Read "Leo the late Bloomer," to your class. After the story, have students talk about all the things they know how to do. Take time to compare the things they do now to how things were when they were babies. Good examples include walking, talking, running, dressing themselves and feeding themselves. Discuss how babies don't start out doing any of those things but that they learn over time. Have students draw a line down the middle of a large piece of paper. On one half of the page, tell students to draw a picture of themselves when they were babies. On the other side, have them draw a picture of themselves doing something they know how to do now. Display the pictures in the classroom.
After reading "Leo the Late Bloomer," to your class, talk about the unique talents of the students in your classroom. Give students a chance to tell what instruments they play, what sports they participate in and any special hobbies they enjoy. Then have students write stories about the special talents of each member of their family. Have students focus on answering these questions in their story: What kinds of things do your family members do that make you proud? What kinds of things would you like your family to say to you when you learn something new? How would you like to celebrate new accomplishments? How can you show a younger sibling that you are proud of him or her? Give students the opportunity to share their stories with the class.
Plant a classroom garden to illustrate how different plants grow at different rates, just like the characters in "Leo the Late Bloomer." Choose both fast and slow growing seeds for your garden. Uses a large box filled with dirt, or plant the seeds in individual seed cups and place in a sunny spot in the classroom. Have two students observe the seedlings each day and record their growth in a class garden journal. Pay particular attention to when the first seedlings emerged, how tall each plant is, how much they grow each day and when leaves begin to form. After a few weeks, have a class party to celebrate "patience" as the students watch the seedlings grow.
After you read the story, "Leo the Late Bloomer," make a class book with a page for each student. On the top of the page print, "When I was little I couldn't (blank). Now I can." Have students fill in the blank with something they have learned to do since they were little and then draw a picture to illustrate. Students can also cut out pictures from magazines to illustrate what they've learned if they don't want to draw on their page. Bind the pages together and share the books with families during open house time or parent/teacher conferences.