Page 1 - Kind News, Jr. Activity Guide, September/October 2024
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Activity Guide





                                                                            SEP/OCT 2024


                                                                     Teaching kindness and
                                                                     encouraging a love for
                                                                       reading in children.




                                                                                BOOK NOOK
     KIND TIME



     A new school year brings new friends — animal                            Ethan and the Strays
     companions included! We’re kicking off the year with                     Written by John Sullivan and
     tips for getting to know a new dog or cat in “Pet Corner.”               Illustrated by Hatem Aly
     Our feature goes further into cat emotions: how cats                     Recommended for ages 4-8
     communicate them and ways we can respond in friendship.                   On his way to school, Ethan finds
     This issue's humane hero teaches younger children about
     shelter pets. And with Halloween on the horizon,                          three kittens. He learns their
     we explore disguises used in wildlife rehabilitation and                  personalities, how outdoor cats
     the sweet rescue story of a young crow!                       confront the cold, and — with some help from
                                                                   his local animal clinic — what he can do to
                                                                   help. Based on author John Sullivan’s real-life
     SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITY (TRY THIS AT HOME!)
                                                                   experiences rescuing stray animals, this sweet
     CASEL CORE COMPETENCIES: SELF-AWARENESS, SOCIAL               story illustrates the behavior of friendly cats
     AWARENESS, RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING:
                                                                   and the concepts of trap-neuter-return and
     After reading “Animal Behavior and Emotions: Happy Cat?”:     community cat care. Will Ethan convince his
     Talk with your child about happy cats you have seen in your lives.   father that one of his new kitten friends
     How could you tell the cat was happy? Then ask them to name   belongs in their home?
     from the article ways to tell whether a cat is happy. What can
     they remember about how to identify a scared cat? Practice    Find activity sheets from the publisher
     role-playing happy and scared cats and people approaching     under “Resources and Downloads” at
     them. Take turns playing the cat and the person and deciding   simonandschuster.com/books/Ethan-and-the-
     whether the “cat” is happy or scared. What do they notice about   Strays. For a Nov. 19, 2023 news story about
     how you approached the “cat?” Do they think that approach was   the book with an author interview, search
     helpful based on how the cat was feeling? Why or why not?     “new children’s book” at nbcchicago.com/
                                                                   news/local/clear-the-shelters.
     Examples of role play:
     Scared: get on hands and knees with an arched back, hiss      ETHAN AND THE STRAYS © 2023 BY SIMON &
                                                                   SCHUSTER/PAULA WISEMAN BOOKS
     Happy: “purr,” pretend to “bunt” (close eyes and rub up
     on others)

     Extend the activity by doing some cat yoga! Visit
     kidsyogastories.com/cat-yoga for poses that replicate a cat’s
     natural behaviors and get your child stretching and relaxing.
     Ask them to create a new pose to show a behavior they’ve
     observed in cats!                                               A PUBLICATION OF
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