NARRATOR: Coming up next on "Betsy's
Kindergarten Adventures"--
BETSY: Mrs. O'Connor was setting up for the vowel game.
MRS. O'CONNOR: Betsy is U.
BILLY: The dreaded letter U!
BUS DRIVER BOB: Oh, no.
Come back here.
-What's wrong?
-I ruined Principal Warner's pancake recipe,
but I think Betsy has her grandmother's recipe memorized.
CHILD: Ah!
This is fun!
[THEME SONG]: A, B, C, and , , ,
it's kindergarten time for you and me.
So climb aboard and take a seat--
BUS DRIVER BOB: Climb aboard!
[THEME SONG]: For kindergarten fun with Betsy.
CHILD: Betsy!
[THEME SONG]: We'll meet new friends along the way
and have adventures every day with Betsy.
[INAUDIBLE]
[THEME SONG]: Kindergarten adventures.
CHILD: Ah!
BETSY: Mom, I can't find my backpack.
-Look in the family room, honey.
[MEOW]
BABY: Ah, ahh, haha.
-Betsy, did you brush your teeth?
BETSY: Oops!
I almost forgot.
[SIGH]
-Let's go, Betsy.
You don't want to miss the school bus.
Gracie, no!
[BABY GIGGLING]
BETSY: OK, I'm ready.
Hey, where did everybody go?
-Well, we had better get going.
The bus will be here any minute.
-Mom, was Gracie burying Kevin's clothes again?
-Uh-huh.
-Gracie needs a new hobby.
BETSY (VOICEOVER): When I got to school today,
it looked like it was just going to be a typical day.
But that's when I noticed Mrs. O'Connor
was setting up for the vowel game.
-Hi, Betsy!
Di-- did you see?
Mrs. O'Connor is setting up for the vowel game.
-Yeah, I sure did.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
-Uh, the vowel game?
What's that?
-Oh, yeah.
You were absent the last time we played it.
-So how do you play this game?
-First five kids are chosen.
And then they are each given cards with vowels on them.
-Vowels?
What are vowels?
-The vowels are A, E, I, O, U. The kids with the vowel cards
also get to wear yellow construction worker hats.
-The other kids in the class are given consonant cards.
Consonants are B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N,
P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, and Z.
-Next the teacher holds up a word like cat.
-Yeah!
And it's up to the vowels and consonants
to all get together to make the same word as the teacher.
-Then they have to sound out to word.
BETSY: Kuh-- aa--
BILLY: Tuh.
CHILDREN: Cat.
-And that's the way the game goes.
-Gee.
That sounds like fun.
-Yes, it does sound like fun.
-But there's one little problem that Mrs.
O'Connor didn't count on.
-Oh?
What problem?
-The dreaded letter U.
[GASP]
-Oh, no!
What's wrong with the letter U?
-There are no words with the letter U in it.
[GASP]
-You're kidding, right?
-The last time we played this game, the poor kid who
had the letter U never got called on.
-Not once.
-Mrs. O'Connor held up words like can.
-And get.
-And sit.
-And dog.
-But the poor kid with the letter U never got called on.
-He was so upset that he started to cry,
and he had to lay down for the rest of the day.
-And that's why I don't ever want
that horrible old letter U.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
-Oh, my.
[HUMMING]
-All right, everybody, it's almost time for recess.
[CHEERING]
And when we come inside, we'll all play the vowel game.
-Oooo.
-Now I've just written down the names
of the students who will be our vowels today.
Billy is A. Molly has E. Sarah is
I. Scott has O. And Betsy is U.
[GASP]
[GASP]
-Oh, no!
-And while you're outside, I want everybody
to be thinking of some new words for our vowel game.
BETSY (VOICEOVER): I really wanted to play Mrs. O'Connor's
vowel game, but I just couldn't think
of any words with that terrible old letter U in it.
-Hm.
Sarah knows a lot about sports.
Maybe she knows some sports with the letter U in them.
Sarah, can I ask you something?
-Sure, Betsy.
Hop on the tricycle, and we'll ride.
-OK.
Anyway, Sarah, I was wondering if you
knew of any sports' words that had a U in them.
-Well, I can spell ball.
B-A-L-L. And swim-- S-W-I-M. Oh, and my favorite sports' word,
win-- W-I-N. But I just can't think
of any words with a U in it.
-Oh well.
Thanks anyways.
-Sorry I couldn't help you, Betsy.
But this sure is fun.
-Yeah, it is fun.
Fun?
-Come on let's see how fast these things can go.
-Fun!
Sarah said this will be fun.
F-U-N spells fun.
I found a word with a U in it.
[CHUCKLING]
-That was fun, Betsy.
In all sports, the fun is in competing.
-Yeah, it was fun-- F-U-N-- fun!
-Anyone else want to ride?
-Oh, me next.
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me!
-Sorry, Betsy.
I can spell stack-- S-T-A-C-K. And pile-- P-I-L-E.
But I can't think of any words with a U in them.
-OK, Kenji.
Thanks anyway.
-You know, I always think better when I'm building something.
-You do?
-Perhaps if we build something, I might think of a word.
-OK.
-We'll build until we run out of blocks.
-OK.
Hey, where did all the blocks-- go?
CHILDREN: Wow.
BETSY: Wow.
I didn't think we'd run out of blocks that fast.
Wait a second.
I said run.
Run-- R-U-N spells run.
Hey, that's another word with a U in it.
-Thank you, Betsy.
That was fun.
-It was fun, Kenji.
And guess what.
I found another U word.
-Great.
Maybe we can build something again sometime.
-I'd like that.
Thanks.
Well, gotta R-U-N-- run.
So far I have two words with the letter U in them,
but I've just gotta find some more.
-So, Betsy, um, did you find any words with the letter U in them
yet?
-I'm working on it.
-Uh, do you want to play Hopscotch with us?
Hello?
-Maybe we should just call her Little Miss U.
-What did you say?
-Do you want to play with us?
-You-- Y-O-U spells you.
-What are you talking about?
-You just helped me find another U word.
Thanks!
-Uh, are you OK, Betsy?
-I think she's been out in the sun too long.
[GIGGLING]
-You did it again, Molly.
Sun-- S-U-N spells sun.
-Oh, grow up!
[GIGGLING]
-Up-- U-P spells up.
[GIGGLING]
-Hey, stop that!
Let me go!
-Don't you see, Molly?
You said you, and sun, and up.
-So?
-So that's three whole words with the letter U in then.
Can you think of any more?
-Ummm, hmm.
Let me see, um, mmm, no.
I can't think of any more.
I've totally fun out of U words.
[GIGGLING]
-You did it again.
O-U-T spells out.
Molly, you've given me the most U words of anybody.
[GIGGLING]
-I have?
-Yes!
Thank you, Molly!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
-Gee, that was very nice of you to help Betsy like that.
-Oh, yes, well, of course it was.
It's about time people around here know
what a kind and generous person I really am.
[RINGING]
-All right, everyone, it's time now for our word game.
So let's welcome our vowels.
On the letter A, we have Billy.
Molly is the letter E.
Sarah is the letter I. Scott is the letter O.
And last but certainly not least, wearing the letter,
Betsy.
[GIGGLING]
Well, Betsy, you certainly have a case of the giggles today.
You look like you're really ready to play.
-I am, Mrs. O'Connor!
I really am!
-I think all of us are ready.
-Us!
U-S spells us.
Uh-- sss, us.
-Uh, yes, that's right.
-You did it again, Molly.
-Oh, brother!
-Well, then, I guess we'd better start this game now.
-That was so totally awesome!
[GIGGLING]
Shh.
BETSY (VOICEOVER): Wow, I couldn't believe it.
Here I was worried there wouldn't
be any words with the letter U in them.
And now I could see they were all around me.
-All right.
Are the vowels ready?
Yeah!
-Wonderful.
And what about my consonants?
Are you ready?
CHILDREN: Yeah!
-OK then.
Here we go.
-Kuh--
-Aa--
-Puh.
-Cap.
-Very good.
Now get ready for the next word.
-Oh, my gosh!
That's me.
I mean, U.
-Cuh--
-Uh--
-Puh.
-Cup.
-That's right.
Cup.
Here comes the next word.
-Wow, I thought I'd never get a chance.
-Yeah, me too.
-Qu--
-Uh--
-I--
-Tuh.
-Quit.
-That's correct.
The word is quit.
-Wow.
Two words in a row with the vowel
U. I guess the letter U is pretty useful after all.
[CHUCKLING]
-All the letters in the alphabet are useful, Betsy.
Now here comes the next word.
BETSY (VOICEOVER): This was a really great day.
It turned out that I didn't have any reason
to be afraid of the letter U at all.
In fact, the letter U seems to be a pretty useful letter.
I couldn't wait to get home and tell my mom all about the words
I learned today with a U in them.
-Here we go.
Easy does it.
Don't push.
There's plenty of room.
Hello, Betsy.
How was school today?
-It was great, Bus Driver Bob.
-That's wonderful.
-Bus-- B-U-S spells bus.
Hey, that's another word wish a U in it.
-Uh, yes.
That's right.
B-U-S does spell bus.
[GIGGLING]
-Don't look at me.
She's been like that all day!
BETSY: One of the things I really like about kindergarten
is that you never know what to expect each day.
Weekends are fun, but I look school better.
[BABY GIGGLING]
-Is this all I'm having for breakfast?
-Today is Lakeshore School's pancake breakfast day.
-Oh, yeah.
Principal Warner is making pancakes for everyone.
-That's right.
This fruit is so you won't get too hungry until then.
-Well, I sure hope his pancakes are as good as Grandma's.
-I've have thought you'd be tired of pancakes by now.
When Grandma was here you ate them every single day.
-I know.
That's because Grandma makes the best pancakes in the world.
-Maybe I should ask for her recipe.
-You don't have to.
I know it by heart.
-You do?
-Uh-huh.
When Grandma was here, I helped her
make pancakes every morning.
Two eggs, two tablespoons of melted butter,
two cups of milk, two cups of flour--
-OK, OK, I believe you.
Maybe we can make pancakes together for Daddy on Saturday.
-Wow, that would be great!
-Good morning, Betsy.
-Good morning, Bus Driver Bob.
-Billy, you're going to have to take your seat.
No one is allowed to stand when the bus is in motion.
That's the rule.
[GROANING]
-Rules!
-Why did we stop, Bus Driver Bob?
-Do you see that light up there, Betsy?
-Yes.
-Do you know what color it is?
-Sure, I do.
It's red.
-That's right.
And whenever a driver comes to a red light, he has to stop.
That's the rule.
-Wow.
So grown-ups have to follow rules, too.
-Yes, even grown-ups.
Billy, you have to keep your hands, arms,
and head inside the bus at all times.
That's the rule.
[GROANING]
-Rules!
Rules!
Rules!
BETSY (VOICEOVER): Billy doesn't seem to understand
that some rules are there to keep us safe.
-Green light-- that means we can go.
-That's the rule!
-Exactly.
[GIGGLING]
So, Betsy, are you looking forward
to the big pancake breakfast today?
-I sure am.
When my grandma was visiting, we ate pancakes every day!
-Boy--
[CHUCKLING]
You must really love pancakes.
-I do.
In fact, I helped Grandma make pancakes every morning.
I even know her special pancake recipe by heart.
-Wow.
-All right, class, it's time for our morning circle.
Billy, when I call morning circle,
that means we stop what we're doing, and gather together.
That's the rule.
[GROAN]
-Why does everything have rules?
-That's a very good question, Billy.
BILLY: It is?
-It certainly is.
Can anyone tell us why we have rules?
Sarah?
-Well, in sports, if you don't have rules,
you might not know what game you were playing.
I mean, if I was standing behind home plate with my baseball bat
and suddenly the pitcher decided to throw a basketball--
and then the other team put on football
uniforms and tried to tackle me--
[GIGGLE]
Well, what kind of silly game would that be?
-That's very true.
And in school, we not only follow rules.
We also follow directions.
-What are directions?
-Directions are the instructions or rules
we follow to get things to turn out a certain way.
Can anyone here explain how they follow directions?
-My father and I like to build model airplanes together,
but if we didn't follow the directions correctly,
our models wouldn't come out looking the way they should.
-That's absolutely right, Kenji.
Does anybody else know why it's important to follow directions?
Yes, Betsy?
-Well, would cooking something by using
a recipe be following directions?
-It sure would.
If you didn't follow the directions in your recipe,
the food you were cooking wouldn't turn out just right.
BETSY (VOICEOVER): I guess following rules and following
directions are both very important.
-I have some pictures here for you to color.
But before you start coloring, it will be very important
that you pay attention to the directions
that I'll be giving you.
Scott?
Maria?
Will you please hand out these coloring sheets to everyone?
-Yes, Mrs. O'Connor.
-Now then, will everyone please take out their crayons
and sit at their desk?
-Why, yes.
Of course.
I'll be there at once.
BUS DRIVER BOB: How are those pancakes coming,
Principal Warner?
Anything I can do to help?
-Why, yes, Bus Driver Bob.
Thank goodness you're here.
-Huh?
-I just got a call from the Board of Education.
I need to go downtown at once and sign some papers.
-Oh, no.
-So I'll need you to take over my pancake making duties.
-Uh, I don't know how to make pancakes.
-Well, there's nothing to it, Bob.
Here's the recipe.
Just follow the directions, and you'll
be able to make pancakes as easy as pie.
-I can't make pie either.
-Nonsense.
Just follow these directions, and everything will be fine.
-But-- but-- but--
-Never mind the motor boat impressions, Bob.
Just follow those directions.
-Help.
MRS. O'CONNOR: And last, I want you
to color the boy's shoes green.
When you're all finished, please put your crayons down.
Let's see how everybody did.
What a very nice job of coloring, Molly.
If you followed my directions, then your drawings
should all come out the same.
Do all your pictures have the boy wearing a red cap?
Are all the books brown?
Did you all color the boy's jacket yellow?
And what about the boy's pants?
Did you color his pants blue?
And what about his shoes?
Did you all color his shoes green?
-Uh-oh.
-Ah--ah-- ah--ah-- achoo!
Oh, no.
Come back here.
[GASP]
What am I going to do now?
Boy--
[CHUCKLING]
You must really love pancakes.
-I do.
In fact, I helped Grandma make pancakes every morning.
I even know her special pancake recipe by heart.
-Of course.
Betsy can help me.
-Hi, Billy.
-Hello.
-You look kind of sad.
-Can you make all the rules and directions
in the world disappear?
-No.
[GROANING]
-Then I guess you can't help.
-Why would you want all the rules
and directions in the world to disappear?
-Because I'm not very good at following rules or directions.
-Sure you are.
You just have to slow down a little.
-You're a good friend, Betsy.
-Thanks.
So are you.
[KNOCKING]
-Hello, Bus Driver Bob.
-Hello, Mrs. O'Connor.
I'm very sorry to interrupt your class, but I have an emergency.
-Oh, what's wrong?
-I ruined Principal Warner's pancake recipe,
but I think Betsy has her grandmother's recipe memorized.
-Betsy?
Would you please come here for a moment?
BETSY: Yes, Mrs. O'Connor?
-Betsy, do you know how to make pancakes?
-I sure do.
First you let the griddle preheat to degrees
while you're assembling the ingredients.
Then you grease the griddle very lightly with vegetable oil.
-She does!
She really does!
-Betsy, would you like to help Bus Driver Bob make pancakes?
-I sure would.
Mrs. O'Connor?
May Billy come too?
I think I might help.
-I don't know.
It would mean he would have to follow directions.
-I can do it, Mrs. O'Connor.
Honest, I'll follow all of Betsy's directions.
-Well--
-Please?
-OK, but remember, Billy, listen carefully.
-I will, Mrs. O'Connor.
I really will!
-Thanks, Mrs. O'Connor.
-Bus Driver Bob?
Did you follow all of my directions?
-Yes, Betsy.
I preheated the griddle to degrees.
I melted two tablespoons of butter
and mixed it in with two eggs and two cups of milk
in a large bowl until it was all blended.
-Billy, how are you doing?
Did you measure two cups of flour yet?
-I just put one cup of flour into my bowl
and was about to add a second cup of flour.
Now all I have to do is add two teaspoons of baking powder--
-And four tablespoons of sugar.
-Uh-huh.
Just like you said in your directions.
-Hey, Billy!
You're getting really good at following directions.
-Yeah, I am!
-Here's the first batch.
Well?
How did we do?
-Yeah, Betsy.
How are they?
-Taste for yourselves.
-Mmm.
-Wow!
These are awesome!
-They sure are.
-Just goes to show what happens when you follow directions.
[GIGGLING]
PRINCIPAL WARNER: Goodness gracious!
What are these children doing in here?
-Making pancakes!
-What?
-I'm sorry, Principal Warner.
But after you left, I accidentally
ruined your pancake recipe.
-But how could you make pancakes without the proper directions?
-We had directions.
-Betsy knows her grandma's pancake recipe by heart.
-Wh-- really?
Well, how do they taste?
-Why not taste them yourself, Principal Warner?
-Oh.
My!
These are wonderful.
Tell me, Betsy.
What's your recipe?
-Two eggs, two cups of flour, two cups of milk--
-You'll have to get Betsy's recipe later, Principal Warner.
Everyone is arriving for the big pancake breakfast.
-Yeah.
They all look hungry, too.
-Well, what are we waiting for?
-What indeed.
-Gee, Betsy.
I didn't know how important following directions was,
but you made it fun.
-Thanks.
BETSY (VOICEOVER): I was sure glad Billy learned
that following directions is important.
And I couldn't wait to get home, and call Grandma, and tell her
how her pancake recipe saved the day at Lakeshore School.
But right now, I was hungry.
And those pancakes sure smelled good.
NARRATOR: Visit the "Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures"
website and see how Betsy's getting ready for school,
play games, color pictures, and meet all of Betsy's friends
that pbskids.org.
BETSY: My friends and I love to read.
You can find all kinds of fun and interesting books
to read at your local library.
Visit the library in your town today
to have your own adventures just like me.
[GIGGLING]
-Did you brush your teeth?
-I sure did because brushing your teeth
helps keep them healthy and strong.
-That's right.
[THEME MUSIC]
-Bleh, bleh, bleh, bleh.
CHILDREN: PBS Kids.