Submitted by Jan Crossen
17.3 million ADULT Americans believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. It doesn’t. That’s why Jan Crossen developed a FREE weekly newsletter, Jan’s Animal Krackers. This weekly email helps families learn more about domestic and wild animals. Sign up here to receive pet care tips, interesting animal facts, and kids’ fun activities. Jan Crossen is a children’s author who lives on a small Lopez farm and has written a series of informative and entertaining books about her animals and the Pacific Northwest wildlife that frequently visits her property. https://subscribepage.io/Y3gDeC.
Jan has an animal book series for kids ages 6-9 and an additional set of “Wiggler” books, with shorter, interactive stories, for children ages 3-5. A homeschooling mother made the comment, “I’m interested in books that can be used to teach multiple subjects and that work for several age groups.” Crossen, who has a BS in education, took that idea and went to work creating a unique way for parents and educators to utilize her books to teach children about animals in a classroom, club, and homeschooling setting.
Crossen’s latest development is her new “Welcome to the Farm Companion Activities.” These can be used for multiple subjects, are adaptable for a spectrum of ages, and are perfect for reading, writing, science, arithmetic, social studies, music, art and physical education. With the “Welcome to the Farm Companion Activities” program parents and teachers purchase the digital units, download and print the worksheets, and then children participate in a variety of engaging assignments depending on age, interests, and skill levels.
Students answer discussion questions, view photos and videos and hear audio recordings of the animals who inspired these stories Those aged six and up write their opinions, analyze information, do experiments, math, a scavenger hunt, a crossword puzzle, and build their own small farm! They can work independently, with a partner, or in teams. Younger kids listen to the “Wigglers” stories and then talk about them. They color, draw, trace, print, count, match, do a maze, a scavenger hunt, reenact the story, and play. They sing, create, move and have fun! Preschool children also develop “Key Words” which are words and images that go with each story and are significant to that child. Key Words are part of a natural progression of learning to write and read.
Crossen taught in a public school for six years and homeschooled her son when he was an elementary student.
To learn more about Jan’s books and her “Welcome to the Farm Companion Activities,” visit her website at https://jancrossenauthor.com.
Her books are available from Amazon in eBook, Kindle Unlimited, and print. Paperbacks are available from the author and The Lopez Bookshop.
