State and Model the Objective

Tell the children that they will stash and smash trash as they recognize and produce words that rhyme with trash, such as bash, dash, splash, and smash.

Literacy Activities
Stash the trash

• Spread trash (e.g., crumpled paper) across the floor and have the children dash around to smash and stash trash as you highlight the words that rhyme (e.g., trash, smash, stash, clash, bash, dash).
• Have the children march in place to the Stash, Stash, Stash Trash chant (see below).
• Sing the song and march around as everyone cleans up the trash.

Bash trash and make a splash

• Show paper cups or water bottles with a little water inside.
• Pretend to sip some water, then comment on how the cups or bottles are ready to go in the trash.
• Bash or smash the cups or bottles over a trash can to make a splash.
• Read the text Bash and Smash to and then with the children.

More Practice

Recognize rhyming words 

• Repeat a set of two words (e.g., stash, trash).
• Ask the children to show thumbs up if the words rhyme and thumbs down if the words do not rhyme.
• Repeat with other sets of words (e.g., dash, smash; gash, cash; rash, cat; hash, sash; lash, splash; crash, truck; mash, clash). 

Produce words that rhyme with trash

• Ask the children to think of a word that rhymes with trash with support (e.g., “Think of a word that rhymes with trash.  How about dash? Do dash and trash rhyme?”).
• When a child thinks of a rhyming word, give them a piece of crumpled paper to smash in the trash.

Practice blending sounds in words

• Have the children clap when they say the beginning consonant or blend and rhyme ending, and then say the whole word blended together. 
• For example, say “tr” (clap), “ash” (clap) = “trash” (clap).
  • b + ash = bash
  • d + ash = dash
  • s + ash = sash
  • m + ash= mash