The four lessons in this course have explored the best ways to set up healthy and safe environments for children and how to promote a healthy lifestyle. Early childhood professionals are advocates for children and their families. They must make sure that they’re providing families with healthy choices, ideas, and resources to help families better understand how to live healthy lives. 

In this assignment, imagine yourself in the role of a preschool classroom teacher preparing to send home with students a Healthy Take Home Bag that offers families the opportunity to work, play, explore, and learn together regarding health, safety, and nutrition. You’ll complete this assignment in theory; in other words, it isn’t necessary to create a real Take Home Bag. However, you’ll plan your bag, your letter to families, and your essay responses as if you were putting together a real Take Home Bag.

Instructions

As an early childhood professional, building a home-school connection is an important part of teaching and learning. As we teach three-, four-, and five-year-old children about healthy lifestyles, nutrition, safety, and wellness, we also must offer support and education to families at home. This graded project involves developing a themed Healthy Take Home Bag to be sent home each week with a different child throughout the school year. It should contain important ideas and activities that provide families and children with knowledge about becoming and staying healthy and fit. These bags allow family members to be involved in a child’s learning.

Follow these steps to begin your assignment: 

Choose one of these four themes and plan your Healthy Take Home Bag around your selected topic:

a.  Germs, Handwashing, and Staying Healthy

b.  Nutrition and Healthy Food Choices

c.  Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness

d.  Dental Health and Hygiene

Search online and select an image of the ideal book bag, backpack, or tote bag you would send home with children in your class. Copy the image of the bag and paste it into your assignment. Cite the source of the image on your references page in APA format, and explain in five to seven sentences which theme you’ve selected and why. Then, share why you selected this particular bag to serve as your Healthy Take Home Bag.    

From the teacher’s perspective, write a letter to families of your students explaining what the bag is about and why their children are receiving the bag to take home. In your letter, include a greeting and closing, and follow proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting rules. Your letter should motivate and excite families to receive the bag, provide a detailed explanation of each item included in the bag, suggest how to use each item appropriately, and include any other directions, suggestions, or guidance you wish to express. Before writing your letter, imagine what questions, concerns, or apprehensions families might have as they receive the Healthy Take Home Bag. Then include your answers and any additional information that might lessen their confusion or reluctance.

Research ideas as you plan the bag’s contents, which should include materials in each of the following categories:

Games.  Include a description of at least one game families would play together that promotes understanding of your chosen theme. Describe the materials needed to play each game, and share a summary of how each game is played. Finally, indicate what the child will learn from playing each game at home with their family. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

Children’s literature.  Identify and describe two books that promote children’s understanding of your chosen topic. Provide the title, author’s name, publisher, date, and a summary of each book. Then, identify two reasons for selecting each book to be included within your Healthy Take Home Bag.This portion of your assignment is expected to be two fully developed paragraphs of at least five to seven sentences each (one paragraph per book).

Manipulatives.  Describe at least one manipulative set you would include in the Healthy Take Home Bag. Tell about the materials included and how they’re to be used. Then explain how the manipulatives extend the child’s understanding of your selected theme. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

Dramatic play.  Share ideas for costumes, puppets, or other dramatic play materials you would send home in the Take Home Bag. Be specific by sharing the manufacturer’s name of each item, describing the items themselves, and explaining how they’ll be used. Describe how the dramatic play items you’ve included relate to your chosen theme and advance the child’s understanding of your selected topic. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

Sensory play.  Describe one sensory play experience you would include in the Take Home Bag to help teach children and families about your selected topic. Explain how this sensory experience would benefit the family. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

Science experiment.  Describe one age-appropriate science experiment included in the Take Home Bag that supports your selected topic. Explain the materials needed, the steps of the experiment, and the expected outcome. Then, explain how this experiment would benefit the family. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

Recipes for healthy snacks.  Share at least one recipe for a kid-friendly snack that’s healthy, nutritious, and relates to the topic you’ve chosen. Identify the ingredients you would send home in the bag or expect the family to have on hand. Describe the procedure of making the snack, and explain how and why the snack contributes to the family’s experience in learning together about the bag’s theme. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

Additional resources.  Provide at least one resource—such as a website, book, magazine, movie, or other resource—that would extend the family’s exploration of your chosen theme. Explain what the resource is and how it would benefit the family. Make sure this is a credible source that families will find beneficial and easily accessible. This portion of your assignment is expected to be one fully developed paragraph of at least five to seven sentences.

 As you complete these portions of your assignment, click on the links below and consider some of the ideas pinned for you on your ECE instructors’ Pinterest boards: 

ECE130 Health, Safety and Nutrition

Healthy Take Home Bag Ideas

Submission and Grading

Formatting Your Assignment

Begin by creating a title page in APA format. Format your paper using a standard font, such as 12-point Times New Roman. Set the margins at a standard 1 inch on all sides. Set your line spacing as double. Because you’ve given your information on the title page, no header is necessary. The standard style format for citations, if required, is American Psychological Association (APA). For more information on this citation style, refer to this site.

Prior to Submitting Your Assignment for Grading

Before submitting your ideas for your Healthy Take Home Bag:

Watch the video on your student portal for this assignment, as it offers greater insight and advanced instructions on how to successfully complete this exam.

Visit the recommended Pinterest boards and related websites for ideas about age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate activities to include in your Take Home Bag.

Proofread your work for any spelling, punctuation, grammatical, or formatting errors.

Review the grading rubric below to ensure all portions of the assignment are satisfied.

Save your assignment as one continuous file in Microsoft Word or another rich-text format.

Read the statement below.

I declare that the assignment submitted here is original except for source material explicitly acknowledged in APA formatted, in-text citations and references.

I acknowledge that I am aware of the College’s policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and of the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations, as contained in my Student Handbook.

I submit this assignment for grading as my best efforts, resulting from my careful consideration of the assignment’s instructions as explained in my lesson material and in the assignment’s video on my student portal. If, after considering the lesson material and the video, I was unsure of the assignment’s requirements, I have already contacted my instructor via phone or email to seek guidance and clarification. 

In submitting this work for a grade, I accept that my work will not be returned ungraded.

Submitting Your Assignment for Grading

Note: Each project is individually graded and therefore could take up to five to seven business days to grade. Follow this procedure to submit your assignment online:

Be sure that your document contains:

Your name

Your student number 

Course name and number 

Project number (580803)

Go to http://www.pennfoster.edu and log in to your student portal.

On your student portal, click on Take an Exam.

In the box provided, enter the examination number. (The number for this exam is 580803.)

Click on Submit.

On the next screen, enter your email address. (Note: This information is required for online submission.)

If you wish to tell your instructor anything specific regarding this assignment, enter it in the Comments.

Attach your file as follows:

Click on the first Browse box.

Locate the file you wish to attach.

Click on Submit. Be sure to keep a backup copy of any files you submit to the school!

Grading Criteria—Healthy Take Home Bag Project

Grading Criteria

Exemplary Proficient Fair Poor Not Evident

Image of ideal Healthy Take Home Bag is provided.  Selected bag is appropriate, and bag and chosen theme are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more games are provided.  Games are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

Two or more children’s books are provided.  Books are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in two fully developed paragraphs. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more sets of manipulatives are provided.  Manipulatives are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more dramatic play sets are provided.  Dramatic play activities are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more sensory play experiences are provided.  Sensory play activities are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more science experiments are provided.  Science experiments are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more recipes for healthy snacks are provided.  Recipes are age- and developmentally appropriate, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

One or more additional resources are provided.  Resources are appropriate and easily accessible to families, and are explained in a fully developed paragraph. 10 8 6 4 0

APA references page, title page, in-text citations, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format are appropriate. 10 8 6 4 0