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• Berenstain Bears - "Trouble with Pets"
  Brother and Sister adopt one of Farmer Ben's new puppies and soon discover that having a pet is a big responsibility. When the two pet owners leave to play with friends, the puppy stays behind and destroys the living room. As a result, the puppy is banished to the backyard. Brother and Sister apologize for neglecting their duties and Mama and Papa decide to give the cubs and the puppy a second chance.
• Clifford - "Another Fine Mess"
  When Emily Elizabeth puts off the responsibility of cleaning her room, the mess grows until she can't find anything. She spends so much time trying to find things that she misses out on fun activities like reading to Clifford and playing with her friends. She soon learns that taking care of responsibility now can save a lot of trouble later.

Do in Class

• Barney: Paper Plate Puppies - Help students learn about taking care of dogs.
• Berenstain Bears: Section 3: Choices and Decision Making: Earth Empathy - Work with students on how they can take responsibility for the environment. Go on a "clean up" walk around the school's neighborhood.
• Clifford: Helpful Hand Coupons - Encourage your child to express his/her helpful heart by creating "Helpful Hand" coupons to use at home.
  
• Clifford: Responsibility Caterpillar - Reinforce responsible behavior in your child by adding a colorful paper caterpillar link each time your child acts in a responsible way at home or school.
• Clifford: Responsi-mobile - Identify pictures that show friends and family acting in responsible ways at home and school, then use those pictures to create a paper plate mobile.
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Responsibility - Activity One - Create a list of children's and adult's responsibilities.
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Responsibility - Activity Two - Tell students about a time that you were not responsible and what you did to correct the situation.
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: What's Your Job? - Learn about responsibility and sharing household chores by making a family chore sharing chart.

Play Online

• Clifford: The Wild Ice Cream Machine - Read a Click Tale about being responsible.
• It's My Life: You're in Charge - Find out what it is like to be in charge when you run the house in this online game.

Read

• Anansi and the Magic Stick
  By Eric A. Kimmel, Janet Stevens
  Published September 2002 by Holiday House
  When Anansi discovers a magic stick does Hyena's housekeeping, he runs off with it. All lazy Anansi wants is a clean yard, clean house, and a big garden with no work. But nothing ever seems to go as planned for Anansi. When he commands the magic stick to water his garden, he takes a nap. He wakes on a flood. Fans of Kimmel's and Steven's other books are sure to find some surprises floating along with Anansi.
• Mole and the Baby Bird
  By Marjorie Newman and Patrick Benson
  Published September 2002 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
  Mole finds a baby bird that has fallen from its nest, and when no adult bird comes to help, he takes it home. Mom says it is hard to raise a bird. Dad says most die. Mole and his friends work hard to feed it and the baby thrives. Though Mole finds raising the bird hard, he finds letting it go even harder. His grandfather helps him understand why he should. Newman and Benson have made a big-hearted book.

*As most PBS children's programs offer one year extended taping rights for teachers, please feel free to tape them now and save them for use in your classroom during the school year.