Wemberly worried activities

Activities For Kevin Henkes' Back To School Story, "Wemberly Worried"

1-2-3 Come Do Some "Wemberly Worried" Activities With Me

No matter what grade I taught, to get students excited about writing, all I had to do was incorporate a bit of craftiness, to get & hold their attention.

With that in mind, I designed these super-fun writing prompt craftivities, which were inspired by Kevin Henkes’ book, “Wemberly Worried”, an all-time favorite back to school story.

I think realizing that others also have fears, helps children not feel so alone when dealing with their own emotions; especially if they find someone who shares the same worry (Like Wemberly & Jewel).

Hopefully, these various writing prompts will provide cathartic fun.

1. There are 14 cover options for the “Sometimes I worry about…” craftivity, which includes 5 girl & 5 boy patterns.

Students color & draw in the facial features. There’s also a generic pattern, plus one featuring Wemberly, as well as a blank template where students can draw themselves inside the “worry circle”.

The cover is then glued to the top of their writing prompt so it flips up.

2. So that you can do a variety of quick, easy & fun writing activities throughout the week, I’ve also included 4, “point of view” postcards, where students pretend they are Wemberly and then write a postcard to a classmate.

3. Students need to know that everyone worries; it’s normal and there are coping skills to help. Which is why I also designed the “Flip the Face” (Mice Advice) craftivity.

Students color, cut and glue Wemberly’s face together, so that it flips up to reveal something they do to help with their worries.

I think this prompt is easier for students to “share” because they feel they are helping others.

4. As another story extension, I’ve also included several Venn diagram options, where students compare Jewel with Wemberly, as well as Wemberly to themselves.

For a fun icebreaker, have students partner up, and do the “Venn Friend” activity, which make an adorable back to school bulletin board.

5. A discussion helps to alleviate fears as well, so I’ve included a whole-group activity, comparing young people’s worries with those of adults.

6. To help get rid of worries, I’ve also included 2 worksheet options, where students write their worries on a large W or “pencil page”, then rip their worries into small pieces, ball them up into a wad, then “toss their cares into the trash”.

7. On the same order, is “Give your worry warts away”, where students give their warts to Wharton the toad, who never worries about anything.  

The warts are simply colorful stickers they sprinkle on one of two toad options. 

To expedite coloring, I ran the patterns off on tan construction paper.  Students add some shading with crayons. 

On the back of Wharton, they write down 3-8 worries that they have, numbering them as they go.

On the front of their toad, they number that many "worry wart" stickers.

The "worry ball" that Wharton sits on says: Don't Worry Be "HOppy".  While students are working, I play Bobby McFerrin's song. Click the link to have a listen. 

I've included several photo posters of real toads to help introduce your lesson, then later they can spice up your bulletin board display.

Today's featured FREEBIE is "Chalk Talk".  Great for back to school or anytime.

The packet includes:

* A “Chalk” behavior modification, positive reinforcement activity, that will help promote working as a team to achieve a desired goal, building self-esteem at the same time.

* Black & White “color me” headers, for a sidewalk chalk treat Baggie, as well as patterns in full color for preschool, kindergarten, & first grade, with a blank template for you to fill in with any other grade. I’ve also included a generic one you can give at anytime of the year.

* A “Chalk Talk” bear poster you can write a daily message on.
* A “Chalk Talk” kitten poster wishing children a “purrr-fect” day. Plus...

* 2, Chalk Talk ("I had a nice time at school today. These are a few of the things that I did:" ) writing prompt worksheets.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

It's the middle of August, so my feet have hit the floor running.  My "To Do" list is way too long, but it's also a ton of fun. 

Wishing you a zippidy-do-dah kind of day, filled with lots of zip and not so much "to do" dah.

"You're off to great places. Today is your day.  Your mountain is waiting so get on your way!" - Dr. Seuss

Wemberly Worried: Kevin Henkes Virtual Book Club

Tips for helping your child through the big and little emotions of starting a new school year.

Helping children with feelings of anxiety is a part of parenthood and childhood. We hug them in the dark and when they hear scary noises. We hold their hand as we go to new places and while meeting new people. We talk with them about their fears and worries and even show our children there are no monsters in the closet from time to time.

Starting school can bring up some worries within our children. Some worries are about ifthey will make friends, will they get lost, will the teacher be nice and like them or even will it be too difficult.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes is a great book to read to children to help them with their feelings of anxiety about the world around them and starting school.   In the story Wemberly worries about big things and little things and her parents are concerned she worries too much. 

I love how it addresses some common worries of children so that they can relate to her and know that they are not alone in their worries. One of her biggest worries is about starting school. 

At the end, she finds that she’s not the only one who worries through a special friend who somehow makes things a little less worrisome.

Identify your child’s worries with them.  Are they big worries or little worries?

OR

We used a board to write down and discuss our worries.  You could easily use a sheet of paper too.  As we wrote down our worries we put them under Big Worries or Little Worries.  Sometimes it helps them to be able to sort out what we should really worry about because it’s dangerous or something that just might happen but it’s not a big deal. 

As you talk about your child’s concerns about School or anything for that matter encourage them to categorize these concerns with you.  

It’s a difficult thing for smaller children to do, just think of how intensely you may have felt when you thought a shadow was a “real monster”.  But the more you talk about when it’s not really happening the more they will begin to understand. Have them relocate those worries if they’ve placed them in the incorrect category.  

Some terms to use as you discuss these worries are the likelihood of them happening.

Ask them to sort their worries into groups of just might happen or not likely.

Once you’ve identified some true concerns that just might happen it’s time to talk about them and come up with strategies for them.

Here are some Examples and Strategies

Worry: I will forget my lunch

Truthfully it just might happen…. so make a plan.  Having them come with you to give the food service money might assure them that there is money there waiting for them just in case they leave their lunchbox at home.

Worry: I won’t have any friends

We hope that this never happens to any child but know that it is a big concern and rightly so.   Come up with strategies for your child to make new friends.  I encouraged my daughter to just remember only 3 names the first day of school.  It can be overwhelming to meet so many people at once.  The next day I asked her to remember who she sat by at lunch or who she stood by in the line.  Encouraging them to make those connections will help with forming friendships.

Worry: I won’t know the answers

I think it’s human nature to want to know things all the time but encouraging your child to ask questions and know that they are there to learn new things will help with this one.  Also encouraging them to speak up and raise their hands when they don’t understand.  A teacher is there to help you learn and understand is a great phrase to teach your child.

Worry: I’m going to miss my Mommy & Daddy

This is one of those things that you just never know how your child will react until they are there at school.  You can guess from experience in the past with child care providers but I know as a Mom of a crying child the first day of Kindergarten I never saw that coming since he had done so well at preschool the year before.   Literally the teacher had to pry my son off of me so that I could go to teach my classroom for my first day of school too.

Here are some Suggestions for Helping with Back to School Worries

• Create a heart for them to carry in their pocket or backpack. Curly Birds has a great tutorial on how to create them.
• Create First Day of Magic School Dust, we have a printable just for you with ideas.
• Read lots of books about school.  Here’s our list of favorite Back to School Books.
• Read Kevin Henkes collection of Mouse books they address so many social issues that children go through in school.
• Create your own Back to School Book.  We’ve created a printable for you.  You can sit with your child and personalize their own book about school to talk about some concerns they may have and to also discuss the rules and procedures at school.

• Visit 6 Ways to a Less Worried Child from Awesomely Awake
• Visit Loving ways to Ease School Separation Anxiety by Imagination Soup
• Read Llama Llama Misses Mama on We Give Books, it’s even online!

Image Source Mrs. T’s First Grade

• Create your own Wemberly Worried inspired by Mrs. T’s First Grade, she’s included tons of printable activity ideas too!
• Follow our School Pinterest Board for more Resources for Back to School.
• Role Play with Finger Puppets some of the worries your child may have and some of the words that can use in those situations.
• Download Kevin Henkes Wemberly Activity Guide.  Includes a Maze, Dot to Dot, Coloring Page, Finger Puppets, Word Search, Songs and MORE!

Downloadable Wemberly Activity Guide from Kevin Henkes

If you haven’t read the story here is an online version.

We wish you the best of luck as your child begins school.  Even if it’s their second or third year of school don’t forget sometimes their worries might even get more intense as they have memories of year’s prior. Communicate with your child and communicate with your child’s teacher to create the best environment for your child. I think we all have a little Wemberly in all of us! 

Who knows they just might want to make Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star next!

Here are some additional Back to School Resources to make your school year kick off with success!

Doing business in KT is limited by the interests of neighbors

• 3 minute reading

Dear editors!

In our apartment building, some tenants are busy preparing so-called “homemade” food for sale. Now everyone living in this entrance has to endure the strong smells of food from morning to night. On the one hand, of course, it’s good when it smells of pastries and fried meat, on the other hand, if these smells constantly “hang” in the entrance, penetrate into the neighbors’ apartments, then after a while they cause nothing but disgust. The neighbors do not respond to our remarks, the CT board also does not know whether it is possible to influence these businessmen. What can be done in such a situation?

Natalia Andreevna

The Law on Apartment Ownership and Apartment Association clearly states that the right to use an apartment property at one's own discretion is limited by the legitimate interests of a third person, that is, other apartment owners. Also, the owner must use the apartment for its intended purpose, that is, for living. Photo: Sofia Boborenko

The question seemed interesting to us. Indeed, you can find quite a few tenants who are engaged in some kind of business in their apartment or on the territory of the CT: they place offices and salons, use a parking lot to sell cars, a basement for a workshop or warehouse. People running a home business often interfere with other apartment owners, and neighbors can be dissatisfied with smells, noise (for example, from a constantly running washing machine), a large amount of garbage, and so on. How is the issue of doing business in apartment buildings regulated?

Ellen Uusküla, Head of the Supervision Department of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Narva City Government, explains:

• According to the law, buildings and rooms in buildings must be used according to the purpose indicated in the construction project. This means that residential premises cannot be used for business. If the owner of the premises wishes to change the purpose of the premises, he must notify the local authorities of this by contacting the Supervision Department of the City Government. Depending on the purpose of using the premises, the owner may need to redo the construction project.

Irina Andreeva, a certified building manager, recalls that in order to remove an apartment from the housing stock in an apartment building, it is necessary to obtain permission from the general meeting of members of the CT.

• My management practice shows that now it is rare for anyone to move apartments out of the housing stock, as this is associated with high costs. More often people are engaged in some kind of business without proper registration of property, but if their activities do not interfere with their neighbors, then people usually take it easy.

What to do if the activities of a legal entity create problems for neighbors? Lawyer Marina Sukhneva (KETA ÕIGUSBÜROO OÜ) in her book “100 Questions for CT” gives an answer to the question of how to influence a company that is located in an apartment and interferes with other apartment owners with its activities. Here is what she writes:

• It happens that a legal entity that has bought apartment property in a residential building violates the peaceful living of other apartment owners, creating real problems for them with its activities. This can be either constant noisy overhaul, or hectic production activities with a large number of strangers walking around the house, specific smells of production activities, and smoking in the porches. Often such firms, without the consent of other apartment owners, begin to rebuild the premises, cut off radiators and switch to alternative heating, break through a separate entrance in the wall of the house, drive cars on the lawn if there is no access road for working transport. Also, firms often refuse to pay for the repair and maintenance of the house, citing the fact that they do not walk along the entrances, do not use the roof and the heating unit.

Since the company is a share owner of a house and a member of an association, it, like other owners, must comply with the obligations and restrictions laid down in the Law on Apartment Ownership and Apartment Association. In Section 30, Paragraph 1, Clause 1 of the Law, the right to use the apartment property at one's own discretion is limited by the legitimate interests of a third party, that is, other apartment owners. Also, the owner must use the apartment for its intended purpose, that is, for living.

1. If the owner company violates its obligations, other apartment owners or the association can apply the following law enforcement measures: demand that the apartment property be used in accordance with the law (for living) or agreements of the owners;
2. demand the restoration of the heating system and building structures of the building;
3. to demand the alienation of the apartment property due to the obstruction by one's actions to use other apartment properties;
4. to demand compensation for damage caused by the unlawful actions of the company.

First, the company is presented with a demand from the board, the general meeting, then, if the measures taken have not had any effect, it is necessary to apply to the court for the expropriation of the apartment.

Sofia Boborenko

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