Educator Guide: Kit's Big Curiosity (Book 1)
Free to use in your classroom. The matching family activity sheet is on the Educator Resources page.
At a Glance
| Ages | Series One, Ages 2 to 4 |
| Theme | Curiosity and close observation |
| Core lesson | Interesting things are all around you, and noticing them is a skill. |
| Read-aloud time | 5 to 7 minutes |
| Best group size | Whole group to read, 4 to 6 for activities |
| Staffing | Small groups assume a second adult covers the room. Alone, run one table with the other centers set out first. |
| Timing | Times are teaching time. Add five minutes for cleanup. |
Why This Book Matters
Two, three, and four year olds already notice everything. What they lack is a way to hold the noticing still long enough to talk about it, and this book supplies one direction at a time. Pointing is the first shared attention move a toddler masters, so a child with almost no spoken language takes part at full strength.
Circle Time Discussion
Read it first. Show the cover and take three guesses about what Kit will find. At "This is Kit. Kit has curious eyes," ask what curious eyes do, and model it by widening your own and looking slowly around the room. At "Now YOU point UP! What do you see?" stop, point at the real ceiling, and let every child name one thing, then repeat at DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT. At "Kit draws what Kit saw," ask why he draws it instead of just remembering.
- Kit saw a bird building a nest. What is above us right now? [If no words: point at two things and let them choose.]
- Kit found a flower in a crack. Where could something small hide in here? [If no words: let them pat a shelf or a rug.]
- The puddle showed Kit the sky. What else can you see yourself in? [If no words: hold up a mirror and a spoon.]
- Kit said "Oooh!" at interesting things. Can you make an "Oooh!" face? [If no words: this needs none. Make it together.]
- What will you look for tomorrow? [If no words: offer "something soft or something loud."]
The Six Activities, Adapted for the Classroom
Up, Down, Left, Right!
The book has children point in four directions and shout "Oooh!" for one find in each.
Materials: none, and an open patch of carpet. Group: whole group, 8 minutes. How it runs: Stand everyone in a loose circle facing inward so nobody blocks a sightline. Call one direction and hold the silence while arms stay up, because the discovery happens in the waiting. Then a child takes over the calling. Say this: "Point UP and keep pointing. Do not put your arm down until your eyes find something." Adapt it: Younger children copy the point and the shout. Ready for more: say why it is interesting. A child who cannot lift an arm aims their eyes while you narrate. A child whose home language is not English can answer in that language, and you repeat the idea back in English while keeping their word. Look for: a child who keeps searching past the first easy answer instead of naming whatever is closest.
Ooh! What Do You See?
The book has children pick a favorite of Kit's four seasons, then find the season outside a window.
Materials: the four seasons activity page, and one window. Group: small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers. How it runs: Sit close enough for every child to touch the page, and let each one finger the sprout, the sea glass, the falling leaves, or the frost flower. Walk to the window, ask which season is happening now, and find one wonderful thing through the glass. Say this: "Put your finger on the season that looks like today. Let us check." Adapt it: Younger children choose between two pictures. Ready for more: ask what will be outside in three months. For limited mobility, seat the child at the sill or bring a photo taken there. Look for: a child who matches picture to window without you pointing at the answer.
Take a Big Sniff!
The book sends children hunting for three safe smelly things, with a big "Mmm!" for favorites.
Check allergy, asthma, and sensory notes first. A nut free and cinnamon free set is soap, lemon peel, and playdough. Materials: three safe smells in open bowls: soap, a cinnamon stick, or orange peel. Food used as a smell is not tasted and is discarded afterward. Small parts: use pieces larger than a toilet paper tube opening in rooms with children under three, or run this activity in a small group with an adult seated at the table. Group: small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers. How it runs: Model one giant slow sniff with eyes closed so the group sees what slow looks like. Pass one bowl at a time, and each child says "Mmm!" or waves it away, both correct. Then ask what the smell reminds them of. Say this: "Close your eyes. One big slow sniff. What does that make you think about?" Adapt it: Younger children use one strong smell, not three. Ready for more: rank all three and say why. A child with limited language answers as the page allows, with a big "Mmm!" or a hand that waves it away. Look for: a child who ties a smell to a memory or a place, such as "that is like Grandma."
Cup Your Ears!
The book has children cup both ears, hold still like a statue, and hunt for the quietest sound.
Materials: none, plus chart paper afterward. Group: whole group, 5 minutes, best after a loud transition. How it runs: Everyone cups both ears and freezes. Hold ten seconds of silence on the first run, which is already long at this age, and add a few seconds a day until Friday reaches twenty. If a child talks, whisper "ears again" and restart the count instead of ending the round. Say this: "Statues do not wiggle and statues do not talk. Find the smallest sound in this room." Adapt it: Younger children hold still five seconds, then wiggle freely. Ready for more: point to where the sound came from. This works as written from a chair or a mat. Look for: a child who names a sound that was there all along, like the heater, and seems surprised.
Catch a Raindrop!
The book has children hold a flat palm out for a raindrop, or take a drop from a grown-up's wet finger.
Materials: a small cup of water per adult. On a rainy day, nothing. Group: pairs at the doorway, 8 minutes, two pairs at a time while the rest of the class is at centers with the second adult. How it runs: Each child holds one palm flat and still, like a tiny landing pad, until a drop lands, because the waiting is what they remember. On a dry day, drip one drop from your finger onto each palm. Send each pair back as the next comes out. Say this: "Flat hand, very still, like a tiny landing pad. Wait, wait, wait. Cold, warm, or tickly?" Adapt it: Younger children may need you to steady the hand, with consent, saying first what you will do. Ready for more: predict cold or warm, then check. A child with limited language points to the cool water or your warm hand. Look for: a child who reaches for a temperature or texture word without being handed one.
Feel the Bark!
The book has children lay a flat hand on a trunk, name the feel, and trace one crooked line of bark.
Materials: any tree, post, or fence. Indoors, a bark textured basket, a brick wall, or a wooden shelf edge. Group: small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes outdoors, while the rest of the class is across the yard with the second adult. How it runs: Everyone puts a flat hand on the same tree at once, like saying hello. Offer four words and let each child choose: bumpy, smooth, cold, or scratchy. Each child traces one crooked line of bark downward, then the group votes with thumbs, old or young. Say this: "Flat hand, say hello to the tree. Bumpy, smooth, cold, or scratchy?" Adapt it: Younger children pat instead of trace. Ready for more: say why you voted old or young. A seated child reaches a low trunk, a fence post, or a bark sample brought on a tray. Look for: a child who picks a texture word and sticks with it, or notices the bark change on the way down.
Learning Standards
The table below cites three frameworks: the Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
| Framework | Element | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| NGSS Practice | Asking Questions and Defining Problems | Ooh! What Do You See?: a child names a season, then checks it at the window. |
| NGSS Practice | Planning and Carrying Out Investigations | Take a Big Sniff!: a child repeats one slow sniff on three bowls. |
| NAEYC | 2.D Language Development, vocabulary | Feel the Bark!: a child picks bumpy, smooth, cold, or scratchy for a real trunk. |
| NAEYC | 2.B Social and Emotional Development, curiosity | Up, Down, Left, Right!: a child searches past the first easy find. |
| CASEL | Self-Awareness | Take a Big Sniff!: a child says which smell they love and waves another away. |
About these frameworks
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): the accrediting body whose Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards define what a high-quality preschool curriculum covers. Standard 2, Curriculum, is the section directors document during accreditation, and the rows above name the topic area each activity supports.
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): the kindergarten through grade 12 science standards adopted by most states. Formal NGSS expectations begin at kindergarten, so this table cites only its Science and Engineering Practices, naming the precursor behaviors this book builds rather than grade-level performance expectations.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): the research organization whose five social-emotional competencies most states use to define social-emotional learning. Naming them shows where each activity builds skills such as self-management, social awareness, or relationship skills.
Key Vocabulary
| Word | Child-Friendly Definition | Teacher Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Curious | Wanting to find out more | "You keep looking. You are curious." |
| Notice | To see what you missed before | "You noticed the crack. Nobody else did." |
| Interesting | Something that makes you look longer | "What makes that interesting?" |
| Bumpy | Not smooth, with little hills | "Run your hand across. Bumpy or smooth?" |
| Direction | The way you point or look | "Try a new direction. You checked up." |
| Quiet | So small you hold still to hear it | "That was a quiet sound. Good ears." |
Watch For and Note
Emerging. The child points and says "Oooh!" with the group but does not say what they found. They may copy a neighbor or repeat the last word they heard.
Developing. The child names one or two things without help, using words such as big, red, or soft. They point to a specific item when asked which one.
Proficient. The child names several finds without prompting and adds a texture, size, or temperature word. They keep searching after the obvious answers are taken.
Center Extensions
- Blocks: Build a tower, then look from high and low at what shows from each spot.
- Art: Paper and crayons for one thing they noticed today.
- Dramatic play: Add a magnifying glass and a bag for an "Oooh!" walk with dolls.
- Outdoors: Drop a hula hoop down and find five interesting things inside it.
Family Connection
This week we read Kit's Big Curiosity, the first STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) book in the Kit's Little Sparks series, and practiced looking up, down, left, and right on purpose. Your child is bringing home the "Look and Ooh!" walk sheet. Walk slowly, let your child lead, and say "Oooh!" at whatever catches the eye.
Next in the Series
Book 2, Kit Meets Sparks, introduces Sparks, a tiny fairy of gears and golden light, who shows Kit that everything around him was made by someone. Bridge activity: walk the room asking, "Who made that?" about today's finds.