Exploration Packs

Literacy, Laughter, and Learning... in a bag.

Exploration packs are theme based literacy bags that encourage learners to explore and discover new things as they develop literacy skills. These bags include books, puzzles, games, activities, and a journal. These packs are meant to provide a fun way for families to learn together.

Families can enjoy the books together. Some of the books may be too difficult for your child to read independently. These can be used as read alouds. A list of activities and instructions is included in each pack. Each pack includes a journal and directions on what to include in the journal.

Children will share their journal entries on Thursday and Friday. If your child is an emergent writer, please underwrite their journal entry.

Learners can take home a new bag each week. Bags are sent home on Friday and must be returned by the following Thursday so that they may be enjoyed by another family.

America	Ancient Egypt	Artist	Cookies	Cooking
Cartographer	Dinosaur	Detective	Fairy Tales	Under the Sea
Frog Hopper	Special Delivery	Wacky Words	Super Silly Pack	Reptiles
Wild Animals	Mathematician	Creepy Crawlies	Let's Talk	Dr. Seuss
Teddy Bears	Scientist	Weather	Time	Money
Friends	Farm	Collections	Human Body	Graphs
Outer Space	Puzzler	Builder	Patterns	Pizza

In this pack you will find the following:
*The Pledge of Allegiance (book)
*Pledge of Allegiance (book)
*Yankee Doodle (book)
*America (book)
*State flash cards
*America magnetic map set
*Stuffed America Bear
*Flag coloring sheet
*Red, White, and Blue cubes (for creating patterns)
*America Rock CD-Rom
*The Oregon Trail CD-Rom
*Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
*Enjoy the books together with your family.
*Read to America Bear.
*Create patterns with the colored cubes.
*Please write several sentences in the journal about a place you have visited in America. You may include photos if you would like. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
*Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:

*Secret of the Mummies Book (book)
*Mummies in the Morning (book)
*Ancient Egypt (book)
*Make it Work Ancient Egypt (book)
*The Giraffe that Walked to Paris (book)
*Hieroglyphs from A to Z/ includes stencils (book)
*Egyptian Stampers
*Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
*Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions

*Enjoy the books together with your family.
*Look through the journal and try to figure out your friend's messages. Turn the journal upside down to check your answer.
*Please use the stampers to stamp your name and a short message in the journal. Turn the journal upside down and write the meaning of the message. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
*Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:

*Harold and the Purple Crayon (book)
*I'm An Artist (book)
*My First Activity Book
*Let's Paint A Rainbow (book)
*Watercolor set
*Fancy scissors
*Ruler
*Learn to Draw wipe off book
*Monet puzzle book
*Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions

*Enjoy the books together with your family.
*Paint or draw a picture.
*Please write a story to accompany your painting/drawing. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
*Have fun with the activities included.
*Try an activity from the Activity Book if you want.

In this pack you will find the following:

* Little Bear's Trousers (book)
* Corduroy (book)
* Barney Bear World Traveler (book)
* Bears (non fiction book)
* Stuffed Baxter Bear
* Buttons for sorting.
* Sewing cards and laces
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions

* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Read to Baxter Bear.
* Sort the buttons by different attributes.
* Please write a story about a bear in the journal. Children will share their journal entry on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:
* Buggy CD-Rom
* The Very Quiet Cricket (book)
* Insects Are My Life (book)
* The Best Bug Parade (book)
* The Very Lazy Ladybug (book)
* Insects (non fiction book)
* Bug house
* Bug magnifier
* Ladybug cards (use to play math games)
* Plastic insects (use for story telling and math games)
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
*Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Try catching a bug and observe it.
* Research an insect that interests you.
* Please write several sentences in the journal about an insect you learned about. Children will share their journal entry on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:
* Trouble at the Bridge (book)
* The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge (book)
* Cross a Bridge (book)
* How Things Work Groovy Gadgets (book)
* K-NEX building toys
* Lego Island CD-Rom
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Build something with the KNEX building supplies.
* Please draw a picture of your contraption in the journal and then write several sentences about it. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the included activities.

In this pack you will find the following:
* Me on the Map (book)
* Atlas (book)
* How to Draw Maps and Charts (book)
* America magnetic map set
* World Map puzzle
* USA Map puzzle
* Bag of jewel rocks (treasure)
* Pirate Ship CD-Rom
* Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego? CD-Rom
* Colored pencils and ruler
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Find Wisconsin on the map
* Hide the treasure. Make a treasure map of where it is hidden. See if someone can find the treasure using your map.
* Sort the jewels by attributes (size, color, etc)
* Please draw a map of your bedroom or of a special place you have visited in the journal. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:

* If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (book)
* Cookie's Week (book)
* The Door Bell Rang (book)
* Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? (book)
* Playdoh and cookie cutters
* Cookie pattern game (use for patterns and for math counters)
* Cookie contraction game
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions

* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Create patterns with the cookies. Do math problems with cookies. Record them in the journal.
* Please write several sentences in the journal about your favorite kind of cookie. (If you would like you may bring cookies for a class snack) Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
*Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:
* The First Baking Book (book)
* Simple Cooking Fun Book
* Pancakes for Breakfast (book)
* How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (book)
* Peanut Butter Rhino (book)
* Pie Fraction Game
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Choose a recipe. Have an adult help you make the recipe. (You may bring the treat to share with your classmates if you would like)
* Please tell us in the journal how you made your recipe. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:
* Can You See What I See? Cool Collections (Book)
* Merry-Go-Round A Book About Nouns (Book)
* Empty Jar
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Make a list of nouns (people, places, or things)
* Select something to put in the jar. (The jar does not need to be full.)
* Count the items before you put them in the jar.
* Please draw a picture of the item you selected to fill the jar with in the journal and then write the number as many ways as you can. See a sample on first page of the journal. Children will share their jar on Friday.
Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:
* Nate the Great Goes Undercover (book)
* The Secret Three (book)
* I Spy Fantasy (book)
* Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers (book)
* The Case of the Detective in Disquise (book)
* Mystery bag
* Magnifying Glass
* Ink pad to take finger prints
* I Spy CD-Rom
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions
* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Use the ink pad to make finger print pictures.
* Fill the mystery bag with something. It can be something that is special to you, something ordinary, or a treat for the class. Use your imagination.
* Please write several clues in the journal about the item you placed in the mystery bag. We will try to guess what is in the bag based on your clues. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the activities included.

In this pack you will find the following:

* What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaur (book)
* Joe and Betsy the Dinosaur (book)
* How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read (book)
* Wild Wild World Dinosaurs (Non Fiction book)
* The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard (book)
* Real Dinosaur bones (on cards)
* Stuffed Dinosaur
* Dinosaur Magnet playset
* Dino War game
* Dinosaur stencils
* Plastic dinosaurs (for math counters)
* Wipe off activity cards and wet erase marker
* Journal: Please remember to put your name and date on your page.

Instructions

* Enjoy the books together with your family.
* Read to Digger Dinosaur.
* Please write several sentences in the journal about dinosaurs. Children will share their journal entries on Thursday or Friday.
* Have fun with the activities included.