Community Helpers
Use stick puppets to match community helpers with their important jobs

Introduction
In the Maya & Miguel episode “The Matchmaker,” Maya sees her Abuela Elena dancing alone after dinner and decides that her grandmother’s cheery exterior is masking a deep loneliness. Maya’s big idea to fix her grandmother up on a date launches a quest for an eligible sixty-something bachelor, creating a blind date that doesn’t go as planned.

In this activity, your child will learn about community helpers and discover the important role they play in making one’s community a better place to live. Simple stick puppets will be made to match community helpers with their jobs.

Materials:

• magazine or newspaper pictures of community helpers
• ice cream sticks
• glue
• paper plates to write English and Spanish (or native language) job descriptions on

Directions:

• Cut out pictures then glue on sticks.
• Write the job description of each community helper in English, Spanish, or native language on paper plates.
• Cut two 1” horizontal slits (one above the other) in top of plates to hold matching “helper” stick.
• Ask your child to say each helper’s name in English, Spanish, or own native language.
• Ask your child to match each helper with their job by weaving stick into cut plate slits.
• Practice again by mixing up sticks and plates. Encourage your child to read and say each description in English and Spanish, or native language.

Talk About It: Invite your child to share thoughts about these questions: How do community helpers make our lives better? Would you like to be a community helper when you grow up?

Take It Further: Encourage your child to become more familiar with community helpers by using these ideas:

• Provide clothing, hats, tools of each trade, and props that might help your child create an imaginary world of community helpers.
• Arrange for your child to visit with community helpers like firefighters, medical professionals, police, clergy, educators, nursing home staff, etc.
• As you and your child travel around town, point out the places where community helpers work.

With a Group:

• Talk about local community leaders, role models or charitable organizations that help make your community a better place to live. Invite children to draw a picture or write a thank-you note to express their gratitude. Then take a field trip to your local post office to mail messages. Be sure to call ahead, so your group can use this time to also explore the process of mail delivery by arranging a tour and question/answer session.