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Transition: Lesson 3

"We Are Best Friends" by Aliki

BEFORE VIEWING:

Ask your child(ren):

  • What are the things you look for in a really good friend?

Talk about how your family may be going to live in another place soon.

  • Can you think of a way to continue your friendship with your best friend?

Share ways that you can keep close when you live far apart from someone you care about.  (Videos, pictures, computer emails, phone calls, webcam, secure chat room, website, facetime, etc.)

Introduce the story by explaining how there are several things we can learn about friendship from this story.  Ask your child to think about what these things are as they listen. It has an important message for us about how we can make a friend, keep a friend, and be a friend.

When you’re ready, watch the read-aloud video with your child(ren).

After Viewing

When Peter first moved away how did Robert feel? Why did he act the way he did?

He was upset and asked many questions. After Robert left Peter was sad and said he had no one to play with.

Remind your child that this is his response to grief and loss. It is very important to share your feelings with your parents and God. After he gets Peter’s letter he realizes that Will is new, just like Peter, and that he is probably feeling lonely, too. 

How have you felt when a friend moved away or you moved away?

No right or wrong answers for this one; encourage your child(ren) to be honest.

When Peter wrote to Robert, he told him all about his new house and school. He also told him that at first he didn’t like where he had moved. (We will discuss the ADAPT model at the end of this lesson.) Peter tells him about his new friend named Alex.  We will talk in a little bit about an idea called ADAPT and how we may not like the new place we move to at first.  Whether you are going to stay or leave, it is really important to make new friends and it will help to make you feel less lonely.  It can be hard to make new friends and then maybe lose them, but there is a real possibile benefit in making new friends.

What were the ways that Peter and Robert showed the behaviors of a good friend? How did Peter and Robert share their friends?

They wrote letters to each other about their new friends

Remember you can be friends with more than one person at a time.

One thing to remember with transitions is to always include both your old and new friends.  Notice that they talked about their new friends with their old friends.

What are some of the worries Robert had about Peter?

That Peter still remembered him.

 

Have you had any of these worries? What did you do? What can you do?

No right or wrong answers for this one; encourage your child(ren) to be honest.

Will told Robert all about frogs. What is something you could teach a new friend?

No right or wrong answers for this one; encourage your child(ren) to be honest. 

What is the hardest thing you have ever had to do when you moved?

No right or wrong answers for this one; encourage your child(ren) to be honest.

TCK Thoughts

ADAPT Model

There are different stages in making a move to another location. We use the ADAPT model to talk about those stages.

 

A –  All is well. (Involvement Stage)

This is where you and your family live in a community and are a part of different groups like: homeschooling cooperative, church, sport league, etc. All is well, you belong here.

When do you see this with Peter and Robert or in another video we have seen? Share your “all is well” story.

 

D – Don’t want to go, or do I? (Leaving Stage)

This is when you or your family find out you are leaving to move to another place. You can have many emotions at this stage. You and your family can be excited, scared, sad. Remember Alexander’s story. What did you feel when you knew you were moving to …….?

 

A – Anything is possible! (Transition Stage)

This happens when you actually leave your home. You and your family can feel scared, happy, excited or many other emotions and those emotions come and go. You don’t know what will happen. So you can say, “Anything is possible!” This is a very important time to talk with your parents and God about what you are feeling.  In Dandelions, how did Zoe and her sister feel during this time?

 

P – Perhaps this isn’t too bad. (Entering Stage)

This is when you have begun to settle into your new location. You begin to recognize places and people and begin to adapt to new sounds, foods, school, etc. This is when you may think well, “Perhaps this isn’t so bad.” In our next session we will talk some about the stages of cultural stress/shock that you may experience during this stage but then we can adapt and move into this entering stage.

 

T – This is OK! (Reinvolvement Stage) 

This is when you feel comfortable and at home and can say “This is OK!” This may/will take time.

 

Remember it is important to keep old friends and make new ones.

Post-Reading Activity

Frog Activities

We are going to do some frog activities! You can do as many of these activities as you want; choose whichever versions are best for your child(ren)’s age level and interests.

Acrostic Poem:

For children who enjoy writing

Needed:

  • Construction paper
  • Markers
  • Photograph of friend

Instructions: Write the name of a special friend longwise on the paper in bold letters. Write an acrostic poem to an old friend or family member. Include a picture and mail it.

Here is a sample of one Robert wrote for Peter:

Playmate

Eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

Thinks up good names

Everlasting Friend

Remembers all of the good times we had

Itsy Bitsy Frog Book:

May be preferred over the acrostic poem by younger children

Needed:

Instructions: Have your child color the book printout before assembly. When finished, follow the Assembly Instructions linked above to transform the page into a mini book.

 

Frog Word Search:

For children who are readers.

Print out the Frog Word Search Sheet here: ICC for Children Frog Word Search

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