tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70918420118435279432024-03-13T05:27:49.012-07:00Fun Home Preschool IdeasThis blog is designed to help parents who have decided to educate their preschoolers at home.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-28952065413493069622010-12-01T09:07:00.000-08:002010-12-01T09:11:14.125-08:00Alphabet AssessmentAa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz<br /><br />Lily and I also worked on assessing her alphabet knowledge. I showed Lily alphabet flash cards, one at a time. For my records, I wrote down the entire alphabet on a slip of paper and circled the letters she correctly identified. Now I have a much better idea of what to teach her next!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-71426831209583889732010-12-01T08:58:00.001-08:002010-12-01T09:07:01.785-08:00C is for Christmas!Today Lily and I created a few more Christmas projects and I did an assessment on her alphabet reading skills.<br /><br />Snowman Calendar<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TPZ_aK-mkzI/AAAAAAAAAGw/hXTipU9IG6o/s1600/West%2BField%2BAuger%2B10x61%2527%2B268.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TPZ_aK-mkzI/AAAAAAAAAGw/hXTipU9IG6o/s400/West%2BField%2BAuger%2B10x61%2527%2B268.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545760078753600306" /></a><br /><br />We made a construction paper snowman (I cut and Lily used the glue). I made 25 numbered circles on the snowman. Lily is going to glue one cottonball on a day. She gets practice reading numbers, counting how many days have passed, and counting how many days left until Christmas (how many cottonballs left in the bag).<br /><br />Shape Christmas Tree<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TPaAHFVUyYI/AAAAAAAAAG4/c6yayHjHifo/s1600/West%2BField%2BAuger%2B10x61%2527%2B269.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TPaAHFVUyYI/AAAAAAAAAG4/c6yayHjHifo/s400/West%2BField%2BAuger%2B10x61%2527%2B269.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545760850332404098" /></a><br /><br />I cut out a piece of green construction paper into the shape of a tree. Then I also cut out a variety of construction paper shaped "ornaments." Lily got lots of practice identifying colors and shapes while she used them to decorate her tree. I also made a star and a trunk to help her practice location words such as "top" and "bottom."Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-81834035087071540522010-11-30T08:32:00.000-08:002010-11-30T08:38:58.379-08:00C is for Candy Cane!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TPUojD00EXI/AAAAAAAAAGo/Cc_wxzpUAXs/s1600/West%2BField%2BAuger%2B10x61%2527%2B265.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TPUojD00EXI/AAAAAAAAAGo/Cc_wxzpUAXs/s400/West%2BField%2BAuger%2B10x61%2527%2B265.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545383098963988850" /></a><br />I am so excited to begin our Christmas preschool activities! I have lots of ideas, and I hope we have lots of time to complete all of our projects!<br /><br />Today Lily and I did the following:<br /><br />Practiced writing the letter "C" and talked about the sound it makes and how the word "candy cane" starts with "C."<br /><br />We read the book "J" is for Jesus (a little confusing for her since we talked about "c" but it is a wonderful story that tells the meaning of the candy cane.<br /><br />Made Rudolph candy cane ornaments by using hot glue (I did this part) to attach a red bead for a nose, black beads for eyes, and a pipe cleaner for antlers.<br /><br />More to come tomorrow!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-19483418750510268032010-11-12T09:02:00.000-08:002010-11-12T09:07:52.056-08:00November - Week 2 - Day 2I See A Turkey!<br /><br />L.A.<br /><br />I made a book for Lily today using some of the vocabulary from the preschool Dolche word list. I used clipart turkeys for the illustrations (printed in black and white and then colored in by me). Here are the words to the story:<br /><br />Title: I See A Turkey!<br />p. 1 - I see a red turkey!<br />p. 2 - I see a blue turkey!<br />p. 3 - I see a yellow turkey!<br />p. 4 - I see one, two, three turkeys!<br /><br />This book is simple but Lily enjoyed reading it. I am hoping to post a picture soon-my camera batteries are not working at the moment and need recharged!<br /><br />Math<br /><br />I'm going to have Lily help me passing out some gummy snacks (give one to each person, count how many there are, etc.)<br /><br />Craft<br /><br />We are going to make a fairly large turkey body out of construction paper and then use a paper chain for the legs. We're going to cut out feet to glue to the bottom of the paper chain. Again, sorry for no pictures! I know it would be so much easier to explain with a picture! I hope to post them soon.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-73376964322308907142010-11-08T07:43:00.001-08:002010-11-08T07:55:34.397-08:00November - Week Two - Day 1Today was a really fun learning day! <br /><br />Art/Language Arts<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgblJQSN3I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/FIX7hj3L7fM/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+231.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgblJQSN3I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/FIX7hj3L7fM/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+231.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537206066805356402" /></a><br /><br />I cut out two turkeys from thick paper and Lily helped me glue on the eyes, legs and beak. I cut out a variety of "feathers" in different colors. I asked Lily to tell me one thing she is grateful for. She said "crayons" so I wrote it on a feather and glued the feather to the turkey. We are going to continue this activity for at least a week, gluing on one feather per day and writing what she is thankful for on that feather. <br /><br />I wrote her name, the date, and her age on the back of her turkey. I'm planning on keeping this for a decoration for future Thanksgivings!<br /><br />Math<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgbzXQSAMI/AAAAAAAAAGY/OF6rYzzLVSo/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+234.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgbzXQSAMI/AAAAAAAAAGY/OF6rYzzLVSo/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+234.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537206311081607362" /></a><br /><br />I want Lily to start learning to read her numbers while she's counting so I decided to write the numbers 1-12 on the inside of muffin papers and then to draw the corresponding number of dots inside the papers. For example, on the first muffin paper I wrote "1" and then drew one dot. I put the papers in a muffin tin. Lily's job was to fill each of the 12 tins with the right number of beads. So for the first tin she saw the number "1" and one dot, so she knew to put in one bead. I really had to help her with this activity. I think after a while she will do just fine on her own, but for now be ready to provide lots of support!<br /><br />Language Arts - continued<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgdMM0CtgI/AAAAAAAAAGg/h_P0emI-OS0/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+232.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgdMM0CtgI/AAAAAAAAAGg/h_P0emI-OS0/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+232.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537207837287167490" /></a><br /><br />Lily is doing a great job learning her letters so I decided to add the letter "G" for "grateful" this week. <br /><br />We made a "sound basket" and searched her playroom for objects to place inside the basket. We found grapes, a girl doll, a goat puzzle piece, a green crayon, a photo of Grandma, and more. She really liked looking for all of the objects. <br /><br />We also practiced writing the letter "G."Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-70369230818801890142010-11-08T07:24:00.001-08:002010-11-08T07:42:27.618-08:00November - Week OneI apologize for not getting this posted sooner. I am a week behind so I'm not going to be extremely descriptive here. <br /><br />For history we really focused on the first three standards, using the language of time (today, tomorrow, yesterday), labeling days by function (ballet, church, AWANA), and using vocabulary such as next, before, soon, after, now and later.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgaEPxSf5I/AAAAAAAAAGI/Xg9yWJr-R_w/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+233.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TNgaEPxSf5I/AAAAAAAAAGI/Xg9yWJr-R_w/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+233.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537204402107088786" /></a><br /><br />If you look closely at the picture you can see the ballet slipper stickers we put on Monday's squares, the little pictures of our church we cut our for Sunday's squares, and the Puggles pictures we cut out for AWANA on Wednesdays. We have also marked special holidays and birthdays.<br /><br />Lily LOVES the calendar we have up in the play room and we've added pictures to it so she knows Sunday is church day, Monday is ballet, and Wednesday is AWANA. We talk about how yesterday was Sunday, tomorrow is Tuesday, today is Monday, and we have ballet today, etc. The calendar has really improved her vocabulary. I highly suggest making or buying a calendar and using it every morning. It takes less that a couple of minutes to update and she is learning so much from it. If you consistently use a calendar and talk about the calendar then I think you will sufficiently teach these first three social studies standards.<br /><br />For math we worked on counting. We counted little items, food, etc. We sang silly counting songs like (One little, two little, three little turkeys, four little, five little, six little turkeys, seven little, eight little, nine little turkeys...ten little turkeys going "Gobble, gobble! Gobble, gobble! Gobble, gobble!"<br /><br />For language arts we worked on the letter "t" again and talked about turkeys and Thanksgiving. We read Thanksgiving books.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-91203421707178202422010-11-08T07:08:00.000-08:002010-11-08T07:24:09.374-08:00NovemberI apologize for the delay of getting these goals and activities up!<br /><br />Here are the major goals/standards we are working on for November:<br /><br />Math - Number, Number Sense and Operations<br /><br />Week 1-<br /><br />1. Count to 10 in the context of daily activities and play (e.g., number songs).<br />2. Touch objects and say the number names when counting in the context of daily <br /> activities and play (e.g., counting cookies on a plate, steps on a set of stairs).<br /><br />Week 2 -<br /><br />3. Demonstrate one-to-one correspondece when couting objects (e.g., give one cookie <br /> to each child in the group).<br />4. Determine "how many" in sets of 5 or fewer objects.<br /><br />Week 3 - <br /><br />5. Construct two sets of objects, each containing the same number of objects (e.g., <br /> 5 crayons and 5 blocks).<br />6. Compare sets of equal, more, and fewer and uste the language of comparison <br /> (e.g., more, fewer, and equal).<br /><br />Week 4 - <br /><br />7. Group and regroup a given set in the context of daily activities and play (e.g., <br /> 5 blocks can be 2 blue and 3 green or 1 blue and 4 green).<br />8. Represent quantity using invented forms (e.g., child's marks to represent a <br /> quantity of objects.)<br /><br />Social Studies - History<br /><br />1. Begin to use the language of time (e.g., day, night, yesterday, today, tomorrow).<br />2. Label days by function (e.g., school day, stay home day, swim day, field trip <br /> day). For our family we use church, ballet class, AWANA, etc.<br />3. Begin to use or respond to the langage of time such as next, before, soon, <br /> after, now and later as related to daily schedules and routines. <br />4. Share episodes of personal history from birth to present through personal <br /> memorabilia or connected stories.<br />5. Arrange sequences of personal and shared events through pictures, growth charts <br /> and other media.<br />6. Share personal family stories and traditions (e.g., photo album put together by <br /> family members).Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-82245254781303073932010-10-26T07:24:00.000-07:002010-10-26T07:43:23.989-07:00Pumpkins - Day 8Math-Pumpkin Patch Subtraction<br /><br />I found this poem at the following website: http://www.preschoolexpress.com.<br /><br />You can use the little Brach's pumpkins for this, or a felt board like they suggest. We don't have a felt board so we're sticking to the candy!<br /><br />FOUR LITTLE PUMPKINS<br />Four little pumpkins<br />I can see.<br />______picked one<br />That left three.<br /><br />Three little pumpkins<br />With nothing to do.<br />______ picked one<br />And that left two.<br /><br />Two little pumpkins<br />Out in the sun.<br />______ picked one<br />And that left one.<br /><br />One little pumpkin<br />All alone.<br />It looked lonely<br />So I took it home. Jean Warren <br /><br />L.A. - Alphabet<br /><br />This really has nothing to do with pumpkins but I've been wanting to do this for a while and today's the day! When I subbed in a kindergarten room we helped the kids learn their letters with flash cards. As I've said in the past, I'm not a huge fan of flash cards because I love active learning, but flashcards can be useful every now and then. I'm going to find pictures on the web and make my own set to practice with my preschooler. She is starting to take in interest in learning the alphabet and the sounds the letters make, so that's why I'm choosing to do this now. Here's an example of the type of set I'm making:<br /><br />A - apple<br />B - boy<br />C - cat<br />D - dog<br />E - elephant<br />F - fish<br />G - girl<br />h - hat<br />i - igloo<br />j - jump<br />k - kite<br />l- lion <br />m - mouse<br />n - needle <br />o - octopus<br />p - pear<br />q - quilt<br />r - rabbit<br />s - snake<br />t - tiger<br />u - umbrella<br />v - violin<br />x - x-ray<br />y - yo-yo<br />z - zebra <br /><br />It is helpful to do different motions with some of the letters such as pretend to sew for "n for needle," and really jump for "j" for jump. <br /><br />The way the kids learned the letters were by saying "A for apple, a for apple, ahh, ahh, ahh" (the last part is to say the sound the letter makes). Another example would be "B for boy, b for boy, buh, buh, buh." <br /><br />I would recommend that you find out which type of alphabet flash cards your child's school disctrict will use, because it may be difficult to learn one whole set and then switch to another when they start school. If your child is use to saying "b for boy" and the school says "b for bear" it might make them a little confused.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-13924587160145989272010-10-25T08:20:00.000-07:002010-10-25T08:37:30.105-07:00Pumpkins-Day 7<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWi5ioylZI/AAAAAAAAAF4/UTnBwYqJU5I/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+213.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWi5ioylZI/AAAAAAAAAF4/UTnBwYqJU5I/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+213.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532006826728658322" /></a><br /><br />Pumpkin Math!<br /><br />I used a mixture of Brach's pumpkins and candy corn to do a variety of math activities with my preschooler. <br /><br />A few ideas of how you can use this candy for math:<br /><br />Capacity-Use pumpkins to fill various containers. See which container requires the most/least pumpkins.<br /><br />Counting-line up pumpkins and have your child touch each pumpkin as they count them (this helps develop one-to-one correspondence).<br /><br />Patterns-create a pattern using the candy such as pumpkin, candy corn, pumpkin, candy corn...and have your child extend the pattern. If this pattern is too each make it more diffcult like pumpkin, pumpkin, candy corn...<br /><br />Graphing-give your child a handful of candy. Have your child sort and line the pieces up on a piece of large graph paper. Color in the graph.<br /><br />Sorting-Hand your child a small amount of mixed candy pieces and let them practice sorting them into groups (all the candy corn in one pile and all of the pumpkins in the other).<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWgZPK1RfI/AAAAAAAAAFo/80m2OAtaa78/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+211.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWgZPK1RfI/AAAAAAAAAFo/80m2OAtaa78/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+211.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532004072723662322" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWim8FNiCI/AAAAAAAAAFw/mnf1Oe9chKo/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+212.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWim8FNiCI/AAAAAAAAAFw/mnf1Oe9chKo/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+212.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532006507141236770" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Language Arts-Pumpkin Writing<br /><br />OACS-L.A., Writing Process, 5. Dictate or produce "writing" to express thoughts.<br /><br />You can choose from a whole variety of activities for this lesson. Here are a few ideas:<br /><br />-Watch the Charlie Brown Halloween cartoon and write about what you would do if you saw the Great Pumpkin.<br /><br />-Add sentences to photos from the trip to the pumpkin patch to make a scrapbook.<br /><br />-Write a story about your visit (pretend or real) to the pumpkin patch.<br /><br />....anything else your child might be interested in!<br /><br />Craft-Pumpkin Jars<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWjIpUX35I/AAAAAAAAAGA/ZkxqhNM5naw/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+214.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TMWjIpUX35I/AAAAAAAAAGA/ZkxqhNM5naw/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+214.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532007086220107666" /></a><br /><br />I saw this craft in Family Fun magazine. We took mason jars (accidentally just recycled all of our spaghetti and peanut butter jars right before this craft) and glued long strips of tissue paper to them. We cut out shapes (tying in math) to make a silly face. We used a real candle, but I would definitely suggest using a battery powere tea light to make this silly pumpkin jar light up. This would be a great craft to also do for Thanksgiving center pieces or for Christmas gifts. I will warn you that it can be a little frustrating for the preschoolers because the tissue paper rips easily when it's wet with the glue, and the preschoolers little fingers can get sticky easily, adding to the tearing paper problem. My little one loved this craft, even with the minor annoying parts!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-8513129842854768352010-10-18T10:53:00.001-07:002010-10-18T10:54:12.970-07:00Pumpkins - Day 6<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLyJuTSZxzI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Lu6Qk9VgWdc/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+170.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLyJuTSZxzI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Lu6Qk9VgWdc/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+170.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529445871048574770" /></a><br /><br />L.A.- Shaving Cream!<br /><br />Objective-OACS, L.A., Writing Conventions, Handwriting, Indicator 1- Print letters of own name and other meaningful words with assistance using mock letters and/or conventional print.<br /><br />It’s wonderful when preschoolers to use a variety of their senses to learn. We got out daddy’s shaving cream and wiped a large amount on the table. We took turns “drawing” in it. We reviewed letters and shapes, plus took some time to draw some pumpkins and other silly pictures.<br /><br />Math- Paper Pumpkins<br /><br />If you’re like us, you’ll probably need to continue working on your paper mache pumpkins. We are ready to paint our three pumpkins, so that is our goal for today. <br /><br />NOTE-if going to the grocery you may want to buy a bag of Brach’s “Autumn Mix” for some other math activities later this week.<br /><br />Science- My mom (who works in an elementary library) found a wonderful book called “From Seed to Pumpkin.” Lily and I are going to read this book and review the life science facts from last month.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-53872235619160499102010-10-18T10:52:00.000-07:002010-10-18T10:53:17.000-07:00Pumpkins- Day 5Field Trip to a pumpkin patch!<br /><br />Talk with your child about how the farmer plants the pumpkin, waits for the pumpkin to grow, picks the pumpkin, and then sells it. It would be great if you could actually walk through a pumpkin field or take a wagon ride through one. You can help your child purchase a pumpkin, then bring it home and turn it into a pie or a decoration.<br /><br />Tip-there are websites that list local pumpkin patches. I know there are a few located in SW Ohio.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-76975620014609294902010-10-14T07:19:00.000-07:002010-10-14T07:49:23.708-07:00Great Resources and Learning Tools!This has nothing to do with the pumpkin unit but I'm really excited about it and it's worth sharing.<br /><br />We keep a budget and try hard to limit our spending, especially since I decided to become a stay-at-home mom. I probably take it to extremes sometimes, such as doing my own "up-dos" for weddings, clipping lots of coupons, learning to sew clothes for the girls, and so on. However, there are times when I find learning resources that are well worth any money I may spend on them (after I find the cheapest way to purchase them, of course)! <br /><br />These are two tools that I just bought for my girls:<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLcSQJkGZ5I/AAAAAAAAAFA/UWi0RRcOKmU/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+167.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLcSQJkGZ5I/AAAAAAAAAFA/UWi0RRcOKmU/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+167.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527907136275113874" /></a><br /><br />These are called "Mini Geosolids" from Learning Resources. The company has their own site, but I bought this set from Amazon, using my swagbucks (see below). <br /><br />These are wonderful hands on manipulatives for teaching sorting, patterns, classification, 3-d shapes and so much more! They are fun for her to use now for building little castles and things, but it is definitely a tool that she can use for most of her formal schooling. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLcT3gFo6TI/AAAAAAAAAFI/gjZMmCXIyz8/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+168.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLcT3gFo6TI/AAAAAAAAAFI/gjZMmCXIyz8/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+168.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527908911847893298" /></a><br /><br />This is a set of "pattern blocks" or "attribute blocks" that I bought on ebay. I bought them for the same reasons I bought the geosolids. These are definitely multi-purpose and can be used for many years.<br /><br />Swagbucks is one of my new favorite websites! It is an great easy program for earning a little extra money for items I normally wouldn't include in our regular budget (such as extra toys for the girls).<br /><br />All you do is sign up for a swagbucks account, open the email they send to verify your account, and then use it as a search engine. You will randomly win "swagbucks" as you search. These can be redeemed for a whole variety of prizes, my favorite of which is the $5.00 Amazon.com gift card. This is how I purchased the mini geosolids, as well as my youngest daughter's birthday present. You can also earn "swagbucks" by reading their blog and finding codes, doing online shopping through their site, and a variety of other ways. I've used the site for almost a year and I am very pleased with it! The link for Swagbucks is posted below:<br /><br />For some reason my hyper links aren't working so here's the link to copy and paste:<br /><br />http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/NatalieWaddleNataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-47294744787744087932010-10-14T07:09:00.000-07:002010-10-14T08:41:42.060-07:00Pumpkins - Day 4L.A.<br /><br />Read pumpkin mini book and poem. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLckQRgNnaI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/8lbCVmy3L5s/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+169.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLckQRgNnaI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/8lbCVmy3L5s/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+169.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527926929615592866" /></a><br /><br />Math/Art - Paper Mache Pumpkins!<br /><br />We aren't going to do very much math today because this activity is mostly preparation for next week's math activities. Today Lily and I are going to attempt to make two or three different sized paper mache pumpkins/jack-o-lanterns. This will only be the beginning of the project as it will probably take a few days to let it dry and then paint it. <br /><br />For the pumpkins,<br /><br />1. Blow up a couple of balloons into different sizes. (Blow one up all the way, one up about half way, and so on.)<br /><br />2. Mix 1 part flour with 2 parts water for the paste.<br /><br />3. Cut newspaper into strips (shorter strips work best for the curves on the balloons).<br /><br />4. Paste strips around balloon forming a "bowl" shape.<br /><br />Tip-cover work surface with lots of extra newspaper or plastic, use old t-shirts to cover goood clothes!<br /><br />We will use this project next week for our capacity/volume math activities.<br /><br />If you don't want to give up math for today you can have your child use a paperclip chain to measure the strips of paper. They can also arrange different strips of paper in order from tallest to shortest, or practice counting strips of paper.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-91294685239329713112010-10-13T07:39:00.000-07:002010-10-13T12:28:11.540-07:00Pumpkins-Day 3<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLXHM6J3tTI/AAAAAAAAAEw/qvJDqDbkkns/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+167.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLXHM6J3tTI/AAAAAAAAAEw/qvJDqDbkkns/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+167.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527543142250165554" /></a><br /><br /><br />L.A.- "The Pumpkin"<br /><br />I want to work on some basic sight words with Lily, and the best way to teach her sight words is to read them in the context of a story. I'm not a huge fan of flash cards. I think they are fine on occasion, but I definitely prefer teaching new words through actually reading stories. I decided to write a simple little story about a farmer growing a pumpkin to go along with our economics unit.<br /><br />First, I cut four sheets of printer paper (8.5 in x 11 in.) in half. Then I stacked them on top of each other, folded them in half, and then stapled in the fold. <br /><br />Here's what I wrote-you can change it to suit your child's needs:<br /><br />Title "The Pumpkin"<br />Page 1 - blank<br />Page 2 - The farmer plants a seed.<br />Page 3 - Look! It is raining!<br />Page 4 - The seed sprouts.<br />Page 5 - The little plant grows.<br />Page 6 - Look! A little pumpkin is there.<br />Page 7 - It rains on the pumpkin.<br />Page 8 - The sun shines on the pumpkin.<br />Page 9 - The pumpkin is not little now.<br />Page 10- The pumpkin is big and orange.<br />Page 11- The farmer picks the pumpkin.<br />Page 12- We go to the pumpkin farm.<br />Page 13- We buy the pumpkin.<br />Page 14- We make pumpkin pie!<br /><br />I highlighted the preschool Dolche words in the book (Dolche words are a basic list of sight words). We will read this book multiple times. I have Lily point to each word as we read. The illustrations are also key to helping her figure out the words on the page, so take care to match the illustrations with the words.<br /><br />Here is a list of preschool Dolche words I found on the internet:<br /><br />a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you.<br /><br /><br />Math- Pumpkin Face!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLYG_11SLSI/AAAAAAAAAE4/7vfHBRz3sm8/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+168.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLYG_11SLSI/AAAAAAAAAE4/7vfHBRz3sm8/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+168.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527613286495956258" /></a><br /><br /><br />Lily is doing fairly well with measurement so we're going to take a little break and go back to reviewing shapes.<br /><br />I saw in a magazine that one mom took magnetic sheets and cut out black triangles, rectangles, squares and circles, and then let her child use them to decorate a pumpkin that she taped to the refrigerator. While your child plays with the shapes and makes different pumpkin faces you can talk with them about the different shapes. Make sure to keep these away from curious babies!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-55055330218880156282010-10-12T15:30:00.000-07:002010-10-12T15:50:49.134-07:00Pumpkins-Day 2<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLTmPYfEbLI/AAAAAAAAAEo/2F1JGviUCu0/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+128.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLTmPYfEbLI/AAAAAAAAAEo/2F1JGviUCu0/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+128.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527295794635631794" /></a><br /><br />Field Trip Plans!<br /><br />If you haven't considered taking your child to a real pumpkin farm-this would be the week to do so! There is a great farm, near Milford, OH, called Shaw Farms. Their website is www.shawfarms.com. You can take hay rides back to the pumpkin fields. It's a wonderful way to show your child first hand farming economics. You can purchase pumpkins at the farm. For extra fun, purchase a pie pumpkin and find an online recipe for homemade pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread.<br /><br />Children learn through making connections through their life experiences. It is important for your child to take "field trips" and to gain a variety of experiences. I've overheard many teachers observing that students are lacking basic experiences and therefore have difficulties in school because they can't connect what they are learning to their life. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLTkspf-skI/AAAAAAAAAEg/rPcJVTelzpE/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+163.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLTkspf-skI/AAAAAAAAAEg/rPcJVTelzpE/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+163.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527294098395804226" /></a><br /><br />L.A./Math/S.S.<br /><br />There is a cute book called "The Biggest Pumpkin Ever." It is a great little story to read with your child. As you are reading the book, ask your child to think about what’s happening and to make predictions for what they think will happen next. After reading, use the book to do some more paper clip measurements. It's perfect for continuing the math measurement lesson because the pumpkins in the illustrations are various sizes and can easily be measured with paper clips. This book also presents a chance to talk about the social studies standards of production.<br /><br />Objective-OACS, L.A., Comprehenstion, Indicator 5. Predict what might happen next during reading of text.<br /><br />Objective-OACS, Math, Measurment, Indicator 6. Measure length and volume using non-standard units of measure (e.g., how many paper clips long is a pencil, how many small containers does it take to fill one big container using sand, rice or beans?)<br /><br />Objective – OACS, SS, Economics, Indicator 3. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of production, distribution and consumption through play (e.g., food from the farm to the grocery store) and concrete experiences (e.g., food purchased from the store and cooked at home).<br /><br />Don't forget to read the poem of the week and do your daily calendar activities, too!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-11921401241355547902010-10-11T06:23:00.000-07:002010-10-11T06:24:05.474-07:00Poem of the Week!Poem of the Week – From Seed to Pie<br /><br />I love to write poems on big pieces of poster/chart paper. It is a great way to read along with your child and to start teaching them some sight words. It’s also wonderful for teaching fluency, rhyming, punctuation, capitalization and many other language arts skills.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/patty_s_pumpkin_patch.html">http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/patty_s_pumpkin_patch.html</a><br /><br />The website stated that this poem was written by Diane Donovan for Mailbox Magazine<br /><br />It is sung to the tune of “The Farmer in The Dell”<br /><br /> The seed is on the ground.<br /> The seed is on the ground.<br /> Hi-ho the pumpkin patch!<br /> The seed is on the ground.<br /><br /> Additional verses:<br /> The seed grows a sprout.<br /> The sprout grows a vine.<br /> The vine grows a bloom.<br /> The bloom grows a pumpkin.<br /> We make a pumpkin pie.<br /><br /><br />I might even add in some like “The farmer picks the pumpkin.” And “The store sells the pumpkin” or “The farmer sells the pumpkin.” These extra verses would fit in well with the economic standards for the pumpkin unit.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-17024193462646833992010-10-11T05:38:00.001-07:002010-10-11T06:35:49.160-07:00Pumpkins-Day 1<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLMQlTihm8I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/4_dSFTuhxFA/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+140.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLMQlTihm8I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/4_dSFTuhxFA/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+140.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526779400800017346" /></a><br /><br />L.A.- “P” is for “pumpkins”<br /><br />Objective-OACS, L.A., Writing Conventions, Handwriting, Indicator 1- Print letters of own name and other meaningful words with assistance using mock letters and/or conventional print.<br /><br />Help your child practice writing the letter “p” and color a pumpkin. On a side note, your school disctrict probably teaches one of the two different handwriting styles, so you may want to check which style they use before you begin to teach your child to write. Your child's future school teacher (if you do not home school) will probably not be too thrilled if you have taught them to write a different form than what the school uses. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLMQ0jKxSAI/AAAAAAAAAEY/ukEkmuguw0w/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+162.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TLMQ0jKxSAI/AAAAAAAAAEY/ukEkmuguw0w/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+162.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526779662693386242" /></a><br /><br />Math- How big is that pumpkin?<br /><br />Objective-OACS, Math, Measurment, Indicator 6. Measure length and volume using non-standard units of measure (e.g., how many paper clips long is a pencil, how many small containers does it take to fill one big container using sand, rice or beans?)<br /><br />Cut out a few different sized construction paper pumpkins. Help your child link together paperclips and count how man paper clips long each pumpkin is.<br /><br />Social Studies – <br /><br />Objective – OACS, SS, Economics, Indicator 3. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of production, distribution and consumption through play (e.g., food from the farm to the grocery store) and concrete experiences (e.g., food purchased from the store and cooked at home).<br /><br />Plant a pumpkin seed with your child. Talk about how the seed needs soil to live (review from September). Talk about how farmers plant pumpkin seeds. Play farm!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-60593100113949788962010-10-11T05:36:00.000-07:002010-10-11T05:38:10.110-07:00October - Pumpkins!This month we will be doing a measurement unit in math, an economic unit for social studies, and we will continue with various reading and writing activities. I'm hoping to do at least two mini-units: "apples" and "pumpkins!" This is going to be a fun month for field trips!!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-91292558320176506222010-10-01T08:27:00.000-07:002010-10-01T08:32:24.106-07:00FridayEnd of Unit Assessment<br /><br />This is the end of the unit and a great time to gather information about what your child has learned. I definitely do not recommend any kind of paper or pencil type of test for this age! I would just keep some notes or a checklist of the concepts your child has mastered and ones you need to further review. I would let your child play or read with them and informally assess these objectives by asking questions or observing. <br /><br />Geometry Unit<br /><br />1. Match 2-and 3-dimensional objects in the environment and in play situations.<br />2. Sort and classify similar 2- and 3-dimensional objects in the environment and play situations.<br />3. Identify, name, create and describe common 2-d shapes like circles, triangles, rectangles and squares.<br />4. Identify, name and describe 3-d objects using child’s own vocabulary.<br /><br />Life Science Unit<br /><br />1. Identify common needs (food, air, water) of familiar living things.<br />2. Begin to differentiate between real and pretend.<br />3. Observe and begin to recognize the ways that environments support life by meeting the needs of each organism (plant/soil, birds/air, fish/water).<br />4. Match familiar adult family members, plants and animals with their young.<br />5. Recognize physical differences among the same class of people, plants, or animals (dogs come in many sizes and colors).Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-11837019056291030612010-10-01T08:26:00.001-07:002010-10-01T08:26:44.629-07:00ThursdayScience-Field Trip!<br /><br />Objective-OCAS, Science, Life Science, Heredity, Indicator 4-Match familiar adult family members, plant and animals with their young (e.g., horse/colt, cow/calf).<br /><br />Take your child to a petting zoo with mom and baby animals and help them compare how they are similar and different. <br /><br />Math- Matching Game<br /><br />Objective-OACS, Math, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Characteristics and Properties-2.Sort and Classify similar two and three-dimensional objects in the environment and play situations (e.g., paper shapes, 2 balls of different size).<br /><br />Cut out various shapes in different sizes and colors, making sure to cut out two of each. Put one whole set in a “deck” and another whole set in a pile. Take turns drawing from the “deck” and trying to match your shape to make a pair. This is a good time to talk about congruency.<br /><br />L.A.- Poem!<br /><br />OACS, L.A., Reading Applications-2. Retell or re-enact events from a story through a variety of media and play events (e.g., dramatize a favorite story). <br /><br />Have your child tell what happened in the fall poem and act it out.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-71138727073788275692010-10-01T07:17:00.000-07:002010-10-01T08:09:01.627-07:00WednesdayMath-Shape Sorting Race!<br /><br />Objective-OACS, Math, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Characteristics and Properties-2.Sort and Classify similar two and three-dimensional objects in the environment and play situations (e.g., paper shapes, 2 balls of different size).<br /><br />Use any extra shapes you might have leftover from Monday’s art (or make new ones) and place them in two big piles. Separate out one triangle, one square, and one circle and start three new piles, one for each. Do the same for your child’s pile. Explain that when you say go, you’re going to separate out all of the triangles into one pile, all of the circles into another pile, and finally all of the squares into a third pile. You may need to help them do the first few. Play the game and then change it by having them sort colors next, then whatever else you can think of like size, sides, corners or round, etc.<br /><br />Science-Picture Time!<br /><br />Objective-OCAS, Science, Life Science, Heredity, Indicator 4-Match familiar adult family members, plant and animals with their young (e.g., horse/colt, cow/calf).<br /><br />Get out a picture of your child and of yourself and talk about the similarities and differences.<br /><br />L.A.<br /><br />Objective-OACS, L.A., Phonemic Awareness, Indicator 2. Hear sounds in words by isolating the syllables of a word using snapping, clapping or rhythmic movement (e.g., cat, ap-ple).<br /><br />Read the poem from Tuesday. Go back and find a few words to separate into syllables. Model for your child how to clap for each syllable.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-2878106041992964702010-09-28T05:09:00.000-07:002010-09-28T05:43:21.074-07:00TuesdayL.A.-Fall Poem<br /><br />Goal-OACS, L.A., Word Recognition-7. Recognize that words are made up of letters (e.g., c-a-t).<br /><br />I found the poem below from the following site:<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-fall.htm">http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-fall.htm</a>.<br /><br /><em>Red and yellow, green and brown. <br />(count off colors on fingers) <br />Leaves are falling to the ground. <br />(simulate falling leaves with hands) <br />We pile them up OH SO HIGH: <br />('pile' leaves with hands) <br />Then we JUMP in! <br />(pretend to jump in) <br /> My dog and I!</em><br /><br />I'm going to write this on a large piece of paper and hang it in the room. I will read it to Lily every day for the rest of the week and hopefully she will read along by Friday. I'm going to have her point out some familiar letters today.<br /><br /><br />Math-Grocery Shopping!<br /><br />Objective-OACS, Math, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Characteristics and Properties-2.Sort and Classify similar two and three-dimensional objects in the environment and play situations (e.g., paper shapes, 2 balls of different size).<br /><br />Today I'm focusing on sortig three-dimensional shapes. We have a play grocery store at our house and I'm going to have Lily be a stock person and stock the shelves with the empty cartons I have. I'm going to ask her to put all of the cans/tubes (cylinders) on one shelf, the boxes (cubes, rectangular prisms) on another, and the round ones (spberes) on the last. You can use items in your pantry for this activity, or any other objects around the house.<br /><br />Science-Story Time!<br /><br />Objective-OCAS, Science, Life Science, Heredity, Indicator 4-Match familiar adult family members, plant and animals with their young (e.g., horse/colt, cow/calf).<br /><br />I don't like to pass up an opportunity to read with my little ones and this is a perfect objective to pair with language arts so we're reading today! We have lots of books about baby animals and their mothers. I'll ask her questions about the animals names and how they look similar to and different from the parent.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-9253703226292939472010-09-27T08:27:00.000-07:002010-09-27T08:47:07.454-07:00Monday-"Ff"<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TKC76IogZfI/AAAAAAAAAEA/gZYxhQdwAIc/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TKC76IogZfI/AAAAAAAAAEA/gZYxhQdwAIc/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521619750580413938" /></a><br /><br />Math/Art-Fall Shape Trees<br /><br />Objective-OACS, Math, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Characteristics and Properties-2. Sort and Classify similar two and three-dimensional objects in the environment and play situations (e.g., paper shapes, 2 balls of different size).<br /><br />Cut many different triangles, squares and circles from orange, brown and red paper. Mix all of the shapes together when finished cutting. Cut three rectangles from the brown paper to make trunks and glue trunks to a piece of green paper. Have your child glue the different shapes around the trunk to make a tree with one tree with only triangle leaves, one with only square leaves, and one with only circle leaves. <br /><br />When Lily and I made this craft we talked about the characteristics of the shapes, the shape of the trunk and the parts of a tree. You can count the number of shapes on each tree, talk about colors, and more. *Tip-glue sticks seem to be a lot neater than bottled glue for this age! <br /><br />L.A.-“Ff”<br /><br />Objective-OACS, L.A., Writing Conventions, Handwriting, Indicator 1- Print letters of own name and other meaningful words with assistance using mock letters and/or conventional print.<br /><br />Model how to write the letter “Ff” and talk about the sound that it makes. Help your child trace the letter if they are developmentally ready for it. Find objects in the room that begin with the letter “f.”<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TKC8FLYFoNI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Msur3WeVHgM/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TKC8FLYFoNI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Msur3WeVHgM/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521619940295418066" /></a><br /><br />Science-“Who’s My Mommy?”<br /><br />Objective-OCAS, Science, Life Science, Heredity, Indicator 4-Match familiar adult family members, plant and animals with their young (e.g., horse/colt, cow/calf).<br /><br />Find many different figurines with an adult and their offspring such as a cat and a kitten, duck and duckling, mom doll and baby doll, etc., and mix them all up. Have your child sort them into the matching pairs. This is a great activity to learn new vocabulary and to ask questions about the methods your child is using to sort the animals. There are some great opportunities to incorporate some higher level thinking skill questions here. See my page on Critical Thinking for tips.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-82644863722094064902010-09-23T09:24:00.000-07:002010-09-23T09:49:56.330-07:00FridayFriday<br /><br />"Dd" Treasure Hunt!<br /><br />Language Arts<br /><br />Goal-OACS L.A., Phonemic Awareness, 4. Recognize when words share phonemes (sounds) and repeat the common phoneme (e.g., /b/ as in Bob, ball, baby, /t/ as in Matt, kite, boat<br /><br />Design a treasure hunt with clue words that begin with “d.” Say the words out loud with your child. At the end have a toy that starts with “d” or some type of food for a prize. <br /><br />Go Fish!<br /><br />Goal-OACS Life Science, Diversity and Interdependence of Life, 3-Observe and begin to recognize the ways that environments support life by meeting the unique needs of each organism (e.g., plant/soil, birds/air, fish/water).<br /><br />The timing of this lesson worked out perfectly because we are supposed to go fishing this weekend. It will be a great way to investigate how fish need water to live. If you don't have a fishing trip planned in the near future, take a trip to Wal-mart and look at the fish in the aquariums. If you're feeling brave, and want to challenge your child with some responsibility, you might even try bringing home a goldfish for a pet!<br /> <br />Also remember to check on your grass science investigation. If you’ve noticed enough of a change help your child write/draw about what they observed in a science journal. You can be their scribe.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091842011843527943.post-15980690615528732502010-09-23T08:54:00.001-07:002010-09-23T09:24:19.699-07:00Thursday<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt9zOaVCxI/AAAAAAAAADw/9ncrgQ2sgw4/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+027.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt9zOaVCxI/AAAAAAAAADw/9ncrgQ2sgw4/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+027.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520144087268002578" /></a><br /><br />Science<br /><br />Goal-OACS Life Science, Diversity and Interdependence of Life, 3-Observe and begin to recognize the ways that environments support life by meeting the unique needs of each organism (e.g., plant/soil, birds/air, fish/water).<br /><br />Lily is having a hard time understanding how plants rely on soil, so we took a morning walk today and did lots of hands on activities. We took ended up digging in the dirt, looking for worms (we found the worm piles in the picture above), looking at wildflowers growing in the garden, and looking at roots. This seemed to help a lot. We're going to plant some pumpkin seeds in a cup to further reinforce the concept.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt9dGBHD6I/AAAAAAAAADo/dHkOhxJ-XZI/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+028.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520143707057622946" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt9dGBHD6I/AAAAAAAAADo/dHkOhxJ-XZI/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+028.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt-TeMwVCI/AAAAAAAAAD4/4WF5us-Iftg/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt-TeMwVCI/AAAAAAAAAD4/4WF5us-Iftg/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+026.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520144641261851682" /></a><br /><br />We also had a great teachable moment when we ran into the toad in the picture above. It surprised Lily so we got to talk about how God created camoflauge and how the toad looked similar to the dirt. <br /><br />Language Arts/Math<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt7k1qStvI/AAAAAAAAADg/Uyv5ALEt9wI/s1600/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+029.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520141641082648306" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hPdn4UBniV4/TJt7k1qStvI/AAAAAAAAADg/Uyv5ALEt9wI/s400/West+Field+Auger+10x61%27+029.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Goal-OACS Geometry, Characteristics and Properties, 4-Identify, name and describe three-dimensional objects using the child’s own vocabulary (e.g., sphere-“ball,” cube-“box,” cylinder-“tube” or “can,” and cone-“ice cream cone”).<br /><br />We are going to play with some letter blocks. I'll talk with her about the faces of the block/cube, the corners, etc., while we play. I'll also help her build a couple of familiar words.<br /><br />Art<br /><br />We talked this morning about how deer eat grass, and how grass needs soil to grow in. I'm going to trace Lily's hands to make deer antlers and then let her glue them onto a brown paper bag. We'll draw a face on the puppet and write the word deer on it.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08808443534443516461noreply@blogger.com0