DIG FOR DINO BONES          Read to Children Dinosaur Bones by Aliki. Then try one or more of these activities. — Prepare dinosaur “bones” from a store-bought mold or purchase plastic bones at a craft store. Hide the bones in a sand table or sand box outdoors. Let children dig for the bones with shovels or use colanders to sift the sand. As an alternate activity, use brightly colored paints to paint rocks of various sizes to look like jewels or gold. Bury them in a sandbox and let children dig for buried treasure. — Give each child various pieces of uncooked pasta, glue, and a piece of drawing paper. After viewing pictures of dinosaur skeletons, children can create their own by gluing various pasta onto the paper.

DRINK IT UP!          Talk with children about drinks. Make a list of drinks children like including milk, juice, water, and so on. Then explain to children that a smoothie is a type of drink they might like to try. Together, use this recipe to make and enjoy smoothies.

Yogurt Smoothie In a blender combine:          1 cup vanilla yogurt          1 cup fruit (banana, strawberry)          1 cup milk   ½ ice cubes

DUCK, DUCK, MORE DUCKS — Choose one child to be a parent duck. He or she covers his/her eyes. Hide a hardboiled egg somewhere in the room. Let the parent duck search for it. All the other ducklings (the class) quack quietly. As the parent gets closer to the hiding spot, the ducklings “quack” louder until the egg is discovered. Repeat game with another parent. — Let children make cute, simple baby ducks. On a paper plate let each child place a handful of yellow (Easter basket) grass. Gently sit two black paper eyes on the grass and a orange triangle “beak.” Place a small orange feather on each side of the grass — and name your baby duck. — Gather ten small plastic yellow “bath ducks.” Write a different number from 1 to 10 on the bottom of each duck. Let children place the ducks in the correct number sequence; use them to display a number from 1 to 10; or use them to create number sentences such as 1 duck + 2 ducks = 3 ducks.

DIAMOND DESIGNS Cut out numerous diamond shapes from different pieces of colored paper. Give each child several of the paper shapes, glue, a sheet of any color construction paper, and a small brush. Demonstrate how to create a design with the shapes. Then invite children create their own designs by dabbing glue onto each of the shapes with their brushes and pressing the shapes onto the colored construction paper.

A “BE-U-D-FUL” BOOK LIST          You might want to share one of these “D” books with your class: D Is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet by Carol Crane D Is for Doodle by Deborah Zemke D Is for Dreidel by Tanya Lee Stone and Dawn Apperley D Is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet by Michael Shoulders, Debbie Shoulders, and Irving Toddy

DAISY DO          Give each child a blue sheet of construction paper. Paint the length of each child’s fingers (only) with white paint. Let each child press his/her fingers onto the paper. Repeat this until each child has created a circle of finger prints. Let children paint the middle of their circle yellow. Finally children can add a green stem by gluing on a piece of green pipe cleaner.

DELICIOUS DONUTS          With your class make this easy recipe for donuts. — Let children use a round cookie cutter to cut circles from refrigerator biscuit dough. — Place them in heated cooking oil until both sides are brown. — Remove and place on paper towels. — Dip in sugar, cinnamon, or powdered sugar.

YOUR WORD CORNER Here are some words you will need.              See them, say them … hey, you can read!! down          did          dog          day          Write the words on a chart and review them. Read each sentence aloud. Try each word in each sentence. Let children tell you which word fits.          Jon looked ________________ at his shoes.          Look at what I ______________!          What a nice brown ______________.          Which _______________ is the party?

Check out the following Web sites for additional background and activities.

I Spy the Alphabet-The Letter D          Your kids will love finding and clicking on all the “D” items. http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/langearlyread/l/blispyd.htm

The Dime          Here’s a great way to begin introducing money — especially the dime. http://www.coe.uh.edu/archive/math/math_lessons/mathles3/dime1.htm

Dress Up!          Play the online game. Click on a drawer. Then click and drag to give the giraffe some snazzy clothes. http://www.safe-a-rooni.org/LookoutTower/dress-up.cfm

Alphabet Match          A fun game of letter reinforcement. http://akidsheart.com/threer/lvl1/amatch5.htm

Itsy-Bitsy Book Beginning Sounds Letter D          Print this out for a letter D lesson. http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/learning-letters/ib-book-d.htm