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Be Responsible Episodes & Activities:

These episodes and activities illustrate how the characters learn about being responsible from daily life experiences. Children can connect these character situations with their own real life experiences. Encouraging the child to retell the events of the story, make predictions, and interpret characters' feelings allows you to informally assess the child's comprehension and conceptual understanding.

Paws
EPISODE: TUMMY TROUBLE

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA: BE RESPONSIBLE

SYNOPSIS: The dogs convince themselves that it is okay to keep eating treats as long as you've done something "special" to deserve them. All three learn that too much of a good thing can be bad.

APPLICATION: This episode teaches children that it is wise to use good judgement and consider the consequences of excessiveness. By learning the idea of moderation, children can make better decisions for themselves and others.

CLIFFORD'S NEW WORD: Excess
What is excess? It simply means too, too, too much! Clifford ate too many Doggie Doodles and this was in excess. Watch out for those yummy things that might turn out to be like Clifford's Doggie Doodles! Ouch, what a tummy ache!
       
ACTIVITY: Too Much For Me!
OBJECTIVE: This activity gives children the opportunity to practice moderation by sharing and being generous with their favorite treat.
  Materials: Favorite treat and friends to share it with! (Caregiver, this could be candy, homemade recipe or anything that just creates the excitement of "yumminess"!)
  What to do: Can you make a good decision on how much you and your friends can safely eat without getting sick? Sure you can! Divide the treats evenly then discuss what the consequences of eating it all up might be. Get an opinion from your caregiver, adjust your amount if necessary then enjoy! (Caregiver, supervise the decisions made and intervene only if necessary. A quick discussion about the episode story will help reinforce possible consequences.)
  More dog-gone fun things to do!:
  Find things around you that are in excess! This might be too many toys on the floor, too much trash in the dumpster, too many weeds in the yard.
  Do a good deed and fix something that you see in excess! Pick up, clean up and be responsible! Watch out! Now you may get too many hugs for a job well done!
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EPISODE: CLIFFORD AND THE BEANSTALK

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA: BE RESPONSIBLE

SYNOPSIS: Emily works hard to prepare for her audition for the lead in the school play but loses the role to Jetta. Jetta, however, worries more about what she'll wear than learning her lines and Emily has to step in and do the role at the last minute. Jetta learns the hard way that hard work and preparation are the things that make you successful.

APPLICATION: This episode teaches children that being successful comes from good work ethic and preparation. Learning the value of working hard despite discouragement will most often pay off! It surely did for Emily!

CLIFFORD'S NEW WORD: Discipline
Is discipline a good thing? Most certainly, yes! Discipline is the act of being focussed and sure about why you are working your very hardest to achieve a goal. When you are disciplined, there is nothing that can keep you from putting forth your best effort to do something. What are you disciplined about? Maybe it's practicing your alphabet and numbers or learning how to ride a bike. What ever it is, it is good that you are disciplined because this means you will probably be very successful!
       
ACTIVITY: Grow Plant Grow!
OBJECTIVE: This activity gives children the opportunity to take on a task that requires them to be responsible and disciplined by independently planting and cultivating a seed.
  Materials: Small container, soil, seed.
  What to do: Have you ever been responsible for growing a tiny seed into a beautiful plant? This is your chance! Go to your local nursery and discover what you would like to grow at home. The nursery attendant can help you make this decision and help you gather up any supplies that you need. Plant your seed and be very responsible to take care watering and feeding your plant (Yes, plants need food too, plant food that is!). Before long, you will see the fruits of your labor and discipline. Your new plant might be a nice gift for someone. Be careful, before long your room could look like a jungle!
  More dog-gone fun things to do!:
  Cut out pictures from newspapers and magazines of "hard workers"! Glue them on a piece of poster board and have someone help you write what they are doing under each picture.
   
 
EPISODE: BUNNY IN A HAYSTACK

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA:
BE RESPONSIBLE

SYNOPSIS: Emily "baby-sits" for the class bunny and Clifford learns what a big responsibility it is to take care of a pet!

APPLICATION: This episode teaches children that taking care of a pet can be a very big and tiring responsibility.

CLIFFORD'S NEW WORD: Promise
What is a promise? It is something that we tell someone we will do without fail. If we keep our promise, then others trust us and know they can count on us. Can you think of a promise that someone has asked you to keep? Well, how did you do?
       
ACTIVITY: Funny Bunny!
OBJECTIVE: This activity gives children the opportunity to create their own image of a bunny by paint stamping. Fine motor skills, shapes and perception are reinforced in this activity..
  Materials: Printable bunny pattern, sponge, paper or surface for painting, water-based paint, household items of choice.
  What to do: Let's make a funny bunny! Cut sponges with bunny pattern. Begin by dipping the sponges one at a time in the paint and then imprinting them on paper. Which shape do you think should be the head? How about the body, feet, hands, and finally the big ears? You can add eyes, nose, whiskers with things from around the house like; buttons, noodles, spaghetti, yarn, material, etc. Your bunny will be original and very funny!
  More dog-gone fun things to do!:
  Baby sit someone's pet while they are out of town! Be sure you have permission from home!
  List the responsibilities of taking care of a pet. Visit your local pet store and discover which pets are the easiest and most difficult to care for. You may be surprised!
   
 
EPISODE: LEAF OF ABSENCE

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA:
BE RESPONSIBLE

SYNOPSIS: Clifford promises to make sure nothing happens to T-Bone's carefully gathered pile of leaves, and in the process learns the importance and difficulty of keeping a promise.

APPLICATION: This episode teaches children the importance of being responsible and reliable especially when someone has entrusted you to take care of something. Children can relate to Clifford's actions and decisions to do what is right with their own lives and learn why it is important to keep a promise and be responsible.

CLIFFORD'S NEW WORD: Promise
Clifford made a promise to T-Bone! A promise is your word that you will do something for someone else. A promise is not something you can touch, but your word or your actions. You might promise to make your bed every morning, feed a friend's pet or eat all your veggies at dinner! Whatever you promise, try your very best to keep your word because sometimes it is not so easy!
       
ACTIVITY: Leaf People!
OBJECTIVE: This activity gives children the opportunity to create their own variety of "Leaf People" by collecting, sorting, gluing, and decorating individuals leaves.
Materials: Real leaves (new, old, any size or shape), glue, poster board, marker
  What to do: This is such a fun activity! Collect leaves from outside. These are going to be the bodies of your Leaf People. Glue them on your poster board then decide whom each leaf is going to be. Your leaves might represent your family or friends. You could even have a leaf for Clifford! Use your marker to draw the head, arms, and legs around each leaf. Draw big and don't forget shoes, wild hair, purses, or hats! Write the name of each Leaf Person under your finished design. Be sure to date and sign your work of art. What leafy fun!
  More dog-gone fun things to do!:
  Help your family or a neighbor work in the yard.
  Begin a leaf collection by placing leaves in a special folder or book. Write where you found the leaf, the kind of tree if came from (if you can find out), and the date you found it. This will be a special collection for you to look at later in life!
   
 
EPISODE: SCREAMING FOR ICE CREAM

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA:
BE RESPONSIBLE

SYNOPSIS: Charley and Emily Elizabeth find themselves up to their eyeballs in ice cream when Charley takes it upon himself to serve ice cream while his father is away at a doctor's appointment.

APPLICATION: This episode teaches children the value of asking an adult for help. Learning that it is okay to depend on adults for guidance and help will make our experiences much easier, especially when there is an emergency!

CLIFFORD'S NEW WORD: Advice
Have you ever needed someone's advice? Probably so! Another person's advice to you might be their words of wisdom or caring thoughts. They are honestly trying to help you make good choices about something. Taking good advice can keep you safe or out of trouble. Bad advice can cause you to do something that you shouldn't. Be careful whom you take your advice from!
       
ACTIVITY: Ice Cream Michaelangelo!
OBJECTIVE: This activity gives children the opportunity to create fun ice cream treats in a time limit, then gobble them up!
Materials: Your favorite ice cream flavors, cones, cookies, nuts, small fruit pieces, candy, syrups
  What to do: Be the Michaelangelo (world-class famous sculptor!) of ice cream! Set a time of 1 minute and begin the race to create your ice cream work of art. Faces, animals, structures, whatever you desire! When the time is up. Take a quick look at each creation and then. . . gobble! Watch out for brain freeze!
  More dog-gone fun things to do!:
  Try something new and find someone that can give you advice in doing it. Maybe it is learning how to cook, building something, or reading a book with new words you've never seen before.
   
 
EPISODE: WHO ME, JEALOUS?

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA: BE RESPONSIBLE*

SYNOPSIS: Mrs. Diller is taking care of Susie, her sisterπs adorable little puppy, for the weekend. To Cleo it appears that Mrs. Diller likes the cute little puppy better than she likes Cleo! So Cleo determines to "out-cute" the puppy and win back Mrs. Dillerπs affection. But she soon learns that Mrs. Diller thinks Cleo is perfect just the way she is.
*This episode also supports Clifford's Big Idea: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
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EPISODE: THE KIBBLE CROOK

CLIFFORD'S BIG IDEA: BE RESPONSIBLE*

SYNOPSIS: T-Bone canπt resist sneaking a biteãwell, okay the whole bowlãof Cleoπs new dog food. When Cleo gets upset, T-Bone blames it on another dog and sends our fearless friends on a wild goose chase. But T-Bone ultimately confesses that there is no other dog, and he learns that he must take responsibility for his own mistakes
*This episode also supports Clifford's Big Idea: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
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