing Hand on eBay
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Starting the School Year Books
On her first day of school, she uses it to create a new friend to take along with her: Susanna, a doll with an apple for a head and twigs for its body.
When children make fun of Susanna, Lizzy leaves her at home for a while. Lizzy's mother shows her how to make Susanna into an Apple-head Doll that becomes the model for a class craft project.
The Apple Doll
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 11/10/2009)
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten (Miss Bindergarten Books)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 11/10/2009)
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
Use finger paint to make hand and foot prints and once dry have children write the words "hand" and "foot" below each print. You might also find pictures of raccoon prints on the Internet and then cut and paste them next to the children's prints for comparison.
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Bright & Early Books)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/10/2009)
Paint and Count the Raccoon Paws
Raccoons are known for their very dexterous hands so we make handprints and post them along the top of the chair rail. Later we will use them for counting by 5's.
The handprint stickers work great for making books of word problems.
Chester Raccoon Makes Hand Print Quilts
The Kissing Hand Theme expended throughout the Year
You might add a heart to each of the hands to continue the Kissing Hand Theme.
- Crafty Quilts
- Each month we have fun using our hand prints to create our "crafty quilts." At the end of the month, these special quilt pieces are placed in the children's kindergarten memory books.
Chester Raccoon Learns Sign Language
1. Have the children trace around their hands and cut them out.
2. Place a heart to show where Chester's Mom kissed his hand.
3. Fold the fingers down to make the American Sign Language signal for I love you.
4. Glue the hands to a stiff paper that is just smaller than a plastic sandwich bag.
5. Write the words I Love You under the hand.
6. Put the hand in the bag and put them in the children's backpacks to take home and remind the children to tell the story of the Kissing Hand for homework.
The Ear Muff allows children to experience what it would be like to be deaf or hard of hearing. After modeling how to use and put away these materials children could use them in a Sign Language center practicing signing to eachother.
Sign Language Games
Extending the Kissing Hand
1. Make two of each page to play Concentration or Go Fish.
2. Mix up the cards and put them back in ABC order.
3. Ask individuals to color them and then use them to label the room.
4. Use them to play a silent Simon Says game.
Once children have learned the signs they can use them to silently communicate across the classroom or across the playground.
Signs for Me: Basic Sign Vocabulary for Children, Parents & Teachers
Teaches American Sign Language to children with more than 300 essential signs, their English equivalents, and a picture "translation." Provides a multi-dimensional sign language vocabulary for pre-school and elementary school children. The authors introduce common household items, animals, family, verbs, emotions, safety, and other concepts. Each of the vocabulary words features a picture, sign illustration, and the English word. The American Manual Alphabet, number signs, and a list of different American Sign Language handshapes are included for handy reference.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/10/2009)
Learn more about Raccoons
GramaBarb will help you learn even more about these amazing creatures of the Woodlands on her Raccoons 101 lens.My Raccoon Unit Study has more information about raccoons as well as dozens of classroom activities related to the raccoon theme.
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Raccoons in the Corn
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Raccoons love to investigate. In this unit study we will be investigating the lives of raccoons with both fiction and non-fiction books, sensory table explorations and even a visit from a wild raccoon. Let Bobby Coon teach you about life on the Gree...
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Raccoons 101
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Raccoons are one of the few wild species that appears to have benefited from contact with humans, and they have adapted remarkably well to life in our cities and towns. The raccoon's diet is highly varied. Mainstays include fruits, vegetables, an...
Raccoon Mask
- Raccoon Mask
Wild Animal Baby Magazine shows how to make these Raccoon Mask Glasses which the kids love to use for Read the Room activities.
Raccoon Costume
1. Make a mask from a long piece of felt with eyes cut out like the Lone Ranger.
2. Put on a black or dark brown turtle neck and leggings.
3. Stuff black soccer socks with crumpled newspaper.
4. Glue strips of brown felt onto the sock with Tacky Glue to make tail stripes.
5. Glue a large white felt oval to the stomach of the turtle neck.
The Kissing Hand Printable Activities
- The Kissing Hand Tic Tac Toe
- Printable Tic Tac Toe game with hands and raccoons.
- Measuring Raccoon Tails
- Printable Raccoon Tails
The Kissing Hand Literacy Bag
Add:
1. A copy of The Kissing Hand
2. A non-fiction book about raccoons,
3. A few raccoon math and language arts activities such as the Tic Tac Toe Game above
4. A stuffed raccoon
5. A journal to record your raccoon's adventures
And you have a Literacy Bag that is so much fun that the children will be begging to take it home.
I Love Raccoons Tote Bag
Price: 17.99
Sweetheart Raccoon Tote Bag
Price: 19.99
Raccoons live in the Woodlands
Check out these other lenses about Woodland Creatures...-
River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!
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Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate your classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme. Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fi...
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Creatures of the Woodlands
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Winter is coming on! The little Woodland Creatures are looking for winter dens, storing up food and preparing for the long winter ahead. The Thornton Burgess Books, such as Old Mother Westwind, are just full of charming woodland creatures that bring t...
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Whitefoot the Wood Mouse: A Mouse Unit Study
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Whitefoot welcomes homeschoolers, teachers, parents and children to turn into mice, scurry through the tunnels and sniff out learning opportunities in every corner. Whitefoot the Wood Mouse welcomes everyone to his nest where learning never ends. He...
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Bluebirds of the Meadow
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Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along the fenceline. The children are fascinated with the way they fly back and forth to build their nests. They become the focus of our next Unit Study, Bluebirds of the Meadow. As your little bluebirds...
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A Walk in the Woods Headquarters
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A Walk in the Woods Whether connecting with my children, a friend or just de-stressing from a long day of work my favorite pastime is a walk in the woods. The woods are quiet, peaceful and still but at the same time there is always something going o...
Chester Raccoon and The Kissing Hand is in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
Thank you to the Four Wheelers for including the Chester Raccoon and The Kissing Hand in their Online Unit Study Directory.
- Internet Directory of Unit Studies
- The Four Wheelers Internet Directory of Unit Studies contains a list, roughly arranged by subject, of links to unit studies that are published on the Internet.
Look Who's Twittering about American Sign Language
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- SemajSings
- Maybe I should learn American Sign Language.
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- yamasas
- [resources] Lesson Tutor: American Sign Language ASL lesson: Simple answers and common phrases. http://bit.ly/2eTXPs
-
- TWYH
- sixwordstories: [reading an American Sign Language book]: [reading an American Sign Language book]. (1 comment).. http://bit.ly/3K9vTa
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- TWYH
- Twitter LSA LSA American Sign Language: LSA American Sign Language Interpreter Selected to Interpret for Presid.. http://bit.ly/3welsN
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- BobbyBurnham
- @truetruebie Yeah, like American sign language but in QWERTY! *laughs* No, puppy typing's ok. My cat attacks my mouse.
Chat with Chester:
Have you read The Kissing Hand and if so how have you used it in helping a young child deal with separation?
science_fiction_novels_cyberpunk wrote...
Lovely lens, full of helpful advices. Excellent job, 5*!
Posted November 03, 2009
ChineseKitesforKids wrote...
I actually have this book (well my kids do). It's a great story and love how you've incorporated activities along with it. Great job! I've lensrolled you right back to my American Sign Language Alphabet lens as well as my American Sign Language Colors lens. Thanks for sharing! 5*****
Posted September 03, 2009
StephenC wrote...
Good lens, terrific stuff. Have not read The Kissing Hand, but will try in the future.
Posted February 15, 2009
RedPanda25 wrote...
Great job, this lens is great! By the way, Welcome to my Children's Books Group! Keep up the good work!
Posted October 09, 2008
debnet wrote...
Lovely Lens Evelyn :) Thank you for joining The Emotional Wellbeing Group :)
Posted September 04, 2008
jaktraks wrote...
Love your lens! Welcome to the Mental and Emotional Health group.
Posted September 01, 2008
mulberry wrote...
Sounds like a great book and you have so many great classroom ideas!
Posted August 24, 2008
A_RovingReporter wrote...
A great book that should be a great companion to parents with school-going kids. A great lens by a great lensmaster and an educational consultant. Five stars.
Posted August 24, 2008
Barkely wrote...
Too cute, I'll have to check out this book. Sounds like a great one to add to my collection:)
Posted August 23, 2008
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About the Author of this Lens
Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.A lensography is a compilation of all the webpages someone on Squidoo has written.
You can find hundreds of more teaching ideas by checking out my other lenses.
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Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
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My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
by Evelyn_Saenz
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