Presenters & Volunteers

We welcome family and community members to join us to introduce topics, instruments, or activities, share special skills, read stories, present an art activity, etc.  Connecting students with families and the community is a priority for Sunnybrook.  Volunteers and presenters are always in the presence of classroom teachers when with children.  Volunteers who join us regularly in the classroom are required by the state to be fingerprinted.

Please contact [email protected] to find out more about volunteering or presenting, and to schedule your visit.

Tips for Presenting to Young Children

For presenters who are not accustomed to working with groups of young children, here are some guidelines that may be helpful for your visit.

3-5 year-old children have short attention spans.  Developmentally, they can stay engaged for about 10-15 minutes.  If physical movement and engagement (touching & examining something, getting up to move) is involved, they can attend longer, possibly up to 30 minutes.

SUGGESTED PROCESS & TIPS:

1. Introduce yourself (ex. “Hi, my name is Mike.”)
2. Connect & Grab their attention – Tell 1-3 short, fun facts/stories about yourself (ex. “I am John’s dad. When I was walking out to the car this morning, I saw something run underneath.  I thought it was our cat, so I got down to look, but it was black with a white stripe.  It started to stomp its’ back feet so I ran away as fast as I could!”)
3. Introduce what you are going to show & summarize agenda (ex. If presenting an instrument – “We are going to learn about an instrument called a trumpet. This is a trumpet. It is an instrument in the brass family. I am going to show you some of its’ parts and how it makes music, then we can dance together before sharing what we learned.”)
4. Get them interested right away (ex. If presenting an instrument, begin by playing a short song. “I am going to play a song on my trumpet.  This song is a type of music called Swing.  Listen for how the music changes, and watch to see if you can figure out how the music is made.”)
5. Give information (but not too much) before asking probing questions – they are young and may not have experience with your topic. Choose 3-5 key vocabulary words to focus on, as they can retain only a few concepts at a time. (ex. If presenting an instrument, point out and name 3-5 main parts of the instrument – “I am going show you some of the parts. This is the mouthpiece.  These are the finger buttons. This is the bell.  And this is the spit valve. Let’s look at each part and see what they do.”)
6. Demonstrate & Invite Thinking (ex. If presenting an instrument – “First I make my lips do this, then I put them on the mouthpiece and blow. Watch my fingers to see if you can tell how they play the different notes.” And after, “Raise your hand if you have an idea what the spit valve does.” “Raise your hand if you can tell us what I did to change the music?”)
7. Invite them to engage (ex. If presenting an instrument, let then take turns carefully touching it. “I will bring my trumpet around, and you may each take a turn pushing the finger buttons. This is an instrument, so we treat it carefully to keep it in working condition.  Watch how I play it carefully.”)
8. Keep them engaged & Get them moving (ex. If presenting an instrument – “I am going to play another song. This song is a type of music called the Blues.  If you would like, you may get up and dance on the rug while I play.  Remember to stay in your personal space when you move your body. Notice how the Blues is different from Swing music.”)
9. Review & Cement learning (ex. “Raise your hand if you would like to share your favorite thing that you learned about the trumpet today.”)

For printable version – Tips for Presenting to Young Children

 

Classroom Cleaning Information

We are appreciative of volunteers who take time to keep our classroom clean and sanitary.  Below is some information that will be helpful for cleaning.

Tasks are ordered by priority level.  Our main request is that the floors be swept and mopped.  If you have extra time, we appreciate any other cleaning you do.

Tasks

1. Sweep & Mop – use vinegar & water solution for floor cleaning
2. Wash chairs & spray with bleach solution
3. Dust
4. Other cleaning that you see should be done

Solution ratios

1. Floor solution – ½ cup vinegar per 1 gallon warm water
2. Bleach solution – ½ Tablespoon per ½ quart cold water

Supply locations

1. Broom & dustpan – in classroom to left of kitchen door
2. Mop & bucket – in room behind double doors at far end of classroom (stainless steel handle, white mop head, greenish/yellow and black)
3. Vinegar – under kitchen sink
4. ½ cup measuring cup – in blue bucket under sink in kitchen
5. Bleach – in cabinet behind the sink (left side) – to open child latch, slide little latch to right and detach latch
6. Bleach solution bottle – in classroom on desk to the right of kitchen door
7. ½ tablespoon measuring spoon & funnel for bleach – in blue bucket under sink in kitchen

For printable version – Classroom Cleaning