Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

Last updated Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Author: Joseph Slate
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
Date of Publication: 1996
ISBN: 0525454462
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Date(s) Used: July 2004

Synopsis: On the first day of kindergarten, Miss Bindergarten must prepare her classroom for her beloved students. This noble, whimsical teacher greets her dark, summertime-empty classroom with an explosion of color--a bouquet of fall leaves, a goldfish, rolled-up posters, and shoeboxes full of no-doubt-delightful surprises.

Discussion topics for before reading:

• What did you do to get ready for kindergarten? What do you in the morning?
• What do you think your teacher does to get ready for kindergarten?

Discussion topics for after reading:

• Write down each child’s first name, and create a little rhyme for each.
• How did the teacher get ready for kindergarten?

Craft ideas:

• From the first letter of the child’s first name, write their name and the corresponding animal from the last page in the book (or another one if he/she can come up with one) on a piece of paper, and have them draw the picture.
• Write a card to your kindergarten teacher with pictures showing everyone getting ready for the first day of kindergarten.

Special challenge:

• Read the book again, and have the children act out what each person does.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don’t have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!